The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg 5 Stars

The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What makes Fannie Flagg's writing so enjoyable? There is a bit of a formula, or style, which can be seen in each of her stories. All are set in the South of the US, they are populated with quirky characters, and the writing includes laugh-out-loud funny lines. But, as you read along, you suddenly realize the quirky characters have become three-dimensional, fully formed human beings. You find you have become attached to them and care about the outcome of their interesting and sometimes unusual situations.

Such is true of The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion. Set in Alabama, it is the story of "Sookie" (Sarah Jane) Poole, a woman approaching her sixties who believes life can finally settle down for her and her husband, Earle, after a rash of weddings for her three daughters. But, of course, she is wrong.

Sookie's life has been dominated by her mother Lenore Simmons Krackenberry, who is a larger than life woman on center stage everywhere she appears. Lenore, otherwise known as Winged-Victory by Sookie and her brother Buck, is a large woman who sweeps into a room with her silver hair styled with wings, her scarves flowing, and her personality overwhelming. She is in control of everything, adamantly opinionated, and very proud of her Simmons family background. Lenore conquers all and is beloved by all she meets, but is a royal pain to her family. However, she is in her lates 80's and requires some monitoring and care, yet refuses to set foot in a senior facility. This leaves Sookie to keep an eye on her and to handle most of her affairs.

All of her life Sookie has been pushed by her mother to be a credit to the Simmons name. Although married to a dentist, her mother has always found fault with her and the choices she has made. And, though loved by many, Sookie has always felt as if she never has gotten her mother's approval and has let down the Simmons name.

In her capacity as caretaker of Lenore's life, Sookie receives a registered letter containing documents recently located and sent to Lenore. These include information which is earth-shattering in nature to Sookie - she is not, and never has been of the Simmons family, as she is adopted. The fact that Sookie's real mother is of Polish descent and is originally from Pulaski, Wisconsin, and is a pilot, shocks Sookie and makes her feel that she does not know who she is. Having her birth certificate indicate her original name was Ginger, and her father unknown, simply adds to the incredible shock.

Our story is told from Sookie's perspective in present day Alabama as she wrestles with this new information, but it is also the story of her birth family, the Jurdabralinskis. We go back in time to the 1940's as we learn about the 4 sisters and a brother who learned to fly and flew in the service of their country during World War II. In addition, we see how the sisters were required to handle their father's filling station when the son and other male family members went to war and father became ill. The sisters became well-known throughout the area for their All-Girl Filling Station with the fastest service, and the best mechanics. The star of the family, the eldest girl and the first to fly was Fritzi, the woman identified as Sookie's birth mother on her adoption papers.

Flagg presents us with the humorous goings on of both families, during both eras. But, we get caught up in the love within the families and the escapades of Lenore and Fritzi Jurdabralinski. In addition, we are given a history lesson about the wonderful women who were the first female pilots, and how many of them served their country in the WASP unit during World War II.

Throughout The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion, we follow Sookie as she learns more and more about her birth family, and learns who she is today, and how much she appreciates the love of both families. By the end of the book, all characters have been fully revealed and we see the depth of their loves, sacrifices, and losses. Fannie Flagg has once again filled a family with warmth and depth and helped us to understand them, as well as ourselves. This is truly her gift as an author and her gift to us as readers.






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The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis - will a younger generation love them as much?

The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis by Max Shulman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis by Max Shulman is being re-released. I loved Duane Hickman as Dobie on TV when I was a kid, and read these stories when I was a bit older. So, for me, this is a trip down memory lane. Will my trip be one shared by the teens of today?

The lovable Dobie Gillis was always looking for an angle. He was a pretty average kid - average intelligence, average ability, average looks. He tended not to excel in really anything, and what he did need to do was usually something he would rather avoid. So, rather than take the straightforward route, Dobie would try to find a way out of homework, obligations, helping Dad at the store, etc. He was easily talked into any kind of scheme, especially by one of his loves. The results were typically hilarious. Unlike other schemers, Dobie Gillis almost always was caught and had to suffer the consequences.

I just love the stories and find them hilarious. Dobie always seems to be just on the verge of making everything work when something goes wrong. He always trusts the wrong person, even when he argues against the plan himself.

So, here is the question: The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis was written in the 40's and 50's. And, the situations are true to that era. Will the humor translate to those born in the 90's or 2000's? I love them and hope others will as well. I know they will appeal to those of us who remember black and white television. I sure hope they appeal to others. These are so funny and witty. Give them a try.

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The Last Lecture - An old review I wrote and now need to take my own advice...

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I find reading the reviews of this book almost as interesting as reading the book itself. Why do some people appear to take a dislike to this man's message, despite their compassion for his situation, while others believe his message is poignant and important? It is interesting that many of the people giving more stars have seen Randy Pausch or heard him, which I believe may cause them to have gotten his message more directly - they have felt a connection with him and heard the meaning behind his words from something other than the words themselves. This may say something for his writing style - he appears not to have made his point without ruffling a lot of feathers.

