I Still Dream About You: A Novel

I am a Fannie Flagg fan, and she tells another touching, funny and insightful story

When a story starts with a main character who's wanted to kill herself for five years, and has made elaborate plans for exactly how to do it, and is eagerly looking forward to her own death, the author had better give me plenty of reasons to believe this would-be suicide has changed deeply if I'm going to accept a happy ending. Fannie Flagg doesn't bother.Suicide and major depression are serious business, not an excuse for farce. But then, in this book, everything is an excuse for farce. Racial discrimination? Never you mind. ALL the characters (except a few northerners) are lovely people who have never been on either end of discrimination, except for a little unpleasantness that our heroine Maggie has to suffer Up North in Atlantic City just for being Miss Alabama. None of 'em are quite sure what all the civil rights fuss was about, even Maggie's BFF Brenda who may be black but has never ever suffered the slightest inconvenience for it. Of course, Up North is the land of all evil - that's where Maggie's business rival, cartoonish Beastly Babs, comes from. (I kept expecting to find out that Babs is Snidely Whiplash's long lost sister. It wouldn't be any sillier than some of Flagg's other plot twists.) Or there's Maggie's rude, crude cousin Hector Smoote and his wife Mertha who live way Up North in a double wide trailer in Maine.Maggie is a dreary person, really. She's made it to sixty by leaning on other people to smooth her path, and until the tacked-on happy ending she shows no urge to take any initiative about anything. (And I don't believe a woman who was born in 1948, like Maggie, would be mooning over Tab Hunter. If she can't get out of her teens mentally, she should be harking back to one of the Beatles or Mick Jagger.) The story would have been more bearable if we saw it through the eyes of Hazel. Hazel's role as the Cutest Take Charge Midget In The World is overdone, but at least she makes decisions and takes action - she's the reason I gave the book two stars instead of one. Heck, the story would have been better if we spent it in Babs' horrible head.There's so much silliness in this book that I can't begin to describe all of it. But silliness can be good. Flagg ruins her story by creating situations that would call for painful struggle and growth in our universe, and then insisting that her Official Good Characters can have an effortless happy ending without dealing with any of their flaws. I read the whole thing for a book club; I don't think there's any other reason to plow through it.

I usually enjoy what I think of as "southern fiction" and have loved Fannie Flagg's previous books so when this became available, I immediately snatched it up. Set in Birmingham, Alabama, this is the story of Maggie Fortenberry who is contemplating her own demise. Along her life's journey she has risen from poverty in her early years, to state-wide fame as Miss Alabama, and now finds herself single, selling real estate and having very few deep, personal relationships. The pressure of always being "perfect" is getting old and she doubts she has any more to contribute so ending her life seems to be the best option. Carefully laid plans get derailed time and time again when items come up that require her attention prior to her exiting this earth.It was hard for me to enjoy the book in the beginning since the thought of suicide is so depressing and horrible. It was a while before I was able to see where things were going and to see the humor in the narrative. Fannie Flagg's trademark humor is definitely there, it just took time for me to find it. I found the setting of Birmingham to be an entire character itself. While there are four primary women that are the focus of the novel, Birmingham (The Magic City) felt like the fifth character to me.While not my favorite Fannie Flagg book, I did enjoy the story and found her quirky southern style to be more than entertaining (and often thought-provoking). I like being able to read about people who are multi-dimensional and "real" --- Ms. Flagg continues to deliver on that front.

Fannie Flagg always writes the best books, intact it feels like she is telling you the story sitting on your front pouch with a glass of southern sweet tea. She can write "women's fiction" without the same old same old story lines. The characters are always fresh and new ,never the same. If you have the tired old world blues this is a good book for you. I don't about the story in the review because I want the reader to enjoy the book and no a runny retelling, with this book it would be too hard to re tell . but if you are feeling down this is a great tale to read. I just wish we had more of the story line with hazel. Can't wait to read or re read more of Fannie book. Also if you have time catch the DVD of fried green tomatoes its great. Baffle wish the world all the best ,be safe and reading during lock down is the best cure for boredom. BF over and out.

You might think a woman planning to kill herself isn't great material for a book to leave you smiling, but Flagg manages to create a charming story filled with the old elegance and manners that the South is famous for.Maggie Fortenberry is a character who answers the question "what happens to old beauty Queens?" She's living alone and decides after years of carrying on following the death of her close friend and employer Hazel that it's time to go. She devises a plan of beautiful elegance to make sure she goes out without fuss and trouble, then starts.The many twists and turns which keep putting her plans on hold are inventive and often downright funny. There's a body in a trunk, a herd of goats and some turkish dancers, and some true friendship to keep putting off the final day of Maggie's life. Characters like Brenda, Maggie's impressive friend and future Mayor of Birmingham, Babs Bingington the beast of Birmingham and Ethel, the grand old lady of house sales are well written and shaped, you'll certainly remember meeting them.An all-American book, that anybody can enjoy.

This is a delightful read, full of the highs and lows of a woman's life. Although the main character, Maggie, is actually planning to take her own life, this is by no means a sad or depressing book. It follows her through a series of events which serve to make her realise that perhaps life iw worth living after all. And while it is quite a light read, I found it very joyful and full of hope which was a breath of fresh air in comparison with several other books I have read recently which have been quite bleak. If I had taken this on holiday I would have been more than happy. A fun, compelling read.

BI read this book before and enjoyed it again a feel good novel with unusual characters.

I love Fanny Flagg, her stories are so gentle, full of lively, real characters and are full of atmosphere. This story is a gentle roll through the life of one southern belle Maggie as she arranges her own suicide in a remarkably calm manner - leaving you wanting more to try and work out why she would think about this and the characters who filled her life. It's just agreat read - and no it does not advocate suicide - its not at all like that.The only gripe I have is that the image on the book seems to bare no significance at all to the book itself.

Nice and pleasant reading. The characters are, possibly, a bit 'too much' for good or bad. But then once you accept their being either too naïve or too much of a blackguard then it becomes a pleasure. Contrary to another comment I like it better towards the end but then I do not believe that sad endings are more realistic than happy ones!