Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe - A Novel

The book was okay but I didn't like the way the auther jumped around in time with the story. It was irritating. The movie is one of my very favorites. The book does include recipes at the end, so that is nice.

There is no one but Fannie Flagg that I have found who writes like she does. EVERY book I have read entertains me and I just keep reading and reading, then on to another one of her books. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is a wonderful story and Fannie puts so many things in this and all of her books that you will connect with and many things she writes about brings back so many wonderful memories of my life from many years ago. You can't go wrong with any of Fannie's books!

This book is not as good as the movie. But it does tell you that Ruth and Idgie have a partner/love relationship more than they show on the movie. There are more characters in the book. I didn't like that it jump from one timeline to another, kind of confusing really. But I like the story version of the movie much better.

Fannie Flagg has written a compelling saga of the Threadgoode family, giving a colorful picture of life in Alabama, back in the day. Though I loved the movie, the book is able to flesh out the characters more, and characters they are, lol! A good story transports one into the world of the characters, and more importantly, has the reader reflecting on the character's struggles and triumphs as they relate to one's own life. Makes me hungry for Big George's bar-b-que! I would definitely recommend this novel to friends and family!

Excellent book. Easy to read but the book was pretty beat up! Totally torn away from binding. I didn't expect it to be perfect as it was listed as "used" but I didn't expect it to be nearly destroyed! Really shouldn't be selling books and asking people to pay money for them, in such bad condition.

Loved this book, and the narration. Book doesn't follow a strict forward-moving timeline, but changes where the story is every chapter. This means that you might know a part of a character's story, then you can't wait to hear what happens. The story keeps you going! Great characters, great story,

bought this for 85 year old mom for christmas and was so happy and pleased with the excellent condition and the size of the print. was 1 of 3 books i ordered for her and the only one i ended up giving to her as it was perfect.

I read it in only two days, it was hard to put down. I love the movie and that is why i decided to buy the book. I think the book would have confused me if i wouldnt have watched the movie first. i do admit i like the movie a lot better than the book. it is a very beautiful and well written story. i think it starts out kind of slow, but what books dont to some extent? i give this a 3 only because in comparison, i loved the movie more than the book.

I liked the alinear narrative structure. The plot is okay overall but sometimes it's overly sentimental. If I remember correctly this was Fanny Flagg's first novel which could account for the clumsy style of some of the lines. But then there are laugh-out-loud moments. Worth your time as beach reading.

I was completely bored with this book. I am reading Can't Wait to get to Heaven and I don't want to put the book down. I really like Fannie Flagg's books but just couldn't get into Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. If I could return it I would. Sorry

I chose this book because I've read a few of Flagg's in the past and enjoyed them. Although not tagged as "Christian", they were clean, enjoyable and read as one. This book however took me by surprise with the cursing and tale of lesbian lovers, (this the 3 star rating) but I finished it because, like Evelyn, I needed to know how it ended.

An unusual book that goes back and forth from the 1920s during the depression and then jumps to a nursing home in 1985. It is depressing. It is mostly rambling dialogue from an 87 year old woman in a nursing home. It was another world back then, people had it hard. But getting old isn't any easier now unless you have plenty of money anf getting old then and now still ends in death.

This was NOT one of my favorite books from Fannie Flagg. I have read all her other books and enjoyed them but this one, even though it was well written, was rather depressing to read. It was funny in spots but had a lot of stories of the oppression of blacks in the south. I know those things happened but I like to read something more enjoyable to read at this time in my life. Sorry!

This book was not for me. I loved the movie but the book is just too sad.
The story is beautifully writen and Mrs Flagg gave so much life to her characters ...that it's just cruel to take that life away like that.
I cried at every chapters except the recipes at the end. Very depressing.
I wish Mrs Flagg would put her talent and her tone of voice in a cheerful story.

I've read this book so many times and each time I get something new out of it. For example, the first few times I read it I had no idea what the Eastern Star meetings were and now I do (the female equivalent of the freemasons). It's just a book with so many levels that are all connected in such an awesomely intricate way. First rate.

At its most basic it's two stories. There's the story set in the books' present, 1986. It involves Evelyn, a middle-aged housewife who doesn't know what to do with her life or even who she is as a person (apart from her life as a wife and mother), and Virginia 'Ninny' Threadgood, an old lady in the same nursing home as Evelyn's mother-in-law. Evelyn and Ninny talk every week while Evelyn's husband visits his mother. Ninny tells the story of Ruth and Idgie Threadgood to Evelyn while they're waiting together. Idgie and Ruth are two women who ran the Whistlestop Cafe together as well as living together and raising a son together.

We learn about Ruth, Idgie and their lives through Ninny's stories, but we also get chapters that take place in our story but not Ninny's, and cool little 'articles' from the various small towns' newspapers.

The Evelyn and Ninny story arc is fun, but, I love the Idgie, Ruth story the best. On the one hand it's never said that either of them were Lesbians (by anyone in the past or in 1986), but on the other hand Flagg makes it perfectly clear that Buddy Junior has two mommies and that they're not just 'really good friends', but that they romantically love each other. It's mostly because of these facts that every time that I wind up watching the movie, I have to read the book soon after, to wash the waffling of the movie out of my mind.

It's an amazing novel, one that I'll never be able to read too many times. And if you've only ever seen the movie, this book is so, so, so much better (although the movie isn't bad, just, waffle-y).

I saw the movie, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café over twenty years ago. But I never read the novel on which it was based, written by Fannie Flagg. This novel is one of Flagg’s best. Spanning many years, Fried Green Tomatoes takes the reader through time in ways that are folksy, funny, heart-warming, sad, tragic and always moving.

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café alternates between the past and the present, mostly in the small town of Whistle Stop, Alabama. The novel begins in 1929 with the opening of the Whistle Stop Café, as reported by Dot Weems in “The Weems Weekly.” Run by Idgie Threadgoode and Ruth Jamison, “Idgie says that for people who know her not to worry about getting poisoned, she is not cooking. All the cooking is being done by two colored women, Sipsey and Onzell…” But then Fried Green Tomatoes fast-forwards to 1985. Evelyn Couch is a timid, heavy, unhappy, married empty-nester in her late 40s. She meets 86-year old Ninny Threadgoode at the Rose Terrace Nursing Home, and Threadgoode’s stories about life in Whistle Stop will change Evelyn’s whole outlook on life. The chapters are actually stories that switch viewpoints between characters and even years. The Whistle Stop Café becomes one of the main characters. And without divulging the various plot-lines, just say that they alternate between love, race relations, civil rights, the Depression, domestic abuse, coping with disabilities, a lesbian relationship, growing up and growing old, and of course, food. We also learn throughout that one is never too old to change. I didn’t want this wonderful story to end. And when you do get to the end, Flagg treats us to 20 of Sipsey’s Recipes from the Whistle Stop Café.

This is my third novel by Fannie Flagg but so far, it is my favorite. In fact, I would call it a true classic.

Man oh man, a story that makes you feel like this book made me feel is invaluable. By he time this story was through, j was crying out of happiness and sadness that everything comes to an end. This book speaks true to the pace of life, the good times and bad times, the family and friendships, and ultimately how we move on and people die or move away and we make new relationships until the end.

This popular novel, written in the late 80’s, is mixed with historical fiction to bring you the story of the Threadgoodes. Mrs Cleo Threadgoode is the narrator, and Evelyn Couch is her partner storyteller. Evelyn meets Mrs Threadgoode at a nursing home where her mother in law resides. They soon become good friend, with Mrs Threadgoode sharing stories of Whistle Stop, Alabama and encouraging Evelyn. It’s a pure novel about friendship and love and all the places you find those two things where you put might least expect them. There are lots of not so okay things in the book, such as racial slurs and general racism, but it speaks true to the times and I think even promotes an overall sense of love for people no matter their differences. Ruth and Idgie’s love story is beautiful as well.

I really appreciated how this book showed everyone as they were. Nobody was overly dramatized except for in the stories that were supposed to be dramatized, such as the tall tales from Idgie. Flagg has a way of saying things that I feel but have never exactly put into words, such as the following passage, “Evelyn was sad as she carefully folded the note and put everything back. She thought, my god, a living, breathing person was on this earth for eighty six years, and this is all that’s left, just a shoebox full of old papers.” Flagg fills every story with meaning and love and I grew so attached to the characters that I finished the book feeling like I’d experienced more lives than just my own, a quality I desperately desire in books. Books like this are the reason I love reading.

This book has so many detailed reviews almost all of which I would be repeating so I will not do the same. I have seen the movie over and over and finally found a copy to check out of the library. I just now finished it. Now I plan to order it.

But does anyone besides myself notice something odd time-wise? Or am I missing something? Or was there an error? Because in the Ballantine quality paperback copy on page 375, toward the end of the book, the date heading is "December 5, 1986" "The Forever Slim Lodge" "Montecito, California" and on page 376, a newly slimmer Evelyn receives a letter about Ninnie Threadgoode's passing on the previous Sunday. Here's the puzzlement: In the next chapter heading it is 8 months EARLIER, April 8, 1986, when Evelyn returns to Alabama AFTER Ninnie's death in December, 1986!? Huh? --and Mrs. Hartman takes Evelyn back to Ninnie's old home and environs and gives Evelyn a box of Ninnie's few things and a sweet note to her.

The dates from their first meeting to their last are from December 15, 1985 to what turned out to be their last goodbye on OCTOBER 12, 1986, okay!? So there MUST be a date mistake here. Wish I could ask the author what the catch is if there is one. Does anyone have the answer? Otherwise this book is precious.

This book jumps around to various points in time, the "modern times" being the 1980s and the past (as told through the memories of an old woman) being the 20s, 30s, and 40s, with a bit of the 50s.

I randomly picked this one up after seeing it on a few recommended lists. It showed so many facets of small town southern life that had me horrified by the racism, laughing at the antics of the various residents (especially Idgie), and crying at the various losses they suffered.

At first, the modern times sections annoyed me, but as time went on and Evelyn spent more and more time with Mrs. Threadgoode, I began to enjoy them just as much as the old sections.

My heart ached by the end to see how much the small town had changed.

Often the greatest highlight for the elderly is relating the stories of their younger years to others. In Fannie Flagg's humorous Southern tale Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, Evelyn Couch visits 80-year-old Ninny Threadgoode at the nursing home to hear her tales of life as she grew up on the outskirts of Birmingham, Alabama. During the 1930s, the train stopped at the Whistle Stop Cafe and so did local residents. Gossip, fine Southern food, and the occasional romance all blended into the atmosphere of the cafe. Racism and the purpose of a person's life are woven into this satisfying tale of Southern life.

I've been a fan of the movie adaptation Fried Green Tomatoes for a great many years. I also enjoyed Fannie Flagg on countless episodes of The Match Game thanks to reruns on The Game Show Network, so it was with great joy and even greater anticipation that I picked up the original novel.

I needn't have been nervous. Picking up Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is like getting lost in a fascinating conversation with an old friend who excels at telling stories. The pages fly by effortlessly until you realize with a pang of disappointment that you're nearing the end and the story is going to have to stop soon. I can think of no greater compliment than that.

There are two primary stories being told here. First we have Evelyn Couch, a woman stunned to find herself middle-aged and deeply unhappy with the life she has lived--or rather, the way she has avoided living life up to this point. Visiting her mother-in-law at a nursing home, Evelyn comes across Ninny Threadgoode, whose verve and life force make Evelyn come alive as Ninny tells her stories of her home town of Whistle Stop--and mostly about the other primary characters, Ruth and Idgie. Ruth and Idgie owned the Whistle Stop Cafe, which was the heart of the town and a frequent source of controversy. Not to mention possibly a murder. There are, of course, many other character and stories balancing things out, but theirs are told within the framework of these four women: Idgie and Ruth, Evelyn and Ninny.

