Book Review: Can't Wait to Get to Heaven

The latest by Fannie Flagg, Can't Wait to Get to Heaven returns to Elmwood Springs (featured in Standing in the Rainbow and Welcome to the World, Baby Girl). I love Flagg's style of writing, her warm, southern-y, gossiping stories. While I still say that none of her other books can compare to Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, I think this one may be the closest. BTW - I've bought about 4 copies of that one, since anytime I lend it to someone, it never comes back. If you haven't read it, go get it now.

This novel, set in the present day, contains a bit more fantasy than any of the previous novels. One character's death sets off a chain of reaction which changes the lives of many people in interesting and amusing ways. Written from the view points of several of the characters (including the cat), the story feels rich and full.

Flagg's writing always grasps higher, reaching and hoping, as it draws you in. In this novel especially, you bring away a sense of hope and of the joy of just living your life. Not that her characters never experience tragedy or heartache, but when they do, they survive and grow. The people in Elmwood Springs "feel" real, and that makes the reading more like visiting an old friend.

I especially enjoyed how this book concluded, with all the stories intertwining and people finding a way, big or small, to honor the deceased by improving their own lives.