Standing In The Rainbow

"Flagg says as much about the human condition through observant comedy as others do through polemic" (Scotland on Sunday)

"Poignant and funny, this novel cuts to the heart of small-town America" (Mail on Sunday)

"Unarguably a wonderful story-teller" (The Times)

"[A] big, juicy middle-American apple pie of a book, sometimes tart but mostly sweet" (Los Angeles Times)

"Good news for fans of Fried Green Tomatoes... The action does not let up for a minute" (New York Times Book Review)

The time is 1946-2000. The Place is Elmwood Springs, Missouri. World War II has ended. Neighbour Dorothy broadcasts daily from her front room - to an audience across the state - the antics of her wayward son Bobby and adolescent Anna Lee. It's hard to keep secrets in a community like theirs, but life isn't perfect, and even Neighbour Dorothy has a tragedy as well hidden as it can be.

Into their midst comes the Oatman Family, white Southern Gospel singers who arrive for a pharmaceutical convention, and blow the place away. And then there's Hamm Sparks, a super-salesman everyone likes and trusts; and Charlie Fowler, the poultry king who can see the future in a bucket-to-go; and a wealth of other unforgettable residents. Not to mention the brand new Three Little Pigs Cafeteria, with its pink neon pig casting a glow over the high street and pointing the way to the future...