The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion

By: Fannie Flagg

Narrated by: Fannie Flagg

Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's Summary

The one and only Fannie Flagg, beloved author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, Can't Wait to Get to Heaven, and I Still Dream About You, is at her hilarious and superb best in this new comic mystery novel about two women who are forced to reimagine who they are.

Mrs. Sookie Poole of Point Clear, Alabama, has just married off the last of her daughters and is looking forward to relaxing and perhaps traveling with her husband, Earle. The only thing left to contend with is her mother, the formidable Lenore Simmons Krackenberry. Lenore may be a lot of fun for other people, but is, for the most part, an overbearing presence for her daughter. Then one day, quite by accident, Sookie discovers a secret about her mother's past that knocks her for a loop and suddenly calls into question everything she ever thought she knew about herself, her family, and her future.

Sookie begins a search for answers that takes her to California, the Midwest, and back in time, to the 1940s, when an irrepressible woman named Fritzi takes on the job of running her family's filling station. Soon truck drivers are changing their routes to fill up at the All-Girl Filling Station. Then, Fritzi sees an opportunity for an even more groundbreaking adventure. As Sookie learns about the adventures of the girls at the All-Girl Filling Station, she finds herself with new inspiration for her own life.

Fabulous, fun-filled, spanning decades and generations, and centered on a little-known aspect of America's 20th-century story, The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion is another irresistible audiobook by the remarkable Fannie Flagg.

©2013 Fannie Flagg (P)2013 Random House Audio

Critic Reviews

“A beautifully told tale, world-class humor, and characters who live forever in a grateful reader’s world. Fannie Flagg keeps getting better and better. The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion proves it.” (Pat Conroy)

“Flagg spins another charming tale of the peaks and valleys of everyday life.... If all the self-help books that promote ways to ‘find yourself’ were stacked in an enormous pile...none would approach the sweet wisdom with which Flagg infuses The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion. And neither could they match the author’s essential kindness, nor her unwavering tenderness toward and belief in humanity, despite all its foibles and foolishness. She understands, but she does so with love.” (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

“The kind of story that keeps readers turning pages in a fever... There are plot twists, adventure, heartbreak, and familial love in spades.” (Publishers Weekly)

What a fun story!

You really end up going through a life journey with this character, who discovers herself adrift as to past, identity, purpose....and it's a romp of a journey with twists that leave you laughing, thinking 'how ever in the world!' It's inspiring as well as entertaining.

I loved the narrator, story, everything but must mention, there are production problems. A couple of times the narration goes back a few chapters and replays entire sections. So don't think you are crazy when you think 'didn't I already hear this part?' you did, and you'll have to forward a few places to pick up the story again. This story is good enough you'll be happy if you don't let this dissuade you!

29 people found this helpful

Now I'm awaiting the NEXT Fannie Flagg novel....

What did you love best about The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion?

I love Fannie Flagg's approach to life, the characters she includes could well be in my own family and the neighborhood where I grew up. Besides delightful characters and situations, I loved the historical settings.

What other book might you compare The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion to and why?

Maeve Binchy's books are similar in scope. Believable story in a realistic setting. Wonderfully diverse characters.

Have you listened to any of Fannie Flagg’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I believe this is the first story I've heard which was narrated by Fannie Flagg, herself. At first, I thought the voice sounded too old for some of the characters, but I adapted quickly. I've read or listened to everything Fannie Flagg has published. The characters and story in this title did not disappoint. The historical context is very important, as a bit of "womens' rights" during and after WW2 are a large part of the story. Many of us are unaware of the many separate battles women have faced in gaining their fair share of salary, position, etc.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Of course, I was always waiting to see what would happen next.

Any additional comments?

I broke out in spontaneous laughter over many situations and comments. This book left me feeling happy. I don't need any "downer" literature! And I'm absolutely sick of all the vampire and science fiction mysteries. I wish they would have their own special category so I wouldn't have to trudge thru them in a search for new titles.

28 people found this helpful

Wonderful! One of Flagg's best!!

I am a huge fan of Fannie Flagg and I was anxiously awaiting her latest book. I was thrilled with the intertwining plots and historical data. This is an uplifting, interesting story that makes me want more books just like it. So I am going to download my other favorite Flagg novel- A Red Bird Christmas. If you love Fannie Flagg and are looking for similar light-hearted novels, I would recommend the following downloads from Audible:
Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama
Major Pettigrews Last Stand by Helen Simonson
Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn
~And if you like Young Adult Fiction~
The Misadventures of Maude March is wonderful and has interesting historical information too.

22 people found this helpful

Another winner from Ms. Flagg!

Would you listen to The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion again? Why?

I think I would. The story pulls you in and gets you involved with the characters lives. I recognized some of the people as relatives in my family, if you know what I mean! lol

What other book might you compare The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion to and why?

Quite similar style to Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Café by Fannie Flagg. Both books go backward and forward thru time and have some great characters to love.

