Something to Look Forward To by Fannie Flagg

 Something to Look Forward To

Book Summary

A tapestry of joyful and startling interconnected stories that celebrate how people from all across America cope with adversity and unexpected changes in a confusing world—from the beloved New York Times bestselling author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

Fannie Flagg once said that what the world needs now is a good laugh. And that is what she gives us in these warmhearted, always surprising stories about people who are finding clever ways to deal with the curveballs life sometimes throws at us.

Velma in Kansas, a loving great-grandmother, struggles to bridge generational gaps with her family. We cheer for Helen, in Ithaca, New York, who takes an audacious course of action when her husband leaves her for a younger woman. In Bent Fork, Wyoming; in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; in Tucson, Arizona; and in towns and cities all across America, people figure out inventive ways to overcome obstacles to happiness. And in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Special Agent Frawley is studying the mysteries of being human from an original perspective.

With her imagination, humor, and great understanding of the human heart, Fannie Flagg holds a mirror up to the foibles, ingenuity, and imagination of people, inspiring us to laugh at the sometimes eccentric, sometimes brilliant ways people cope with, and ultimately prevail over, the challenges of modern life.

My Thoughts

Something to Look Forward To by Fannie Flagg is a collection of thirty character driven short stories.  The stories vary in length and many of them are interconnected.  My favorite involves Velma who is eighty-three years old and lives in Cottonwood, Kansas.  She loves her granddaughter and great-granddaughter dearly, but they live in California.  Velma is always asking them to visit, but the granddaughter always has a reason why they cannot.  Velma is very upbeat and finds joy in the simplest things (such as a field of blooming flowers or her chickens).  I had to crack up at Velma’s comments on modern ideas (they/them through her for a loop).  I was a tad disappointed at how Velma’s story ended.  Some of the stories were better than others. There was one that I just loved.  The woman was certainly clever. The alien story did not go with the rest of the collection (it was different).  Most of the stories, though, had endearing characters, warmhearted humor, and homespun wisdom in true Fannie Flagg style.  I liked how she captured the small joys, everyday struggles, and people’s quirks.  Fannie Flagg shows us with the stories in Something to Look Forward To that life can be funny, a little messy at times, sometimes odd, but full of good people and love.  

Something to Look Forward To is available from Amazon*.  You can find Fannie Flagg's other novels here.  If you follow Fannie Flagg on Amazon, they will notify you when she has a new book release.  Thank you for joining me today.  I will return tomorrow with The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols.  I am off to run a couple of errands.  While I can get most items delivered, there are one or two that I cannot (and I really tried). 

Here is a duck update. The ducks are growing up so fast.  They have doubled in size.  They are now too big to swim in the water dish, but they are tall enough to reach the plants in my raised garden beds (I had a discussion with Mama Duck about it).  They are also at the stage where they play.  They are fun to watch.  I hope that you have an uplifting day.  Take care, stay cool (our air conditioner is having a hard time keeping the house cool against the record temperatures--102 degrees is too hot), and Happy Reading!

Kris 

The Avid Reader

*I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book.  I am not required to leave a review.  The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.

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