The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg

Sookie Poole is fifty nine years old and married with four grown up children when she discovers she's not who she thinks she is. She was adopted when she was a baby, even her birthday is a lie and she's actually sixty years old.

 

I was a little disappointed with this to start with, however as the story progressed it did get better. Particularly because of the flashback chapters set during World War II (which I loved), for me it was a shame that the parts in the present day weren't as interesting. I also found Sookie annoying to begin with but I did warm more to her after a while. If this review comes across as overly negative then I don't mean it to, it's just that I've read many of Fannie Flagg's previous novels and enjoyed them all more. Fried Green Tomatoes is one of my favourite books, but felt this one wasn't up to their standard. There are plenty of humorous moments throughout the story that will appeal to other readers but overall, for me, this wasn't one of the authors best. 

 

Rating: 3 out of 5

 

Book Blurb:

Mrs. Sookie Poole of Point Clear, Alabama, has just married off the last of her three daughters and is looking forward to relaxing and perhaps traveling with her husband, Earle. The only thing left to contend with now is her mother, the formidable and imposing Lenore Simmons Krackenberry—never an easy task. 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 shocking 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.

Feeling like a stranger in her own life, and fearful of confronting her mother with questions, 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. With so many men off to war, it’s up to Fritzi and her enterprising younger sisters to keep it going. Soon truck drivers are changing their routes to fill up at the All-Girl Filling Station. But before long, Fritzi sees an opportunity for an even more groundbreaking adventure when she receives a life-changing invitation from the U.S. military to assist in the war effort. As Sookie learns more and more about Fritzi’s story, she finds herself with new answers to the questions she’s been asking her whole life.