The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop

August 31, 2020
Flagg’s memorable cast returns to Whistle Stop, Ala., made famous in Fried Green Tomatoes, in this heartfelt saga. As the characters age, they reflect on the 1930s, when the town was a lively, bustling place—but time hasn’t been kind to the hamlet, and it has become decrepit. In its heyday, Dot Weems ran the post office and published a town newsletter (“No gossip, just the plain facts, folks!”), and best friends Ruth and Idgie ran the Whistle Stop Cafe. Over time, townspeople scatter yet remain connected by Dot’s yearly holiday letters. In 1985, Ruth’s granddaughter, Ruthie, gets engaged to Brooks, an Atlanta society man. Shortly after Brooks dies of a heart attack in 2013, their two children leave Atlanta, and Ruthie receives a call from her father Bud’s retirement community saying Bud’s gone missing. As it happens, Bud is on his way back to Whistle Stop, propelled by memories of the past; meanwhile, his disappearance becomes a major news story, and Evelyn, a wealthy friend of one of Bud’s deceased relatives, hears about Bud’s disappearance and forms a friendship with Ruthie that changes both of their lives. Flagg’s multitude of fans will enjoy reminiscing and learning more secrets from her well-known protagonists. Agent: Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, WME.

Fans of FRIED GREEN TOMATOES AT THE WHISTLE STOP CAFE will enjoy this charming sequel, with all its quirky residents. Fannie Flagg tells her story with an inviting neighborliness. As in the original, Flagg meanders between characters, times, and place with an easy-to-listen-to Southern drawl, reprising some history and bringing us up-to-date on the lives of Idgie, Evelyn, Ruthie, and, of course, Bud. Her relaxed, friendly delivery gives the listener the feeling of sitting in a cozy Southern kitchen sharing a cup of coffee and maybe a serving of those famous fried green tomatoes. Cozy up to some Southern hospitality, a sprinkling of melancholy, and some laugh-out-loud moments and catch up with old friends. N.E.M. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine