Hope Never Dies: An Obama Biden Mystery

By Andrew Shaffer

The New York Times Best Seller

"[Hope Never Dies is] an escapist fantasy that will likely appeal to liberals pining for the previous administration, longing for the Obama-Biden team to emerge from political retirement as action heroes."—Alexandra Alter, New York Times

Vice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama team up in this high-stakes thriller that combines a mystery worthy of Watson and Holmes with the laugh-out-loud bromantic chemistry of Lethal Weapon’s Murtaugh and Riggs.
 
Vice President Joe Biden is fresh out of the Obama White House and feeling adrift when his favorite railroad conductor dies in a suspicious accident, leaving behind an ailing wife and a trail of clues. To unravel the mystery, “Amtrak Joe” re-teams with the only man he’s ever fully trusted: the 44th president of the United States. Together they’ll plumb the darkest corners of Delaware, traveling from cheap motels to biker bars and beyond, as they uncover the sinister forces advancing America’s opioid epidemic.

Part noir thriller and part bromance, Hope Never Dies is essentially the first published work of Obama/Biden fiction—and a cathartic read for anyone distressed by the current state of affairs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jul 10, 2018
• ISBN: 9781683690405

Andrew Shaffer

Andrew Shaffer is the author of Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love and, under the pen name Fanny Merkin, Fifty Shames of Earl Grey. His writing has appeared in such diverse publications as Mental Floss and Maxim. An Iowa native, Shaffer lives in Lexington, Kentucky, a magical land of horses and bourbon.

Reviews for Hope Never Dies

[chazzifrazz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The premise intrigued me when a friend loaned it to me. I wasn't disappointed.2016 election has come and gone. Biden and Obama are no longer in office. Biden spends his time puttering around home. Obama is out going and doing. Both were close when they were in office but now it seems that they've gone their own ways. Obama is too busy and Biden is bugged by the lack of contact.Biden finds out that his favourite Amtrak conductor has dies in an odd 'accident' and feels that there is more to it than appears. He decides he needs to find out the truth of it and that Obama could be a good co-detective.Cheap motels, biker bars and other dark areas of Delaware, the two are on the hunt to find out it it was really an accident or murder and why. Obama and his Secret Service man Steve pair with Biden in a combination thriller, action-adventure mystery. The humour comes in as Biden tends to shoot from the hip...but he doesn't always have the best aim or a plan of attack. Obama is a cool cucumber who has good contacts and tends to give Biden the reins.There are parts that make you hold your breath and parts that have you laughing. Holmes and Watson this team isn't.

[sheila1957 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This parody of cozy mysteries is told from Joe Biden's point-of-view as he and Barack Obama chase down a killer. I loved it! I laughed so hard at times. Suspend belief but you have to read it. It was so much fun. I liked the characters. Watching them solve the crime is a scream. I liked how they view the current happenings in D.C. I felt bad when Joe had to change some of his idealistic beliefs about others. I hope there are more in this series. I adored it.

[laugal-2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I knew this would not be a Pulitzer Prize winner,but this was lame.I looked forward to the Bromance of Biden/Obama in this one. In the first few chapters, Biden whines and pines for the loss of Obama in his life, jealous and envious of Obama's new life.As if they broke up and he still does not understand why. Once Obama comes back into Biden;'s life he is nothing but sarcastic toward him,even angry-ish. Biden's dialogue "sounds" like him as you read,even his mannerisms come through. That was refreshing. Obama comes across as stiff, aloof and even sounds like a Mickey Spillane character at times. They romp thru drug infested neighborhoods and sleazy motels looking for any tips on the death of Biden's friend Finn.Finn is the train engineer that took Biden to Wash DC everyday. Finn is found dead on the tracks with drugs in his pockets. I hoped I would like this just for the Bromance aspect,but even that was asking too much. The cover of the book is the best part! If this is any indication of the author's writing,I won't be reading anymore.The author even states he wrote other "malarky" and I agree this book was total malarky. Campy it may be.Maybe it will be a collector's item some day.

