Can't Wait to Get to Heaven: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

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It's a hit!

I loved this book - one branch of my family originated in Mississippi and this book felt so comfortable to read. Her characters are very, very tru... (show more)

I loved this book - one branch of my family originated in Mississippi and this book felt so comfortable to read. Her characters are very, very true to life in attitude and demeanor. This book grabbed me from the first sentence - "After Elner Shimfissle accidentally poked that wasps' nest up in her fig tree, the last thing she remembered was thinking 'Uh-oh.'" It just gets better from there. Funny and heartwarming. Great read - I couldn't put it down. I have recommended it to friends of all ages, southerners and non-southerners alike.

Her first book about this group of people is Standing in the Rainbow - also very good. I read it second, but that didn't take anything away from my enjoyment of both books. I actually went back and reread this one later and got more of the jokes. I highly recommend both books in any order. (show less)

 

 

by Facebook User

No, it's a flop!

A story that would make everyone feel good. However, I find this story to be a collection of all the ideas we have as humans that make God work th... (show more)

A story that would make everyone feel good. However, I find this story to be a collection of all the ideas we have as humans that make God work the way that we want Him to work. While this might make us feel better about life and what comes after I do not think that this is always beneficial to us. I deem this story "cute" and then hope that people do not take it seriously. (show less)

 

 

by Bethany Lakies

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  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 loo... (show more)

  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 for something to keep him close to me. This book provided just that, especially as its main character transitions from this world into the next and provides the context for the entire story.

  I wish my friend were still here to talk about God and heaven with me, but if I have to settle for this book, I'll just pretend he's reading it to me and enjoy it just (nearly) the same. (show less)

   

   

  by Del Ray Zimmerman on Jul 13, 2009 at 04:43AM

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  I enjoyed it, mostly. The phrase "gently humorous" comes to mind. It reminded me a bit of a Miss Marple story, without a mystery. Didn't know the characters from the previous books, and it didn't particularly bother me.

  Elner seemed like a lot of fun, but I have a feeling I'd find her annoying in real life. (I did feel a little stupid when I was nearly to the end and it suddenly struck me that "Elner" must be short for "Eleanor.")

  As for the meat of the book:... (show more)

  I enjoyed it, mostly. The phrase "gently humorous" comes to mind. It reminded me a bit of a Miss Marple story, without a mystery. Didn't know the characters from the previous books, and it didn't particularly bother me.

  Elner seemed like a lot of fun, but I have a feeling I'd find her annoying in real life. (I did feel a little stupid when I was nearly to the end and it suddenly struck me that "Elner" must be short for "Eleanor.")

  As for the meat of the book:

  I'm a non-believer (some Judaism, some Unitarianism, and some Atheism in my upbringing). I don't believe in the Bible or Heaven, and this book didn't do anything to convince me of it.

  Then again, I'm not sure the author was really trying to convince anybody. For the most part, I think she was just trying to entertain.

  Mostly, I took it in the vein of being purely entertainment, and enjoyed it in that vein. Still, there were a couple of points when I found myself getting a little uncomfortable. It's hard now to put my finger on just why, but the description of Elner's ascent into Heaven bothered me the most. (show less)

   

   

  by Alex Melnick on May 28, 2009 at 09:31PM

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