Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral by Kris Radish (2006, Paperback)

This is one of my favorite books EVER and was also one my local Ladies Book Club chose to read. We all had a wonderful time discussing who of our friends we would choose (and why) to carry our "shoes" to our own final resting places. We all identifies with parts of many of the characters and had a great time sharing.

Kris Radish has a knack for writing girl-bonding tales. Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral was the second Radish book selected by my book club to read. In this novel, middle-aged girls bond during a cross-country memorial and burial of a dear friend. This book and Radish's Elegant Gathering of White Snows have "get-aways" for all kinds of reasons--impending death, impending abortion, coming out of the closet--you name it, but there's always a reason to hit the road with friends in her books. Radish has a pleasant writing style and always incorporates very likable characters who achieve some sort of epiphany while en route. The only problem is that her journeys can get quite boring, and I felt like both books needed to end sooner than they did.

Bought this for book club. Made for good discussion. Interesting concept. Started off well, but ended up being a tedious read.

Kris Radish has good insight into womens friendships and this book was not only a very fun read but one where I could relate to a lot of the characters and their situations. She makes us want to form close bonds with our girlfriends.
The story brings out a lot of different personalities, yet somehow we can see ourselves a bit in each one of them.

I bought this book as it was chosen by my reading group. The premise was interesting but the story line could not be sustained for a novel. By the end of the book this homage to women had worn thin. Pat K

Good girlfriend book. I just returned from a trip with girlfriends and many of them had read the same book I likeike how it is written. The book is a used paperback and in good condition.

I had read in our local newspaper, a review of this book which was written by a local gal. The clips she wrote about instantly had me hooked on the story and I came home, logged into eBay and found the book! It has been a great book and one of the best ones that I have read in a long time. It has made me laugh, cry, nod my head in agreement all in one paragraph. The author has hit home with myself on so many situations as I recall my childhood life and dreams and growing up with all the woes and troubles of being a teen. Last year celebrating our 50th birthday year, three of my girlfriends and I gathered together and we did, in sorts, a mini traveling celebration of our lives. We did and went places we always wanted to in our teens and we finally made time in our lives to spend four days together. What a hoot and what fun! We didn't dig as deep into life/love/relationships as this group of gals did, but we ran close to the course. Now as I finish reading this book it is going on the road to my three friends - I want them to read this book and find themselves lost in the words as I have. I think I'll send a notebook with ... what a great idea!
OKAY ... I would recommend this book to anyone to read - to see how we all do leave an imprint on those we meet in our lives. Good and bad. I am going to also find the other books the author has written and see if she captivates me as much as she has with Annie. Thank you!

When I FINALLY recieved the book after THREE WEEKS, it was SOAKING WET! It was poorly packaged in a cardboard wrapper and it was completely ruined. I had planned on giving to a friend as a gift, but I couldn't -- not only because it arrived far too late, but because it had to dry for four days.

This book started out with a bang. I thought -"Oh Boy this is going to be good". Here was an original idea about some most interesting characters. I could not put the book down for the longest time.

However, along about midway it became tedious, repetitive and preachy. Too bad. A great idea gone wrong