[barlow304 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A would-be hard-boiled detective novel with former President Obama and former VP Joe Biden as the protagonists. [[Andrew Shaffer]] has created a farcical bromance between the former colleagues, who set out to investigate the death of an Amtrak conductor. The author plays fair with the reader in terms of clues, but in the end the novel is less about the mystery and more about the halting but real friendship between these two men. Joe Biden is sketched as a regular guy who feels ignored by his more famous partner, while Barack Obama comes across as effortlessly cool. The protagonists are the classic odd couple, with the rumpled Biden doing the footwork and the elegant Obama providing guidance. For people who have never fully accepted Obama's retirement, this book is a hoot. For everyone else, it's a middling detective novel that's not in need of a sequel.

[breic-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Lots of dad jokes, with a surprising amount of character and growth. Better than you'd expect for a political fanfiction mystery.

[salsabrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Crazy-fun diversion for those tearing themselves bald over the so-called Trump presidency. It's well after the 2016 election and Joe Biden finds himself puttering around at home in Delaware and resenting Barack's exotic vacations with celebrities. He hasn't even texted or called! Then Barack shows up unexpectedly with the news that one of Joe's favorite Amtrak conductors is dead. Before you know it, our favorite bromantic pair are sleuthing to solve a murder. I laughed to see the book cover at the library but the story actually works. As improbable as it is to imagine the two tooling around the dark side of Wilmington, the way Shaffer portrays them is believable given what we already know about them. The story is told from Biden's first-person narrative which is perfect as he is the more outwardly emotive compared to "no drama Obama." Their prickly bromantic banter provides plenty of laughs as do images such as "Barack had a sawed-off shotgun balanced casually on his shoulder." What can I say, it's a brisk and hilarious read!

[billiebook · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Yes, I read it. Yes, I enjoyed the heck out of it. Yes, I want this to be a series. Yes, this is now how I imagine Barry and Uncle Joe spending their spare time.

Nest time though, I'd like more Dr. Jill and for Michelle to be on the page, rather than just talked about.

[darthdeverell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Andrew Shaffer’s Hope Never Dies: An Obama-Biden Mystery follows retired Vice President Joe Biden as he begins looking into the circumstances of Amtrak conductor, and personal friend, Finn Donnelly’s death. Shaffer could easily have written a one-note story that was more meme than plot, but he uses the unique tax structure of Wilmington, Delaware to examine the growing wealth divide in the United States in a manner that evokes the social divisions of the great hard-boiled detective novels of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. While early twentieth-century fiction focused on bootlegging amid the backdrop of Prohibition, Shaffer uses the modern opioid epidemic to much the same effect. The title evokes then-candidate Barack Obama’s answer to a field organizer’s question about losing hope during the 2008 election, which is particularly fitting as Shaffer’s Biden wonders at his legacy and his ability to make a difference amid the chaos of the current administration and its seeming quest to undo all the progress of the previous eight years. While no work focusing on Obama and Biden after 2016 could avoid this topic, Shaffer uses it to further establish the noir mood of his story, painting the country in the same ambivalent light that crime novelists of the 1930s used in their stories. Hope Never Dies is the gripping mystery that our country needs as we find ourselves facing greater struggles and uncertainty from day-to-day.

[carol420 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

From the interview with the author, Andrew Shaffer. "The first time I saw Joe Biden in his Ray-Ban aviators, I thought, "that guy’s an action hero." The sunglasses, the suit, the dead-serious stare—you think you’re looking at James Bond. And then he opens his mouth and sticks his foot in it, and you realize he’s closer to Leslie Nielsen." Andrew Shaffer takes us back to the time of nostalgia... a time of bipartisanship and civility in our public discourse although in a roundabout way. Shaffer has written a story packed with thrills and spills. In "Hope Never Dies" we see America’s favorite Uncle, Joe Biden...and his best friend, Barack Obama... team up to solve the mysterious death of an Amtrak conductor. I know that people are going to have many differing opinions on this book solely because of the characters...but it's a fun read....a cozy mystery with a political bent.

