Can't Wait to Get to Heaven

Fannie Flagg is one of my favorite "feel good" authors. Her characters are always so down-to-earth funny and often remind me of my relatives on my mother’s side of the family (the non-Italians). Here we have the elderly auntie Elner, whose age is undetermined because her sister destroyed the family bible and no one knows exactly when she was born. Suffice it to say, Elner is old. She is also fond of making fig jam, and climbing ladders to pick the fresh figs, thus ignoring any advise from her niece Norma about behaving herself as proper ladies should. Norma isn't so much worried that Aunt Elner will hurt herself as she is about what the neighbors will think.


So of course Elner falls from the tree after being stung by wasps and goes to show more heaven where she meets one of her heroines--“Neighbor Dorothy” of the famous Midwest radio show of the mid 1900s. Elner also meets God (aka Raymond), visits with Thomas Edison, and then, much to her regret, gets sent back to earth to tell people to enjoy life and stop worrying so much.

Needless to say, no one believes her, and the interactions and reactions of the townspeople when they find out that Elner isn’t dead after all are priceless. The scene where Elner sits up in the emergency room after five hours of 'flat line' is worth the price of the whole book! This is a laugh-out-loud funny book with enough message to get it past the fluff stage. A definite curl up for an afternoon and enjoy the hot chocolate book. Alternately, if you're into audio, this is another great one to keep you going while you're exercising. show less

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 show more 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. show less

Elderly but very spritely Elner Shimfissle is trying to pick some figs when she disturbs a wasps nest and takes a nasty fall. She is taken to hosital in critical condition, but suddenly finds herself enjoying the adventure of a lifetime, seeing all sorts of wonderful sights and meeting all kinds of amazing people. Meantime, her family and friends in the small community where she lives in Elmwood Springs, Missouri, reflect on the influence that Elner has had on them, and how she has touched all of their lives.

This is the first Fannie Flagg book I’ve ever read, and I did really enjoy it. It is populated with quirky and slightly eccentric characters, not least Elner herself, but it paints a picture of a loving and close community who show more all pull together when one of their own needs them. There was a lot of subtle humour in the book, which made me giggle, rather than obvious jokes. It also made me think about the difference that one person can make in the lives of others, without even properly realising it.

All of the characters are well drawn, and as the book progresses, I did feel that I got to know them all very well, and for the most part they were easy to like. Elner was a wonderful main character – despite the fact that she is very elderly, she has refused to give up on life, and is definitely young at heart, getting up to all sorts of antics which cause great concern for her over anxious niece Norma.

I can imagine that for some people, this book might be a bit too ‘twee’ and cosy, and it’s not the kind of book I would want to read all the time. But for curling up with on a lazy afternoon when you want a feel-good read, it’s just about perfect. I would mention that there were a couple of editing mistakes – one character refers to something about which it is earlier stated that she knows nothing, and a couple of times a character will hear a snippet of news and then pass it immediately to another character, but embellished with facts which they weren’t originally made aware of. However, this did not detract from the enjoyment of the book.

Overall, a very enjoyable read, and it definitely made me want to read more by this author. show less

This book was a confusing one. One minute it's some quaint character piece, the next we're reading a lot about how lawyers try to deceive people.
I wouldn't call it boring, but I'd call it simple. It's not a page turner, but it's not a slog to get through either. It swings from delightful, to funny, to annoying, and back. The story had some good messages, but I found them muddled by slow pacing, uncomfortable conversation, and excessive quirkiness. It's overall a 'feel good' story and I don't regret reading it, but I'm not able to recommend it, and I won't be reading the other books in this series.
I do love how easy Fannie Flagg's books are to read. Everything flows so well, and you can really hear the characters in your head.
The show more pro-rich, anti-union sentiments and free use of the r word, however... yikes. show less

Audio book read by Cassandra Campbell

From the dust jacket: 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, whom Elner has known since he was a boy, 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 show more 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.

This is a sweet, gentle tale of one woman’s influence on her community, that reminds us all to consider the cycle of life and how we fit into it. Flagg populates Elmwood Springs with colorful characters who, for all their eccentricity, are completely recognizable. We have a matriarch who touches everyone with her genuine kindness, straightforward advice, and simple life lessons. There are the local busybodies with hearts of gold who rally around to help anyone mired in one of life’s tragedies. And no community would be complete without the juvenile delinquent headed for a life of crime but for the kind person who sets him straight and gives him a reason to stay on the right path.

Is this an unrealistic community? Maybe, but I still recognize the parable. Flagg reminds me that the things I most cherish have nothing to do with material goods, and much to do with relationships I’ve developed over the years. It’s not great literature. It’s not even Flagg’s best work. But I did enjoy the time I spent with Elner and the residents of Elmwood Springs.

Cassandra Campbell does a good job on the audio; I particularly liked how she voiced some of the excitable characters like Norma and Tot. show less

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...

I will not tell you the event that almost made me just off the couch in amazement so I will just tell you about the beginning.

Elner in Elmwood Springs, a fictional place that I would love to visit, is very old and even though told not to do it, took a ladder out to the fig tree in her backyard.

She climbed up the ladder and saw a wasp nest and got stung by a swarm of wasps. She was found unconscious and taken to ER. She went flat lined sometime probably on the ambulance rise. Then she woke up in the hospital and could find anyone so that she could call her niece to take her home, so she took an elevator and flies over the roof of the hospital and after a long journey goes to Heaven! I am loving this book, it would make such a great movie show more if it hasn’t already been made. Please everyone, read it. I loved it so much! show less