The Whole Town's Talking by Fannie Flagg, 402 pages

The Whole Town's Talking tells the story of the citizens of Elmwood Springs, Missouri, somewhere not too far from Joplin.

The story begins in the 1880s with Lordor Nordstrom, the founder of the little community of Swedish immigrants.  By the time the story ends it is 2021 and we've learned the life and death stories of generations of community members, along with the life and death of the community itself.

I am not often a reader of gentle fiction and I would put this book in that category, but I do enjoy Fannie Flagg.  I doubt someone less than 40 would enjoy the story, but since I breezed by that a decade ago, I was good.

Welcome to the World Baby Girl by Fannie Flagg, 467 pages

Ahh, Fannie Flagg, what a storyteller.  I ran screaming from the last book I read and needed a good pick me up.  Fannie came through.  I have complained that some of her books are too sweet.  This one wasn't.  I like real life issues, I just like them resolved in a good way by the time the story ends and Fannie kindly provided that.

Dena Nordstrom is a rising star in 1970s network television.  However, she is an orphan and has issues with getting close to people.  Her father died in WWII before she was born and her mother disappeared when Dena was 15.

There are characters here that show up in later Flagg books that I've already read and it was fun to be introduced to them here.  All around, I think this was one of Fannie's best.

Trapped by Irene Hannon 380 pages

"Trapped" is the 2nd in the "Private Justice" novel by Irene Hannon, a Missouri author.  In Nora Roberts style, this series centers around three male characters, partners in the Private Justice P.I. firm.  In each book of the series, one of the partners aids a damsel in distress and,  in the process, falls in love. This book, features the female protagonist, a librarian, Laura Griffith.  Her 16-year-old step-sister has run away and she hires the handsome James Devlin to find her.  Laura's life is also jeapordized by the crazy Mark Hamilton, who volunteers in homeless shelters, trolling for young runaway girls he can "save".  This is where he comes in contact with Laura's step-sister. As a library employee, I guess the thing that bothered me about this book was Hannon's references to Laura being the "stereotypical" librarian.  You know, she always wears her hair in a french twist, she's very conservative...yada yada yada.  There is no such thing as a "typical" librarian and I hate the stereotypes!  Really ruined this book for me.

 

Pilate's Cross by J. Alexander Greenwood, 187 pages

The library book clubs are reading "Pilate's Cross" this year.  Last year, the author who lives in Kansas City, asked us to consider it for the clubs.  We did and we purchased them.  This is the first book in a series about John Pilate (pronounced like an aviator, not the exercise.)

In this story, Pilate is beginning a job in the English Department at a small college called Cross which is off of Highway 9, near the Missouri River.  He soon becomes embroiled in a decades old crime that happened on campus in 1963.

I enjoyed the story and the writing.  I read somewhere that this is based on a real events so I'm eagerly awaiting J. Alexander Greenwood's visit to the East Hills Library on April 12 so I can get more details.  Two more books have been written in the series and I'm hoping we'll add those to our collection at the library.

That Certain Summer by Irene Hannon 288 pages

I picked up this book because I saw it reviewed in a Library Journal.  And besides, the title contains the word "Summer"! It was an interesting tale of two sisters, different as night and day, both influenced by a controlling mother.  Karen has stayed in the small town of Washington, MO all her life.  She has been married, divorced, has a teenage daughter and is now tasked with caring for her mother who has had a stroke. Val is the "talented" one who left for college and never came back.  She is the one who was supposed to make it big.  She is blonde, thin, beautiful and is now teaching drama at a high school in Chicago.  Val comes home to Washington to help Karen with their mother over the summer.  The two sisters make peace with each other and in the process learn how their mother has pitted them against each other all their lives.  It turns out to be a summer of reconcilliation, change and forgiveness.  Not a bad read for a cold, snowy day.

 

Crossing the Tracks by Barbara Stuber 258 Pages

Crossing the Tracks by Barbara Stuber interested me because it takes places during the 1920's in Kansas and Missouri.  Most of the story takes place in Wellsford, Missouri.  Iris is 15 years old and lives with her father in Kansas.  Her mother died when she was very young.  Her father recently became engaged and has plans of moving his bootery to Kansas City, Missouri with his new wife.  Iris assumed that she would be moving to Kansas City too.  She soon learns that her father has found her a job working for a small town doctor who needs help caring for his elderly mother.  Iris is sent off to live in Wellsford, Missouri, leaving the only home and friends she has ever known.  Iris struggles with feeling of abandonment and betrayal by her father.  What Iris learns while living with Dr. Nesbitt and his mother are invaluable.  Life is hard and unfair for Iris and when tragedy strikes again she soon experiences warmth and understanding like she has never known.