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A review by book_concierge
The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg
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.
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.