Can't Wait to Get to Heaven: A Novel (Elmwood Springs)

Down home feel, makes you think and is also hilarious. I really got caught up in the way that most everyone knows someone like like the main characters

This book is absolutely fantastic. I love the well-developed characters and the narrator is a perfect fit. Fannie Flagg is a master story teller.

Fannie Flagg has secured her place as one of the great Southern writers in the tradition of Truman Capote, Eudora Welty, Harper Lee,et al. She is a brilliant story teller with a unique and wonderful way with words. It has been a long time since I have laughed out loud while reading a book and a few moments later found myself with tears in my eyes over an unexpected sad turn of events. This is another "must read" from the gifted Flagg.

I have read all of Fannie Flagg's books and this one is just as good as her others, maybe better. It's so full of spirit, good cheer and optimism. It asks the timeless questions of why we are here and what happens to us when we die. No one really knows, but Elner, the main character in this book, may have the answer for all of us. Elner, Norma's aunt, was up in the fig tree to get some figs to make a preserve when she disturbed a wasp's nest and got stung and fell off the ladder. This is not the first time she has done that. She has fallen off the ladder other times and drove her niece, Norma, crazy and worried with fear. This time, Elner was knocked out cold. This is just the beginning of an adventure for the townsfolks of Elmwood Springs, Missouri. Elner is taken to Kansas City to the hospital there. Norma and her husband, Macky, followed behind. Ruby and Tots, the local hairdresser takes care of things at Elner's house and the stories just keep on flowing. Bittersweet and heart-warming, it made me, the reader, wish that people would think of me the same way they did Elner. And not only that, it's a reminder to take life a little bit on the easy and slow side because you never know when the last day will come. It may be too late to do all the things you wish you could do or have said. This book may have a moral to it but it's so wonderfully written. It's a perfect book to read on the front porch drinking your iced tea and relaxing for a day or two. Flagg's writing is always humane and lyrical. You just know these characters as well as you know yourself because you are human as they are. Life doesn't have to be as hard as it sounds ~~ and kicking back once in awhile would do wonders for the soul. Kicking back with this book is definitely the way to do it. 7-25-06

What a wonderful treat Fannie Flagg's newest trip to Elmwood Springs is. The characters we first met in WELCOME TO THE WORLD, BABY GIRL and got to know better in STANDING IN THE RAINBOW have aged, had more experiences both good and bad, but still maintain the small-town, folksy charm of Flagg's earlier works. The laugh-out-loud moments are many amidst the tears, the suspense, and the fantasy. Norma Warren's aunt, Elner Shimfissle, who was a minor character in the other novels set in Elmwood Springs, comes into her own as the main character and the epicenter of an emotional upheaval in the little town. While picking figs from her tree in the front yard, Elner accidentally disturbs a nest of wasps and is bitten to death. Or is she? Fannie Flagg takes liberal license with the heaven alluded to in the Bible, but it's all in good taste and puts a very personal spin on a place still quite mysterious to the living. The best thing about this book is the characters, their obvious love for one another, and the close-knit feeling of community that Flagg captures with her razor-sharp wit and endearing charm. Remember Tot Whooten from the Tell It Like It Is Beauty Shop? And Neighbor Dorothy with her fabulous radio show? Macky Warren, Norma's high school sweetheart and husband, and Dena Nordstrom, the cousin who was a high-powered New York executive? These and others have all returned and catching up on their lives is an experience not to be missed. Along the way, the reader is actually told the meaning of life and given the formula for leading a happy and rewarding one. That's certainly more than I expected when I bought this book. Another bonus is the yummy recipes mentioned in the book all appear at the end. They sounded so mouth-watering that I have Neighbor Dorothy's Heavenly Caramel Cake in the oven as I type this.

I have read (and loved) all of the Fannie Flagg books. I eagerly awaited this new book and bought it the day it was released. I was not disappointed. It was as incredible as all the others. It started out slowly and picked up steam...as time went on, I just could not put it down-yet I was so sorry to see it end. The first big surprise left me thinking of one of my all time favorite shows "Picket Fences". We again are treated to the lives of the folks of Elmwood Springs. As an extra added twist? It is now 2006 and many modern terms are thrown in. For example, Elmwood Springs has changed and grown. Now there is a Pottern Barn, a Home Depot, etc. Linda has name her baby adopted form China and I think most readers will recognize the name from newspapers and magazines of late. The people are still quirky, folksy and small town, but they have been forced to adapt to life in the 21st century. The star of this book is Aunt Zelner. We are taken into her life in depth and it is a wonderful trip. Don't want to give anything away, but she touches every one's lives, as well as the reader's life. I laughed and even sniffled a little. This book was so funny and so tender at the same time. This book was full of life lessons that have been said many times, but wrapped in with the folks of Elmwood Springs, they were food for thought. I loved this book. Makes me want to go and read all the other Fannie Flagg books again.