The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion

Analyze Flagg’s decision to use multiple timelines in the novel. How do the past and present timelines inform one another in the narrative? In what ways does the past continue to influence the present in the lives of the characters?

Much of the novel centers upon Fritzi and her sisters’ experiences during World War II. How does the novel’s treatment of women during the war conform to, or diverge from, some of the common tropes of women’s historical fiction about WWII?

Pick two of the mother figures in this novel. How are they characterized? In what ways are they different or similar to one another?

Analyze the depiction of gender roles in both the past and present narratives. How does the novel examine the expectations and limitations women face? In what ways have things changed by the present-day storyline, and in what ways have things remained the same?

The problem of identity is central to the novel. How do various characters struggle with their sense of identity? How does their sense of identity change—or fail to change—over the course of the narrative?

Research the WASP program during World War II. In what ways does the novel accurately reflect the historical reality of the program? In what ways does the novel fictionalize it for narrative purposes?

This novel is not entirely epistolary, but it does contain a number of letters between Fritzi, Billy, and Wink during the war. How do these letters function as a narrative device in the text? What do they reveal in terms of characterization?

How does Fritzi grow from the start of the novel until its end? How does her character arc illuminate some of the key themes and ideas in the text?