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Summary
Summary
In a remote small town, where to this day the mail arrives by boat, something unusual happens one Christmas morning that changes a family, and the town, forever. A novel that is perfect for the holiday season, or anytime, it is made even more special because the story is one that is close to author Fannie Flagg's heart.
Summary
The beloved author of Fried Green Tomatoes and other bestsellers gives us an audiobook about a remote small town, where something unusual happens one Christmas morning that changes a family and a town, forever. Like John Grisham's Skipping Christmas and David Baldacci's The Christmas Train, this novel is perfect for the holiday season, or anytime, and it is made even more special because the story is one that is close to Fannie Flagg's heart
Author Notes
Born on September 21, 1941, in Birmingham, Alabama, and named Patricia Neal, Fannie Flagg attended the University of Alabama, the Pittsburgh Playhouse, and the Town and Gown Theatre. Although she is best known as a novelist and screenwriter, she began her career in Birmingham, in 1964. She was an actress, comedienne, producer, and writer, first in Birmingham in 1964, when she was the producer of The Morning Show (WBRC-TV) and later when she was associated with such shows as Candid Camera and Harper Valley. Other works include Coming Attractions: A Wonderful Novel (1981) and the recording My Husband Doesn't Know I'm Making This Phone Call (1971).
However, Flagg's greatest claim to fame came when the screenplay for the film Fried Green Tomatoes, which she, together with Jon Avnet, adapted from her novel, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, won an Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay in 1991.
She is the author several other works of fiction, including; Standing in the Rainbow, A Redbird Christmas, Can't Wait to Get to Heaven, I Still Dream about You, The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion, and The Whole Town's Talking.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Lured by a brochure his doctor gives him after informing him that his emphysema has left him with scarcely a year to live, 52-year-old Oswald T. Campbell abandons wintry Chicago for Lost River, Ala., where he believes he'll be spending his last Christmas. Bestselling author Flagg (Fried Green Tomatoes; Standing in the Rainbow) makes this down-home story about good neighbors and the power of love sparkle with wit and humor, as she tells of Oswald's new life in a town with one grocery store and a resident cardinal (or redbird, as the natives call it). Frances Cleverdon, one of four widows and three single women in town, hopes to fix him up with her sister, Mildred-if only Mildred wouldn't keep dying her hair outrageous colors every few days. The quirky story takes a heartwarming turn when Frances and Oswald become involved in the life of Patsy Casey, an abandoned young girl with a crippled leg. As Christmas approaches, the townspeople and neighboring communities-even the Creoles, whose long-standing feud with everybody else keeps them on the other side of the river-rally round shy, sweet Patsy. Flagg is a gifted storyteller who knows how to tug at readers' heartstrings, winding up her satisfying holiday tale with the requisite Christmas miracle. Agent, Joni Evans. (Nov. 9) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
Oswald Campbell doesn't have much to live for, except to cash his paltry pension check, drop in on the occasional AA meeting, and visit the VA hospital. Dreading another winter in Chicago, he takes in stride the news that his emphysema will probably take his life before Christmas. Having no family except an ex-wife, who has since moved on, Oswald follows his doctor's advice and spends his final months in a more comfortable climate. By chance, he ends up in Lost River, Alabama, a sleepy town with so many single, older women that Frances Cleverdon, a widow, hopes that Oswald will turn out to be someone's knight in shining armor. Not quite the Romeo they had hoped for, Oswald nonetheless is taken under folks' wings. Without noticing how it happens, Oswald comes to love Lost River, visiting the town store and the feisty redbird that lives there, waiting out at the dock for the river-faring postman to bring the mail, or accepting myriad dinner invitations from the town's women. Flagg based Lost River on her own hometown, and though such places may actually exist, there nevertheless is an allegorical feel to this little tale of hope, friendship, and common decency. Intended as a Christmas story, it would be readable year-round. --Mary Frances Wilkens Copyright 2004 Booklist
Guardian Review
