Several years ago, when I re-discovered my local library,
one of the first books I checked out was by Fannie Flagg. Aside from the homey cover image depicting
small town America, I was intrigued by the author herself. Could this really be the same woman I
remember watching on tv when I was a kid?
I mean, really...how many Fannie Flaggs could there BE??
After discovering that, yes, this author and the actress
were one in the same, I settled in for a read that lived up to its nice, cozy
cover, and never looked back.
It's been a few years since I read one of Ms. Flagg's
books. Admittedly, I couldn't tell you
whether that's because she hasn't written any, or if I just missed them. But, when I got that taunting 30% off coupon
from Barnes & Noble in my inbox, The All-Girl Filling Station 's Last
Reunion just jumped right into my cart.
As the book opens, we meet Sookie Poole - a name that
teeters a bit too close to that Jersey shore trash if you ask me, but maybe I'm
just a bit too sensitive, as a life-long Jersey girl. Anywho, Mrs. Poole has just successfully
married off her third daughter and is looking forward to some peace and quiet
at home when a letter arrives for her mother, Lenore, a drama queen who lives
just two doors up. The contents of that
letter will shake up everything Sookie once thought she knew about herself.
What transpires in the next 300 pages or so is a journey
back and forth between the present and the early 1940's, when war was wreaking
havoc on this country and all its citizens.
The men are disappearing into the folds of military life, leaving the
women on the homefront to keep the family businesses running (hence the book's
title). As Sookie tries to solve the
mysteries surrounding her own identity, we're introduced to a colorful cast of
characters, including several female World War II pilots, called WASPs (Women
Airforce Service Pilots). Google it -
interesting stuff there, folks!
Ms. Flagg's books are, quite simply, good reads. They're filled with insane antics that will
have you laughing out loud, while you grab your box of Kleenex in preparation
for your heart to crumble on the next page.
She manages to fill her stories with characters both unique and
familiar, making you wish you lived in whatever fictional southern town her
mind has whipped up. (Although, when
she's throwing around names like Marvaleen and Edna Yorba Zorbra, you *do* have
to question what she's smoking.)
In short, this Yankee is a fan. And, the fact that I learned a little bit of
WWII history in the process is just gravy.
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