Fannie Flagg

Fried green tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

Hannah Dismuke

By the way, Boots died and Opal says she hopes you're satisfed. 

halfmoon

Dropkite

ayoni

Corrine Sing

Grace Edwards

Sarah Sammis

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is one of those books I've heard so many different arguments about. A few years ago I got a copy through BookCrossing determined to have a go at reading it so I could make up my own mind about it. And there the book sat for three years. Finally, inspired by the Southern Reading Challenge, I sat down and read the book.

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is the story of the rise and fall of Whistle Stop and the people who lived there. This story is told over the course of many years and from many points of view. At the heart of it all is the love story of Ruth and Idgie during the Depression and then the empowerment of Eveyln Couch as she struggles through the ups and downs of menopause.

While Evelyn is the vehicle for the revelation of Whistle Stop's history, she is the least likeable character of the entire novel. She's so repressed, so clueless and so full of self loathing that every time her piece of the story comes up, the book's tempo hiccups.

Even with my annoyance at Evelyn, I found the book a pleasant surprise and a quick read. I still don't want to see the film, though.

"The eighty-year-old Mrs Clea Threadgoode tells Evelyn Couch about her life, she escapes the Rose Terrace Nursing Home and returns in her mind to Whistle Stop, Alabama in the thirties where the Whistole Stop Cafe provides good barbecure, good coffee, love and even an occasional murder. "

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

Laura Mauler

6 out of 5 stars

Better than the movie (which is itself pretty good, just not this good).

Alexa M

Such a feel good book!!! Love Fannie Flagg

Rachel Kanyid

Not gonna lie, my mind was blown a little bit at the few things that were different from the movie, but the book was WONDERFUL nonetheless!

Izza

This book was so amazing <3 I highly recommend it!

Annie

Pop Sugar Challenge:
- a book you mom loves

Jaymie Lemke

This was actually not my favorite Fannie Flag book. It was a quick read and held my attention though. Much better than the movie.

So much of this book is a fun time and I love how accepted Ruth and Idgie are as a couple by everyone around them and Evelyn's aromantic feminist revelations, but damn if there ain't a shit ton of paternalistic racism and fatphobia.

A Novel

Caitlin Baker

Such a good book. I was giggling, crying, and just feeling so whole through the chapters.

KADY BURNS

Kayla Sitton

this book reminds me of home in the summer, i loved it so much, probably in my top 5 favorite books now, kind of rips your heart out but it’s worth it

Allison Raines

"If you cage a wild thing, you can be sure it will die, but if you let it run free, nine times out of ten it will run back home."

Fried green tomatoes at the Whistle-Stop Cafe

One of the few instances where the movie is better than the book. It has a charming story at its heart, and I LOVE Ruth/Idgie, but so much of it gets bogged down in the back and forth in the timeline. It doesn't just flash between the Idgie/Ruth storyline and the Ninny/Evelyn storyline...but it jumps to different parts (different days or years) within each storyline, sometimes without reason. The arrangement of chapters is sometimes nonsensical. Sandwiched between each chapter are various news bulletins which really don't add much to the story, and are quite tedious, especially with Dot Weems' "my other half this," "my other half that" that permeates her bulletins.

There's also a very uncomfortable racist undercurrent throughout the book. Plenty of use of the n-word, yet we're supposed to just accept it as a sign of the times because most of the white characters are super nice to the black characters. Since the book was written by a white woman, that implication made me pretty uncomfortable. There are a few interactions and lines about black people that were cringeworthy as well. Reading it in 2017, it came off as very tone-deaf.

Overall, I'm glad I read it because I grew up loving the movie. However, I have to reiterate that the movie did a great job of streamlining the story and emphasizing the best parts. If it had emphasized the Idgie/Ruth relationship as more than just a friendship, it would be about as good an adaptation as you could get.

Nathan Griffin

The first half of this book was mostly enjoyable and fairly well-written but it quickly went downhill at the halfway point. The storytelling became super gimmicky with outrageous plot points. The ending was OK, but the damage had already been done.

Fried green tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

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