At the start of this book, I thought, "OK this is cute, it's sort of like Fredrik Backman but in Missouri". Having finished it, my thoughts are "Maybe a little too cute, and sort of like Fredrik Backman but without the genuine emotion".

Audiobook via Audible. Normally I'm not a fan of Cassandra Campbell's narration, but she did really well with this one. ( )

A mostly gentle, sometimes poignant story about an elderly but feisty (and surprisingly sprightly) woman called Elner Shimfissle. She lives in a small town in the United States, where everyone knows everyone else, and we meet her first up a ladder picking figs, attacked by wasps...

Elner embarks on an adventure while her family and friends rally round... and then everything changes, and I didn't like the second half of the book nearly so much. It rather destroys the pleasant, friendly small town feel. Perhaps that was deliberate.

Overall I enjoyed the book; the writing is good, and there were occasional lines that made me smile.

Longer review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2023/03/cant-wait-to-get-to-heaven-by-fanni... ( )

well this was a saccharine (i always seem to use that word when i describe her books) morality lesson about the existence of god and how everything is going to be ok and that we should all just be nicer to each other. oh, also about how anxiety is just too much time on your hands which you just fill with worry, so finding something else to do or focus on will solve it. (eye roll.) not to mention the casual racism - although maybe, just maybe, flagg was trying to point that out. i don't think so, though.

the main character elner was enjoyable to spend time with but the only other nice thing i can say about this is that it was a really quick read. she just isn't for me. between .5 and 1 star. ( )

This was a lot of fun. I love how she tells a story. Her characters are all friends of mine by the time a book is through.

You don't have to have read her other books to enjoy this one, but a couple of them get a nod ad you may wonder if you've missed an in-joke.

You won't have. Everything you need for this story is right here. ( )

This is part of a trilogy about the citizens of Elmwood Springs, Missouri. I've unabashedly adored all three of them, and I'm sad that I don't live there and know these people.

My love is not blind. Can't Wait to Get to Heaven was about as silly a book as you'll ever come across, but I don't care. Elner Shinfissle (a name that would enrage me in a book that I didn't like) is a sweet, elderly midwestern lady who has basically touched the lives of everyone she's ever met. She appreciates all the beauty and kindness in the world and makes others see it, too. With no children of her own, she is the beloved Aunt Elner to the whole of Elmwood Springs, for whom she is a friend, teacher, baker, advisor, volunteer, depending on what each person or group needs.

Aunt Elner steadfastly refuses to move from her farm closer to town, which worries everyone as she is really too old to be out there by herself. This same stubbornness explains why she falls out of a fig tree one day, is rushed to the hospital, and declared dead.

The reaction of the whole wonderful cast of characters to the news of Elner's untimely death is both touching and funny. Meanwhile, Elner is wandering around in heaven, marveling at the decor and making the acquaintance of all kinds of people she's always wanted to meet, including God and Thomas Edison (she is a huge fan of his invention, electricity.)

If you read this plot summary and roll your eyes and yawn, I get it. But if you are ever in the mood for a lovely, feel-good break from real life, I encourage you to give this (or one of the other two in the series) a chance.

Edited to add: I forgot to mention, if you can possibly get your hands on the audio book, and have Fannie Flagg read this to you with her lovely southern-belle drawl, it makes it that much better. ( )