Flagg's affection for her characters is palpable, and the way both they and the town of Whistle Stop come to vibrant life is breathtaking. As the story progresses and time ravages on, Flagg gets in poignant truths about life, friendship, and family, but also about how the present all too quickly becomes the past. That she manages to make these truths both on the personal level and the larger levels of society shows a surprising amount of depth and gravitas one might not have expected--and that one could almost be forgiven for not noticing given how effortlessly Flagg manages to weave everything together.

Grade: A

This is my absolute favorite book. I saw the movie first years ago, and then read the book. As with most stories, the book goes into much greater detail about various characters, including Smokey Lonesome, Stump, and Big George and his children. The book also brings to light what life was like in the South during the Depression, for both blacks and whites, to a much greater extent than the movie does. Somehow during that bleak time, the people in Whistle Stop managed to craft rich, beautiful, meaningful lives. At the same time, in the 1980s, Evelyn Couch is funny, enlightening, and inspiring, and her conversations with Ninny, as well as her own private thoughts, prove to be just as entertaining as the adventures of Idgie and Ruth, and the other beloved residents of Whistle Stop. This truly is a fantastic read, and a book that I have cherished being able to read over and over again. There is no other book like this out there that I have seen. Read this book, and you will be in for a real treat!

Evelyn Couch had barely heard of Whistle Stop, practically a ghost town in 1986, but it was a thriving small town when it was connected to Birmingham by a functioning railroad. During her visits to the Rose Terrace Nursing home, Evelyn learned of the rich history of Whistle Stop from Ninny Threadgoode, a resident with a flair for making stories come to life. Add in accounts from the Weems Weekly, other town notices, and selected scenes from the past – and the reader is treated to a picture of a charming, small Southern town in the novel 'Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe' by Fannie Flagg.

Many of the scenes from the past involve Idgie Threadgoode, a local free-spirit who owned The Whistle Stop Cafe that seemed to be the center of social life in Whistle Stop. Her partner at the Cafe was Ruth Jamison, a pretty mother who is also Idgie's life partner. Idgie and Ruth and their son Buddy are part of the extended family at the Whistle Stop Cafe that also serves as the center of town life.

The extended family included Sipsey and her adopted son big George Pullman Peavey. The Peaveys lived in Troutman, the black neighborhood near Whistle Stop. Sipsey was the cook at The Whistle Stop Cafe and her son Big George handled the barbeque. Big George was also a defendant with Idgie at the murder trial that is one of the central events of the book. Ninny has less to say about the lives of Sipsey, George, his wife Onzell, and the four Peavey children, so the reader relies more on the journals to reconstruct details of their lives. The movie did not include any of the stories of the Peavey children: Jasper, Artis, Willie Boy, and Naughty Bird.

Another part of the extended family is the Dill Pickle Club, a social club started by Idgie and the railroad guys such as Grady Kilgore and Jack Butts. Other members of the club are Wilbur Weems, Eva Bates and Smokey Lonesome. 'About all they did was drink whiskey and make up lies,' said Ninny, with the implication that these activities accompanied regular poker games. The club was one of the ways that people maintained kinship despite not being part of a traditional family structure.

Even the Threadegoode family, a traditional large Southern family, is not that typical. The maiden name of Mamma Threadegoode is Alice Lee Cloud, which sounds like an Indian name. Buddy and Imogene are free spirits. Ninny grew up in the Threadegoode home despite not bearing family bloodlines. She would have been part of the Threadegoode clan even if she had not married Cleo.

The only person who seemed to have an issue with the life-style of Idgie and Ruth was the prosecuting attorney at Idgie's trial. Much like the movie, the murder is the hook that keeps the reader interested. The reader doesn't even learn who was murdered until more than half-way through the book, so why should I spoil the surprise? The movie revealed the identity of Railroad Bill early in the story, but the novel kept that mystery alive for most of the story – and so will I.

The movie made it less-clear that Idgie and Ruth were a same-sex couple. In the movie, Ruth was in love with Idgie's brother Buddy before he died. Other conversations that help define the relationship between Idgie and Ruth were not part of the movie. The movie tried to create the possibility that Ninny, the narrator of the story, was also Idgie. All of the scenes that include Ninny and Idgie were not included in the movie adaptation. If it were true that Ninny was Idgie, then one could envision Ruth and Idgie as close friends tied in kinship through the memory of Buddy and not necessarily a couple. In the novel, such possibilities are out of the question.

The stories of Whistle Stop transform the life of Evelyn Couch. For a while, Evelyn adopted an alter-ego that she named Towanda to stand up for herself, until she integrated that assertiveness into her own personality.

Read the book. Watch the movie. Both are great but different in their own ways. Both stories stand true to the theme of the novel in honoring nontraditional Southern families before television had homogenized society.

I absolutely LOVED this book - I can't believe I waited so long to read it! Like most people, I saw the movie years ago and thought it was wonderful, but the book (as usual) is even better. And surprisingly, the book wasn't ruined by having seen the movie first - the movie was just a slice of the big story. Plus, the movie was so well casted that it was fun to "see" the characters as I was reading it. I'm sure this book works so well because Fannie Flagg is a screen writer and an actress, herself. I used to do dramatic interpretation in high school many moons ago, and while I was reading this I kept thinking it would make a wonderful performance piece. And for those who may be a little squeamish about lesbians, don't worry - she was able to make the story about love and not sex.

Reading this book for the first time in 2017 has been an interesting experience -- perhaps the racial situation in America has not quite changed as much as one may think. I found this book to be very funny in parts and very sad in others, and to be a great deal more thoughtful than I was expecting. Seems like one theme throughout is that each person, regardless of race, gender, social status, handicapping condition, body image, or sexual orientation should be loved, respected and valued as an individual. This was a pretty good read, and I am looking forward to our book club discussion.

Just reread this book and loved, loved, loved it the second time around this is a book that I, personally could read many more times and I have about 10 books so far that I feel like that about. Having said that, I think Fannie did overuse the "N" word, but who knows maybe not and though she did do the screen play for the movie and I loved every second of the movie and picked up through innuendo that Idgie and Ruth were lovers (sorry spoiler alert), but what I hated is that in the movie it was more of an incestious relationship with her (Idgie's) brother Buddy's widow and in the movie Big George and Sipsey's family were more or less merged into being just those two characters. But all in all still a five-star book and at the top of the list for BEST BOOK EVER.

This story begins in the 1980s with two women who meet in the waiting room at the Rose Terrace Nursing Home in Birmingham, Alabama. Mrs.Ninny(Virginia) Threadgoode is a wise and charming lady who resides in the nursing home. Evelyn Couch is a middle-aged woman, who comes weekly with her husband to visit her mother-in-law, Big Momma. She doesn't have very much patience with her mother-in-law and so she leaves and goes to the waiting room. It is there that she meets Mrs. Threadgoode.

Mrs. Threadgoode begins by going back in time and tells Evelyn about her life in the 1930s in Whistle Stop, Alabama, where they have one cafe named The Whistle Stop Cafe, one convenience store and one Bulletin called The Weems Weekly written by Dot Weems.

Evelyn, at first, is not interested in listening to Mrs. Threadgoode's life history, as she has her own problems. She is in her mid-forties, overweight and generally unhappy with her life. She is very naive and not able to adapt to the changes in life. One would say that she is stuck in time and old-fashioned. She is also bored and can't seem to fit in. Because she is so miserable, she uses food as a way of coping. She fills up on chocolate bars, ice cream and of course, gains more weight.

Every week, Mrs. Threadgoode continues with her story back in Whistle Stop and Evelyn is beginning to show interest. She tells her about The Whistle Stop Cafe, where all the folks meet aand talk about the goings-on in the town. The Cafe is owned and run by two women, Idgie and her best friend, Ruth. The cooking is done by two black women and Big George makes the barbecue. This is rare with racism going on in the South. Some of the Southern foods served are simply "to die for" like fried catfish, fried green tomatoes, dumplings, black-eyed peas, cobbler and grits, just to name a few. There are recipes in the back of the book, which gives the book a nice touch. It also adds to the book's southern flavor and gives it a homey feeling.

Idgie is a tomboy, who likes to dress masculine and play practical jokes. One day at the Baptist Church, she puts poker chips in the collection box. Both she and Ruth are their in thirties. They are very close friends and some may say they have an intimate relationship. The door at The Whistle Stop Cafe is opened to everyone from black people, hobos and the poor. Only one thing, black folks have to enter through the kitchen door in the back or the Cafe would be burned to the ground by the KKK.

There are excerpts from The Weems Weekly Bulletin over each chapter that has to do with Whistle Stop. The paper gives the town folks all the latest news.

With Evelyn's weekly visits and listening to Mrs. Threadgoode continue with her uplifting stories about her life, Evelyn's spirits improve. She starts to make changes in her life, beginning with losing weight. She is now filled with hope for the future.

This novel has a lot to do with race relations in the South, homosexuality,
domestic abuse, an unsolved murder and aging. On the other hand, it is filled with strong friendships, fun times and acceptance of people.

Fannie Flagg is a Southern born gifted storyteller, whose books will lift your spirits with her quirky and lovable characters. You will laugh a little, cry a little, but her book will keep you entertained from beginning to end. This book is a WINNER.

P,S. If you enjoyed this book, you will also like Can't Wait To Get To Heaven.

Have you ever finished a book and then sat there feeling kind of sad, not knowing what to do, because now you've left the world of the story and had to say good bye to all the characters, and it's gone and you don't know quite what to do? That's how I'm feeling now. And that hasn't happened to me in a very long time.

I loved the book. I was skeptical the first time I picked it up because it looked like it was just a series of articles put together, but that's not really how it was, and it worked out quite nicely with the structure it had. It allowed for different voices, narrators, and points of view.

This book was so much better than the movie. And it was a good movie! But man this was a good book.

Evelyn Couch is a depressed overweight woman in her 50s. This novel follows her progress as she visits an elderly woman in a nursing home. The reminiscences of the latter of Alabama life in the 1930s, the poverty and racism but simultaneously the sense of community, become vivid to her:

'Lately, to get her mind off that cold gun and pulling the trigger, she would close her eyes and force herself to hear Mrs Threadgoode's voice and if she breathed deep and concentrated she would soon see herself in Whistle Stop. She would walk down the street and go in Opal's beauty shop...After a comb-out she would stop by to visit with Dot Weems at the post office and then on to the cafe where she could see everyone so clearly...She would order lunch and Wilbur Weems and Grady Kilgore would wave to her...Everyone would ask her how she was and the sun was always shining and there would always be a tomorrow.'

This is a novel of two strands: on the one hand Evelyn, but also events in 1930s Whistle Stop, most notably a murder mystery...
I feared this book might be cloyingly sentimental, but it's actually really touching and enjoyable.

Fried Green Tomatoes was one of my favorite movies growing up, although at this point, I probably haven't seen it in 10 years. So I thought I would revisit the charming story in its original novel format, and it didn't disappoint. The format was different than I expected, with chapters occurring during different time periods, whether in Depression era Whistle Stop, Alabama, or at a nursing home in Birmingham in 1986. Some chapters are simply gossip columns and others are from the perspective of various secondary characters. The book included more commentary on racial issues in the south than I expected, but it effectively portrayed the attitude of the time.