[etxgardener · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Oh my God! This book is serious fun. Joe Biden and Barack Obama team up to solve the mystery of the death of an AMTRAK Acela conductor who was hit by a train. Was it suicide or murder? And was the conductor a drug user or was he dealing?Biden & Obama (along with Steve, Obama’s Secret Service agent) get on the trail alternatively in a Obama’s custom Cadillac Escalade “the Little Beast” and Biden’s classic Dodge Charger. They chase down crooked cops and motorcycle gangs, all the while having the best buddy adventure ever. Read & enjoy

[jennyo_587543 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a Christmas gift from my son who knew exactly what to give me this year. Just read it this week and it was pure fun.

[missyvonnee · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Although not one of my favorite Fannie Flagg story lines, this book was an enjoyable read.

[limelite_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of life's small pleasures has got to be listening to Fannie Flagg narrate her own novel. Having "read" the audio version of this book mostly while driving the roads of north Georgia, I needed little else to make the time pass delightfully other than a thermos of sweet tea. Surely, there can be no woman in literature that one so loves to hate than Lenore Simmons of Point Clear, AL, who treats her grown daughter, Sukey, like a child and her community like her empire.This is no time for plot summary except to say the book features blue jays, barnstormers, Great Danes, kind neighbors, Polish ancestors, fly-girls, psychiatrists, and WWII simmering together to make a savory stew of a read. Flagg's technique of combining parallel plots from two different time periods and locales -- the present in AL and WWII era in WI -- works well to reveal the mysteries and secrets of identity that are at the core of the novel."Filling Station" is not merely about one woman's efforts to free herself from her mother's domination, it's not merely about discovering one's roots and true self, nor is it merely about the dynamics of functional and non-functional families, and it's not merely about overcoming life's defeats and reveling in its triumphs. It is also a celebration of the little known, unacknowledged, and practically forgotten contributions of the "All-Women Airforce Service Pilots' Unheralded Heroism."Flagg's achievement in this novel is managing to produce a highly entertaining largely domestic tale that also delivers an eye-opening history lesson in the bravery of an entirely voluntary and ignored-by-authority division of fearless female pilots who ferried newly manufactured planes of all types from their factories to various destinations across the United States (and Alaska Territory) prior to them being shipped to the European and Pacific fronts. More than a few of these women pilots lost their lives in service to the war effort, but neither they nor their families received full military pay [WASPs received 65% of what their male counterparts were paid.], death benefits, or even a polite nod in their direction for their sacrifice.The reader will become enthralled with eccentric personalities, human warmth, and rollicking action as Sara Jane's (Sukey) story unfolds under layers of Southern charm. By the end of the novel, even Lenore's true character emerges to shine in a different light. Some may be annoyed by the at times treacly story and find the unambiguous ending too neatly wrapped. But discovering a novel of such diversity and broad appeal that is as skillfully written will be as difficult an udertaking as spotting a June bug under a Christmas tree.

[gingersnap000 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Love Fannie Flagg and especially loved this book. Sookie, the protagnist, is the sweetest and most giving good old Southern girl in Alabama but unfortunately her mother is a Narcissist with a capital "N." Sookie is the only girl in the family and growing up she never felt is was good enough in her mother's eyes....how could she be. A Narcissist will always find everyone imperfect.Shortly before Sookie's 59th birthday, she receives a certified letter informing her that she has been adopted and she is of Polish decent. She is taken aback and even seeks help from a therapist. After hearing her story, he informs her that her adopted mother has the problem not her. The story flashes back in almost every other chapter to to the life of Sookie's biological Mom and family causing the reader to discover why Sookie is a sweet and caring individual. The reader cheers for Sookie to have a happy ending and she does.

[delphimo_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I truly love Flagg's down home humor, but this novel lacked the zany atmosphere. The story centers on Sookie or Sarah Jane, who just learns that she was adopted and is really 60 instead of 59. The story line has merits, but the action deviates too much from the theme. Sookie undergoes many adventures in her path of coming to terms with the adoption. Sookie's four grown children have the silliest names, especially the 3 girls. Lenore, Sookie's adoptive mother, is the stereotypical Southern mother with her determination and controlling. So many of the characters seem to parallel the characters of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café. Idgie and Fritzti seem to be the same character, and both possess that mothering instinct to aid Ruth and Sookie in growing. The language seems less Southern in this novel, as the setting could be anywhere.

