Sookie has just married off her last daughter in Alabama and it seems the biggest issue in her life is to keep the Bluejays from eating all the bird food before the little ones have their share. It seems 2005 is going to be her year to at last relax until a package arrives for her dominating elderly mother . Sookie opens it up as she does with all her mother's affairs she had to take over and it changes the whole way she thinks about herself - who she is and where she belongs. The package sends her back to Pulanski Wisconsin in 1941 and the world of the Jurdabralinski sisters and how World war II not only affected the men fighting but also the whole of America.
The book seamlessly moves between the two time frames and is filled with wonderful characters that really come to life. I love how I could picture almost every one of them in my head - not only in the way they looked but how I would imagine they sound and hold themselves. The description of the places that house the book is rich and colourful and one can clearly imagine living there.
What I particularly enjoyed about the book was that I learned a bit of history that I had no idea even took place. Did you know that the first US female pilots were already recruited in World War II? It is a fascinating piece of history and have prompted me to do a bit of research myself.
I totally fell in love with Fanny Flagg's writing - it is so charming and easy to read. You may remember "Fried green tomatoes at the Whistle stop cafe" - her best know book (turned into a lovely movie). If you loved it this book will not disappoint. It is a great family saga well told with lots of sensitivity. Many laughs but also a tear or two.
A great 9/10 for a great read.