The heart of the story of course is Idgie and Ruth, their café and the community. Though there has been much commentary about Idgie and Ruth being lesbians, I never felt there was anything overtly gay about their relationship. There were no scenes with them making out or anything that specifically defined them as lovers. I absolutely loved the interactions between Evelyn Couch and Ninny Threadgood. Though the ending was dramatically different than the movie, it still worked. I recognized many lines from the movie that were taken verbatim from the book. Because I have such high esteem for a movie that helped define my youth, there were some aspects of the book that didn't resonate with me. However, that also enabled me to mentally visualize so many of the scenes and the characters. Regardless, it was the friendships portrayed on these pages were so authentic and inspiring. Now I'm going to have to dust off the old VCR and see if my video copy still works!

This is a delightful novel, peopled with characters that leap off the page and stick with you after you have closed the cover of the book. I actually miss some of the characters from "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe", and that has only happened to me a few times in my reading life.
I am not going to get into the rehash that many of these reviews seem to focus on about this novel not being like the movie. For the record, I love the film, but it is a different creature than the novel, and yes, the novel is the superior work. Fannie Flagg also wrote the screenplay for the film, and she chose to make a different story for that medium, and that is fine. But don't read the novel expecting it to be the film, it isn't.
"Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe" is really about the people and less about the plot, and I like this approach to the text very much. It is told as a series of vignettes that come in non linear order. The jumping around is purposeful, as it mimics how memory comes to us, and how we remember and reflect on our past and those that peopled it. These memory flashbacks are interspersed with the linear story of Evelyn Couch and her friendship with a retirement home bound women named Ninny. Flagg has captured small town southern living in the early and mid twentieth century wonderfully, and Whistle Stop is filled with very interesting characters. Too many for me to write about here. Some are good, and some bad, and Flagg refrains from judging any of them. She just presents them as they are, in their own elements, and lets the reader do the rest. To her immense credit, they are very real people. As three dimensional as they come.
There are times when I felt the text was a little hokey in that it is not a constantly well written book. However, those flaws are few and far between. To compensate there are many moments where Ms. Flagg's prose is wonderful in its colloquial simplicity, and raw human power.
I will return to Whistle Stop again. No higher praise for a novel. If you have never been, you should drop in for a visit.

I thought I knew what I was getting into when I started this novel, but I had no idea! I watched the movie about ten years ago and really couldn't remember too much about it besides there being a tom boy, a railroad accident and a nursing home. What I couldn't remember was the heart of the story... And wow, what a story! I must admit that when I realized I was going to be reading about the lives of two lesbians I almost gave up on the book. I'm so glad I didn't! Thankfully, this story wasn't a lesbian romance. It was a story about family and love and being happy with who you are. I wish I was able to more emotionally connect with the characters though. I wasn't too crazy about the layout of the story and spent a lot of time confused trying to figure out who was who in three generations of characters. I felt like all the newspaper articles and different narrations did give the story a more authentic feel though. In the end I was left with a smile on my face after I turned the last page and it was worth the time I spent reading it.

I must get my hands on some friend green tomatoes and give them a try!

P.S. I found Evelyn to be extremely irritating! What a weak, pathetic and annoying woman! I'm so glad I don't have to read about her complaining anymore

I love the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes" (with Mary Louise Parker, Mary Stuart Masterson, & Kathy Bates, among others) and have watched and enjoyed it numerous times, but this was the first time I read the book.

I have to say that the book is a delightful accompaniment to the movie (I know, I should say that the book is so much better, blah, blah, but honestly I think that both are good in their own right). The movie focuses mainly on the four main female characters, while the book includes the stories of many more diverse characters. This can be both a benefit and a drawback: To some degree, the multitude of characters in the book can get a little overwhelming. However, it was interesting to read more about the perspectives of the large black community, military members and others that aren't examined as thoroughly in the excellent (but shorter) movie version.

Overall, I really liked the folksy, Southern style of writing and the detail of the characters in the novel by Fannie Flagg. I enjoyed comparing and contrasting the lives of the characters in the book to those in the movie and learning more about their backgrounds than is revealed in the movie itself. Definitely recommend, even if (or especially if) you've already seen the movie version of the story.

I randomly picked up this book because I am a huge fan of Dick Van Dyke and I knew Fannie Flagg from his short-lived "The New Dick Van Dyke Show" and she seemed cool. So I thought, what the heck. I didn't know what it would be about, since I had never seen the movie either.

I loved it! I enjoyed reading about Idgie and Ruth's relationship. Being in the 1930s, I was surprised when the mother said something like, "now be nice, your sister has a crush." I was like, wait a minute, they are talking about Ruth, aren't they? The mother is being so casual! And later, none of their friends ever acted like there was anything unusual about their relationship. Wishful thinking on the part of Fannie Flagg, I guess, but I sure wish the whole world could be as accepting as the circle of friends portrayed in this book. What a great place the world would be. Even today it is not like that. I picked up the movie after reading the book. I liked it, but was disappointed that Idgie and Ruth came across as being mostly just good friends. And of course, they also served "coloreds" outside the back door of their cafe which was practically illegal. I really liked the characters and their progressive views.

I wonder how Fannie Flagg wrote the book so out of order? Did she write it in order and then mix it up the way she wanted it? I was surprised it was easy to understand the way it was. It also made it a quick and easy read because the chapters were so short.

Finally, there was a recipe for fried green tomatoes in the back of the book (and a few others). I really want to try them!

This was such a fun book! While it did have its moments of seriousness and development between characters, there was a lot of joy and jokes in this book as well. Flagg certainly has written a classic in my opinion.

There are two main story lines in this book, with little snippets of newspaper articles thrown in. The narrator storyline would probably be between Evelyn and Mrs. Threadgoode in the time line of the 80's. Evelyn visits with her husband every Sunday to see his mother in the nursing home. Since his mother isn't particularly nice to her, she uses the time to go by herself and sneak in candy. This changes one Sunday when Mrs. Threadgoode sits in the same area with her and begins talking. And doesn't stop. This continues on each Sunday until Evelyn begins to look forward to the lady and her stories and starts sharing her snacks with her. Through the stories she is able to overcome problems of her own and feel like she belongs somewhere.

The next storyline involves the people in the stories. The people who frequented the Whistle Stop Cafe in its heyday. The time line ranges from the very early 1900's to almost the time of Evelyn and Mrs. Threadgoodes story. Must prominently featured in this time line are the owners of the cafe, Idgie and Ruth. It tells of how they meet, what happens in their lives, and the friends and adventures they have. There are a few sad moments including topics such as death, abuse, and accidents, but the majority of the stories are very light hearted. Also with these chapters there's a smaller chapter written by the towns postal service worker as a news article for the paper. It usually mentions an event that the storyline goes on to tell in greater detail.

All the characters were wonderfully complex. They had distinct personalities and fit into the story well. I especially love how Evelyn grew in the book. She went from downtrodden to angry to an uplifted person.

The writing was mostly easy to read. At first I drove myself crazy trying to keep up with what date was what for the chapters, but finally I gave up and just concentrated on the story. I found that that improved the book greatly for me and honestly, the dates really didn't matter so much. As far as the language goes this was written to be an honest telling of the South in that era and as such, it isn't very politically correct. This could offend some people potentially.

There was one thing that wasn't very fitting (and could be a spoiler, this is your warning) was the relationship between Idgie and Ruth. While it wasn't so much the possibility of the relationship that was unusual, it was the way no one batted an eye at it. For the times that seemed very progressive as there are still a lot of people who are homophobic even in today's world. Instead of trying to make sense of it in an accurate fashion, I just told myself that Idgie acted so much like a boy that maybe everyone forgot she was a girl. Regardless, it was nice to see how these differences were accepted in the novel even if it wasn't realistic.

Great story and I've heard the movie is just as good. I may have to go see it now.

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
Copyright 1987
395 pages + a few pages of mouthwatering southern recipes

im reading it for the second time. im a HUGE fan of the movie. i seriously must drive my family crazy with the movie. im always watching it.
this is not a story you can just watch the movie with. you have to read the book.
In filmmaking they have to cut things and take certain characters and stick more to them so they can sum things up in 2 hours but you get to see the world thats been living in your head through the book with your own two eyes and the movie was phenominal.
im the book your imagination is able to go buck wild and fannie does just that.
ever wondered if eva really had a three legged dog. where did smokey lonesome come from and howd he end up on the road.
those questions are answered and so many more. in the book you get to really know stump. you learn more about ninny and evelyn.
you even get to spend a little more time with buddy.
i treasure this book and i hope you will too. id just love to find more books like this. its from a golden time long gone. I drive around town even now here in mississippi and see old buildings on the back roads from back in those days and its sad to think how manic things have become.
fried green tomatoes isnt about perfect people. its about real people, a mistery, a love story and a story about friendship.
This book is a gem. its a fresh bunch of honeysuckle after youve spent the day in the stressful cement coated city. you just gotta breath it in and go back.

The readers who describe these characters as "typical Southerners of their time" award a huge tribute to Fannie Flagg. More than a few of these characters are larger than life. This might be a compendium of the best stories of a mid-size town over a lifetime, but it would be hard to imagine this much plot in the lives of a half dozen closely linked people. Then again, the narrator doesn't hide the importance of exaggeration and outright tall tales to good storytellers in the Southern context.

Fried Green Tomatoes makes an excellent period piece with great local color. It may be too populist to qualify as "Literature", but the story will expand your mind and warm your heart. Flagg makes us loves them all, of all ages and persuasions, from the hothead grandmother with the frying pan, to her relative who covers for her, to the iconclast who tries to shield him, to the preacher who perjures himself to rescue her, to the judge who can see the book in the "preacher's" hands is no Bible and decides to let them all get away with it anyhow...

Sometimes we conclude "you just can't make this stuff up." Well, I don't know... Me, I think you'll have to read this story for yourself to believe it.

I usually read a book before seeing the movie so that the director's interpretation doesn't superimpose itself upon my imagination, but it is only through the movie that I was made aware of this book's existence.

The plot is superbly written and digresses to many chapters (cut from the movie) describing the simplicity of life in Birmingham, Alabama in the 1930's, the devotion of two friends who comfort one another in time of crisis--in the movie they are "just best friends" whereas in the book they are devoted to one another in an intimate lifetime commitment.

We move between the 1930's and the 1980's as Evelyn, a frustrated, middle-aged Birmingham housewife, listens to the elderly Ninny tell the story of the dramas that developed into the friendship of Ruth and Idgie. We find ourselves moving back and forth between five decades in a beautifully woven tale of love, prejudice, family, commitment and inspiration.

The final words sum the theme up, "The most important thing is friends...best friends."

Elizabeth Wallace is author of "The Invisible Thread: A Journey Home."

Have seen the video version of this innumerable times so was curious how the book related. Flagg wrote both, so they tracked closely, of course the novel had greater depth and dealt more firmly with issues of poverty and race and womanhood in general. Flagg is noted for being an effective comedian and those moments of humor were not omitted from what could have been a very dark (no pun intended) story. We have multiple story tellers here, so it presents a varied look at the same events and moves the plot along nicely without getting mired in dull detail. of course i had the advantage of knowing about the plot before hand, so can't judge how a first time reader would handle it. Ninny is the central voice but fortunately we don't have to depend solely on her fading memories. The story revolves around the life of Idgie who was perhaps admired greatly by Flagg and given preferential treatment.

My Summary: A very character-driven book, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe follows the story of the people who live in Whistle Stop Alabama from the late 1920s all the way through to Birmingham in the 1980s. The story is told in second and third person, going back and forth between conservations between Evelyn Couch and Ninny Threadgood.