What about Fannie Flagg’s performance did you like?

Some of her reading was off, not enough inflection etc. but she nailed Winged Victory perfectly and even the Wisconsin characters.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

What if you found out your life was based on a lie and it turned out better than ever!

Any additional comments?

I loved this book but the enhanced version has some repeating chapters in it, so I recommend at this time to use another version which I have been told work fine.

12 people found this helpful

New favorite!

This is my new favorite Fannie Flagg book! This had just the right amount of humor, emotion, and family drama to make it a perfect mix and a great story.

Mrs. Sookie Poole has accidently found out some life altering information, that changes how she sees herself and who she thinks she is, which honestly she was already struggling with before any of this happened, since she just married off her last daughter. She has an overbearing mother who she thinks is never happy with anything Sookie does. She is lucky that she has a wonderful, understanding husband and great kids that help her through this difficult time.

We also meet Fritzi in the 1940’s, her family runs a gas station but when her father takes sick and her brother is sent off to war the girls of the family take over the station and make it a big hit with an all-girl staff. This works for a while but what Fritzi really loves to do is fly, and here is where we learn some great history of the WAF’s and how these sister’s became an integral part of that, it was a great history lesson of a little known part of the stateside war effort.

This was somewhat of a coming of age book for Sookie, she became something so much more than she ever thought she could be by the end but what I loved is that her kids and husband knew how great she was all along but she couldn’t see it. There is some great laugh out loud moments, and the relationship between Sookie and her mother Lenore is interesting and makes you realize sometimes people don’t see you the way you think they do.(and vice versa)

I loved this book and when I finished it I thought about starting over from the beginning again.

As always Fannie Flagg is one of those rare breed of authors that excels at reading their own work, try the audio you won’t be disappointed!

5 Stars

18 people found this helpful

Ms.Flagg, great author, get another narrator

This is another book I bought because it was recommended by Audible. It was lovely to see Sookie come into herself and learn to define herself outside of her mother. That can be very difficult for today's women let alone for a 60 year old after a big shock. I am in my 50's and have been fed a select history of what women were like back in the war years. I believe that what Ms. Flagg has portrayed is more realistic than what we've been told. I really like the story through the years about how most towns were settled and how people were able to work together to overcome adversity. I'm sure there was pettiness and selfishness, but I think that for the most part people worked together. That being said, while the story was very strong, narration was not good sometimes. The inflections especially when reading the chapter headings were inconsistent. I realize that the author wanted to read her own book and I don't blame here, but maybe next time have a younger woman for the Midwest read the Fritzie parts. She was fine for Sookie. But some of the voices of the younger character may have been better served with another narrator. I listened to her previous books and loved it. I loved this book as well. I'm hoping to get another good recommendation.

6 people found this helpful

Looking for Light Reading?

Great Picture of the South and it's women. While it is light reading we get a look at the women of the South today and and the women who stood strong in WWII. I did think the use of the words 'gal' and 'pal' were way over done but that's a minor thing. I enjoyed Sookie and her journey to find her 'real self''. Normally I have found that an author doing their own narrating to be boring or grating on the ears but Miss Fannie was outstanding! So if you are going on vacation this is a great one to take with you.

5 people found this helpful

Charming

Loved most of the book. It held my attention, it was heartwarming, I learned interesting facts about WWII and the women who bravely served as WASPS.
If it weren't for the unnecessary and slightly annoying "politically correct" statement at the end, I would have given it 5 stars.
Also, as an adoptive parent, I suggest referring to an adoptee's biological mother as her "birthmother" or "biological" mother, not "real" mother. Adoptive parents are very much real.

4 people found this helpful

Waiting for the humor,eye rolls: yes, laughter: no

Honestly, this is just silly and not funny in the least. I have to give up on a book when I start rolling my eyes every few seconds. The main character is a sixty year old who has been to college but doesn't know where Poland or Wisconsin are, gives out incredibly personal information over the phone to a total stranger who has not even identified themselves, and doesn't know you can refuse a registered letter? Honestly, these are the kind of people I go out of my way to avoid IRL -- grow a brain.

I found nothing humorous about this book at all. Not one laugh or even smile. The characters were flat and simply unrealistic. I got about halfway through waiting for the humor before I had to stop. My eyeballs were threatening to roll out of my head with the idiocy of the whole thing.

The author was just as good a narrator as she is an author. Flat. Not entertaining. Cliched. And, though her southern accents are good, she couldn't do a polish accent if she were being paid to ... which, presumably, she was.

Sorry. Not for me.

4 people found this helpful

Charming, heartwarming

Charming and heartwarming, this was an enjoyable, light listen.

The only slightly negative for me was the narration. I thought she performed the dialogue very well, but the narrative portions sometimes sounded stiff and like she was reading (I know, she's the author; she wouldn't be reading...). In any case, just a nit-picky distraction.

Overall, I did enjoy the historical information and the personal discovery journey of the main character.

4 people found this helpful