The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion: A Novel

I have always loved Fannie Flagg’s writing, and this is one of the best books I’ve read in a while. It’s full of life, discoveries, love, adventure, hope, you name it, and I laughed and cried, then was just thankful I decided to buy it!! Thank you Fannie Flagg. You’re one of my heroes. (Fried Green Tomatoes was a book—and movie—that changed my life!)

This is a fun light read of moderate length. The primary setting is in Alabama in the recent past. There is a good deal of modern Southern United States colloquial style narrative that I personally find very appealing and humorous when well written. Fannie Flagg captures that style very well. The story seemed to start slightly slowly, but Miss Flagg did a very good job of laying the foundation for the rest of the story. The story revolves around some females who are related to each other. I am a male and enjoyed the book very much, as did my wife. Having said that, I do feel that it is fair to say it may appeal slightly more to a female than a male. The story also includes some historical information about females' contributions in World War II that some readers may find illuminating. But I stress, some of the particulars are fiction. The larger picture is accurate. I read the book on Kindle while listening to the audiobook narrated by the author. I enjoyed that very much and felt that the audiobook narrated by Miss Flagg really added to my reading experience. I felt I was listening to the story the way she wanted it heard. In summary, I liked this book very much as a light humorous read. This is the second book I read by Miss Flagg, the first being "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe". I enjoyed them both and hope to eventually read another. Thank You.

I am an admirer of Fannie Flagg. I think she writes about people as if she loves them. That is such a nice reflection on her humanity. Or maybe she only meets really nice people. I grew up in the southern part of the United States, and I must admit that not every southerner is a nice person. The women can be really mean. When some lady says “Bless your heart…” she is not necessarily wishing you well. This is a story of two families. One family is a southern family who has been repeatedly told their family history makes them unique. And each of them have a duty to their heritage. The other family is a northern family who originated in Northern Europe. They feel their duty is to the country of the United States. And a good portion of this story is about the people who did their very best to win World War II. Those people felt that not wining against the fascists could end the world as they knew it Not everyone knows that during WWII, women were trained as pilots for U S military. They ferried planes from place to place. Their work allowed men to devote their time to other aspects of the war. Everyone believed that doing your bit for the War Effort was the right thing to do. The story is also about Sookie. She is a southern woman who learns that at the age of 60 she needs to start a new direction for her life. The new direction will give her entirely new perspectives on the world. Ms Flagg provides her readers with windows into worlds that are sometimes wonderful and at other times not so wonderful. But those worlds are always entertaining, informative and emotionally moving. I really enjoyed this book. I always enjoy this author’s stories. And when I finish reading the books, I always have many things to consider.

Fannie Flagg has been with me forever, her sparkling wit and radiant personality a personal fascination that has survived even her forgettable appearances on some insipid television quiz shows. She is, for me, a symbol of all that’s good about the southern belle. Of course her humor is the bellwether of her charm; clever, understated, and grounded in real life absurdities. In the “All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion” she shows her ability to weave everyday events into an entrancing story of despair, hope, relationships, and inspiration. Mrs. Sookie Poole is looking forward to enjoying her remaining years relaxing and traveling with her beloved husband, Earle. Her mother, Lenore Krackenberry, long a source of exasperation and frustration to Sookie, has a past that is suddenly revealed, and that turns Sookie’s hard-earned peace into a maelstrom of questions and doubts that forces Sookie to do some serious soul-searching. Not many authors could do much with this storyline. Flagg, of course, can turn it into a tour-de-force of remarkable charm that makes the reader sit up and pay attention to her narrative. Southern personalities and ways of life are exactly what Flagg brings to us in living color. The names of her characters always produce chuckles but seem authentically Southern. The Women’s Air Service Patrol, WASP, plays a big part in the story. Flagg did some heavy research into the recruitment, training, and careers of these brave WW2 women pilots. Her account strongly flavors the story behind Sookie’s anxiety, as does the Polish community of Pulaski, Wisconsin, but that’s all I’m telling you. Flagg is a talented writer in spite of her severe dyslexia. Her early professional life was marred by her embarrassment over her spelling difficulties; she still calls herself “a terrible speller.” Evidently she’s found a way to work around that disability because a discerning reader will marvel at her spot-on grammar. Fannie Flagg is always an enjoyable read for me. Don’t expect any great literary experience; just settle in for a down-home ride in the country. Schuyler T Wallace Author of TIN LIZARD TALES