Themes: Racism and race relations before the civil rights movement and after; vague GLBT themes; small town life

My Thoughts: I loved it! This book is a new favorite of mine, which took me by surprise.

I really enjoyed reading about the various lives in Whistle Stop, Alabama and the stories that were threaded throughout the novel. I also felt that this was well-accomplished and neatly done by Fannie Flagg, though there are many others who disagree (see reviews on any of the networking sites listed above).

If you haven't seen the movie (and I hadn't, would you believe it?), please be aware that this book jumps around in time quite a bit, from the twenties to the thirties, to the eighties to the forties to the twenties and back again, over and over. Sometimes story lines drop off entirely only to be picked up again much later in the book. This worked for me, but I can see how others might have struggled with this.

I hear the movie is better than the book -- it's going to have to work hard to do that for me when I get a chance to see it!

As for as stories go, this one's a cracker. So much more clever and insightful than it's subsequent movie treatment. (I know. The book is always better. Duh.) Is it realistic? No, but in the fine tradition of Southern storytelling, that's not the point. It's entertaining, with rich characters, plenty of drama, and a satisfying touch of Southern Gothic magical realism. Good times, y'all. Good times.

Pairs well with: Fairhope 51 Pale Ale

I saw the movie many years ago when I was a kid, so I wasn't super excited when it was chosen as a book club pick. I don't like reading a book if I know what's going to happen. I'm glad we chose it though, because it was so good. I loved the chapters of the local newspaper. I'd forgotten some of the things that happened and of course the book goes into so much more detail. This may have been the first time that everyone in our book club loved the book we read.

This is delightful fare. Flagg succeeds wonderfully in giving life to a small southern town and the people who inhabit it. Idgie is a fine creation, as ornery and as endearing as Huck Finn, and equally untainted by the opinions of others.

As other reviewers have noted, following the sequence of events can be tricky, even with the dated chapters that serve as markers. Still, the inventiveness of anecdote, 3rd person narration, and newspaper stories gives greater understanding to our view of this time and place.

I read the book after seeing the movie (VHS version) and then traveling to Juliette, Georgia, where the movie was filmed. The combination offered an enriching and engaging experience that I wish others could share. The story goes that "they" searched and searched to find a southern town close to Flagg's Whistle Stop ... and they triumphed when they chanced upon Juliette. While it is probably smaller than Flagg's conception, overall it works, especially the cafe.

What order you choose shouldn't matter. The movie faithfully renders the book, often using the exact words in dialogue. Flagg's ear is that good. Some may find it easier to follow the storyline of the book after seeing the movie. Whatever your choice, don't miss the tasty delights this book and movie deliver. They're wonderful. Flagg deserves the notoriety this book has granted her. She's a welcome storyteller. Her comic touch is sheer genius at times, and Igie's and Ruth's love for one another is heartwarming.

'Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe' is one of my favorite books. I just finished reading it again and I love it more than I did the last time!
There are many characters in this novel and you will love 98% of them! This book takes place from the 30's to the 80's and is packed full of stories!
You will learn things about racism that you don't want to know. I am ashamed of how some white people used to behave and how some still behave. This is a novel, but Fannie Flagg acurately depicts how cruel racism was back then and even can be NOW.
The most memorable characters are Idgie Threadgoode & Ruth Jamison and Mrs. Ninny Threadgoode & Evelyn Couch. These women will teach you about true, real and honest friendship. Take note and you will have healthier and happier relationships.
Fannie Flagg is an amazing author. She has a great sense of humor and weaves a story like you wouldn't believe! If you don't become completely engrossed in this novel I will be amazed. I can never read it fast enough!
Fannie Flagg is also great at character development. As I stated before there are many characters in this book and yet, Fannie Flagg writes in such a way that you will feel as if you know each and every one of them personally.
I am always kinda sad when this book ends because I don't want to leave Whistle Stop. I think that is why Evelyn is so sad in the end... she not only misses Mrs. Threadgoode, she misses Whistle Stop and all the people she met there through Ninny.
Read this book ASAP... I believe you will enjoy yourself! Thanks Fannie!

I just loved this book from beginning to end. I did not want to put it down, and the characters were constantly in my mind. Fried Green Tomatoes... had me thinking what would it be like to have an older woman to talk to about life. I would love to have a Ninny Threadgoode in my life. Her outrageous stories about her life and family, and the confidence she had with her self made me want to grow old gracefully like Ninny.
Before i read this book i saw the movie a very long time ago. Friend Green Tomatoes is one of my favorite movies. Most people do not read the book a movie is based on after they have already seen the movie, but that does not bother me. I was suprised at the great job the movie did in following the story so closely, but of course the book is always better than the movie. Through the book you can imagine the story, what Whistle Stop looks like as well as the cafe. While watching the movie you do not feel like you are part of the small Whistle Stop community, but through the book you feel like you are at the cafe sitting down to some barbecue. If you have already seen the movie, but not yet read the book, I suggest reading the book. For example, just because you have seen Gone with the Wind, does not mean you want to miss out on reading that masterpiece. The movie was amazing, but it does not compare to the novel.
This is the story of a middle aged woman named Evelyn. She is scared about eveything in her life, and has always been the good girl. During the book she realizes that all through her life she has had this fear of being called names. This fear has led her to lead a life she does not understand, and is not happy living. Evelyn struggles with her weight as well as her self image. Her mother in law is in a nursing home. While Evelyn is visiting her mother in law, she comes across Mrs. Cleo Threadgoode (also known as Ninny). Ninny begins talking to Evelyn about the small town she is from called Whistle Stop, and all of the people who lived there. This is a story about a small community that is centered around a Cafe that resides next to the railroad tracks. Evelyn becomes intrigued with the cast of characters Ninny talks about and soon can't stay away from the nursing home. Evelyn is also struggling to become happier with herself and her life. She is tired of being scared of everything and everyone. Mrs. Threadgoode becomes her mentor. She gives Evelyn the confidence she has always lacked to become something and be happier with herself.
This is an amazing novel. You will find yourself smiling while reading it as well as feeling as though you are part of a loving community. You will not be able to put this novel down because of what an amazing story teller Flagg is. The novel does not begin in the 20s and work its way to present time (or 1986) but it skips around quite frequently, and only Flagg (or gifted writers) could pull these events together without writing about them as they happened. I would recommend this novel for anyone that loves a beautiful story, with simply amazing characters.

I watched the movie Fried Green Tomatoes over and over as a 12 year old girl and loved it. Took me until I was 30 to finally pick up the book and it far outshines the film.

Excellent character development, beautifully written, better ending than the movie. I enjoyed the fact that the Idgie/Ruth relationship was more developed and the Evelyn/Ninny relationship was more in depth than the movie as well. The recipes at the end were a bonus (and I make beans just like Sipsey! Reckon that means I am an acceptable southern cook!)

Some reviewers had issue with the jumps in time, but I felt they were fantastic and allowed me to read almost as Evelyn was experiencing the stories--bits at a time. Overall just excellent and uplifting. While I love southern literature, some classics leave you feeling grimy (because they should; Tobacco Road is not supposed to leave you feeling like running a marathon) but this was just a good, happy read.

I couldn't find a single negative thing to say about this book!! There are very few books I've ever read that I can say that about as I am quite anal about writing, even my own.

Fannie Flagg has always been one of, if not my favorite writer. She doesn't write mind-boggling prose that keeps you on the edge of your seat or makes you stretch your imagination to keep a step ahead of the story. She writes small-town, real-life stories that almost anyone can relate to. Opening one of her books puts you smack-dab in the middle of Alabama!

My only suggestion is that if you want to read the book, do it before you see the movie as they are quite a bit different and you might be disappointed in the book if you watch the movie first. (I won't give any spoilers!)

Flagg does an excellent job of making the connection between past and present appear seamless in this wonderful story of an unlikely friendship.

During the 1980s, Evelyn Couch coicidentally becomes friends with Ninny Threadgoode, a resident of the nursing home where her mother-in-law resides. Evelyn quickly finds that the elderly woman is full of rich stories about the past -- stories which begin to fill a void in the overweight, dissatisfied woman's life like nothing else.

Central to the stories is Idgie Threadgoode, Ninny's sister-in-law and owner of the Whistle Stop Cafe, where the townspeople often congregate. A tomboy since childhood, Idgie has a way of handling adversity which Evelyn admires and envies. As time progresses, she begins to imagine what Idgie might do in a particular situation, longing for this woman of yesteryear to be a part of her life as well.

Like all good things, nothing can be forever -- not the Threadgoodes, and not the rapidly-growing friendship between Evelyn and Ninny. This isn't to say, however, that even the smallest words and actions aren't capable of leaving the deepest impressions upon a person's heart and mind.

As always, Flagg has created an unforgettable work.

Entertaining and informative with likeable characters from Alabama mines and mills country. Lots of laughter equalized by depression-era atmospherics and Klan-type menace with hard profanity and violence.

Flagg doesn't make the mistake of trying to capture the southern dialects with irritating phonetic spelling.

BILL OF FARE [for first time customers . . .]

Fillet of Possum
Prime Rib of Polecat
Goat's Liver and Onions
Bull Frog Pudding
Turkey Buzzard Pie ala Mode.

The story starts of in the 1920s into the 80s following the lives of the Threadgoode family from Whistle Stop, Alabama. A family with a heart of gold is the heart of the little town of Whistle Stop. And who better to tell the story then one of the members of this family, Ninny Threadgoode. Ninny who grows up in the Threadgoode household and ends up marrying one of the Threadgoode boys puts her excellent story telling skills to use when she tells it to Evelyn Couch.
Ninny at the time in an old people's home befriends Evelyn who is a visitor over there and in desperate need of a friend as she is going through mid-life crisis. Ninny goes on to tell a heartwarming story of Idgie Threadgoode, her sister-in-law. Idgie, a heroine in every respect, defies the authority of the Klan as she serves to the Blacks in her Café, falls in love with a woman and makes a home with her, runs her own business. She cannot be characterized as wild but she is fearless and sometimes reckless in her behavior. Another thing working in favor of Idgie is a very supportive family and community.
Ninny goes on to tell a story of a people coming together in times of crisis and later the community falling apart as the country develops and people move into big cities. During the course of her story telling, she saves Evelyn. Stories of Idgie's courage motivate Evelyn into bringing change in her own life for the better.
Although the movie version is great as well but lot of characters from the book are missing in the movie. The book is an experience in itself. The book will make you laugh, make you cry and you will remember the characters of this book for a long time.
ps. There are recipes from the café in the end, an added bonus.

In a heartwarming, endearing style, Flagg not only captures a feeling of warm, Southern hospitality through her characters, she also manages to touch on some hot issues, but does this with such grace and charm that few could take offense. The story is set in two time frames. The earlier story begins in the 1920's while the present day story starts in 1985. The story set in the past is slowly revealed and developed throughout the whole book, and partly through Mrs. Threadgoode's stories. Evelyn Couch's friendship with Mrs. Threadgoode and listening to her reminisce/tell stories about her past, helps present day Evelyn, as she struggles with her self worth. I didn't have any trouble following the various storylines and time frames. Dates are clearly given at the beginning of each new section. (I hesitate to say chapters because some sections are one page.) Stories in both time frames are equally engaging. The characters are well developed and memorable; the dialogue is easy to follow. Very Highly Recommended

This story is a great read moves between two time periods the 1920's and 1985. The first story is Idgie Threadgoode and her friend Ruth Jamieson. They own and operate a café in Whistle Stop, Alabama,this story deals with a lot of life issues lesbian relationships, how minorities are treated, problems with aging, The second story starts in 1985 Evelyn Couch meets Ninny Threadgoode , sister in law of Idgie at the Rose Terrace nursing home in Birmingham . Evelyn finally takes control over her own life she is 49 and going thru menopause and depression. This book is filled with Southern charm message of love and empowerment. Top ten must reads.

