What saves this book from being more sugary than Neighbor Dorothy's Heavenly Caramel Cake is Flagg's unerring eye for human foibles.
The Washington Post
Can't Wait to Get to Heaven
Narrated by Fannie Flagg
Fannie FlaggAbridged — 5 hours, 59 minutes
Can't Wait to Get to Heaven
Narrated by Fannie Flagg
Fannie FlaggAbridged — 5 hours, 59 minutes
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Overview
Life is the strangest thing. One minute, Mrs. Elner Shimfissle is up in her tree, picking figs, and the next thing she knows, she is off on an adventure she never dreamed of, running into people she never in a million years expected to meet. Meanwhile, back home, Elner's nervous, high-strung niece Norma faints and winds up in bed with a cold rag on her head; Elner's neighbor Verbena rushes immediately to the Bible; her truck driver friend, Luther Griggs, runs his eighteen-wheeler into a ditch-and the entire town is thrown for a loop and left wondering, "What is life all about, anyway?" Except for Tot Whooten, who owns Tot's Tell It Like It Is Beauty Shop. Her main concern is that the end of the world might come before she can collect her social security.
In this comedy-mystery, those near and dear to Elner discover something wonderful: Heaven is actually right here, right now, with people you love, neighbors you help, friendships you keep. Can't Wait to Get to Heaven is proof once more that Fannie Flagg "was put on this earth to write" (Southern Living), spinning tales as sweet and refreshing as iced tea on a summer day, with a little extra kick thrown in.
From the Hardcover edition.
Editorial Reviews
The only thing more enjoyable than reading a Fannie Flagg novel is having Flagg read it aloud herself. A born storyteller, Flagg is a marvelous reader with a warm, welcoming Alabama accent. She immediately puts listeners at ease, priming them for an engrossing yarn that will mix laugh-out-loud hilarity with unabashed sentiment in a novel as thoughtful as it is delightful. Returning to Elmwood Springs, Miss. (the setting of two previous novels), Flagg focuses on a handful of days following octogenarian Elner Shimfissle's fatal fall from a tree. As listeners check in on various residents in town to see how they're reacting to the news and remembering how their lives were touched by the old woman, Flagg alternates bite-size chapters detailing Elner's journey to the afterlife. Flagg completely embodies her delightful characters, adapting a slight vocal scratch for eternally optimistic Elner, a flatter drawl for the ever-complaining hairdresser Tot and a sweet innocence as Elner's hilariously nervous niece, Norma. An uplifting delight. Simultaneous release with the Random House hardcover (reviewed online). (July) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Fannie Flagg, the incomparable Southern writer and actress, returns to Elmwood Springs, Missouri, to paint and portray feisty, inquisitive octogenarian Elner Shimfissle. Elner falls out of her fig tree and is presumed dead. While her family and friends mourn, she makes a “temporary” visit to heaven, where she runs into her deceased sister, Ida, as well as Ginger Rogers and Tom Edison. When she “returns,” she shares details of her experience with her niece as well as communicating her thoughts on the wisdom of life and its meaning with townspeople. While this touching slice of Southern life stands well on its own, having Flagg herself breathe life, love, and laughter into her heroine and her acquaintances, living and dead, makes for the most rewarding and entertaining experience of the year. M.T.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine
Product Details
BN ID: | 2940172105708 |
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Publisher: | Penguin Random House |
Publication date: | 07/04/2006 |
Edition description: | Abridged |
Sales rank: | 1,232,107 |
Read an Excerpt
Elmwood Springs, Missouri.
Monday, April 1
9:28 am, 74 degrees and sunny