Fannie Flagg has the gift of storytelling. She knows her subjects well and writes them with love but without the blinders. This is the story of two very different families, one from the South and one from the North. Fritzi Jurdabralinski was a wing walker in the days of barnstorming and she was fearless. She learns how to fly a plane from one of the greats, Billy Bevins who owns Billy Bevins Flying Circus. He knew Fritzi was just the woman he needed when his first string wing walker quit. Fritzi needed a job since the Depression and rationing shut down their families All Girls Service Station. Fritzi was a natural in the air and she fell in love with flying. When WWII needed fliers, Billy shut down the business and enlisted. He became a flight instructor in Florida. Fritzi heard there was a need for women to ferry planes and joined the WASP's. Very little was known about this organization because flying was a male dominated industry. There were only 1,074 graduates in the Womens Air Force Pilots. They played a vital role in the war because they freed up the male pilots to fight where they were needed most. A child connects the northern family in the southern family. This family's story focuses on Sookie Sommers Poole in 2005. I don't really want to tell much about what the connection is. It's better that you read what Sookie discovers. Just know that this family is pure southern complete with the authoritative matriarch. This is a wonderful book rich with interesting characters. The story is told with easy turns between each family. I hope you take time to read this book because it's really good. It's the kind of book I like to come back to and re-read in a few years.

It took me a while to get into it. but once I did I couldn't put it down. I loved the fact that Sookie realized her worth as a person. This was the first Fannie Flagg book I've read , but there will be more.

“The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion” is something I read for a Goodread’s bookclub. It is from the same author as “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe”, and it follows a similar style where their is a modern story, a story set in the past, and eventually the two stories progress until there is a meeting of characters. Overall, I found the story lite on the historical fiction side, predictable, it tried too hard to tie up all the loose ends into a pretty package, and it was ultimately demeaning (see spoiler below). I found myself much more interested in the historical story although the modern one was humorous at times. I would have happily read a complete novel that focused on the historical story without the modern element mixed in. The reason I say the historical fiction was skimmed over is that it comprises about half the story, and part of the “facts” listed in the book look like something from Wikipedia. The information is also lacking some of the later things our government did in 1977 and 2009 to recognize the women mentioned in this portion of the novel. I know these later things were insignificant compared to their sacrifice, but I thought it was an important element the author didn’t know or simply left out. I found the book to be quite predictable just from looking at Sookie’s character. I figured out the “mystery” or “surprise twist” well before the author revealed it toward the end of the story, and I even predicted what would happen in the modern story in regards to Sookie’s son. I felt the treatment of Sookie’s son was an example of the author trying too hard to write an ending that would appeal to a certain segment of people in the United States. I will not go into the details here so as not to spoil the ending and/or hurt people’s feelings. I normally write spoiler-free reviews, but I cannot do so with the last part below. I suspect many readers will not even recognize why this part of the story is so offensive to someone who served in the military and especially to those that respect what honor means. . . . . . <spoiler> The novel includes the awarding of a Medal of Honor, although the author erroneously calls it a “Congressional Medal of Honor”. The author’s use of this medal completely demeans the brave men and one woman who earned our nation’s highest award for amazing feats of bravery where they risked their own lives. By awarding the Medal of Honor in this novel for something that does not come anywhere near the level required, it cheapens the medal and illegitimately elevates the fictional character to an undeserved status. I thought this was an example where the author was trying too hard to make a “feel good” ending to the story. </spoiler>

I just finished listening to this book for the second time. The first time was way back in 2013 or so, and I couldn't believe how much I had forgotten. It is one of the most charming, informative, enjoyable books I have ever read. I highly recommend it for few hours escape from all the horrendous situations of there world. So go immediately to amazon.com or your public library and get whatever format floats your boat.