Reviews - Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

3.47k reviews for:

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

Fannie Flagg

4.14 AVERAGE

bookdragon2025's review against another edition

5.0

funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Fannie Flag is a very progressive author for the time period she wrote off. I loved all the stories about Whistle Stop. I had quite a few laughs as I listened.

niklas_der_kurator's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Loved the movie, but the book is an amazing extension in character lore for everyone. Lot more emotional conflicts between Ruth and Idgie, a darker side of Evelyn and many moments, saving my faith in Humanity. An amazing book, becoming one of my favorite of all time.

julie_barbeau's review against another edition

2.5

medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

allthingsservethebeam's review against another edition

3.5

funny lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

and_theplotthickens's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous emotional funny mysterious reflective sad fast-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: Yes

This is was the book I closed out pride month with and what a wonderful book its was!

It's mainly focused on Mrs. Evelyn Couch and her current struggles relating to lacking deep human connection anyone in her life and having a hard time with her self esteem. Through a chance encounter with Ninny Threadgood, their blossoming friendship helps, and the lessons she learned from Ninny's stories about Whistlestop she gets a new perspective on life and gain confidence in herself and want she wants from life.

These stories were flashbacks focusing on the heart of the Town, the Whistle Stop Cafe, and the people that called this smal town home, in the late 1920's and early 1930s.

The main romance between Idgie Threadgood and Ruth Jamison was so incredible heartwarming and tragic. While they were opposites personality wise they were so similar in how deeply they loved and cared for the people of this town.

Content Warnings

alexadodu's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

jaeda_rising's review against another edition

3.5

Sprawling, character-driven story. Classic love story between women.

juanpemartin's review against another edition

3.0

hopeful medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

aliciavalenski's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional funny reflective tense 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: Yes

Content Warnings

sareidle's review against another edition

3.25

funny medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

This book is difficult to pin down because it has a great heart to it, but there are many issues with how the Black characters are portrayed and the fatphobic discussions surrounding Evelyn. Big George and Sipsey are loyal servants to Idgie, but we don't learn much about them as individuals and what their aspirations are. Idgie and Ruth are kind to them and the other Black patrons of the café, but it felt patronizing rather than genuine. I also remember one chapter that was very disparaging to Black people and included several negative stereotypes about them. Even if it was from a disliked character, it was a lot of space to give to harmful language and tropes.

The way the story was told through Ninny's recollections and newspaper articles was clever and I particularly enjoyed the Weems Weekly articles. Ruth and Idgie's relationship is clearly a lesbian partnership, and it was nice that the town acknowledged that they both raised Stump.

Unfortunately, this is another example of the bury your gays trope with Ruth dying of cancer.

I appreciated that Ruth and her friends got justice against her abusive ex, Frank, and that she was called Ruth Jamison rather than having to carry the Bennett name. I liked the ending of Evelyn and Ninny's story in the movie better than the book, but I think the book's message is better. We can't take our friends for granted and we have limited time to spend with them.

Content Warnings

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