When I read the negative reviews, they criticize him for things I specifically know are not accurate. For example "he does not mention a higher power" was one criticism. He certainly does and talks about his upbringing to keep his faith to himself as a private matter. He discusses conversations with his pastor and other members of his church. The reader was possibly expecting him to openly discuss prayer, etc. as a means of achieving his dreams, but Pausch chose not to do so. I believe Pausch indicates this was intentional, as he was talking about what WE could do to achieve our dreams, assuming we would use our spiritual connectedness in our endeavors.

Another criticism I have read is that Pausch was "too full of himself". Seriously? This is a book about how to "achieve" your dreams, not how to get through life without accomplishing anything. Did you want him to tell you about how he never quite got around to doing something? Of course he had to tell you about his accomplishments and what he did to get there. That's the point!! Not only that, but he discussed the many ways in which his failures taught him how to move forward and try again to do things differently and better. And, he used anecdote after anecdote about OTHER people's accomplishments to get his point across.

Finally, I think the most serious criticism I read is that he didn't really provide any information of any great import. This was all such simple stuff. It wasn't new. It didn't matter. I am just a few years older than Randy was when he died. I'm not sure if age gives me any great perspective, but I agree so strongly with Randy that it is the fundamentals that I see causing people to miss out on so much in life. To do what you want in life and to feel proud of what you have accomplished you need to do certain things that so many people just don't do. Say thank you. Write notes. Appreciate the world around you. Work hard. Stay positive. Take time with the people you love. Yes, you may hear this and think this is so banal. But, life is simple and basic and everyone is running around trying to make it so difficult. That's the message I am hearing from Randy.

I believe that Randy Pausch has no interest in your sympathy or tears. His short time after his diagnosis gave him a unique perspective and opportunity. Of course, his main objective was to leave a message to his children that he was somebody they could be proud of, and they could become somebody, too. We are lucky to be privy to this message. So, if we choose to listen, he reminds us once again - if you ignore those basics, you will miss out on much. Don't wait until you get your diagnosis to make the changes you need to in your life. If you are unhappy in your life ask yourself what simple things you could do today to improve your fundamentals to make life a bit better. Then just do it.

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Gentle Ode to Reading - The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald  January 19, 2016
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh, this is a good one! Gentle, sweet and true, The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend is a love story. It is about love of almost every kind you can imagine, but it is particularly about the love of books and reading.

Sara Lindqvist is a quiet, plain, late 20's Swedish woman and pen pal to elderly Amy Harris of Broken Wheel, Iowa. Her life has been, up until now, very quiet and very predictable. Actually, it has been very boring. She has never dated, has very few friends, and lives her life's adventures through books. The bookshop she has worked in for the past 10 years has closed and she is now at loose ends. Amy has invited her to Broken Wheel and Sara sees this as her first opportunity for adventure and our book begins when Sara arrives in Broken Wheel. She and Amy have shared their love of books through the mail and Sara anticipates a two month visit with her friend talking and reading. One problem: Sara arrives on the day of Amy's funeral.

Although the people of Broken Wheel are friendly, they are not exactly sure what to do with Sara. They put her into Amy's house, and assign poor George to drive her around as needed, as she doesn't have a driver's license. Sara has learned all about the little town and its inhabitants through Amy's letters, and throughout the book we get to read some of them and see the town and its residents through Amy's eyes. However, much of what was contained in the letters are Amy's memories of Broken Wheel, and Sara sees a dying Broken Wheel instead.

No one in town will allow Sara to pay for anything, and she continually hears "it's on me". She becomes frustrated with what she sees as a growing debt to the townspeople. The main street is full of closed shop fronts, one owned by Amy, whose deceased husband ran a failed hardware store. Sara determines she will use Amy's store to open a bookshop with the huge volume of books in Amy's bedroom. The town rallies round to help Sara setup her cheerful shop, The Oak Tree Bookstore, although no one really intends to buy or read any of the books. But, the shop and quiet Sara begin to have an effect on the town, and we begin to see Broken Wheel slowly coming back to life.

As I mentioned, the Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend is a book about love. Amy loved Broken Wheel, and the feeling was mutual. Now that Amy is gone, Sara has become a sort of focus for those who are grieving the loss of Amy. Everyone wants Sara to feel welcome and to see her becoming a part of their town. They even try, or at least Jen tries, to match her up with Tom, Amy's nephew. Eventually, this becomes their plan to keep Sara in Broken Wheel permanently - they will recruit Tom to marry Sara and allow her to stay and not return to Sweden when her visa expires.

As we meet and learn about each of the characters of Broken Wheel, we see that each of them has been beaten, but has found a place for themselves within the town. As the town reawakens, love and acceptance finds each individual in a new way. People begin to recognize their love of Broken Wheel and of each other.

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend was a book I could not put down. I fell in love with the town and its people and found myself smiling, laughing and shedding a few tears as I read. It is a small town America tale, similar to those of Fannie Flagg, but told with more of an outsiders perspective, since the main character is a visitor to the United States. It is gentle and bittersweet and touching all at once. It has a touch of Jane Austen, but modern and thoroughly American. It is humorous in parts, but it retains its dignity throughout. You won't forget the Readers of Broken Wheel.

I highly recommend this book, and particularly suggest it for book clubs. The author includes a reader's guide at the back to promote discussion.

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