Along with Neighbor Dorothy, the lady with the smile in her voice, whose daily radio broadcasts keep us delightfully informed on all the local news, we also meet Bobby, her ten-year-old son, destined to live a thousand lives, most of them in his imagination; Norma and Macky Warren and their ninety-eight-year-old Aunt Elner; the oddly sexy and charismatic Hamm Sparks and the two women who love him as differently as night and day. Then there is Tot Whooten; Beatrice Woods, the Little Blind Songbird; Cecil Figgs, the Funeral King; and the fabulous Minnie Oatman.
The time is 1946 until the present. The town is Elmwood Springs, Missouri, right in the middle of the country, in the midst of the mostly joyous transition from war to peace, aiming toward a dizzyingly bright future.
I am actually taken by surprised by Standing in the Rainbow. I thought it would be boring as it's story focused on places and people in small town America where nothing really happens (well, that's what I got from other books and other movies).
How right and how wrong I was! Yes, it is a book about a community in a small town and the book started while at a time where life were much slower and just plain straight forward and uncomplicated. It is an era when everyone knows everyone and cares for each other and excitement came from something as simple as a radio show.
I was wrong in that the book was such a sweet and enjoyable read as I get to know Neighbour Dorothy and her family and the rest of the town folks. The story ran from the 40s to current era and the author is rather talented in her casual way of writing but yet captivating.
I would never have recommended this to you just by the synopsis alone but having read it, I do recommend this if you want something different from thriller, chic lite, mystery and just want something that you can feel comfortable while ready and feel good after.
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