Something to Look Forward To by Fannie Flagg 3

"He also observed that most of the humans he met had an opinion on everything and were happy to tell him what it was, even though he hadn't asked. And the interesting thing to him was they all believed that they were right."               -Special Agent William Frawley

I am quite a fan of Fannie Flagg and have enjoyed several of her novels, but this one was quite different---a collection of short stories with a theme of the resilience of the human spirit in handling life's unexpected curves.

The series started with the leader on Planet 8676 sending Special Agent William Frawley to Earth to report on what was going on down there. He lands in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he learns how good ice cream is and lots more including how the people on earth behave (see quote). 

Another of the 30 stories tells of great-grandmother Velma in Cottonwood, Kansas trying to understand her daughter Cathy and granddaughter Tracie Ann who live in California. Their story continues in a few more segments through the book.

Another interesting character is Helen who finds a clever way to get even with her husband for dumping her for a younger woman. The ending is surprising along with the ending of one where a man tells how he got shot being a hero in foiling a robbery when the truth is.....? I'll not spoil it for you,

The book was well-written with some of Flagg's signature humor and some surprises, as I mentioned but I am rating it a 3 since I just don't find short stories as compelling as a full novel. I liked it, didn't love it.