Members with This Book
Most Helpful Reviews
see all reviews
Liked It “I don't usually read books out of order but in this case I inadvertently did just that. I read Standing In the Rainbow in Aug 2009. As I started this one, Elmwood Springs came right back but it started with Neighbor Dorothy and it felt like the same book as Rainbow. I was confused. After what...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
see all reviews-
“I don't usually read books out of order but in this case I inadvertently did just that. I read Standing In the Rainbow in Aug 2009. As I started this one, Elmwood Springs came right back but it started with Neighbor Dorothy and it felt like the same book as Rainbow. I was confused. After what was probably the first chapter the story subtly changed and it was obvious this was going to be about Dena and her family but the tie to Elmwood Springs wasn't tenuous, the story sort of flirted with that connection until close to the end.
Barbara M wrote this review 12 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I was very entertained as the story flitted back and forth between the peple in New York and Elmwood Springs and back and forth in time too. The story of Dena, and how she became the celebrity we knew her to be, unfolded as the story progressed. I know there is a third book which I will also get to reading as these are interesting people with good hearts as are most of Flagg's characters.”
“RDC-M V 3 1999, 5/3/13. A young ambitious woman whose mother disappeared on Xmas Day when the girl was just 15. She spent the following 15+ years wondering what she did wrong. Good story.”
Diane Wachter wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Dena Nordstrom is climbing her way up the ladder of public success, but her ascension becomes riddled with unlabeled stress reactions. As people become more interested in who she is and where she comes from, Dena finds that she doesn't even have the answers herself, and she is reluctant to discover them. While she continues to block and hide, those from her father's hometown who have done nothing but love her, if only from afar, stand ready to welcome her home any time she's ready. The question becomes if she'll ever be ready.
Jen M wrote this review Tuesday, February 19, 2013. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The book is set up in alternating contemporary stories (contemporary in a sense...Dena's time is '60s-'80s) and flashback scenes from both the small town of her father, and her mother's experiences. This was complicated to follow at first because the author occasionally drifts into relating a story or information that's entirely unrelated to the main story. While these bits are still entertaining, there was a portion of me wondering, "Why is she going down this road?" At times, it reminded me of that relative that likes to tell anecdotes from the past but manages to wander down so many tangents that after a while, you have no idea where you started.
When the "big revelation" about Dena finally arrived, it actually surprised me. And the fact that it surprised me surprised me even more! I should have seen it coming, I think, but somehow the clues went over my head. Still, it kind of seemed a bit anticlimactic, ultimately. After all the drama the pre-revelation caused, I expected more waves, or perhaps more "dealing" with it, but it seemed all the fluff was in the build up and once that was over, things kind of deflated.
It was a nicely paced read, and I enjoyed the characters after the early issues mentioned, but I ended the book feeling vaguely disappointed. I'm not certain what more I would have wanted from it, but as I closed the cover, I didn't quite feel like it was complete.”
“A great mystery story, especially once you figure how all of the pieces/characters come together.”
Georgette McClain wrote this review Sunday, November 18, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“This was a great book.”
Rosemary M. Mayes wrote this review Saturday, September 22, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“After loving Fannie Flagg's other book, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe, I was hoping I'd like another of her books just as much. While the story was okay, it was not as much about small-town life as I'd expected. The parts that were about small-town life, I liked. However, the book has a lot about living in the city and the ethics of TV journalism. I disliked Dena, the main character, and didn't like the man who loved her. I think he was supposed to be romantic, but it came off as sort of creepy and stalker-y to me, and I didn't really like him either. On the other hand, I liked the bits about small-town life, and I would still try other Fannie Flagg books.”
Elise wrote this review Tuesday, June 26, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Oh, how I LOVE Fannie Flagg and everything she writes!”
Denise A. Smesny wrote this review Tuesday, February 14, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Excellent”
Dumb Bunny wrote this review Saturday, January 28, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“I can't say I loved this. It was an okay read.”
Teelkay wrote this review Friday, January 20, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
