Reviews

The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg

meganlafo's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

jgraydee's review against another edition

3.0

Story gave interesting background of WW2 WASP pilots. But, the story line was choppy and, by the 50 pages, become more about political correctness than about the story line. Kind of disappointed, as this was my first novel by Fannie Flagg.

Favorite quote is on page 184: "... When you live long enough to see your children begin to look at you with different eyes, and you can look at them not as your children, but as people, it's worth getting older with all the creaks and wrinkles."

suvata's review

#Neighborhood Book Club December 2018 pick

I tried and tried just couldn’t get into this book. My apologies to my neighborhood book club and to Fannie Flagg.

book_concierge's review against another edition

4.0

Mrs Earle Poole Jr – Sookie to her family and friends – is having her usual challenges. The blue jays are monopolizing the feeders, leaving the little birds without sustenance. At least she’s managed to get her third daughter safely married and off on her honeymoon, so maybe now Sookie can rest for a bit. Well, except for managing her mother, Lenore, who is as wacky and demanding as ever. Sookie can’t seem to live up to her mother’s expectations that she “behave like a Simmons” – polishing the family silver weekly, attending the right club meetings, dressing appropriately, and tending to the graves of her ancestors. You’d think a 59-year-old married woman, with grown children, could stand up to her own mother, but Sookie has been trained to be accommodating. So she dutifully handles Lenore’s affairs – from paying the bills to hiring a nurse. Until the day Sookie opens a registered letter addressed to Lenore from the Texas Board of Health, and her whole world is turned upside down.

What a delightful read! I just fell in love with Sookie, and enjoyed going along on her journey of self-discovery. Are the characters eccentric? Yes, of course. You might even say some are over-the-top. But Flagg never lets the minor characters take over the plot; rather, they add color and provide a framework for Sookie’s story. Whatever the situation, Sookie’s reactions are very real and understandable. Anyone would be thrown for a loop after receiving such a shock. What’s so fun about the book is watching her come to grips with what she has learned, figuring out how to cope, exploring her options, and growing into an even better version of the person she has always been – kind, tenderhearted, courageous, inventive, giving, steady and loving.

I also really enjoyed the historical background and storyline set in the WW2 era and exploring the women who flew planes for the Army Air Corps with little fanfare or even recognition. I liked Fritzi and her sisters, and the descriptions of the gas station had me waxing nostalgic for my father’s auto-parts business; I still love the smell of rubber and oil because it brings back memories of being with my Daddy at the store.

I’ve been a fan of Fannie Flagg’s for some time, and I think this is one of her best books.

eaborum's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

alidottie's review against another edition

4.0

Super cute, typical Fannie Flagg but with really interesting historical fiction about the Army WASPs of WWII. Definitely one of my favorites by her.

roseleaf24's review against another edition

4.0

Funny and touching, I loved meeting these characters and finding out their stories. As I have a lot of friends who are adoptive parents or adopted children, I had a little trouble with the initial reaction, but it became more understandable.

sallyavena's review against another edition

4.0

It was a fun fast read that throws in some in interesting historical facts about WWII. It really made me curious about the WASPs. Sookie's train of thought was a little scatterbrained and that made it hard to stay focused on the story but overall it was an interesting read and should be an interesting discussion at book club.

ej2021's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

3.0

sannebanana's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0