This book is a trip. It's a trip in space, a slow train ride to Birmingham, Alabama and a little nearby town called Whistle Stop. It's a trip in time to the 1980's, to the 1950's and 30's and all the way back to the turn of the century. It's a trip through the minds of ordinary people who have led full and varied lives.
It is told from the points of view of a number of different characters, many of them residents of Whistle Stop during the hard times of the Depression. Their world is so real you can taste the buttered biscuits, hear the horrified screams of witnesses to train accidents, laugh at Idgie's shocking antics and cry at Artis' lot in life.
Although this book is hailed as a comedy, and is very funny in many places, it is really about everything in life--life and death and laughter and tears, boredom and deep thinking and insanity and revelation and, as the blurb puts it, "even an occasional murder."
I also like it because it has a touching, non-explicit, very sensitive portrayal of a true-to-life lesbian relationship.
I know this review was corny, but I can't help it. This book is so much fun to read and really ISN'T corny. That's all I can say.

'Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe' is one of my favorite books. I just finished reading it again and I love it more than I did the last time!
There are many characters in this novel and you will love 98% of them! This book takes place from the 30's to the 80's and is packed full of stories!
You will learn things about racism that you don't want to know. I am ashamed of how some white people used to behave and how some still behave. This is a novel, but Fannie Flagg acurately depicts how cruel racism was back then and even can be NOW.
The most memorable characters are Idgie Threadgoode & Ruth Jamison and Mrs. Ninny Threadgoode & Evelyn Couch. These women will teach you about true, real and honest friendship. Take note and you will have healthier and happier relationships.
Fannie Flagg is an amazing author. She has a great sense of humor and weaves a story like you wouldn't believe! If you don't become completely engrossed in this novel I will be amazed. I can never read it fast enough!
Fannie Flagg is also great at character development. As I stated before there are many characters in this book and yet, Fannie Flagg writes in such a way that you will feel as if you know each and every one of them personally.
I am always kinda sad when this book ends because I don't want to leave Whistle Stop. I think that is why Evelyn is so sad in the end... she not only misses Mrs. Threadgoode, she misses Whistle Stop and all the people she met there through Ninny.
Read this book ASAP... I believe you will enjoy yourself! Thanks Fannie!

I just loved this book from beginning to end. I did not want to put it down, and the characters were constantly in my mind. Fried Green Tomatoes... had me thinking what would it be like to have an older woman to talk to about life. I would love to have a Ninny Threadgoode in my life. Her outrageous stories about her life and family, and the confidence she had with her self made me want to grow old gracefully like Ninny.
Before i read this book i saw the movie a very long time ago. Friend Green Tomatoes is one of my favorite movies. Most people do not read the book a movie is based on after they have already seen the movie, but that does not bother me. I was suprised at the great job the movie did in following the story so closely, but of course the book is always better than the movie. Through the book you can imagine the story, what Whistle Stop looks like as well as the cafe. While watching the movie you do not feel like you are part of the small Whistle Stop community, but through the book you feel like you are at the cafe sitting down to some barbecue. If you have already seen the movie, but not yet read the book, I suggest reading the book. For example, just because you have seen Gone with the Wind, does not mean you want to miss out on reading that masterpiece. The movie was amazing, but it does not compare to the novel.
This is the story of a middle aged woman named Evelyn. She is scared about eveything in her life, and has always been the good girl. During the book she realizes that all through her life she has had this fear of being called names. This fear has led her to lead a life she does not understand, and is not happy living. Evelyn struggles with her weight as well as her self image. Her mother in law is in a nursing home. While Evelyn is visiting her mother in law, she comes across Mrs. Cleo Threadgoode (also known as Ninny). Ninny begins talking to Evelyn about the small town she is from called Whistle Stop, and all of the people who lived there. This is a story about a small community that is centered around a Cafe that resides next to the railroad tracks. Evelyn becomes intrigued with the cast of characters Ninny talks about and soon can't stay away from the nursing home. Evelyn is also struggling to become happier with herself and her life. She is tired of being scared of everything and everyone. Mrs. Threadgoode becomes her mentor. She gives Evelyn the confidence she has always lacked to become something and be happier with herself.
This is an amazing novel. You will find yourself smiling while reading it as well as feeling as though you are part of a loving community. You will not be able to put this novel down because of what an amazing story teller Flagg is. The novel does not begin in the 20s and work its way to present time (or 1986) but it skips around quite frequently, and only Flagg (or gifted writers) could pull these events together without writing about them as they happened. I would recommend this novel for anyone that loves a beautiful story, with simply amazing characters.

I watched the movie Fried Green Tomatoes over and over as a 12 year old girl and loved it. Took me until I was 30 to finally pick up the book and it far outshines the film.

Excellent character development, beautifully written, better ending than the movie. I enjoyed the fact that the Idgie/Ruth relationship was more developed and the Evelyn/Ninny relationship was more in depth than the movie as well. The recipes at the end were a bonus (and I make beans just like Sipsey! Reckon that means I am an acceptable southern cook!)

Some reviewers had issue with the jumps in time, but I felt they were fantastic and allowed me to read almost as Evelyn was experiencing the stories--bits at a time. Overall just excellent and uplifting. While I love southern literature, some classics leave you feeling grimy (because they should; Tobacco Road is not supposed to leave you feeling like running a marathon) but this was just a good, happy read.

I couldn't find a single negative thing to say about this book!! There are very few books I've ever read that I can say that about as I am quite anal about writing, even my own.

Fannie Flagg has always been one of, if not my favorite writer. She doesn't write mind-boggling prose that keeps you on the edge of your seat or makes you stretch your imagination to keep a step ahead of the story. She writes small-town, real-life stories that almost anyone can relate to. Opening one of her books puts you smack-dab in the middle of Alabama!

My only suggestion is that if you want to read the book, do it before you see the movie as they are quite a bit different and you might be disappointed in the book if you watch the movie first. (I won't give any spoilers!)

Flagg does an excellent job of making the connection between past and present appear seamless in this wonderful story of an unlikely friendship.

During the 1980s, Evelyn Couch coicidentally becomes friends with Ninny Threadgoode, a resident of the nursing home where her mother-in-law resides. Evelyn quickly finds that the elderly woman is full of rich stories about the past -- stories which begin to fill a void in the overweight, dissatisfied woman's life like nothing else.

Central to the stories is Idgie Threadgoode, Ninny's sister-in-law and owner of the Whistle Stop Cafe, where the townspeople often congregate. A tomboy since childhood, Idgie has a way of handling adversity which Evelyn admires and envies. As time progresses, she begins to imagine what Idgie might do in a particular situation, longing for this woman of yesteryear to be a part of her life as well.

Like all good things, nothing can be forever -- not the Threadgoodes, and not the rapidly-growing friendship between Evelyn and Ninny. This isn't to say, however, that even the smallest words and actions aren't capable of leaving the deepest impressions upon a person's heart and mind.

As always, Flagg has created an unforgettable work.

Entertaining and informative with likeable characters from Alabama mines and mills country. Lots of laughter equalized by depression-era atmospherics and Klan-type menace with hard profanity and violence.

Flagg doesn't make the mistake of trying to capture the southern dialects with irritating phonetic spelling.

BILL OF FARE [for first time customers . . .]

Fillet of Possum
Prime Rib of Polecat
Goat's Liver and Onions
Bull Frog Pudding
Turkey Buzzard Pie ala Mode.

The story starts of in the 1920s into the 80s following the lives of the Threadgoode family from Whistle Stop, Alabama. A family with a heart of gold is the heart of the little town of Whistle Stop. And who better to tell the story then one of the members of this family, Ninny Threadgoode. Ninny who grows up in the Threadgoode household and ends up marrying one of the Threadgoode boys puts her excellent story telling skills to use when she tells it to Evelyn Couch.
Ninny at the time in an old people's home befriends Evelyn who is a visitor over there and in desperate need of a friend as she is going through mid-life crisis. Ninny goes on to tell a heartwarming story of Idgie Threadgoode, her sister-in-law. Idgie, a heroine in every respect, defies the authority of the Klan as she serves to the Blacks in her Café, falls in love with a woman and makes a home with her, runs her own business. She cannot be characterized as wild but she is fearless and sometimes reckless in her behavior. Another thing working in favor of Idgie is a very supportive family and community.
Ninny goes on to tell a story of a people coming together in times of crisis and later the community falling apart as the country develops and people move into big cities. During the course of her story telling, she saves Evelyn. Stories of Idgie's courage motivate Evelyn into bringing change in her own life for the better.
Although the movie version is great as well but lot of characters from the book are missing in the movie. The book is an experience in itself. The book will make you laugh, make you cry and you will remember the characters of this book for a long time.
ps. There are recipes from the café in the end, an added bonus.

In a heartwarming, endearing style, Flagg not only captures a feeling of warm, Southern hospitality through her characters, she also manages to touch on some hot issues, but does this with such grace and charm that few could take offense. The story is set in two time frames. The earlier story begins in the 1920's while the present day story starts in 1985. The story set in the past is slowly revealed and developed throughout the whole book, and partly through Mrs. Threadgoode's stories. Evelyn Couch's friendship with Mrs. Threadgoode and listening to her reminisce/tell stories about her past, helps present day Evelyn, as she struggles with her self worth. I didn't have any trouble following the various storylines and time frames. Dates are clearly given at the beginning of each new section. (I hesitate to say chapters because some sections are one page.) Stories in both time frames are equally engaging. The characters are well developed and memorable; the dialogue is easy to follow. Very Highly Recommended

This story is a great read moves between two time periods the 1920's and 1985. The first story is Idgie Threadgoode and her friend Ruth Jamieson. They own and operate a café in Whistle Stop, Alabama,this story deals with a lot of life issues lesbian relationships, how minorities are treated, problems with aging, The second story starts in 1985 Evelyn Couch meets Ninny Threadgoode , sister in law of Idgie at the Rose Terrace nursing home in Birmingham . Evelyn finally takes control over her own life she is 49 and going thru menopause and depression. This book is filled with Southern charm message of love and empowerment. Top ten must reads.

This book is a trip. It's a trip in space, a slow train ride to Birmingham, Alabama and a little nearby town called Whistle Stop. It's a trip in time to the 1980's, to the 1950's and 30's and all the way back to the turn of the century. It's a trip through the minds of ordinary people who have led full and varied lives.
It is told from the points of view of a number of different characters, many of them residents of Whistle Stop during the hard times of the Depression. Their world is so real you can taste the buttered biscuits, hear the horrified screams of witnesses to train accidents, laugh at Idgie's shocking antics and cry at Artis' lot in life.
Although this book is hailed as a comedy, and is very funny in many places, it is really about everything in life--life and death and laughter and tears, boredom and deep thinking and insanity and revelation and, as the blurb puts it, "even an occasional murder."
I also like it because it has a touching, non-explicit, very sensitive portrayal of a true-to-life lesbian relationship.
I know this review was corny, but I can't help it. This book is so much fun to read and really ISN'T corny. That's all I can say.

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is a great book. I love how Flagg portrays the women in the novel. I feel that the structure of the novel is very good. I like how Dot Weems mentioned events in her articles, and then they were later discussed in the next chapter. All the chapters in the book flow. I also like the fact that The Whistle Stop Cafe is the center of the novel. All the characters in the book are somehow connected to the cafe.

