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Can't Wait to Get to Heaven (Random House Large Print)
 
 
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Can't Wait to Get to Heaven (Random House Large Print) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Fannie Flagg (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (196 customer reviews)


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Book Description

June 27, 2006 Random House Large Print
Combining southern warmth with unabashed emotion and side-splitting hilarity, Fannie Flagg takes readers back to Elmwood Springs, Missouri, where the most unlikely and surprising experiences of a high-spirited octogenarian inspire a town to ponder the age-old question: Why are we here?

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.


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. 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.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

About the Author

Fannie Flagg began writing and producing television specials at age nineteen and went on to distinguish herself as an actress and writer in television, films, and the theater. She is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe (which was produced by Universal Pictures as Fried Green Tomatoes), Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!, Standing in the Rainbow, and A Redbird Christmas. Flagg’s script for Fried Green Tomatoes was nominated for both the Academy and Writers Guild of America awards and won the highly regarded Scripters Award. Flagg lives in California and in Alabama.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 528 pages
  • Publisher: Random House Large Print (June 27, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0375432140
  • ISBN-13: 978-0375432149
  • Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.2 x 9.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (196 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #884,773 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

FANNIE FLAGG began writing and producing television specials at age nineteen and went on to distinguish herself as an actress and writer in television, films, and the theater. She is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe (which was produced by Universal Pictures as Fried Green Tomatoes), Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!, and Standing in the Rainbow. Flagg's script for Fried Green Tomatoes was nominated for both the Academy and Writers Guild of America Awards and won the highly regarded Scripters Award. Flagg lives in California and in Alabama.

 

Customer Reviews

196 Reviews
5 star:
 (129)
4 star:
 (30)
3 star:
 (10)
2 star:
 (13)
1 star:
 (14)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (196 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

97 of 101 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fannie Flagg's Newest Novel Is Heaven On Earth, July 16, 2006
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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.
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70 of 78 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Incredible Book by Fannie Flagg, July 16, 2006
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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.
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars It's so nice to have you back Fannie, July 24, 2006
By 
Buddy Leo "Buddy" (Fairfield, Alabama) - See all my reviews
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.
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
dirty clothes basket
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Aunt Elner, Elner Shimfissle, Miss Packer, Luther Griggs, Elmwood Springs, Kansas City, Tot Whooten, Miss Elner, Neighbor Dorothy, Ginger Rogers, Winston Sprague, Thomas Edison, Irene Goodnight, Caraway Hospital, Cathy Calvert, Louise Franks, Ruby Robinson, Will Shimfissle, Franklin Pixton, Reverend Susie Hill, Gus Shimmer, Merle Norman, Ernest Koonitz, The Home Depot, Verbena Wheeler
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