[coho8 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

From the first scene with Sookie we can see her kind-hearted nature as she frets about feeding the small birds in her yard. A 59-year-old woman in Alabama who has successfully raised a family of four, she is constantly dealing with her flamboyant and outspoken mother, Lenore. Sookie doubts herself. “Growing up with Lenore, she had always felt like a little brown wren, hopping along behind a huge colorful peacock.” (p. 22) News of a family secret throws her into a tailspin. I have to admit that the beginning burst of hysterical characters turned me off, but the plot is not as frivolous as it first appears. The second plot line which takes place in Wisconsin (and other sites) in the late 30’s and through World War II has a different, more serious, tone from the start. With nice pacing, the two narratives weave between times and genres (southern fiction and historical fiction) until they intersect, as we know they will. On the whole, this is a story of people “finding themselves” and of family ties and loyalties. Kudos to Ms. Flagg for handling both story lines so well.

[myoldkyhome · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another excellent book by Fannie Flagg. She's a fabulous storyteller who takes you right into the lives of her characters. This book will make you laugh and it will probably make you cry. I loved it!

[2lz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received an advanced copy of The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg as an Early Reviewer for librarything.com in exchange for my honest review.The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion was a charming, quirky, easy read, but one with substance too. The author took the eccentricities of these Southern characters and made them likable, frustrating, and lovable all at the same time. The story felt real and true, and sometimes, totally ridiculous, much the way every-day life is experienced. Sookie Poole is a 59 year old kindhearted wife and mother of four grown children. She is entering a new stage in her life. Her 3 daughters are married, and her son lives on his own. Sookie is adjusting to these life-changes, and is enjoying reconnecting with her adoring husband, Earle. Her mother, Lenore, is overbearing, self-absorbed and overly critical and tough on Sookie, but she does love her daughter in her own way. Although Lenore insisted upon continuing to live in her family home, she is getting older and starting to slip mentally. With the help of a nurse, Sookie oversees her mother's care, and is an integral part of it. Upon opening a registered letter addressed to her mom, Sookie receives a shock when she learns that she was adopted. This revelation leads to the story of Sookie's birth mother and birth family and their remarkable adventures as owners of an all-girl filling station and as WASP(s), Women Air-force Service Pilots, during WWII. Chapters alternate between time periods and perspectives between Sookie and another strong female character, Fritzi.This enjoyable story was very informative and thought-provoking as well. I learned so much about those brave and dedicated women who risked their lives to serve their country, without recognition or accolades. These women worked tirelessly for their country, only to be scorned, bullied, criticized and forgotten. WASP(s) worked fearlessly and relentlessly for their country, were given a taste of freedom and independence, only to have their opportunities taken away once the men were able to take over their positions. A significant result of their effort was that future generations of women experienced opportunities once out of their reach.It is brilliant when an author is able to undertake such intense, complicated issues and express them simply and in the context of a life well-lived, including all of the emotions that go with it, laughter, joy, anger and sorrow. Why not a five star review, you might ask? I struggled with the rating of this novel. I enjoyed it. I recommend it. But, although the title and cover were wonderful, the All-Girl Filling Station was one small part of this story, and the reunion a relatively few pages. Also, without ruining the story for those who have not read the book yet, there were characters that deserved to be berated, and this reader was slightly disappointed when it didn't occur. There were interesting minor characters, but further development would have made the story exceptional. That being said, there is much to like about this book, and like it I did.

[rjmoren · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I always enjoy Fannie Flagg and this was no exception. Very well written book about a lady that discovers she is not who she thought she was. I loved the historical intertwining of the events that occurred in her "real" family. She brought both stories together smoothly. If you love a good story, I recommend this one.

