The Whole Town's Talking

Fannie Flagg (Autor)

Buch

2018
Random House (Verlag)
9780399589560 (ISBN)

Infos

The bestselling author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is at her superb best in this fun-loving, moving novel about what it means to be truly alive.New York Times Bestseller - Southern Book Prize WinnerElmwood Springs, Missouri, is a small town like any other, but something strange is happening at the cemetery. Still Meadows, as it's called, is anything but still. Original, profound, The Whole Town's Talking, a novel in the tradition of Thornton Wilder's Our Town and Flagg's own Can't Wait to Get to Heaven, tells the story of Lordor Nordstrom, his Swedish mail-order bride, Katrina, and their neighbors and descendants as they live, love, die, and carry on in mysterious and surprising ways.Lordor Nordstrom created, in his wisdom, not only a lively town and a prosperous legacy for himself but also a beautiful final resting place for his family, friends, and neighbors yet to come. "Resting place" turns out to be a bit of a misnomer, however. Odd things begin to happen, and it starts the whole town talking.With her wild imagination, great storytelling, and deep understanding of folly and the human heart, the beloved Fannie Flagg tells an unforgettable story of life, afterlife, and the remarkable goings-on of ordinary people. In The Whole Town's Talking, she reminds us that community is vital, life is a gift, and love never dies.Praise for The Whole Town's Talking"A witty multigenerational saga . . . [Fannie] Flagg's down-home wisdom, her affable humor and her long view of life offer a pleasant respite in nerve-jangling times."-People"Fannie Flagg at her best."-The Florida Times-Union"If there's one thing Fannie Flagg can do better than anybody else, it's tell a story, and she outdoes herself in The Whole Town's Talking. . . . Brilliant . . . equally on the level as her famous Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe."-The Newport Plain Talk"Delightful."-The Washington Post"A ringing affirmation of love, community and life itself."-Richmond Times-Dispatch

Autor

Fannie Flagg begann bereits mit neunzehn Jahren Romane sowie Drehbücher für Film und Fernsehen zu schreiben. Für das Drehbuch zum Film "Grüne Tomaten" gewann sie einen Oscar sowie den renommierten "Writers Guild of America Award". Fannie Flagg lebt in Kalifornien und Alabama.

Textauszug

Lordor Nordstrom1889Missouri, USAAt age twenty-eight, Lordor Nordstrom had left his home in Sweden for America, looking for land to buy. Months later, while crossing down through southern Missouri, he found a large tract of good, rich land with plenty of natural springs, just right for a dairy farm. After he had cleared an area for his farm, he placed an ad in the Swedish-American newspapers for young farmers to come and start a new community and soon others joined him, bringing their families and farm animals with them. By 1880, a small farming community had formed that other people in the area called Swede Town, in spite of the fact that two Germans and one Norwegian (who was suspected of being Finnish) now lived there.Today, Lordor Nordstrom stood on the top of a small hill looking over the long expanse of rolling green meadows and little white farmhouses below. It was so quiet and peaceful up here, nothing but the sound of birds and distant cowbells. He could see there was a most pleasant view from every angle. Exactly what he had been looking for.He would donate this land to the community and name it Still Meadows. Walking back down the hill, Lordor felt very pleased with himself. As the original settler, he felt a great responsibility to the settlers who had come after him. And he had just found the perfect spot for their final resting place in the upcoming years.In the following weeks, Lordor and all the local men cleared the land on the hill and began measuring and blocking out rows of burial plots. Each plot was given a number, written in both Swedish and English, so there would be no confusion. They built a nice wooden arch as an entrance that was carved with flowers and read still meadows cemetery, estab. 1889.After all the landscaping was complete, Lordor called a meeting out at his farm, and announced that since they were all first settlers, their plots would be free, first come, first served, which seemed to Lordor the only fair way to do it. In the future, any newcomers would be charged fifty cents a plot.The following Sunday, all the families packed up their wagons and went up the hill to stake their claim with small sticks. Some, like the Swensens, who hoped to start a large family, staked out an entire row of twenty or more plots to provide for the ones already here and those yet to come.Birdie Swensen was very happy with their choice. She was quite musical and liked hearing the birds and cowbells in the distance. She liked the view as well. She said to her husband, "Look, Lars, you can see our farm and the windmill from here. It will be so nice for the children when they come to visit." Mr. and Mrs. Henry Knott wanted to look back at the cornfields.Although the flat area on the top of the hill was rather large, and they could have spread around, most people are creatures of habit. They all tended to pick out spots right next to their neighbors, much as they lived below, Lordor in the middle, under the big oak tree, and everyone else around him. Everybody, that is, except Old Man Hendersen, who marched way over to the other side and stuck his stick there. Someone once said that Eustus Hendersen liked his mules better than he did people, and he had agreed."Mules are mean, but at least they don't talk your head off when you see them."Later, after everyone had chosen a plot, they sat down for a picnic lunch. Blueberries were in season, so the ladies had made pies. Mr. Lindquist played his fiddle, and Mrs. Knott played her accordion. All in all, it was a fun afternoon.Of course, at the time, none of them knew about all the strange and mysterious events that would take place on that hill. And even if you had told them, they wouldn't have believed you in a million years.Love and MarriageLordor guessed that preparing a place to spend eternity and trying to figure out how many plots to set aside for

Produkt-Details

• Erscheinungsdatum: 18.11.2016
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Historische Romane
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Märchen / Sagen
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• Schlagworte: contemporary saga • Englisch; Romane/Erzählungen • family life novel • friendship novel • humorous novel • literary fiction • magical realism novel • small town fiction
• ISBN-13: 9780399589560 / 9780399589560
• Zustand: Neuware