I adore this book. I've read it probably 50 times and it makes me laugh out loud each and everytime. It never grows stale. Daisy Fay is a hoot, and I love these characters. It confuses me that more people don't know this book. Classic, hilarious, southern writing. The best! ( )

Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man: A Novel
by Fannie Flagg
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher:Ballantine Books (September 13, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0345485602
ISBN-13: 978-0345485601
Welcome to Shell Beach, Mississippi, where Daisy Fay Harper and her father are working hard to live the American Dream. Okay, so maybe Mr. Harper is a lazy, scheming con artist at heart, but he loves his girl and he is willing to do anything to see her succeed. The malt shop on the beach is just the tip of the iceberg. Soon they are expanding into kitchy souvenirs, taxidermy, and a host of other get rich quick ploys. When Daisy's father invents the perfect money-making plot-- a miraculous resurrection of Daisy Fay herself-- everything starts to unravel and Daisy begins to see her father for the man he really is.

Daisy Fay Harper is a sassy, intelligent, and lovable narrator who matures over the course of the novel into a strong and determined young woman. An eccentric cast of characters add to the humorous and warm atmosphere of the book and provide perfect foils to Daisy. Each plays an important role in the development of our young heroine. As she begins to see both of her parents as complicated and imperfect people, Daisy Fay becomes a more well-rounded and endearing character. Over the seven year period covered in the novel, Daisy grows from a precocious child to a motivated young woman on her way to the Miss America pageant.

Even at its most poignant, Daisy Fay and the Miracle Manis a witty and memorable piece of authentically southern fiction. Daisy Fay's voice is absolutely pitch-perfect, and her father and Mrs. Dot add wonderfully comic moments of pure sunshine to the novel. Flagg's distinctive and appealing prose combines with an original plot and intriguing cast of characters to create a stunning modern classic.

I've loved Fannie Flagg since the first time I saw her on the Match Game when I was a kid. Her fiction, especially Daisy Fay and Fried Green Tomatoes are remarkable examples of the genre and both rank high in my top 10 favorite novels of all time.

Read alikes: Michael Lee West, Bailey White, Lorna Landvik, Billie Letts, and Sarah Addison Allen.

See Fannie Flagg's other novels including: Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe, Welcome to the World Baby Girl, Standing in the Rainbow, Can't Wait to Get to Heaven, & A Redbird Christmas.

5 out of 5 ( )

This is the story of Daisy Fay, in the form of her diary, from the age of 11 through to young adult hood. It focuses on her relationship with her father, and his difficulty in being a good Dad.

There is a lot of humour and at times I was laughing out loud. There are also poignant moments, when your heart goes out to Daisy and you just want to be there, on her side.

Fannie Flag writes character wonderfully and there are many rich examples in this book, including the Mrs. Dot frustrated at not living the high life she thinks she deserves, and Kay Bob Benson, a posh girl who looks down her nose at Daisy.

I really loved this book and on the back of it have read several other by the author. ( )

Fannie Flagg is one of my all time favourite authors. I have a copy of this under its original name 'Welcome to the World, Baby Girl'. This is a hard cover ex-library book received in a job lot from the US.

Life was more open and simple in the world Flagg creates. This is a laugh-aloud picture of these times. ( )

This one was a delight to read. Total fiction, this is a coming-of-age
story, told from the point of view of Daisy Fay Harper through the pages of
her diary from April 1, 1952 when she turned 11, through September, 1959,
when she was crowned Miss Mississippi. This kid has a very unique outlook
on life and some of the strangest family members and neighbors I've ever
read about, and the descriptions of the daily life at the Gulf Coast's Shell
Beach resort was rich and colorful.

The characters that populate the pages of Daisy's diary are vivid and leap
to life. There's hard-drinking Jimmy Snow, her father's best friend who
uses his crop-dusting plane to not only make a living but to seek revenge
against his old lover. And Mrs. Dot, a former socialite who married far
beneath her and finds herself living in the back of the local Bait Shop,
where she tries to hold Junior Debutante meetings for the young ladies of
the resort community. There's Kay Bob Benson, the snotty high-faluting
daughter of the richest folks in town whose nose is stuck so far in the air
that Daisy can't help but want to rub it in whatever she can think of. And
Pickle Watkins, Daisy's best friend through high school whose dreams seemed
destined to never come true. And Daisy's own parents, a very mismatched
couple indeed -- an alcoholic father with more get-rich-quick schemes than
you can shake a stick at, and a nervous mother, trying to be a lady and
raise her daughter "right" in the face of enormous obstacles. Daisy is
blunt and quite frank, telling us literally everything that matters to her
in her life, and in such a straight-forward and comical way that I found
myself laughing out loud over and over again as I went through this book.

Fannie Flagg is the author of "Fried Green Tomatoes At The Whistle-Stop
Cafe" and has a real talent to make common places and people come to life on
the page. I really do recommend this one for anyone looking for a good
light read that will bring a smile to your face and just might end up with
you looking at the world in a slightly different way. It gets a 5. ( )