When I was a young kid just starting to read longer novels, they were all about good people whose very goodness made miracles happen. They may have grappled with difficult stuff, but the outcomes were always happy, sometimes even miraculous. People found love, understanding, got well, got happy, even walked again. You knew that was why you kept on reading - for the thrill of that lump-in-the- throat moment when it all came right. But then I grew up and fiction turned nasty. There were still good people out there, but bad things started to happen to them. Suddenly there were no guarantees and the message was horribly clear. The simple fact of being good does not prevent misery, heartache, loneliness, death, regret. Life is tough and not necessarily fair, and if a fiction writer tries to tell you otherwise, then you'll find them on a different shelf - a shelf marked "fairy tales". Or maybe even "sentimental crap". Fannie Flagg seems to be the one exception to this rule. I don't know how she gets away with it, or why her almost mischievously kind, sweet novels don't set my teeth on edge, but they don't. In the world of Flagg, plots, situations and outcomes that would normally makes you fling a book across the room, here just have you reading on, smiling and hoping. That hope is key. Oswald Campbell is about to face another cold, damp winter in Chicago when his doctor tells him he has emphysema. Unless he leaves Chicago he'll be dead by Christmas. Spotting an ad for a sleepy Alabama town called Lost River, whose climate is thought to be good for health, he reckons he has little to lose. Renting a room there, he finds himself warmly welcomed by Lost River's good-hearted if eccentric community. Soon he has stopped drinking and smoking, taken up birdwatching and water-colour painting and by the time summer comes he realises he's still alive and feeling he has something to live for. Lost River is a place where the mail still gets delivered by boat, where the ladies of the town do good works through their Royal Polka Dots Secret Society, and the local store-keeper nurses both his own broken heart and an injured redbird called Jack. The bird is meanwhile befriended by a neglected, crippled girl called Patsy, who comes out of the woods and is herself soon adopted by one of the Polka Dot ladies. Patsy loves the redbird but the community loves Patsy and, by holding pasta bakes and fish fries and rummage sales, saves up to send her for the operation she needs to get well. Do you need the sick bag passed yet? I know how it sounds. You'd be quite right in thinking that Lost River is kind of like Walton's Mountain but with a little extra goo tacked on. And you'd also be right if you guessed that little crippled Patsy is blonde and frail and as angelic as they come. So you're going to have to take my word for it when I say this is a pretty wonderful book - oozing with goodness and charm but actually, in the end, miraculously rising above sentimental. First there's a lot of humour - plenty of wry little asides slipped in at the end of lines that otherwise might end up played too straight. There's a feisty verbal relish in Flagg's prose which makes her readable. There are no boring bits. Not a single sentence is either predictable or a struggle. And though not a word is wasted, still the golden rule of good narrative fiction - that you should show rather than simply tell -doesn't always seem to apply here. Flagg quite often just demands that we take her word for it - that this happened or that happened, this character wondered about this, or felt that. So why doesn't it grate? All I can say is there's a lack of embarrassment, a directness, an uninhibited excitement about the unravelling of her story that many a fiction writer could do worse than emulate. Somehow there's a zeal in Flagg's work that catches you by the throat. What drives her seems to be a belief in the natural warmth of people, in the healing power of small communities, in the sense that life is - always - full of possibility; that, unlikely as it may sometimes sound, love might actually be the only cure for quite a lot of our problems. The last 10 or so pages are quite preposterously wonderful, absurdly satisfying and had me smiling harder than I've smiled since I last read Pollyanna or Heidi . It wasn't that I believed a word of it - but it was so nice to realise that I really wanted to. Julie Myerson's Something Might Happen is published by Cape. To order A Redbird Christmas for pounds 9.50 with free UK p&p call Guardian book service on 0870 836 0875. Caption: article-Flagg.1 [Fannie Flagg] seems to be the one exception to this rule. I don't know how she gets away with it, or why her almost mischievously kind, sweet novels don't set my teeth on edge, but they don't. In the world of Flagg, plots, situations and outcomes that would normally makes you fling a book across the room, here just have you reading on, smiling and hoping. First there's a lot of humour - plenty of wry little asides slipped in at the end of lines that otherwise might end up played too straight. There's a feisty verbal relish in Flagg's prose which makes her readable. There are no boring bits. Not a single sentence is either predictable or a struggle. And though not a word is wasted, still the golden rule of good narrative fiction - that you should show rather than simply tell -doesn't always seem to apply here. Flagg quite often just demands that we take her word for it - that this happened or that happened, this character wondered about this, or felt that. So why doesn't it grate? All I can say is there's a lack of embarrassment, a directness, an uninhibited excitement about the unravelling of her story that many a fiction writer could do worse than emulate. - Julie Myerson.
