February 2015 Book Club "All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion" by Fannie Flagg

Hello Ladies!

I hope this letter finds you all in a positive frame of mind and enjoying the blessings of this long frigid winter! Ummm, what might those blessings be? Well, we have ample time to sit for long hours and eat, ample time to lie around and let our food digest, curl up in bed, stare at the walls, and make doctor appointments where he tells us we have high cholesterol and better watch our fat intake and exercise! If I lived in the south, I wouldn’t have time to hear a doctor’s diagnosis because, alas, I would probably be too busy outside walking, biking, or kayaking and eating home grown vegetables and fruit. No sir, thank God I live in the north where I’m snuggling up on my warm cozy couch with my micro waved bean bags packed all around me clicking through all those educational and interesting channels we subscribe to on Armstrong Cable and learning all about the world, or where would I be? I would probably be at an outdoor market, or soaking the sun on the beach, or eating vegan at an outdoor café. Now, what would I learn then?  No, I’m counting my blessings!

Consequently, I’m so hyped to have finally read a novel by a cultural icon of our time, Fannie Flagg, an actress and the author of the novel turned motion picture Fried Green Tomatoes.  Although with the confusion over the book club date for discussing Flagg’s recent book The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion we met on Monday instead of the original date set on Tuesday, February 17, and surprisingly, managed a good turn-out of members for our meeting. Attending were Barb K., Cheryl, Ginnie, Jody, Lori, Sharon, and me. Everyone enjoyed Flagg’s novel sending it to the top of our list of recommendations for fun reading. 

True to her promise of delivering quirky characters, our club found the flaky personalities in Flagg’s novel to be utterly entertaining. A story about a 60 year old that recently learns she was adopted, the main character, the sweet and humble Sookie plummets into a veritable abyss when she uncovers the truth. No longer a member of an aristocratic Southern background, when Sookie discovers her ancestors are from Poland, and her mother was a WASP, a feminist before her time, she is quite alarmed. What this means to her identity, Sookie’s personal beliefs in who she is as a person, must be re-evaluated. Mix in a crazy mother, a nutty friend, a doting husband, a well-meaning psychiatrist, children, family, and friends as comical support for Sookie during her much needed journey to become whole, and Flagg created a winner.

As readers we tend to find reproductions of our friends, family, and selves in the characters of our books. The similarities may not be exact, but we tend to apply our familiar faces to the characters in an attempt to understand them more deeply. Ahem, I think it was sister Lori who spoke up first about Marveleen, the main character Sookie’s neighbor and friend, and her resemblance to me. Although, I made the connection, too! Am I a Marveleen?  In the chapter “Who Am I?” (most appropriately titled) starting on page 106, the parallels between Marveleen and myself mounted. I’ll just throw a few words out there for you to decide: belonging to a “Goddess Within” group, camping in a “yurt,” attending drum and chant groups, writing an “Appreciation Journal”, having “Sacred Space”, the “chakras”, and meditation studies!!! Oh, and if you didn’t already do it, make a list of “Ten Things You Like About Yourself.” Sister Ginnie noticed that I forgot to assign this Marveleen journal prompt as homework! Oh, and one last thing, although no match for Marveleen's Edna Yorba Zorba, but if you would like the name of my guru, I'd be happy to hook you up.  

My mother-in-law Marilyn has been gone now for two months, God bless her soul, but I couldn’t help but see her likeness in Sookie’s mother, Lenore (or Winged Victory as they called her on the sly). No one can deny that when Marilyn walked into a room, she made an entrance. She never subsided to a corner and went unnoticed. Like Lenore, she would permeate the room with her perfume, intimidate women with her tastefully coordinated outfits, and charm the bajingas off of friends or random acquaintances. Forever the star from her shining high school days, Marilyn, like Lenore, maintained her popularity throughout her life. I admired Marilyn for that, yet envied her too. As a result of their early legacies, both Marilyn and Lenore carried themselves with confidence and poise, something Lenore’s daughter Sookie and I lack. No one could discount a word Marilyn said. Like Lenore in stating her mind, if Marilyn didn’t like your haircut, you had better grow it out or risk continual critiques. In my case, she didn’t like a lot of things, especially my coffee, but I learned to live and love that woman who was superior to me in ways I didn’t like to admit. Despite her patronizing, I learned from her. I learned how to keep a beautiful home – lay wallpaper matched and plumb, press a linen tablecloth, fluff a pillow so it looks like new, the proper way to fold towels and to hang curtains so that the pleats are perfect. I learned how to raise children proper – start ‘em off right in white leather shoes from Monday’s, set out their clothes with a white undershirt to protect their polo from sweat stains, rub their lips and cheeks with Vaseline to protect them from chafing, buy cereal by the carload (you never want to run out), and call them your baby angel, honey, pumpkin, doll, or sweetheart as much as possible. I wonder if Sookie felt a similar sentimentality after Lenore’s passing. As irritatingly perfect as these women were, we loved them because of it; unique and genuine, women of their ilk are impossible to replace. As Sookie reflects on Lenore while fingering the beads on Lenore’s pearls, I wrap a bright red tartan plaid scarf around my neck and sniff the reminiscent aroma of a beautiful timeless woman who had it all, and shared it with us. 

Can Flagg’s novel be topped? Well, not in humor in our March read, but maybe in emotional impact. Daniel James Brown in his book The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics tells the story of the University of Washington’s 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest (416 pages worth) for an Olympic gold medal. Competing against rivals such as snobby British teams and Hitler’s own rowing crew, these young college boys win the hearts of their country and hometown supporters as their race evolves into a symbol for the stamina and determination of all hardworking Americans. Lots of history in this one as Brown uses the diaries, journals, and photo memories of one of the rowers, Joe Rantz, in documenting this great event. You know how I love history, so I’m looking forward to more curling up on my warm cozy couch!!! What else is there to do in this frozen tundra called Pennsylvania? Relaxed eating and more eating? Maybe some digesting (if you are lucky)? Or possibly we can just count our blessings and envision reading as a form of dieting!!! Let me know if it works! I’ll write a book about it. Oh, yes, and with that thought, more sitting on the couch …

For book club homework, sister Ginnie, since you are anticipating an assignment, I’d like to say let’s take the kayaks out and have a rowing race, but it will have to wait. Well, the problem with that one is, the rivers and lakes around here are all frozen solid and probably won’t melt until, my guess, around mid-June… uh-ha.

I look forward to seeing you all at the first book club of “spring” 2015 (dress appropriately, boating attire; a fresh nautical ensemble is just the launch we need to set our sails aloft). Since, it seems, we have found a home at Natilie’s Pizzeria on Butler’s Main Street, I hope to see you there on Thursday, March 26, at 6 PM. The corner table works perfectly, quiet and comfy with no distractions. Strictly in confidence, however, we have discovered Butler’s secret spot for meetings. Pssst, don’t tell anyone!

Yours in reading and wisdom,

Tammy