Second: So far in Wednesday's Books, I have only written about the books I read while I recovered from my fall in the beginning of May. These are not my all time favorite books, those you can see in my Profile. I have several more of my recovery period books to write about, after that, I'll find others. There's never a shortage of books around here. Except for right now, maybe, I have to check my bookcase again. The Brothers Karamazov loom in my mind, but they will have to get out of that monestary before I pick that one up again.
Standing in the Rainbow
By Fannie Flagg
I read Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg a long time ago and saw the film when it first came out. I liked both a lot so I read the other couple of books written by her at the time. This one, I never got around to and it's another one that's been sitting in my bookcase for years. This book was a perfect read while I was recovering from my fall. I laughed a lot – out loud even! Fanny Flagg presents an America in this book that never really existed or certainly never existed for everyone: The Andy Griffith, Beaver Cleaver town and era. Most of the best part of the book covers life in a small town in America in the 1940s and 50s. A town where most everyone is the same, shares the same beliefs, and has a white picket fence. But in the midst of all this, the most unusual, zany, weird, interesting, and hilarious characters appear. A well-written and very funny account of life in small-town America.
Standing in the Rainbow also took me back to my own childhood. It starts in 1946, Truman is president and the war has just ended. In 1946 I was six years old and my world was also all the same. I lived in a suburb of Stockholm, we had a lovely garden where everything you could imagine grew, from gooseberries, currants, raspberries, potatoes, beets, lettuce, apples, pears, plums, even peaches to gorgeous flowers. It was safe for kids to wander and play wherever we wanted, no adults were necessary, there were no play dates, no adult supervision, everyone just played with each other in each other's yards. There were animals: hamsters, guinea pigs, and dogs everywhere. And one felt safe, so very safe. I remember only one fear: Polio.
As I grew up, I learned, as we all do that bad things happen, tragedies happen, and there can be very bad people living in the midst of all that peaceful sameness.
But in 1946, as far as I knew, I lived in a perfect world. And that was the feeling I got from this book -- it brought me back to that time. Standing in a rainbow I think means we can all let ourselves feel good about life. I for one am immensely grateful for my safe childhood that allowed me to grow up unafraid of life and people.
Have a great Wednesday everyone -- I'm off to my BIL's house now, hoping to see some more wildlife while I do my laundry.