Kirkus Review
One more Christmas, one more chance. Diagnosed with terminal emphysema, Oswald T. Campbell leaves wintry Chicago for a friendly little town in Alabama recommended by his doctor. Lost River seems as good a place as any to spend his last Christmas on earth; and Oswald, a cheerful loser all his life, believes in going with the flow. Turns out that the people of Lost River are a colorful bunch: Roy Grimmit, the strapping owner of the grocery/bait/beer store, hand-feeds a rescued fledgling named Jack (the redbird of the title) and doesn't care who thinks he's a sissy. Many of the local women belong to the Mystic Order of the Royal Polka Dots, which does good things on the sly, like fixing up unattached men. Betty Kitchen, former army nurse, coaxes Oswald's life story out of him. Seems he was an orphan named for a can of soup--could there be anything sadder? Oswald is quite taken with the charms of Frances Cleverdon, who has a fabulous collection of gravy boats and a pink kitchen, too. Back to Jack, the redbird: it's a favorite of Patsy, a crippled little girl abandoned by her worthless parents. She'll be heartbroken when she finds out that Jack died, so the townsfolk arrange for a minor miracle. Will they get it? Yes--and snow for Christmas, too. Charming tale, sweet as pie, with a just-right touch of tartness from the bestselling Flagg (Standing in the Rainbow, 2003, etc). Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
Flagg's latest work (after Standing in the Rainbow) is just the thing this holiday season for anyone who loves warm, cuddly, feel-good books. Much like Jan Karon's popular "Mitford" series, the story takes place in a small town full of interesting characters. But Lost River, AL, is even smaller, and the story is set sometime in the recent past. Oswald T. Campbell leaves snowy Chicago for Lost River either to regain his health or to spend his last few months in peace. Instead, he's welcomed into this tiny community with open arms and discovers not only his health but also love, acceptance, and a whole new life. Along with Oswald's cure are other examples of love's power. Despite some unfortunate stereotypes, Flagg's gentle humor and positive life view should make the book popular. The selected recipes will bring back fond memories for many; expect regional outbreaks of the Mystic Order of the Royal Polka Dots. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 7/04.]-Rebecca Kelm, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Excerpts
Excerpts
The Windy City It was only November sixth but Chicago had just been hit with its second big blizzard of the season, and Mr. Oswald T. Campbell guessed he had stepped in every ice-cold ankle-deep puddle of dirty white slush it was possible to step in, trying to get to his appointment. When he finally arrived, he had used up every cussword in his rather large vocabulary of cusswords, owed in part to his short stint in the army. He was greeted by the receptionist and handed a clipboard. "We received all your medical records and insurance forms, Mr. Campbell, but Dr. Obecheck likes to have a short personal history of his new patients, so could you please fill this out for us?" Oh, God, he thought, why do they always make you fill something out? But he nodded cordially and sat down and started. Name: Oswald T. Campbell Address: Hotel De Soto, 1428 Lennon Avenue, Chicago, IL Sex: Male Age: 52 Hair: Some . . . Red Eyes: Blue Height: Five feet eight Weight: 161 pounds Marital status: Divorced Children: No, thank God. Closest living relative: Ex-wife, Mrs. Helen Gwinn, 1457 Hope Street, Lake Forest, IL Please list your complaints below: The Cubs need a new second baseman. There were many more questions to fill out, but he just left them blank, signed his name, and handed it back to the girl. Later, after his examination was over, as he sat shivering in a freezing room wearing nothing but a backless thin gray cotton gown, a nurse told him to get dressed; the doctor would meet him back in his office. Not only was he chilled to the bone and sore from just having been probed and prodded in many rude places, but now, to make matters worse, when he tried to put his shoes and socks back on they were still ice cold and sopping wet. He tried to wring the excess water out of his socks and managed to drip dye all over the floor. It was then he noticed that the dye from his socks had stained his feet a nice dark blue. "Oh, great!" he muttered to himself. He threw the socks in the trash basket and squished down the hall in cold wet leather shoes. As he sat in the office waiting, he was bored and uncomfortable. There was nothing to read and he couldn't smoke because he had lied to the doctor and told him he had given it up. He wiggled his toes, trying to get them warm, and glanced around the room. Everywhere he looked was gray. It was gray outside the office window and gray inside the office. Would it kill them to paint the walls a different color? The last time he had been at the VA hospital, a woman had come in and given a talk on how colors affect the mood. What idiot would pick gray? He hated going to doctors anyway, but his insurance company required him to have a physical once a year so some new bozo could tell him what he already knew. The doctor he had just seen was at least friendly and had laughed at a few of his jokes, but now he just wished the guy would hurry up. Most of the doctors they sent him to were old and ready to retire or just starting out and in need of guinea pigs to practice on. This one was old. Seventy or more, he guessed. Maybe that's why he was taking so long. Gray walls, gray rug, gray gown, gray