THE ALL-GIRL FILLING STATION'S LAST REUNION

Fannie Flagg, queen of Southern humor, reads her latest novel about Sookie Simmons Poole, a Southerner from a small town who discovers at age 60 that she’s adopted; her biological mother was Fritzi, and Polish to boot. Flagg performs the dialogue with sweet Southern accents and flawless pacing, especially the humorous lines. But her delivery of the narrative is stiff and hesitant, particularly when she pronounces the Polish names. The history of Sookie’s Polish family, the Jurdabralinskis, unfolds between 1906 and the present in the small town of Pulaski, Wisconsin, while Sookie’s story sticks with the present as she deals with learning of her adoption. Fannie Flagg’s performance will leave listeners laughing at the crazy things people do. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2013]