I really admire how Flagg contrasts Idgie with the other women in the book. Even though Idgie has masculing ways, she is a very loving person. The women in the book are portrayed as courageous and wise, and I respect that. The only problem I have is that there are a few irrelevant characters to the story, but overrall the characters are very loving and easy to relate to. The novel was pretty funny. It is one of those books that you get so in to, you just can't stop reading. Overrall the book was very entertaining and I enjoyed reading every bit of it.

Told in anecdote format, including short articles in the local newspaper by Dot Weems, this story focuses on Mrs. Threadgoode, an old lady in a nursing home, looking back on her life in Whistle Stop, Alabama. The cafe run by Idgie and Ruth, women in love with each other, was the focal point of all the little town's life. There's an unsolved murder threaded like a hank of old yarn that runs through the tale, and once you've finished the book, you'll never again feel quite the same about eating southern barbecue.
Fannie Flagg manages in this small book to deal with some of the great literary themes: racism, sexism, ageism, love, disability, death, and grief.
The stories run backwards and forwards in time, just as an old lady's mind does, and sometimes it gets a bit confusing, but it you make a point of checking the date at the top of each entry, you won't get lost.
On top of all that, there are some great recipes at the end, including of course, one for fried green tomatoes. I tried it. Delicious, just like the book itself.

I borrowed this book, which was (incongruously) written by the actress and comedienne Fannie Flagg, from a lesbian friend and never ended up giving it back. She left town, and I'm sorry, but I kept the book and have read it again and again and again and again and again and have never grown tried of it. Wanna be tempted? Let me quote a couple of lines from the book that will make you get teared up if you ever get teared up:
Evelyn stared into the empty ice cream carton and wondered where the smiling girl in the school pictures had gone.
Idgie smiled back at her and looked up into the clear blue sky that reflected her eyes and she was as happy as anybody who is in love in the summertime can be.
Eva didn't know about a lot of things, but she knew about love.
Sipsey was still in the cafe, wagging her finger up to the ceiling. "Don't you do dis, Lord .. don't you do dis to Miz Idgie and Miz Ruth ... don't you do this thang! You hear me, God? Don't do it!"
"That's right. And there's something else I want you always to remember. There are magnificent beings on this eart, son, that are walking around posing as humans. And I don't ever want you to forget that. You hear me?"
Then he turned around and headed for the yard to hop a train south, to Alabama. He wanted to get out of Chicago, this wind that whipped around the buildings was so cold that it sometimes brought a tear to a man's eye.
Naughty Bird went inside and ate three buttermilk biscuits with honey.
After she sealed it, she went over to the window and looked up at the blue sky. She took a deep breath of fresh air and felt her heart rising like a kite that some child had just released to the heavens.
She sat there on the ground, her elbow bleeding, old and fat and worthless all over again.
The door of the cabin opened, and a freshly bathed, powdered and perfumed woman with rust-colored hair and apple-green eyes said, "Come on in, sugar", as Idgie drove away.
Onzell had her eyes closed as she was singing, but she felt the room fill up with sunlight that had broken through the clouds. The warmth of the sun made her cry tears of joy. As she covered the mirror and stopped the clock by the bed, she thanked her sweet Jesus for taking Miss Ruth home.
After that, all Peggy ever had to do was take off her glasses and look up at him, and he was a goner.
It would have been wonderful, too, if Evelyn had known that the young woman who shook her hand had been the eldest daughter of Jasper Peavey, pullman porter, who, like herself, had made it through.
They each understood what the other was feeling. It was as if, from there on, the two of them mourned together. Not that they ever talked about it. The ones that hurt the most always say the least.
... But Artis was still way up in the woods, with his barbecue.
Suddenly Evelyn didn't feel cute anymore, and she wanted to go home.
Evelyn stopped the car and sat there, sobbing like her heart would break, wondering why people had to get old and die.
And the card was signed: "I'll always remember. Your friend, the Bee Charmer."
The great novelist Rita Mae Brown, who for a while was Fannie Flagg's lover, has written of this book: "Her aunt's story was a great story. I told her she could soft-pedal it. Just write the women as she remembered them. I helped her with the structure. This was the novel that eventually became "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe". Fannie doesn't need my help anymore. I'm very proud of her."
And one last note: Few novels get made into movies that are just as good. If you get teared up while you read "Fried Green Tomatoes", you will howl when you see the movie. It's that good. Get the book and the movie both - you will never regret it for a moment.

I have never seen this movie, so I started this book with a neutral opinion. And I must say that I loved this book.
It was a present day story with a lot of flashbacks, which gives the reader so many great stories that lead to present day.
I grew to love each character especially Evelyn Couch and Idgie Threadegood.
This book is about an elder woman in nursing home telling her friend (Evelyn) about her memories of her life with her husbands family in the 1920-30s.
When she is not narrating the stories flashback to the past and tell a story of a close family who are open minded and loving to all races and cultures.
Although it is never stated in the book, 2 of the main characters have got to be lesbians. Although they are never labeled the author gives a pretty good impression that the two are lovers.
This book is about love, life and being happy and proud of the life you live!

This is a book that has been sitting on my shelf for years and I finally pulled it down and read it because a friend told me it was one of her favorite books. I am sorry I waited so long but very glad I finally read it.

This book is a delight! It is fun and it is also in a wry way a window to the foibles, loves, kindnesses and evils of a time past. And a parable about the tenacity of the human spirit.

It is the story of two women who meet in the 80's. Mrs Threadgoode, in her 80's telling the story of her life and the Whistle Stop Café to Evelyn who is depressed, unhappy and eating her way through a sad middle age. Mrs Threadgoode's life and the characters that people it are fascinating and the story is filled with humor, drama and heartache.

Through the ministry of the stories of the Whistle Stop Café, Evelyn is rejuvenated and inspired to face the challenges of her life while her company and attention adds pleasure to the waning years of Mrs Threadgoode.

Fun, fun, a wonderful read!

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe will make you cry, laugh, and realize, in the end, the strength of the human spirit can prevail over all sorts of evil elements
Fannie Flagg, in her characteristic voice, spins a yarn that will have you laughing until it hurts, while at the same time, exposing the horrors of racism and sexism in the south and the rest of the country. She creates the most lovable characters in Onzell, Sipsey, Idgie, Ruth, Momma, Poppa, Big George, Stump, Ninny, and Evelyn Couch. Join Evelyn in her rebirth in the "All-Black" Baptist Church she visits one Sunday, laugh as Vesta Adcock runs over her gardener head as he's napping, (he lives, just a few tires marks!) laugh as Dot Weem reports that her husband burnt down the garage, and forgot to back the car out in order to save his brand new saw! Flagg's voice is truly southern, rich, ripe with humor, pride and seriousness. This book will make you hungry and could easily lead to your gaining weight!
Told in a series of short flashbacks, the plot is not easily defined, but is perfect for the book! Read this sweet, lovable, good, book; you'll feel better afterward!

Goodness, do I ever love this book! :) I love the characters, love the humour, love just about everything about it. Fannie Flagg, you're a genius! At first, when I saw the movie, I couldn't help but be intrigued to read the book Amazingly, the book is just as g...no, no, it's EVEN BETTER! It was as if I had been right there in the story sharing the joy and memories of the characters. It was extremely well writtened and it's one of my personal favourites. Even if I hadn't watched the movie, I would have come around to loving it just the same. It's destined for us to adore this story :) Most of all, I have to say, "Gotta love Idgie!" A role model and heroine for all. The magical part is how the memories of Idgie and Ruth helped Evelyn to reconize her own courage and confidence. Nope, I'm NOT gonna let anyone not to like this book. Read it, love it, live it. The one of the messages of the book is: Live your life! --that's the spirit!

I may have been the only one who didn't know Fried Green Tomatoes was based upon a book. Consequently, I was thrilled when I saw a tattered copy in the used bookstore. Ms. Flagg is an engaging author. Her characters sprang to life through her writing style, leaving the reader begging for more.

Like the movie, Cleo Threadgood, age eighty six, shares her memories of life in Whistle Stop, Alabama with Evelyn Couch, a younger woman who is attempting to discover who she is. They meet in a nursing home and strike up an unlikely friendship. The story alternates between such memories and Evelyn's journey of self-discovery.

If you like the movie, you will find the book to be just as good, if not better. I highly recommend this book, and the author.

Although I saw the movie based on this book several times, its only now 15 years after this book was published that I finally decided to read it. And now that I have gulped down the pages, I'm wondering what took me so long to envelop myself with this delightful book filld with Southern charm. And while it's also safe to say than many readers and viewers are now familiar with the stories about Idgie and Ruth and Ninny and Evelyn, rarely does a book today offer such wonderful and endearing characters and a plot which has you racing to the last page.
While describing a friendship between two women some 60 years before and a present day relationship between a nursing home resident and her loyal visitor, the reader is set off on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Dealing with subects as far reaching as women's liberation, homosexual relationships, rights of minority groups,integration and growing old, Fannie Flagg never fails to entice her readers and allow them to view a slice of American life now sadly gone.
It may have taken me all of this time to finally read a book by Fannie Flagg but if her any other titles are as good as this one, I surely will be in reader's heaven. I already have Welcome to the World, Baby Girl and am eagerly waiting to begin it. Maybe today's the day.

Fannie Flagg's heartwarming stories never fail to entertain, and the characters in this one are some of the most endearing ones in all of Southern lit. The deceptively simple story is told in a witty and light-hearted manner, but delves into such emotionally-charged issues as lesbian relationships, the treatment of minorities, the problems of aging and more in an unforgettable narrative.

The story moves effortlessly between two time frames. The first story begins in the 1920's and centers on Idgie Threadgoode, a female Huck Finn, and her friend Ruth Jamison. Together, they own and operate the cafe which is the center of small-town life in Whistle Stop, Alabama.

The second story begins in 1985 when Evelyn Couch meets Ninny Threadgoode, the now-elderly sister-in-law of Idgie, at the Rose Terrace Nursing Home in Birmingham.

The two stories unfold in a light-hearted, folksy way that puts you into the lives of these poignant charaters and has you longing for the neighborly friendliness of a time long past. Evelyn is, in fact, so touched by Ninny's recollections that she is finally able to take control of her own life through the often hilarious and always inspiring life of Idgie.

For a feel-good read where the inherent goodness of people causes them to carry on through good times and bad, I highly recommend this one.

I truly love this story. I like the way the story goes back in time for a chapter and then is current (1986) the next chapter. Just pay attention to the chapter titles so you know where you are (what city and date) Flagg is a great storyteller. When I finished reading the book, I went to the store and found green tomatoes and actually made the recipe which is in the back of the book. My husband loved the fried green tomatoes. I must go rent the movie now. I have not seen it since it was out in the theatres. I forgot there was a murder mystery along with the novel. This is a must read. A real feel good story. I wish I could go visit Whistle Stop. Other than Idgie being my favorite character, I would say the town of Whistle Stop is my favorite character.

I wanted to take a moment to give some credit to a few books I'd highly recommend, and this is one of them. This narrative tale about life, family and connections in an older, southern town is packed full of enough flavor to be both compelling and convincing.

We're given a view into two very different lives, that of a woman in the 1980's enduring midlife in a kind of defeated desperation, and the deeper look into the life of a family that endured, twisted and turned through some very unexpected bends. Make no mistake, the author isn't waxing poetic about the golden years... you get an almost raw look into the bittersweet stories and truths that only family members know. It'll pull you in and immediately give you a sense of connection to our poor middle-aged southern wife who becomes equally compelled.

