Can't Wait To Get To Heaven (2006) - Plot & Excerpts
Audio book read by Cassandra CampbellFrom 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 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.
Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven: Quick, quaint, humorous, and quirky . . . charmingly and deceptively entertaining. Elner Shimfissle is an eccentric nonagenarian filled with compassion, curiosity, and a love for life. I adore her. The joy she gets from some of the simplest things that others don’t give a passing thought about is so endearing. “I just saved a butterfly! I walked out here a little while ago and saw the prettiest butterfly caught in a spider web and I was able to set it loose. I’m sorry that spider missed out on his lunch, but butterflies only have one day to live, now at least he’ll have the rest of the day.” Despite enjoying Elner and her over-the-rainbow antics, along with Norma and her anxiety-riddled fretting, Tot’s beauty shope tirades, Macky’s musings, and other quirky characters and their unique characteristics, certain ‘spiritual’ aspects of the book just didn't bode well with me. Universalism may be highly appealing to the masses, and it might sell more books, but just because something is politically correct doesn't make it true – at least not true for me. Different strokes for different folks, though – and I respect that. The other downside, for me, was the short staccato chapters toward the end. Yes, they answered questions left dangling, bringing closure to the Elmwood trilogy. But it all felt rather harried and abrupt. Not typical of Flagg’s style. Sadly then, not my favorite Fannie Flagg novel; what started out as a strong, four-star great read, fizzled to just marginally good.Three quirky, the-first-half-is-better-than-the-second, stars.
What do You think about Can't Wait To Get To Heaven (2006)?
i wish i could give this book more stars ! it is the sweetest book and i loved it . i cried through the first half of the book as this town dealt with the death of miss elnor . the little town is mired in greif at the loss . everyone is getting busy sending flowers and making cassaroles and sharing heartwarming memories of their friend . meanwhile miss elnor was busy taking a trip to heaven and waking up alive much to the shock of everyone . including the family members and one somber nurse who were paying their last repects when the dearly departed miss elnor decided to have a chat . the inqusitive and simple nature of the lady herself made for a lovely story .
—Trish
Ok this is a feel good book, if you are looking for a profound serious book, give it a miss. I loved it, Flynn has given it lovable quirky characters and they made me smile, the story is fun to read yet thought provoking and many times it made me laugh. It’s the story of the people in a small town specially Elner Shimfissle, who’s fall from a ladder is the main event of the book. It is lovingly written, the little follies and overlapping lives of the towns people, the caring and sharing is nicely done. The eternal question “What’s life all about?” is also well handled. Fannie Flagg’s books are what I would call “comfort food for the soul”. Light, feel good, easy to read and easy to love.
—Ismaa Khan
Boy-oh-boy, do I like Fannie Flagg. I wonder if I read this one. Let me know what you think. Her books are always the right combination of humor, real-life and sad.
—Felicia
