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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
“Che cos’era mai questo potere, questa insidiosa minaccia, quest’arma invisibile puntata alla tempia che controllava la sua esistenza, questo terrore di essere insultata?
Era rimasta vergine per non essere chiamata sgualdrina o puttana. Si era sposata per non essere chiamata zitella. Aveva finto gli orgasmi per non essere chiamata frigida. Aveva avuto dei figli per non essere chiamata sterile. Non era mai stata femminista perché non voleva sentirsi dare della lesbica. Non aveva mai protestato né alzato la voce per non venire etichettata come una rompiscatole…”
Era rimasta vergine per non essere chiamata sgualdrina o puttana. Si era sposata per non essere chiamata zitella. Aveva finto gli orgasmi per non essere chiamata frigida. Aveva avuto dei figli per non essere chiamata sterile. Non era mai stata femminista perché non voleva sentirsi dare della lesbica. Non aveva mai protestato né alzato la voce per non venire etichettata come una rompiscatole…”
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What a lovely read - a hidden treasure. A time capsule for towns and people long gone. Flagg has a natural affinity for story-telling, and her love for her characters bleeds through the pages.
The narrative structure is smart and complex. It was enjoyable to the last page. Moving forward and backward in time, switching between Evelyn’s point of view and an omniscient narrator for the flashbacks to Whistle Stop, and including the weekly bulletin (that for some reason reminds me quite a bit of the podcast Welcome to Nightvale) was just brilliant.
The star of this novel for me is Idgie, through and through. Most all of the characters were lovable in their own way, but Idgie was something special. Her and Ruth’s relationship was beautiful. I genuinely don’t know how anyone could read their relationship as a platonic rather than romantic one. I suppose the debate will continue as Flagg has never pronounced their lesbianism, but reading between the lines gives you a very clear picture:
“Poppa and I just want you to know that we think of you as one of the family now, and we couldn’t be happier for our little girl to have such a sweet companion as you.” - p. 199
AND - they constantly refer to Stump as “Idgie and Ruth’s boy” and for God’s sake, Ruth’s son took Idgie’s last name. It is beautiful seeing how Flagg developed their friendship and their love in the context of a novel published in 1987. Absolutely brilliant.
I won’t say that there aren’t problematic portions of this book. Referring to POC as “colored” or using racial epithets well into the sections narrated in 1986 is disturbing, but it reflects U.S. history in that time, and I think it’s more a reflection of a troubled culture than of Flagg’s writing.
Overall, there was so much to love in this book. The characters, the setting, the structure, and Idgie Threadgoode. A new favorite. I wholeheartedly believe that this is the best $4.95 I have ever spent in my life. Thank God for the used book store, and if you haven’t read this yet, buy a copy NOW.
The narrative structure is smart and complex. It was enjoyable to the last page. Moving forward and backward in time, switching between Evelyn’s point of view and an omniscient narrator for the flashbacks to Whistle Stop, and including the weekly bulletin (that for some reason reminds me quite a bit of the podcast Welcome to Nightvale) was just brilliant.
The star of this novel for me is Idgie, through and through. Most all of the characters were lovable in their own way, but Idgie was something special. Her and Ruth’s relationship was beautiful. I genuinely don’t know how anyone could read their relationship as a platonic rather than romantic one. I suppose the debate will continue as Flagg has never pronounced their lesbianism, but reading between the lines gives you a very clear picture:
“Poppa and I just want you to know that we think of you as one of the family now, and we couldn’t be happier for our little girl to have such a sweet companion as you.” - p. 199
AND - they constantly refer to Stump as “Idgie and Ruth’s boy” and for God’s sake, Ruth’s son took Idgie’s last name. It is beautiful seeing how Flagg developed their friendship and their love in the context of a novel published in 1987. Absolutely brilliant.
I won’t say that there aren’t problematic portions of this book. Referring to POC as “colored” or using racial epithets well into the sections narrated in 1986 is disturbing, but it reflects U.S. history in that time, and I think it’s more a reflection of a troubled culture than of Flagg’s writing.
Overall, there was so much to love in this book. The characters, the setting, the structure, and Idgie Threadgoode. A new favorite. I wholeheartedly believe that this is the best $4.95 I have ever spent in my life. Thank God for the used book store, and if you haven’t read this yet, buy a copy NOW.
Absolutely loved this book, the strong women characters and the coming into your own self was so fun to read. The story has a back and forth going on and it takes you into the woven story of each character. Moves along at a great pace, keeps you turning the page and makes you laugh, smile, cry and cheer.
Love the homey feel, the different povs and the back and forth! Really a tender pov of a family that runs a cafe with a heartfelt love story!
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I decided to read this because I love the movie and now I can say that I also loved the book. It was very similar to the movie, just with some more details which was nice. I enjoyed that there's recipes at the end of the book so you can try to make some of the foods mentioned in the book.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I'm crying so much. I finished reading it in the train and tears were streaming down my face..