Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man: A Novel

My favorite fiction authors are Fyodor Dostoevsky, Thomas Hardy, James Baldwin, Daphne du Maurier, Victor Hugo and The Brontë Sisters.Classical Literature nut? Guilty. My FAVORITE fiction novel, notwithstanding all the above authors and their individual and collective works, is "Coming Attractions" (re-released as "Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man"). No novel has ever made me laugh out loud, shed tears and fall head over heels in love as this masterful, phenomenal and brilliant comedic novel by Fannie Flagg.I first picked up " Coming Attractions" in 1985 at a sidewalk used book sales event in Los Alamitos, CA. I was headed to work; I love books, so I quickly browsed the books on sale. If you ever get a chance to see "Coming Attractions'" cover art, you will understand why the book appealed to me -- yes, judging it by its cover, I know.What I didn't know then was that I was thrilled by this story, and that I would end up buying approximately 50 copies of this book over the years (lending and never getting back, and as gifts), and reading it again, cover-to-cover, every 3-5 years since 1985.If is so well-written, so hilarious, so poignant, so touching, so introspective -- it has every ingredient of a classic literature work.And, on a personal note, Daisy Fay Harper is the only fictional character who I've ever felt so closely resembled me -- a white Mississippi girl raised in the 1950s, while I'm a Black gay male raised in Compton, CA in the 1970s. It only took the first initial read for me to KNOW that Daisy Fay and I were exactly alike and had similar life adventures.If Fannie Flagg or one of her friends or colleagues reads this, PLEASE show this review to her, and ask her that I'd LOVE to read a sequel...AND perhaps "further adventures" of Darcy, Mary, Penny, Jo Ellen and Mr, Cecil. And that my life is further fulfilled, thrilled and transcended each and every time I read "Coming Attractions."

This book is extremely funny, but with the requisite sad and even shocking bits sometimes underlying the hilarity. As a non-American (South African) I got the idea that author Fannie Flagg was often slyly poking fun at Mississippi and the Southern states in general -- for example, the names of the characters. I enjoyed it thoroughly and would urge anyone who is a little depressed, or tired of daily bad news, to relax with this book.As a white South African I was amazed at the very real racial divide which existed in the south in the Fifties: I was not aware how deep the differences between white and black ran.(Personally, I found it heart-warming that Daisy often brings up movie titles and film star names of those days -- days when we worshipped Hollywood instead of TV stars!)The story does contain a few impossibilities, such as the trout fishing competition where Daisy Fay and her father defrosts a old trout, insert false eyes, stuff it with buckshot for weight, and pass it off as a "champion catch"! Surely the judges must have smelled the fish and distrusted the look of it!Towards the end of the book things went a little too well for Daisy, but she's a girl with such guts that one can only clap hands for her! Buy this book and have a few hearty laughs.

The tale is told by Daisy Fay ,who is a young girl of probably about 10 when the story starts . She grows up in Mississippi in the early 1950's.She's got a pretty dysfunctional family ,due mainly to her dad's hair-brained ideas to get rich. They all fail , and each time, they come out a little worse . He finally goes in half with a friend to buy a restaurant and diner in a small beach town that rarely gets much business ,and when it does, it's very short time-wise . He has always been a drinker ,but as the money situation gets worse, so does the drinking, then the cheating . Daisy's mom finally bails out, leaving her with her Dad . Daisy misses her mom, but she is used to fending for herself most of the time, so she is able to handle whatever life throws at her . The story is really funny in the beginning ,where Daisy tells a lot of funny stories about her dad's new ideas to make money and about her family ,who all sound like a pretty colorful group . I would have enjoyed the book more if it had stayed in Daisy's early years, but the story goes on into her adulthood, and it seems to lose steam for me at that point. Not as funny , sad in parts and almost like the author used up all her good stuff in the beginning , so was out of ideas by the end .Maybe she was just trying to show that as a kid ,we may be able to look at life differently than we do as adults, when we grow up and see that life maybe was a little off-kilter before .Anyhow, I'd recommend the book, as it does have some really funny parts and is a good story .

One of my favourite authors; well written with subtle humour sprinkled throughout balancing the sadder moments. Also, because of the time in which it’s written, the reader gets an interesting view on topics such as poverty, race relations, dysfunctional families.

Written from the point of view of a child, this book is hilarious. The characters are wonderful, as usual for Fannie Flagg books. She takes you into the world of these folk and you feel better for it.

Un récit empreint d'humour et de moments doux-amer, en partie autobiographique, par l'auteure de "beignets de tomates vertes". Un roman du Sud, pour ceux qui ont aimé "Le coeur est un chasseur solitaire".

Delightful story and well crafted.

I have been a Fanny Flagg fan for a while; she has a way of engaging interest without the erudite syle of some authors. Great sense of humour to take you away from these humourless times!