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39th out of 79 books
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186 voters
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Can't Wait to Get to Heaven
by
Fannie Flagg
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...more
Life is the strangest thing. One minute, Mrs. Elner Shimfissle is up in her tree, picking...more
Paperback, 384 pages
Published
June 19th 2007
by Ballantine Books
(first published January 1st 2005)
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this is the story of an elderly lady who has a near death experience and the people in her life both those she has known for years and those she meets in the hospital setting whose life she touches, this is a funny book, lots of great characters, fanny flagg also wrote fried green tomatoes, i watched the movie and wasn't that impressed but maybe I would like the book better, some of the characters in this story are also in welcome to the world baby girl.
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 nev...more
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 nev...more
Laugh out loud funny, this book describes how any single person can greatly influence the lives of their neighbors. Elner Shimfissle is blessed with an inquiring mind and a large loving heart. In her eighties, or possibly nineties, she decides to make fig jam for her friends and falls out of the tree when attacked by wasps while picking figs. She doesn't know her age because she was born at home, the only record is in the family bible and her sister, Ida, buried that years ago so no one would...more
I have so far read two books from this writer and this is her third. The firs was Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, by far one of my favorite books to date. Although this new book takes place later on in time, the characters of this book are somewhat linked to the characters of the previous book "Welcome to the World, Baby Girl". It is a great book to read if life has hung you out to dry and the last thing you need is more drama. This book is a spoonful of honey when your ...more
Thoroughly enjoyed this "What is the meaning of life?" book. I'm just tough in granting stars. Three means I definitely liked the book. Four means it was very good. I hardly ever give fives; would mean that it was one of the best books ever!
I like deep books on this subject such as Frankl's "Mans Search for Meaning", Fromm's "Art of Loving", Kushner's "When Bad Things Happen to Good People", and others, but reading this light novel remin...more
I like deep books on this subject such as Frankl's "Mans Search for Meaning", Fromm's "Art of Loving", Kushner's "When Bad Things Happen to Good People", and others, but reading this light novel remin...more
I've really been on a lucky run with my book lately. I just seem to be getting all good ones.
This book was so much fun and just a feel good and an uplifting book. It's primarily about Mrs. Elner Shimfissle, but in truth is about the whole town of Elmwood Springs, Missouri. What a bunch of quirky characters they are!!! If you've never lived in a small town, its hard to believe that people could really be like this and still be accepted. I grew up in a small town so I truly apprecia...more
This book was so much fun and just a feel good and an uplifting book. It's primarily about Mrs. Elner Shimfissle, but in truth is about the whole town of Elmwood Springs, Missouri. What a bunch of quirky characters they are!!! If you've never lived in a small town, its hard to believe that people could really be like this and still be accepted. I grew up in a small town so I truly apprecia...more
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As a big fan of Fannie Flagg and Southern literature, I was really excited to read this book. It's an interesting premise with Elner Shimfissle falling out of her fig tree, being stung by wasps, and then "dying". Her family, including her neice Norma, Norma's hubby Macky, and the rest of the town from Tot the Beautician to the radio show guys go into deep mourning. She might not have had the most money or fame, but Elner was someone well loved in the town. Shockingly enough to everyone...more
My mom got this from the State library Talking Books. I immediately checked out the reviews & thought this was something she would love. Imagine my surprise when she announced Monday she did not like this book at all & wanted to send it back. It was too hard to understand. Huh??? I slipped the cartridge into the digital reader &, of course, it was too hard to understand: the reader sounded like a chipmunk. I slowed it down to "normal," then went one notch lower. This book snagged me go...more
"kau takkan pernah tahu kapan sebuah
percakapan akan menjadi yang terakhir
hidup dapat berhenti begitu saja tanpa peringatan
terlebih dahulu" (85)
"..jangan biarkan pintu membenturmu dari belakang
saat kau pergi, seseorang hidup selama bertahun
tahun, menyentuh kehidupan banyak orang lain, dan
kemudian, pada ujung perjalanan, berakhir hanya sebagai
foto kecil serta beberapa paragraf didalam koran
koran itu dibuang maka berakhirl...more
percakapan akan menjadi yang terakhir
hidup dapat berhenti begitu saja tanpa peringatan
terlebih dahulu" (85)
"..jangan biarkan pintu membenturmu dari belakang
saat kau pergi, seseorang hidup selama bertahun
tahun, menyentuh kehidupan banyak orang lain, dan
kemudian, pada ujung perjalanan, berakhir hanya sebagai
foto kecil serta beberapa paragraf didalam koran
koran itu dibuang maka berakhirl...more
I have not ever read anything by Fannie Flag but I have friends that enjoy her books, so when I found this one at Costco, I bought it. It was a good choice and seemed fitting for the time. We drove to my parent's home in Idaho for Thanksgiving so I have 4 good hours of reading time each way, less the time spent with my eyes closed.
