I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg

In I Still Dream About You, Maggie Fortenberry is a real estate agent, a former Miss Alabama and a charm school graduate. When she was younger she had dreamed of having a husband, children and living in a beautiful mansion. Things didn't quite work out that way. Still, she has a lot going for her. When her friend and mentor, Hazel, died five years ago, things just haven't been the same for Maggie. Business is way down and she thinks her life is hopeless. She's come up with a brilliant plan, though, to solve her all of her problems. As she works through the plan and is about to put it into action, only one thing stands in her way: life.

I adored this book. From the first word to the last, it was absolutely fantastic! It's filled with southern charm, humour and a little bit of mystery. I haven't read a book by Flagg in some time, so I'd forgotten how good she is. She's a wonderful storyteller.

I just loved the main character Maggie. Her planning was impeccable; she thought of everything and had everything under control. Well, almost everything. As she tried to execute her plan, she encountered many obstacles, which end up teaching her some valuable life lessons. I couldn't help but laugh at how many things got in her way and how things snowballed when they did. If you haven't guessed yet, I'm trying to tiptoe around Maggie ultimate goal. There are plenty of places on the internet where you can get gist of the plan, but I think it's more fun if you read the book and discover it for yourself. I will tell you that while the subject matter could be considered depressing, this book is light-hearted and anything but morose.

Along the way, we get to know other people in Maggie's life. There's Brenda Peoples, her overweight best friend, who sneaks Krispy Kreme's between Weight Watchers meetings; Hazel Whisenknott, Maggie's deceased boss, friend and mentor, who was short in statue but large in personality, Ethel Clipp, the grumpy office manager with purple hair; and finally Babs Bingington, "The Beast of Birmingham", who's a rival unscrupulous agent trying to put Maggie out of business. All of these characters were larger than life and so fun to read about.

I read one other book by Flagg Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. It was great! I have a few more of her books in my to-be-read pile which I hope to dig out and read soon.

Highly recommended.

For more information about this book or to take a peek inside, please visit the Random House website.

I'd like to thank Christine at Edwards Magazine Bookclub and those nice people at Random House for this review copy.

I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg, Random House, ©2010. ISBN 9781400065936(Hardcover), 315p.