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| | | Poetry | Home » » » Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe (Ballantine Reader's Circle) | | | | | | | Description: | | Folksy and fresh, endearing and affecting, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is the
now-classic novel of two women in the 1980s; of gray-headed Mrs. Threadgoode telling her life story to
Evelyn, who is in the sad slump of middle age. The tale she tells is also of two women--of the
irrepressibly daredevilish tomboy Idgie and her friend Ruth--who back in the thirties ran a little place in
Whistle Stop, Alabama, a Southern kind of Cafe Wobegon offering good barbecue and good coffee and all kinds of love and laughter, even an occasional murder. And as the past unfolds, the present--for Evelyn and for us--will never be quite the same again...
"Airplanes and television have removed the Threadgoodes from the Southern scene. Happily for us, Fannie Flagg has preserved a whole community of them in a richly comic, poignant narrative that records the exuberance of their lives, the sadness of their departure. Idgie Threadgoode is a true original: Huckleberry Finn would have tried to marry her!"
--Harper Lee, Author of To Kill a Mockingbird
"A real novel and a good one... [from] the busy brain of a born storyteller."
--The New York Times
"It's very good, in fact, just wonderful."
--Los Angeles Times
"Funny and macabre."
--The Washington Post
"Courageous and wise."
--Houston Chronicle | | | Features: | |
• ISBN13: 9780449911358
• Condition: New
• Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
| | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Fannie Flagg | | Paperback:
| 432 pages | | Publisher:
| Ballantine Books | | Publication Date:
| January 21, 1997 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0449911357 | | Product Length:
| 8.2 inches | | Product Width:
| 5.54 inches | | Product Height:
| 0.73 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.78 pounds | | Package Length:
| 8.2 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.5 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.8 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.75 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 203 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
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 Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop CafeJul 23, 2010
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
Heartwarming Southern HospitalityJun 08, 2010
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
A Beautiful BookMay 27, 2010
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!
 An Unexpected FavoriteApr 30, 2010
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!
WonderfulApr 28, 2010
I could not put this book down. The only disappointment I felt was when there were no more pages to read. Even so it was a full and wonderful book and I thought the ending was fitting.
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