Search - Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!

Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!
Author: Fannie Flagg
Book Information
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Book Type: Paperback
Rating:
ISBN-13: 9780804118682 - ISBN-10: 080411868X
Publication Date: 12/7/1999
Pages: 396

Book Description:
Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! is the funny, serious, and compelling new novel by Fannie Flagg, author of the beloved Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe (and prize-winning co-writer of the classic movie). Once again, Flagg's humor and respect and affection for her characters shine forth. Many inhabit small-town or suburban America. But this time, her heroine is urban: a brainy, beautiful, and ambitious rising star of 1970s television. Dena Nordstrom, pride of the network, is a woman whose future is full of promise, her present rich with complications, and her past marked by mystery. Among the colorful cast of characters are: Sookie, of Selma, Alabama, Dena's exuberant college roommate, who is everything that Dena is not; she is thrilled by Dena's success and will do everything short of signing autographs for her; Sookie's a mom, a wife, and a Kappa forever Dena's cousins, the Warrens, and her aunt Elner, of Elmwood Springs, Missouri, endearing, loyal, talkative, ditsy, and, in their way, wise Neighbor Dorothy, whose spirit hovers over them all through the radio show that she broadcast from her home in the 1940s Sidney Capello, pioneer of modern sleaze journalism and privateer of privacy, and Ira Wallace, his partner in tabloid television Several doctors, all of them taken with--and almost taken in by-Dena There are others, captivated by a woman who tries to go home again, not knowing where home or love lie.
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Genres:Other Versions of this Book: Audio Cassette (Abridged), Paperback, Hardcover, Audio CD (Abridged)


Top Member Reviews

Candy B. (candieb) from AUSTIN, TX wrote on 2/18/2007...

3 member(s) found this review helpful.

I found this one kind of funny, but more than that, it was a really well done storyline. I found myself rooting for Dena, hoping she'd find her way into her life, her character felt so empty for the vast majority of the book, it was sad really. Fannie Flagg is a most excellent writer, her characters jump off of the page at you. While Dena was meeting with Tennesee Williams, I could smell the ocean air of New Orleans and hear him talking... very well done. Definitely worth a read!

Becca C. (Lindyhoppr) from FORT DRUM, NY wrote on 9/16/2007...

2 member(s) found this review helpful.

I usually love Fannie Flagg, but this book was not quite up to her usual standards. The plot only works if you keep in mind the time setting; otherwise the ending is slightly disappointing

ANNA S. (SanJoseCa) from SAN JOSE, CA wrote on 8/26/2007...

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

The theme of the novel is about change and how the main charater (an Oprah-like personality)surives all her life long struggles. The author jumps around a lot in years and time periods, but I thing it adds to the story and makes it more fun to follow. Great plot, great characters, and the charm of the south shines through. At times you will cry, at other times you will laugh, wonderful book!

B.J. T. (meme) from FORT SMITH, AR wrote on 11/29/2006...

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

With home-cooked, Southern literary flair, Fannie Flagg (Fried Green Tomatoes) returns with Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! "Baby Girl," as she is lovingly referred to by her sweet, country cousins, is Dena Nordstrom, a tall, blonde, corn-fed girl who makes it big in Manhattan. Ms. Nordstrom is now the top TV anchorwoman in the city, beating out veteran journalists and making ungodly amounts of money. Although her life seems charmed, Dena is frazzled and miserable. She drinks uncontrollably, is a borderline compulsive liar, and is forced to undergo therapy because of her stress-induced ulcer. Her psychiatrist, Dr. O'Malley, falls madly in love with her, of course, and sends the blonde bombshell to a close colleague, Dr. Diggers. Living up to her name, Diggers shovels up a mountain of dysfunction and forces Dena to face her mysterious past; all the while the good doctor reports back to brokenhearted O'Malley about her patient's progress. Meanwhile, back at the station, Ms. Nordstrom has made friends and enemies in very high places. Her greatest ally is Howard Kingsley, the Cronkitesque reporter who wields power with more ease than most seasoned politicos: "He closed the door and handed the driver a ten-dollar bill. 'Take this young lady where she wants to go for me, will you? And be careful, she's valuable property.'" It's a good thing she has friends like that, because her boss, Ira Wallace, makes George Costanza from Seinfeld look like a scrupulous saint. When Wallace hires a nasty but effective mole by the name of Sidney Capello to dig up garbage on celebrities, Nordstrom has a head-on collision with his sense of ethics (or lack thereof) and gets Capello canned. Or so she thinks. Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! is very much like its star, Dena Nordstrom: pretty, scattered, confused, and sometimes interesting. It's a long ride from the Whistle Stop Cafe, and readers who enjoy Jan Karon's Mitford Fall series will most likely be the biggest fans of Flagg's third novel.


Rate These Member Reviews

Christine O. (crissyreader) from BLOOMINGTON, IN wrote on 8/6/2008...


I'm going to have to read more books by Fannie Flagg! This book is the story of a young woman who seems to be unable to make personal connections. As the story goes on and reveals her true experience, it becomes apparent what is going on in her life. There's a surprise at the end, sure to make the reader think.

Erin H. (greybarn) from STANHOPE, NJ wrote on 7/24/2008...


Fanny Flagg is an author not to be missed...her characters are loveable, real and her writing is addictive....you won't want to put her books down!

Shannon J. from MILAN, MI wrote on 5/6/2008...


One of the better books I've read so far this year. What a twist at the end! Great characters as usual.

Margie H. (maggiescorner) from LATROBE, PA wrote on 12/3/2007...


Fannie Flagg never disappoints. This book is a little hard to get started on as it has quite a few story lines hanging together but once you get going you can't put this one down! Not as good as Fried Green Tomatoes but, what ever will be?

Kathy H. from RICHFIELD, MN wrote on 5/10/2007...


If you like Fannie Flagg, you will love this book. Very charming.

Barbara H. (Bobsy) from WEST DUNDEE, IL wrote on 4/10/2007...


Another great book of hers she makes you feel like you know the people. Her books are funny and sad but true to life.

Cheri C. from ROSWELL, GA wrote on 3/12/2007...


Another funny Fannie Flagg book. Great read.

Kirsten C. (bibliofilly) from HUGO, MN wrote on 3/11/2007...


Not as good as the prequel "Standing in the Rainbow," it is still a really wonderful read!

Kathy M. from NEWTOWN, CT wrote on 2/14/2007...


Not the best book I've ever read but an easy read.

Beth J. (Soprano) from LIBERTYVILLE, IL wrote on 2/13/2007...


Not as good as Fried Green Tomatoes.