doctor. Finally, the door opened and the doctor came in with his test results. Oswald said, "So, Doc, will I be able to run in the Boston Marathon again this year?" This time the doctor ignored Oswald's attempt to be humorous and sat down at his desk, looking rather somber. "Mr. Campbell," he said, "I'm not too happy about what I have to tell you. I usually like to have a family member present at a time like this. I see you have listed your ex-wife as immediate family. Would you like to call and see if she can come in?" Oswald suddenly stopped wiggling his toes and paid attention. "No, that's all right. Is there a problem?" "I'm afraid so," he said, as he opened his folder. "I've checked and rechecked your charts and records. I even called in another associate from down the hall, a pulmonary specialist, to consult, but unfortunately he agreed with my diagnosis. Mr. Campbell, I'm going to tell it to you straight. In your present condition you won't live through another Chicago winter. You need to get out of here to a milder climate as soon as possible, because if you don't--well, frankly, I'm not sure I would give you till Christmas." "Huh?" Oswald said, as if he were thinking it over. "Is that right?" "Yes, it is. I'm sorry to report that since your last checkup the emphysema has progressed to the critical stage. Your lungs were already badly damaged and scarred from the childhood tuberculosis. Add all the years of heavy smoking and chronic bronchitis, and I'm afraid all it would take is one bad cold going into another bout of pneumonia." "Is that right? Huh," Oswald said again. "That doesn't sound too good." The doctor closed his folder and leaned forward on his desk, looked him right in the eye, and said, "No, it doesn't. In all honesty, Mr. Campbell, considering the alarming rapidity with which this condition has advanced, even with you going to a better climate, the most optimistic prognosis I can give you is a year . . . maybe two." "You're kidding," said Oswald. He shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not. At this stage, the emphysema is a strain on your heart and all your other organs. It's not just the lungs that are affected. Now, I'm not telling you this to scare you, Mr. Campbell; I only tell you so you have time to make the appropriate plans. Get your estate in order." As stunned as he was at the news, Oswald almost laughed out loud at the word estate. He had never had more than two hundred and fifty dollars in the bank in his entire life. The doctor continued. "Believe me, I wish the diagnosis had been better." And the doctor meant it. He hated having to hand out bad news. He had just met Mr. Campbell, but he had liked the personable little guy at once. "Are you sure you don't need me to call anyone for you?" "No, that's all right." "How will this news affect your future plans, Mr. Campbell?" Oswald looked up at him. "Pretty damn adversely, I would say, wouldn't you?" The doctor was sympathetic. "Well, yes, of course. I just wondered what your future plans may have been." "I didn't have anything in particular in mind . . . but I sure as hell hadn't planned on this." "No, of course not." "I knew I wasn't the picture of health, but I didn't think I was headed for the last roundup." "Well, as I said, you need to get out of Chicago as soon as you can, somewhere with as little pollution as possible." Oswald looked puzzled. "But Chicago is my home. I wouldn't know where else to go." "Do you have any friends living somewhere else--Florida? Arizona?" "No, everybody I know is here." "Ah . . . and I assume you are on a limited budget." "Yeah, that's right. I just have my disability pension." "Uh-huh. I suppose Florida might be too expensive this time of year." Never having been there, Oswald said, "I would imagine." The doctor sighed and leaned back in his chair, trying to think of some way to be of help. "Well, let's see. . . . Wait a minute, there was a place my father used to send all his lung patients, and as I remember the rates were pretty reasonable." He looked at Oswald as if he knew. "What was the name of that place? It was close to Florida. . . ." The doctor suddenly remembered something and stood up. "You know what? I've still got all his old files in the other room. Let me go and see if by any chance I can find that information for you." Oswald stared at the gray wall. Leave Chicago? He might as well leave the planet. It was already dark and still freezing cold when Oswald left the office. As he rounded the corner at the Wrigley Building, the wind from the river hit him right in the face and blew his hat off. He turned and watched it flip over and over until it landed upside down in the gutter and began to float like a boat on down the block. Oh, the hell with it, he thought, until the frigid air blew through what little hair he did have left and his ears started to ache, so he decided to run after it. When he finally caught the hat and put it back on his head he realized he was now wearing wet shoes with no socks, a wet hat, and he had just missed his bus. By the time another bus finally came, he was completely numb from the cold plus the shock of the news he had just received. As he sat down, his eye caught the advertisement above his seat for Marshall Field's department store: make this the best christmas ever. start your christmas shopping early this year. It suddenly dawned on him that, in his case, he had better start early and it might already be too late. According to the doctor, if he did live to see it, this Christmas could be his last. From the Hardcover edition. Excerpted from A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