One of the greatest pieces of praise I have for the book is its kindly closure for the family from these beloved tales... we see how some of them completed their lives, and how others were trying to adjust to the changing times. It's touching. My only wish that wasn't granted was that they didn't move too far into the future of Evelyn, our modern wife. The movie spends more time with her than the book does, but it's still such a tasty end.

Highly recommended!

Evelyn Couch is having a midlife crisis. She was brought up to be a "good girl" and do everything she was "supposed" to do, which was to marry a good man and become a wife and mother. She did, but now that her children are grown and out of the house, Evelyn is feeling that life has passed her by. She is realizing that the current world is so very different from the one she grew up in and she does not know how to cope. On top of that, she realizes that her relationship with her husband is drifting farther and farther apart. Many days, she sits at home alone, overeating and wishing for the courage to end her life.

Things begin to change when she meets Cleo Threadgood, a resident at a local Alabama nursing home. Cleo regales Evelyn with stories of her family and friends, growing up in a small town named Whistle Stop, Alabama. Through these stories and numerous visits with Cleo, Evelyn begins to reevaluate her life and discover for the first time, the kind of woman that she wants to become.

This is my favorite book. I suppose it resonated so well with me because I read it for the first time when I was in college, trying to figure out who I was, much like Ruth. There are strong themes of hope, resilience, perseverance, and change, in this story. I never get tired of reading this book because the author writes with such passion and poignancy that it draws me in every time. As stated earlier, these characters feel like friends who I want to visit over and over.

Fannie Flagg is definitely a storyteller. In the style of Garrison Keilor and other "old-time" storytellers, she weaves a story about a town, and the people within it, with graceful ease. Each character has a distinctive voice, and the book is filled with well-blended humor and poignancy. It captures an era (ok, several eras), and is compelling in the diversity of personalities (that somehow stay contemporary in design). I really enjoyed this (much better than the movie!), and I recommend it for anyone looking for a touching and mostly-cheerful light read.

I have loved the movie since I was a kid and it’s still one of my favorites and for some reason the movie went way off course from the book. I enjoyed reading detailed information about the characters. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book.

I think the only thing that stopped me from giving this book five stars was the constant going back and forth in time and many a place with every chapter. You need to pay a certain amount of attention to keep the characters straight within the changing storyline but it is definitely worth the extra effort. This is just a sweet story about a little town and the people who lived there, with a little bit of intrigue thrown in just for fun. So true to real life, so unpretentious and very fulfilling to the reader. A highly recommended read.

Through the mouths of five southern women, readers have a front row seat to their lives in Whistle Stop. Fried Green Tomatoes is a true chick flick in written form. It all begins in the small train town in Alabama, where Dot Weems' informs you of the gossip around town and off you go to the moving experience of friendship, love and family. The impenetrable bond of Ruth and Idgie's relationship really pulls at your heartstrings, while you have a good laugh with Ninny and Evelyn. In each woman you see a little of yourself and that is the most compelling part of the book and makes you never want to put it down. Fried Green Tomatoes was a great, easy read that makes you feel the greatest emotion-- laughter through tears.

Take this one to the beach! If you loved the movie, if you liked the books or movies Beaches or First Wives Club, you'll love this book.
Everyone else very adeptly summarized the story line for you, so I will spare you.
Essentially, if you enjoy having tidbits of information with varying voices and time periods thrown helter skelter, this is the book for you. It has quite a bit of literary strength although it breaks some of the rules.
The book does depict a lesbian relationship between the main characters, but does not explore any erotic situations, or cultural implications of their time period. I thought it was a little odd that no one said anything about two girls in love. One character lends Idgie the money to start the cafe, because now she has a woman to care for. Doesn't it seem odd that no one in a tight knit southern community would at all comment on an obvious lesbian relationship in the 20's?
Otherwise, it's a wonderful book, full of tall tales and high adventure. Although you start out hating Evelyn, you can feel the strength growing inside her, as she gathers Idgie's spirit from Ninny's stories. You cheer her on, and when the final page is read, you begin to think, maybe there's a few more steps I can take, too.
Get your copy used from the marketplace sellers right here on the store.com - always a wonderful experience.

If you're trying to decide between seeing the movie or reading the book first, definitely go for the book. There's something about Flagg's writing that makes it leap off the pages with Southern charm. Being overly familiar with the excellent movie of the same name, I felt like I was reading the screenplay when I read the book, and I wished I could enjoy this literature on its own, without imagining Kathy Bates and Mary Stuart Masterson in their big screen portrayals.

That said, this is an excellent piece of Southern literature, interweaving years and generations of colorful characters. The stories about family, relationships, love, community ties, and more are beautiful and important with their life lessons.

I read this great book for the first time for a book report in the 8th grade. It has remained at the top of my list ever since. This is a truly endearing and heartfelt book that is guaranteed to make you laugh and cry. I promise there is at least one character in this book that you can relate to and recognize. I think we all have a dear Ninny Threadgoode in our lives...someone who truly brings out the best in all the people who are lucky enough to meet her. I really enjoyed the relationship between Idgie and Ruth. I was shocked several years ago when I read that they actually had a lesbian relationship. I guess I was just so engrossed with the compassion and friendship they had for one another that I totally missed the point. I would strongly recommend this book to any fan of any genre as this book has it all, including comedy, mystery, romance, and drama. The book also features several tried and true country cooking recipes in the back that are sure to send you to the grocery store for ingredients. This is, in my opinion, one of the best books of our time. Don't take my word for it though, go see for yourself!

This is such a great book! It is funny, sad, joyful and sweet. I really connected with all of the characters. Ninny was a wonderful storyteller. I loved how she kept so upbeat even through the tragedies. It's amazing how meeting one person can change your life so much, as Ninny did for Evelyn. I really felt like I knew these characters by the end of this novel. I'm glad I read this. I read it in one evening, I couldn't put it down! I highly recommend this book.

'Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe' is the charming story of two women in 1986, one of whom, old and oracular, soothes the angst of the other, middle-aged and depressed, by telling her wonderful stories of her youth in a railway podunk. I'm sure you know all that already. I heartily recommend this novel: it's witty yet meaningful, the characters are sympathetic and easy to get attached to, and the writing is spot-on. There are quite a few typos and errors in my text; perhaps they've been rectified in further editions. Let these not distract, however, from the fact that FGTATWSC is perfect for a swift and entertaining, yet meaningful read. Fannie Flagg, I salute you!

Fannie Flagg does a great job showing the confrontations of the small town of Whistle Stop. "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe" is a novel that shows people the true sides of racism, sexism, and many other troubles that people had to face. This novel tells of the depression, and of the rough times people in Whistle Stop encountered. Although the times are always changing between the stories of Mrs. Threadgoode at the nursing home and Idgie and Ruth at Whistle Stop, there is still a great understanding of what people went through. Fannie Flagg's ability to show all of these rough times is one reason that the novel did, and still does, so well.

Fried Green Tomatoes is one of my favorite books because the book seems to touch the human soul so well. I smiled over Dot Weem's newspaper columns. I laughed about Idgie's childhood. I scoffed at Frank Bennet's murder. And I felt sorrow at the deep racism in the 1920's.
The book takes turns being mostly narrated by four women's lives: Ninny Threadgoode: the old and cheery woman who gives strength to Evelyn and tells the story about two women, Evelyn: the failed housewife and a victim of sexism who, in her midlife crisis, turns into the revengeful "Towanda", Ruth Jamison: the gentle wife of an abusive husband, finding santuary in her friends'love for her, and Idgie Threadgoode, strong and wild, the co-owner of The Whistle Stop Cafe, and the "love" of Ruth's life. Together, they weave a bittersweet story about love, friendship, and sorrow that life brings to everyone.

First I saw the movie, then I read the book. The book's even better, as books tend to be. But if you don't mind, I'll just share my movie review:

The copyright on this film is 1991. It is now 2005. Are Jan and I the last two people on the planet to see this film? I don't care. I'm reviewing it anyway.

Students are regularly shocked to hear that I haven't been to the USA in 6 years. They assume I miss "my hometown." I explain to them that I miss my father and his lovely wife, and once in a while my gorgeous little doggies, but not my hometown.

But lemme tell you about Fried Green Tomatoes, which are delicious. This is the most accurate portrayal of Southern life I've ever seen. I don't say that lightly. I've seen many films and read many books which portray Southern life quite well. Author Fannie Flagg, who I'm old enough to remember from The Match Game, nailed it. She's more twisted than the other two Southern lady authors I adore, Harper Lee and Anne Tyler, and I like that in a person. Also, it would've been a crime if Fannie hadn't popped in for a cameo, so I'm happy she did.

Fried Green Tomatoes is deceptively slow moving, as is Southern life. There's a whole lot of stuff in there, however, all of which is quite accurate. The good and the bad. Many parts of it will have you cracking up with laughter, but it's not always a happy-happy load of hooey. Our deep dark secrets are also in there. Subtly. I do appreciate subtlety. I don't see it enough.

I could give you a list of all the things I loved about this film. It'd be so long you wouldn't read it. So lemme just say I'll watch it again -- I don't know how many times -- and that I may very well buy the novel. I get a strong sense that the film is quite true to the novel, but I like to see these things for myself. I betcha Fannie's got a way with words. If you haven't watched this film, get it. You'll love it.

I love this book. I have read it about half a dozen times. I encourage anyone to listed to it on cd as well. It's read by the author, and she adds so much to the story. I really enjoy the way she writes. She has written several other books, which I have also read and liked. She has a very engaging writing style, conversational-it's as if she's sitting at my kitchen table with a hot cup of coffee telling me a story. Try another one of her books, they don't disappoint.

A story about this old lady, Evelyn, who is unhappy with her life to begin with. Until she met, Mrs. Threadgoode, her life changed upon this life story that she told about. Which was a story that takes you back to the 1930's in Alabama at the Whistle Stop of these two girls, one tomboyish Idgie and other was sweet and friendly, Ruth. It talked about these two girl's life in the eye of Mrs. Threadgoode.
I liked this book because it gave me the oppournity to see that there was some kind of diversity even that long ago, and be able to appreicate life alone even more and it give me the chance to laugh and say it was a good book to read.

I'd seen the movie ages ago, much too long ago to really remember. The book was wonderful.

It's interesting to me that this story rides more on the colorfulness of the characters than the plot. There's not really any one direct plot, it's more like a series of stories and adventures that add to the growth of the many characters of Whistle Stop. I also liked how Evelyn's character changed and grew, and how the story was told a lot through her visits with Ninny Threadgoode. Very interesting way of going about it.

Overall, loved this book. Loved hearing about the pre-Civil Rights South, Idgie and Ruth's relationship...A book in which one can get lost. Highly recommended.

I read this great book for the first time for a book report in the 8th grade. It has remained at the top of my list ever since. This is a truly endearing and heartfelt book that is guaranteed to make you laugh and cry. I promise there is at least one character in this book that you can relate to and recognize. I think we all have a dear Ninny Threadgoode in our lives...someone who truly brings out the best in all the people who are lucky enough to meet her. I really enjoyed the relationship between Idgie and Ruth. I was shocked several years ago when I read that they actually had a lesbian relationship. I guess I was just so engrossed with the compassion and friendship they had for one another that I totally missed the point. I would strongly recommend this book to any fan of any genre as this book has it all, including comedy, mystery, romance, and drama. The book also features several tried and true country cooking recipes in the back that are sure to send you to the grocery store for ingredients. This is, in my opinion, one of the best books of our time. Don't take my word for it though, go see for yourself!