[christina_e_mitchell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely delightful! I cried with proud joy at the end. A great read for any woman rediscovering or recreating herself because she should always remember she is supported by many, many great women before her.

[bohemima · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Whenever I'm in a reading funk, there are a very few authors I can turn to for help in digging my way out. Fannie Flagg is at the top of the list.The clearly-stated theme in the story is, "You're not who you think you are." As Sookie learns more about her past, she realizes that there are many ways in which that idea is true.Ms Flagg excels at portraying very ordinary people as the complex and contradictory characters they are. The people in her novels are consistently realistic but never boring. The plot here involves those few remarkable women who flew planes for the army in WW II, a story Flagg explores with deep feeling but no pathos.A feel-good story with no hint of sappiness, this is a most enjoyable read that banished my book funk.

[jcgirl-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg charmingly weaves a present day story with the flashbacks of World War II. The main character Mrs. Sookie Poole navigates the reader as she begins to recline from the stress of her life and just starting to enjoy the days ahead. Until one day she learns of a family secret that her mother, Lenore Simmons Krackenberry has been keeping for far too long and so begins a quest to find out who Sookie and her family are. So begins a road trip through the past discovering details about her family she never realized, as she comes to learn about a woman named Fritz. Does Sookie find a unique path for her life after her long journey from family revelations? You have to read the book to know, but Fannie Flagg does an incredible job of showing the reader how the events of the past can and will make the road to the future for the next generation.

[tammychristine · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

By page 38, I'd already laughed out loud more times then I could count. Sookie is a hoot. I like this Sookie just as much as the other one! This book goes back and forth between past and present. The characters are well rounded and sympathetic. Add in the surprising ending and it was a very fun read.

[dksthomson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Once again, Fannie Flagg has managed to write a great novel that kept me engaged and entertained throughout the whole book. It's beautifully nostalgic, but more importantly I learned something new about women in our American history that I was not aware of 'til now. Ms. Flagg, I hope like heck that you are working on your next book. :)

[annie.michelle · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fanny, Fanny, fanny... how much do I enjoy every book of yours I have ever read? This much! (I am holding my arms out at my sides as far as they will stretch) Just like your other books "The All Girls Filling Station's Last Reunion" is a joyful hoot to read!Fanny tells a story like no one else with her fun filled spirit and wacky characters, she weaves together a moment in time that will stick with you for a very long while indeed. We start out with Sookie Poole who lives way too close to her overbearing mother Lenore in small town Alabama. Sookie & Lenore have one of those tricky mother daughter relationships that gets even trickier when a letter comes to Sookie's house that turns her whole world up side down. Just who the heck is Sookie anyway and how could her mother have kept such a secret from her for so long? Sookie will need to go back in time to 1940's Wisconsin at the start of world war ll to find out. And find out she does! Fanny tells a great but, little known story about some of of the curageous women who took over when the men went to war. Those aviators who took to the sky for family and home, how brave they were trying to keep everything together during a very sad time in our past. Sookie finds out about the beautiful redheaded Fritzi and her 3 sisters who all had to come together and run the family filling station while the war rages on and Sookie finds out about her mother and herself in ways she could not have dreamed.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mrs Earle Poole Jr – Sookie to her family and friends – is having her usual challenges. The blue jays are monopolizing the feeders, leaving the little birds without sustenance. At least she’s managed to get her third daughter safely married and off on her honeymoon, so maybe now Sookie can rest for a bit. Well, except for managing her mother, Lenore, who is as wacky and demanding as ever. Sookie can’t seem to live up to her mother’s expectations that she “behave like a Simmons” – polishing the family silver weekly, attending the right club meetings, dressing appropriately, and tending to the graves of her ancestors. You’d think a 59-year-old married woman, with grown children, could stand up to her own mother, but Sookie has been trained to be accommodating. So she dutifully handles Lenore’s affairs – from paying the bills to hiring a nurse. Until the day Sookie opens a registered letter addressed to Lenore from the Texas Board of Health, and her whole world is turned upside down.