My parents are in their 80's, like the main character in the book, Elner. The exact year of her birth was unknown because her sister had buried the fam...more
My parents are in their 80's, like the main character in the book, Elner. The exact year of her birth was unknown because her sister had buried the fam...more
In a small Missouri town, populated by the quirkiest characters you're ever likely to meet, Flagg opens "Can't Wait to Get to Heaven" with a freak accident involving an eighty-something woman named Elner Shimfissel, who climbs a ladder to retrieve some figs, and ends up on the ground, out cold, while neighbors and townsfolk scurry around to help.
From the hospital, Mrs. Shimfissel then begins an incredible "journey" that takes her (and the townsfolk) on a series of...more
From the hospital, Mrs. Shimfissel then begins an incredible "journey" that takes her (and the townsfolk) on a series of...more
Del Zimmerman
added it
I needed a light-hearted summer read full of Southern charm and Fannie Flagg ponied up with Can't Wait to Get to Heaven. What may appear to some as colloquial, quaint and somewhat contrived, actually contained layers of truth and beauty that I found refreshing. Read this without the expectation of a literary masterpiece but as a story your granny might tell you to teach you a good old-fashioned lesson.
I recently had a good friend (who loved Southern humor a la Flagg) pass away and was looking fo...more
I recently had a good friend (who loved Southern humor a la Flagg) pass away and was looking fo...more
I love Fannie Flagg books. They take you to a place that no other book can. Most of her books have the same characters, living in a small town called Elmwood Springs. I love the stories that small towns can create. There always seem to be wacky characters who make you laugh. This book stayed true to her story telling. Old Elner falls out of her fig tree and is rushed to the hospital where the doctors call her dead. While dead you get to follow her journey to heaven, what the author feels heaven ...more
Seriously- who doesn't love Fannie Flagg? I've read several of her books & they bring me more joy than a sack full of White Castles- "Can't Wait to Get to Heaven" was no different.
Like all of her books, "Can't Wait to Get to Heaven" was about real people in the middle of America working & living life with their neighbors & families. While not everyone was the picture of kindness in the book, Elner Shimfissle lived her life showing love & acceptance to all &, as ...more
Like all of her books, "Can't Wait to Get to Heaven" was about real people in the middle of America working & living life with their neighbors & families. While not everyone was the picture of kindness in the book, Elner Shimfissle lived her life showing love & acceptance to all &, as ...more
When I read Fannie Flagg, it's like a cross between Garrison Keiler and Jan Karon.
Her reading is comfort food for my mind. I read this at a time when my life was constantly spinning and some hometown "cooking" and "family" was just what the doctor ordered.
Aunt Elinor was a women who fell of a latter, was stuck my wasps and 'died" for a few minutes in the ER. She had the near death experience of seeing old friends and family. Once she came back she stopped an...more
Her reading is comfort food for my mind. I read this at a time when my life was constantly spinning and some hometown "cooking" and "family" was just what the doctor ordered.