This is such a great book! It is funny, sad, joyful and sweet. I really connected with all of the characters. Ninny was a wonderful storyteller. I loved how she kept so upbeat even through the tragedies. It's amazing how meeting one person can change your life so much, as Ninny did for Evelyn. I really felt like I knew these characters by the end of this novel. I'm glad I read this. I read it in one evening, I couldn't put it down! I highly recommend this book.

'Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe' is the charming story of two women in 1986, one of whom, old and oracular, soothes the angst of the other, middle-aged and depressed, by telling her wonderful stories of her youth in a railway podunk. I'm sure you know all that already. I heartily recommend this novel: it's witty yet meaningful, the characters are sympathetic and easy to get attached to, and the writing is spot-on. There are quite a few typos and errors in my text; perhaps they've been rectified in further editions. Let these not distract, however, from the fact that FGTATWSC is perfect for a swift and entertaining, yet meaningful read. Fannie Flagg, I salute you!

Fannie Flagg does a great job showing the confrontations of the small town of Whistle Stop. "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe" is a novel that shows people the true sides of racism, sexism, and many other troubles that people had to face. This novel tells of the depression, and of the rough times people in Whistle Stop encountered. Although the times are always changing between the stories of Mrs. Threadgoode at the nursing home and Idgie and Ruth at Whistle Stop, there is still a great understanding of what people went through. Fannie Flagg's ability to show all of these rough times is one reason that the novel did, and still does, so well.

Fried Green Tomatoes is one of my favorite books because the book seems to touch the human soul so well. I smiled over Dot Weem's newspaper columns. I laughed about Idgie's childhood. I scoffed at Frank Bennet's murder. And I felt sorrow at the deep racism in the 1920's.
The book takes turns being mostly narrated by four women's lives: Ninny Threadgoode: the old and cheery woman who gives strength to Evelyn and tells the story about two women, Evelyn: the failed housewife and a victim of sexism who, in her midlife crisis, turns into the revengeful "Towanda", Ruth Jamison: the gentle wife of an abusive husband, finding santuary in her friends'love for her, and Idgie Threadgoode, strong and wild, the co-owner of The Whistle Stop Cafe, and the "love" of Ruth's life. Together, they weave a bittersweet story about love, friendship, and sorrow that life brings to everyone.

First I saw the movie, then I read the book. The book's even better, as books tend to be. But if you don't mind, I'll just share my movie review:

The copyright on this film is 1991. It is now 2005. Are Jan and I the last two people on the planet to see this film? I don't care. I'm reviewing it anyway.

Students are regularly shocked to hear that I haven't been to the USA in 6 years. They assume I miss "my hometown." I explain to them that I miss my father and his lovely wife, and once in a while my gorgeous little doggies, but not my hometown.

But lemme tell you about Fried Green Tomatoes, which are delicious. This is the most accurate portrayal of Southern life I've ever seen. I don't say that lightly. I've seen many films and read many books which portray Southern life quite well. Author Fannie Flagg, who I'm old enough to remember from The Match Game, nailed it. She's more twisted than the other two Southern lady authors I adore, Harper Lee and Anne Tyler, and I like that in a person. Also, it would've been a crime if Fannie hadn't popped in for a cameo, so I'm happy she did.

Fried Green Tomatoes is deceptively slow moving, as is Southern life. There's a whole lot of stuff in there, however, all of which is quite accurate. The good and the bad. Many parts of it will have you cracking up with laughter, but it's not always a happy-happy load of hooey. Our deep dark secrets are also in there. Subtly. I do appreciate subtlety. I don't see it enough.

I could give you a list of all the things I loved about this film. It'd be so long you wouldn't read it. So lemme just say I'll watch it again -- I don't know how many times -- and that I may very well buy the novel. I get a strong sense that the film is quite true to the novel, but I like to see these things for myself. I betcha Fannie's got a way with words. If you haven't watched this film, get it. You'll love it.

I love this book. I have read it about half a dozen times. I encourage anyone to listed to it on cd as well. It's read by the author, and she adds so much to the story. I really enjoy the way she writes. She has written several other books, which I have also read and liked. She has a very engaging writing style, conversational-it's as if she's sitting at my kitchen table with a hot cup of coffee telling me a story. Try another one of her books, they don't disappoint.

A story about this old lady, Evelyn, who is unhappy with her life to begin with. Until she met, Mrs. Threadgoode, her life changed upon this life story that she told about. Which was a story that takes you back to the 1930's in Alabama at the Whistle Stop of these two girls, one tomboyish Idgie and other was sweet and friendly, Ruth. It talked about these two girl's life in the eye of Mrs. Threadgoode.
I liked this book because it gave me the oppournity to see that there was some kind of diversity even that long ago, and be able to appreicate life alone even more and it give me the chance to laugh and say it was a good book to read.

I'd seen the movie ages ago, much too long ago to really remember. The book was wonderful.

It's interesting to me that this story rides more on the colorfulness of the characters than the plot. There's not really any one direct plot, it's more like a series of stories and adventures that add to the growth of the many characters of Whistle Stop. I also liked how Evelyn's character changed and grew, and how the story was told a lot through her visits with Ninny Threadgoode. Very interesting way of going about it.

Overall, loved this book. Loved hearing about the pre-Civil Rights South, Idgie and Ruth's relationship...A book in which one can get lost. Highly recommended.

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES
I watched the movie Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe twice; this is the first time that I have read the book, and I think I enjoyed the book even more than I enjoyed the movie. I really felt that this story was exciting. It kept me going all the way through. The whole time it was exciting for me because the book tells two stories at the same time, and either one or the other has something going on. One story was about Idgie and Ruth, and the other was Mrs. Threadgoode telling her life story to a fat woman named Evelyn, who was sharing her personal problems with Mrs. Threadgood. Mrs. Threadgood is and old lady who is in a nursing home. Evelyn is a fat lady who comes to visit her once a week. Mrs. Threadgoode tries to help her through her problems by telling her her life story. She also tells about Buddy getting killed by a train while flirting with a girl, and how much that his death hurt Idgie. The whole time I wanted to know more and more, What next and where? Idgie fell in love with Ruth when she came to town for the summer, when they were both very young. They have a lot of fun when Ruth is there but when it is time for Ruth to go she becomes very emotionally upset. The story includes the Threadgoode family. It also includes a black family Big George his sun and wife, and mom. I think that the book had just as much detail, if not more than in the film, in certain parts in this story. I liked the way the book described the scene of Ruth's husband getting killed. Ruth's husband got cracked over the head by a frying pan. Later we find out that George's mom killed him. Big George made steaks out of him to hide the body, and his kid got rid of the clothes. The book does an even better job of telling how Idgie reacts to Ruth along whith the rest of her family and the town. Idgie fell in love with Ruth and acted very emotional about everything. Everybody in the whole town pretty much loved Ruth. Altogether this book did an even better job of telling the story and it made it seem like you were there. Also in the book it actually told you what certain characters were thinking and feeling. I liked all the character's and I could relate most of them to people I know. The book told you so much about each person's personality. One of my favorites was Idgie because she was such a tomboy, and she was always doing something crazy. Mrs. Threadgoode, who was telling her life story to Evelyn, reminded me of my own aunt quite a bit. Mostly I thin it was her attitude towards life, that was like my aunt. This was a really fun book and I would recommend it to any one who wants to read a well-written, fun, exciting, and adventurous book.

I had never heard of this book before and simply picked it up on an impulse. Boy, was I lucky! Fannie Flagg is an amazing author. I sunk into the world of the book everytime I picked it up and by the time I was done, Idgie, Sipsey, Ninny and the other characters had become a part of my life!

I would have given it five stars but for the totally predictable and cinematic ending. Nevertheless, it was feel-good - so am not complaining too much. Overall, if you would like to transport yourself to another age and place right from the comfort of your arm-chair, Fried Green Tomatoes would be a very good choice indeed!

I must admit to falling in love with the characters of "Fried Green Tomatoes" first in the movie version. I should have KNOWN that the book would be even BETTER! What a heartwarming, endearing book. Written in flashbacks, one becomes acquainted with the gray haired and feisty Mrs Threadgoode who tells her story of her growing up years and the mysterious murder of a man in Alabama to Evelyn, a woman who is in a middle-aged slump. Both characters are irrepressible. There is humor, sadness, and truth as the past unfolds for Evelyn and for the reader. This is truly a CLASSIC. If you have (or have not) seen the movie, that's okay, because the book offers a lot more! I have read this book many times and still enjoy the movie version.

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I have an extremely short attention span for fiction books/novels. This story is very true to ol' Southern days (according to grandma) and historically accurate (setting, speech, etiquette, racism, etc). I was extremely involved in this book. Fannie grabs you by the throat and shoves the beauty and grace of this story down your throat (and welcoming, I must say). Her words make you feel as if you know these characters and have met them sometime before. I was sorry to see this book end. Since finishing this story 3-5 years ago, I have yet to find another match--Fannie, please write one more!

Fried Green Tomatoes is a decent read but I had seen the movie version years ago and so I went into this read with certain expectations. Those expectations ruined the book for me.

When I saw the movie I thought Idgie and Ruth were best friends. I apparently completely missed the fact that they were lovers. In the book their relationship is more overt. I don’t have anything against lesbian relationships but I felt that the girls as friends resonated with me more than as lovers.

I also think that the movie softened Idgie’s character. In the book she is harder to like. She does have her good points but she is more abrasive as a character in the book version.

Aside from my expectations from seeing the movie first, I also had a difficult time with the format of the book. The movie time jumping didn’t bother me but the way the book flowed felt jagged to me. Sometimes Ninny is telling the story. Sometimes the reader is viewing the story by themselves (presumably because some things that took place Ninny wasn’t there to see or participate in). At times the story is told through newspaper articles written by one of the town ladies. If I could have read the book in just a few sittings it would have been easier to follow but as a busy mom I just read a few pages whenever I can and so I found the format jostling.

Overall I am fairly indifferent to this book. I won’t read it again and I doubt I will ever suggest it to anyone to read but I also didn’t dislike it. I just preferred the movie.

The product was good but it took a while to receive it. All other orders placed at the same time arrived quickly, but this , although still within the time frame specified, arrived about a week and a half after all other orders. Due to this, I am not sure if I would order from them again.

Before deciding to read this book, I have never wanted to actually sit down and watch the Fried Green Tomatoes movie. Now, however, I'm really looking forward for the chance to see it! I loved the complex setup of the story through the use of different narrators. I've heard numerous times that Evelyn Couch was the most disliked character. I, however, liked Evelyn and disliked Idgie! Yes, call me strange...

This was a wonderful read, though. I'm very glad I got the chance to read such a wonderful story, especially through the eyes of the dear Mrs. Cleo Threadgoode.

I have watched the movie for years, but I never read the book until now. I just fell in love with it. I got so close to the characters that I felt like I was saying goodbye to my friends when the book was finished. My dad once delivered furniture to one of Ms. Flagg's houses in Alabama. I would love to go back in time and go with him to talk to her. It's the perfect book to read on a beautiful Southern summer day while you sit in your porch swing and sip your tea.

I saw the movie so many times before I read the book. I mean I memorized the movie so well that the book was incredable. The movie even quoted from the book so many times. When I was reading the part where that guy Smoote was talking to Idgie I could just hear his voice from the movie talking. The endings on the two were different and (in my opinion) I liked the ending of the movie better. I don't think I'll ever get tired of the story Fannie Flagg created. I would like to thank her for it. It will be one of my favorites for all time.