What a delightful read! I just fell in love with Sookie, and enjoyed going along on her journey of self-discovery. Are the characters eccentric? Yes, of course. You might even say some are over-the-top. But Flagg never lets the minor characters take over the plot; rather, they add color and provide a framework for Sookie’s story. Whatever the situation, Sookie’s reactions are very real and understandable. Anyone would be thrown for a loop after receiving such a shock. What’s so fun about the book is watching her come to grips with what she has learned, figuring out how to cope, exploring her options, and growing into an even better version of the person she has always been – kind, tenderhearted, courageous, inventive, giving, steady and loving.

I also really enjoyed the historical background and storyline set in the WW2 era and exploring the women who flew planes for the Army Air Corps with little fanfare or even recognition. I liked Fritzi and her sisters, and the descriptions of the gas station had me waxing nostalgic for my father’s auto-parts business; I still love the smell of rubber and oil because it brings back memories of being with my Daddy at the store.

I’ve been a fan of Fannie Flagg’s for some time, and I think this is one of her best books.

[beamis12 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sookie has just managed to get all her daughters married and is looking forward to some time for herself, maybe to read a book. I can sympathize. Her mother, who is loosing it mentally, and is a character to boot, has other ideas. Sookie finds out her family history is not what she thought it was and this turns into a sometimes amusing, sometimes poignant, quest. Fannie Flagg has such a great job of detailing her characters lives, making them quirky and amusing, larger than life people. This has several plot twists, adventure , humor and history as we go back in time and meet the Polish girls who ran the filling station and also flew the skies. Using letters and notes and other literary devices Flagg makes the last third of the book vastly interesting. Although I wished parts of the story, especially in the beginning, moved a little quicker, Flagg's fans won't be disappointed, definitely has the Flag flavor..

[auntie0nanuuq · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What can I say.... I expected more. The first chapters were so boring that I almost put the book down, then I happened upon Fritzi and her learning to fly. Then the book mostly turned around.

But here's the thing I really didn't care about Sookie or her family, I liked the Fritzi & her family and that is what kept me reading.

Sookie inadvertently finds out that the woman who she has known as her mother had adopted her..... However, since Lenore always bullied Sookie, hoping Sookie would be someone/something she wasn't; Sookie puts off telling Leoner that she knows.

Meanwhile every-other chapter was about Fritzi, her family and the history of the WASPS, and I found those chapters delightful and very interesting.

The coming together of Sookie & Fritzi was interesting but a bit of a let down.

[tututhefirst_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The publisher enticed me:Spanning decades, generations, and America in the 1940s and today, this is a fun-loving mystery about an Alabama woman today, and five women who in 1943 worked in a Phillips 66 gas station, during the WWII years. 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.In this surprising novel, Fannie Flagg once again delivers a story with believable characters who bring us an inside look at the meaning of being a "lady" in the person of Sookie Poole of Point Clear Alabama, who must deal with the mother of all mothers, Lennore Simmons Krackenberry. It is Lenore's mission in life to ensure that women know how to dress, drink, talk, work (as in supervise the help), dine out, and raise her grandchildren so that civilization can be saved from going to you-know-where in a handbasket.This whole premise could have easily become a very corny caricature of Southern women. Instead, Flagg turns this into a mini-mystery and a wonderful exposè of a chapter in US history during World War II concerning the WASPS, women pilots who ferried military planes around the world to free up male fighter pilots for the war effort. These are some spunky women. These are heroines. Their quirky, laugh-out-loud predicaments may have some readers shaking their heads in dis-belief, but for those of us who were raised by southern ladies, and who served in the military, this one rings true, rings fun, and rings proud. A delightful way to spend some summer time reading.

[cherylefisher · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I won this book as part of the Early Reviewers. Fannie Flagg is an author that truly evokes the southern lifestyle and mores. It took a little bit to get into this book. Once I remembered what living in the south is like and how much family and appearances mean did I truly start enjoying the book. As the story begins to unfold a real feeling for the south and the people came through. It seems like I have read several books lately that use the technique of present day and alternately the past to weave the story.