Aunt Elinor was a women who fell of a latter, was stuck my wasps and 'died" for a few minutes in the ER. She had the near death experience of seeing old friends and family. Once she came back she stopped an...more
This one was cute and went pretty quickly. I like how effectively it shows just how much impact one ordinary person can have in the lives of other people, simply by caring. I do have two minor complaints though. It bothers me in general when a fictional story speculates on what the after life is going to be like, but goes in direct opposition to what the Bible tells us. I'm not saying that I think for one minute that I have a clear idea of what it's going to be like. I'm fully expecting to be su...more
Simple and sweet (almost too simple and sweet), enjoyable for the type of book it is. I listened to it and wished I hadn't as I didn't enjoy the reader's performance. I know I would have enjoyed it more had I had the book. A bit on the choppy side as the the telling of the story, with an epiloge so predictable it was unnecessary. I was interested in the author's explanation of God and the meaning of life, but I was disappointed as well. So many books that try to imagine life after death make...more
I feel a little guilty marking this book as "read" when I didn't finish it, but I think I got close enough to count it without keeping myself up at night (which is what I did last night trying to finish it in time for my senior book group today- obviously, mission NOT accomplished). I didn't care for the writing, the setting or the story, but the main character was wonderful which is why I give this book 2 stars instead of 1. She reminded me of my grandmother and is an absolute inspira...more
Fannie Flagg books rarely disappoint me and this was no exception. I was looking for something to listen to on a long road trip and this fit the bill perfectly: funny, entertaining, complicated enough to be interesting but not so complicated that I couldn't listen and drive at the same time.
If you Flagg's books because of the depth of characters, rich narrative & quirky anecdotes, you will love this one as well.
We are introduced to a whole cast of characters who are link...more
If you Flagg's books because of the depth of characters, rich narrative & quirky anecdotes, you will love this one as well.
We are introduced to a whole cast of characters who are link...more
This is my first try at a "book on tape (cd)". Wanted something light for my solo trip out to western Mass. We'll see how it goes!!
UPDATE: Okay, NOT a good book to start off my audio book experience! I gave it 2 stars only because I actually listened to it all the way through (I reserve my 1 star ratings for books that I dislike so much that I can't even finish them). I was looking for a light book but this one was so simple & corny that I almost didn't make it throu...more
UPDATE: Okay, NOT a good book to start off my audio book experience! I gave it 2 stars only because I actually listened to it all the way through (I reserve my 1 star ratings for books that I dislike so much that I can't even finish them). I was looking for a light book but this one was so simple & corny that I almost didn't make it throu...more
I listened to this book in the car and it kept me interested the entire 14 hours.
I like Fannie Flagg and although I can't remember all of the other books of hers I have read in the past, this book is one I would recommend. Elner Smimfissle is the main character and a fixture in Elmwood, Missouri. Her sunny outlook, inquisitive mind and tough cookie attitude touches all of her family, friends and neighbors in this book about her near death experience.
What is so great ...more
I like Fannie Flagg and although I can't remember all of the other books of hers I have read in the past, this book is one I would recommend. Elner Smimfissle is the main character and a fixture in Elmwood, Missouri. Her sunny outlook, inquisitive mind and tough cookie attitude touches all of her family, friends and neighbors in this book about her near death experience.
What is so great ...more
The residents of the small town of Elmwood Springs, Missouri, are simple folks, downright corny at times, but they are also warm and charming and I couldn't help loving this book. I laughed and cried.
