Fannie Flagg Books In Order

Publication Order of Elmwood Springs Books

Publication Order of Whistle Stop, AL Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Cookbooks

Publication Order of Anthologies

Fannie Flagg is an American author best known for writing Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.

She was born in Birmingham, Alabama and grew up around the area. Her birth name was Patricia Neal, daughter of Marion and William Neal. She became interested in not only writing, but performing as well at a young age and was encouraged by her father to pursue it. When Flagg was just ten years old she wrote her first stage play. In her teenage years, she used her performing skills to enter the Miss Alabama pageant and won a scholarship to an acting school. She went to work a local morning show, but left when they wouldn’t give her a raise and moved to New York.

Fannie pursued acting in New York and ended up choosing the name Fannie Flagg as there was already a famous actress named Patricia Neal. She got her start writing skits at a New York nightclub which drew the attention of the Candid Camera creator, Allen Funt, who invited her to join the show as a staff writer. She would later become well known for her appearances as a panelist on game shows such as Match Game, as well as her later appearances on The New Dick Van Dyke Show and Harper Valley PTA.

In her writing career, she got a boost in 1978 when she was a short story fiction contest. She would turn that story into Coming Attractions, her first published novel that was released in 1981. Her best known work, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, was released in 1987 and then spent thirty-six weeks on The New York Times bestseller list.

The book was later optioned into a film that Flagg co-wrote the screenplay for. Fried Green Tomatoes was released in 1991 and Flagg was nominated for an Academy Award and a Writers Guild of America award for the screenplay. Jessica Tandy was also nominated for the film in the Best Supporting Actress category. The film was an incredible success at the box office, earning $119.4 million on a $11 million budget.

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe is the classic tale of two women, their lives, and their bond. Evelyn is in a slump in her middle age when she meets an old lady named Mrs. Threadgoode who tells her the story of her life. Her story is full of character and includes the tomboy Idgie and her friend Ruth. The two run a cafe in Whistle Stop, Alabama with good coffee, southern barbecue, and plenty of love and laughter. There’s also the occasional murder, but you’ll need to read it to learn more about that. As Mrs. Threadgoode shares the story of her own past it has a profound effect on Evelyn whose life will never be the same.

Flagg returned to the world of Whistle Stop in The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop. This book follows Bud Threadgoode who grew up in the town with his mother Ruth and aunt Idgie. That was a long time ago now and when the railroad yards shutdown, his home became a ghost town and now there is nothing left here except for the memories of the past. One day, Bud decides to take one last trip to see the town once again. There he’ll discover some new friends and find out new things that he never knew about Idgie’s life. His arrival will set off a series of events that will change the lives of him, his daughter, and many more.

I Still Dream About You is a standalone novel from Flagg. The story takes place in her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. A former Miss Alabama named Maggie Fortenberry is living a successful life as a real estate agent. To many, her life is perfect, but she can’t help but wonder who her life turned out so different than the one she once dreamed of having. Any chance of change seems hopeless, but the secrets of her past are now giving her a path to the future.

Another standalone novel by Fannie Flagg is The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion. Sookie Poole of Point Clear, Alabama has just seen the last of her daughters get married and is now preparing for a relaxing future with her husband. The only thing that she really has left to contend with is her mother, Lenore. Everyone thinks that she is a lot of fun, but to Sookie she is an overbearing presence in her life. Everything changes one day when Sookie discovers a secret about her mother’s past that has her questioning everything that she thinks she knows about her mother, her family, and herself. Sookie sets out to learn more and heads across the country, and back in time, to the 1940s where Fritzi works at her family’s filling station. The story of Fritzi and the girls at the All-Girl Filling Station will give Sookie a new inspiration for her own life.

Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! is the first book in the Elmwood Springs series. The story follows a television star of the 1970s named Dena Nordstrom who tries to go home again, but is not sure where home or love lie. Along the way, Flagg will introduce us to a cast of characters that includes Sookie, her college roommate, Dena’s cousins, and her neighbor Dorothy who broadcast a radio show from her home in the 1940s. There is also Sidney Capello, pioneer of modern sleaze journalism, and Ira Wallace, his partner in television. Dena’s future is full of promise, her present is complicated, and her past is a mystery waiting to most. This is another absorbing story from Flagg that takes place throughout time.

The Elmwood Springs series continues with Standing in the Rainbow. It takes place from 1946 to the present, focusing on a time when the country transitions from war to peace and towards a better future.

9 Responses to “Fannie Flagg”

1. jean: 2 months ago

   I’m 93 years old and have read all of Ms. Flaggs books…..many times over. Every couple of years when I need comfort and feel down in the dumps, out comes one of these endearing novels to make me feel good again. Thank you for sharing your stories with us.

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2. Georgeanne: 8 months ago

   Please, please, please write more books! I have enjoyed every one you’ve written. Thank you!

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3. Carolyn libby: 12 months ago

   Finished reading Standing in the rainbow, brought back memories of my childhood. Neighbors and friends, good times.
   Thank you , Fanny Flagg keep up the good work!

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4. Kathy O'Neull: 1 year ago

   I have followed Fannie Flagg since Laugh In. I am almost 80 so she is a bit older. If you like Ms. Flaggs books, try The Sweet Potato Queens series by Jill Conner Browne, but not if you mind a bit of raucous language

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5. Cece Chance: 4 years ago

   I just read The All-Girls Filling Station’s Last Reunion. Loved the story – very entertaining. However, I have a hard time understanding why Ms. Flagg found it necessary to include all the swearing. Just tell us Fritzi swore and get on with the story.

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6. John Nichols: 6 years ago

   that last post was by Charlotte, not John

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7. John Nichols: 6 years ago

   love Fanny, especially Can’t wait to get to heaven–have read them all

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8. Pinkmustang: 7 years ago

   The Whole Town’s Talking is part of the Elmwood Springs series, chronicling the town from its founding in 1889 by Swedish immigrant Lordor Nordstrom to present day. It’s a great story of home, family values, love and small town life against an American history backdrop and all wrapped up with down home Southern characters that greet you with sweet tea, fig preserves and a lot of God Bless Yous.

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9. Lee: 8 years ago

   She is one heck of a good writer! Her style is so homey with characters you can feel, touch and see. looking forward to reading her latest. Lee

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