Something to Look Forward to: Fictions

By Fannie Flagg

Book Overview

A tapestry of joyful and startling interconnected stories that celebrate how people from all across America cope with adversity and unexpected changes in a confusing world--from the beloved New York Times bestselling author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

Fannie Flagg once said that what the world needs now is a good laugh. And that is what she gives us in these warmhearted, always surprising stories about people who are finding clever ways to deal with the curveballs life sometimes throws at us.

Velma in Kansas, a loving great-grandmother, struggles to bridge generational gaps with her family. We cheer for Helen, in Ithaca, New York, who takes an audacious course of action when her husband leaves her for a younger woman. In Bent Fork, Wyoming; in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; in Tucson, Arizona; and in towns and cities all across America, people figure out inventive ways to overcome obstacles to happiness. And in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Special Agent Frawley is studying the mysteries of being human from an original perspective.

With her imagination, humor, and great understanding of the human heart, Fannie Flagg holds a mirror up to the foibles, ingenuity, and imagination of people, inspiring us to laugh at the sometimes eccentric, sometimes brilliant ways people cope with, and ultimately prevail over, the challenges of modern life.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0593734416
• ISBN13: 9780593734414
• Release Date: August 2025
• Publisher: Random House
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Fannie Flagg's Something to Look Forward To

Received this in the mail (pre-order) yesterday, August 21, 2025. I'm already halfway through. It's all short stories which are heartfelt and extremely funny. I highly recommend this refreshing detour from the past books about a single small city. Now finished, and there's a great lesson in each and every story. I truly hope Flagg isn't done writing, but I fear she may be. She's hinted "or is there?" with other stories, but written again. Some of these little stories are connected throughout the book. The cities mentioned are, Fort Wayne, Indiana; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Pot Luck, Arkansas; Bent Fork, Wyoming; Cottonwood, Kansas; Tyler, Texas; Tenafly, New Jersey; Ithaca, New York; Berkeley, California; Birmingham, Alabama; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Hollywood, California; Tucson, Arizona; Traverse City, Michigan; Piedmont, North Carolina; Ardmore, Oklahoma; Big Fish, Montana; Keene, New Hampshire; New York City, New York; Nashville, Tennessee; Dayton, Ohio; St. Louis, Missouri; Boston, Massachusetts; Shenandoah, Iowa...and Planet 8676. Planet 8676? Yes, another world notices that humans are always looking down at their hands, and sends an agent to investigate. (Cell phones.) I got a lot out of this book, and to describe it, would be under the category of spoilers. Please read it; you won't be sorry.