Elner Shimfissle is an irrepressible old lady and one morning while up the ladder picking figs she is stung by wasps and falls to the ground, knocked out cold. She is rushed to the hospital and the news travels around the town just as quickly. Her worrywart niece Norma has always feared...more
Elner Shimfissle is an irrepressible old lady and one morning while up the ladder picking figs she is stung by wasps and falls to the ground, knocked out cold. She is rushed to the hospital and the news travels around the town just as quickly. Her worrywart niece Norma has always feared...more
This book is my introduction to Fannie Flagg as an author, and I can't recall when I read such a delightful book! Ms. Flagg has written a charming, sprightly, totally enjoyable story about the quirky residents of Elmwood Springs, MO. Having lived in a couple of small towns in my life, I could appreciate one of the major points of this book -- how rapidly news can spread in a small community.
I won't go into the plot, because it is such fun to discover what is on the next page! I will...more
I won't go into the plot, because it is such fun to discover what is on the next page! I will...more
Fannie Flagg has given us a very wonderful and witty book of Elner Shimfissle. Elner falls from a fig tree after being attacked my a bunch of wasps. Unconscious on the ground, Elner is seen by a neighbor who has called the ambulance and Elner is hoisted off to the hospital. Here she has an afterlife experience and goes to heaven. However, she doesn't remain there; she is sent back. Oh so much had happened prior to Elner's return- a funeral was being planned and everyone knew about her death....more
I've been a fan of Fannie Flagg for a very, very long time. And though none of her other books have quite matched Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man (you thought I was going to say Fried Green Tomatoes, didn't you?), they're still delights.
In this one, Elner Shimfissle dies. . . and then doesn't. Elner is one of those wonderful women who has lived in the same small town for her whole life and has touched just about everyone in that town. I really fell in love with Elner--from her goofy questi...more
In this one, Elner Shimfissle dies. . . and then doesn't. Elner is one of those wonderful women who has lived in the same small town for her whole life and has touched just about everyone in that town. I really fell in love with Elner--from her goofy questi...more
My mom and aunt both thought this book was hilarious and so I thought I'd give it a try. This is the same author who wrote Fried Green Tomatoes...It took me for.ev.er to get through it, but I'm glad I finally finished. I did like it. It was funny. A very southern novel full of charisma and unique characters that are all intertwined with the main heroine, Elner Shimfissle. "Why are we here?" is a famous question these characters ask themselves and through an unlikely adventure, they all...more
I was looking for a different book by this author, but the library didn't have it, so I picked up this book on a whim. I figured that it was going to be good considering what people had said about the other book, so I took a chance and check it out from the library. Anyway, to get to the point, this book was not that great. I found it to be very repetitive considering certain events are talked about over and over again. While I was tempted to ditch this book about a third of the way through, I w...more
This book is about Elner an 80 - 90 plus year old (doesn't know exactly, because her sister buried the family Bible so no one would know her exact age!)who has died and makes it to heaven.
I loved the characters. It made me laugh out loud - like when Elner rethinks creation ever since she saw a special on the Discovery Chanel about snow monkeys in Japan; and in one of the scenes she sees a monkey that looks just like her friend and hairdresser, Tot Whooten! Or when Elner is asked if...more
I loved the characters. It made me laugh out loud - like when Elner rethinks creation ever since she saw a special on the Discovery Chanel about snow monkeys in Japan; and in one of the scenes she sees a monkey that looks just like her friend and hairdresser, Tot Whooten! Or when Elner is asked if...more
Oh okay read. It was for book group or I wouldn't have read it. I have such a list of books I'm working on. If you have tons of time and would enjoy a few laughs it does have them. There is mild language and God/Harvey doesn't judge his children. No final judgement and heaven is how we want it to look. They just want us to be happy. Flagg wrote this book to remind us that there are still so many good people in the world and the best is yet to come, so on that aspect I would not dissagree....more
A funny and engaging story of the old South where neighbors really knew each other and really cared. And with quite a bit of spiritual insight as well. Good feelings come from reading it.
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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,...more
More about Fannie Flagg...
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,...more
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“There Lives More Faith in Honest Doubt,
Believe Me, Than Half the Creeds.
- Alfred, Lord Tennyson”
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Believe Me, Than Half the Creeds.
- Alfred, Lord Tennyson”
