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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This was absolutely delightful, I've wanted to read it for years and it was everything I hoped it would be.
I wanted to be there in Whistle Stop with Idgie and the gang, I loved the period American South setting and the reflective story told within a story which always works so well as a narrative structure for me.
I laughed out loud at the weems newsletter subject matter and cried at the loss of the characters who you come to care so much for despite really only catching snippets of their lives over a period of decades.
My only criticism would be that because you dip in and out so quickly with such short chapters, some of the more moving aspects are thrown at you and you have little time to take it in before you've moved on to another story and another time. But that is only because I wanted to spend so much more time with these characters.
Highly highly recommend, this would literally be perfect to read at any time in the year.
I wanted to be there in Whistle Stop with Idgie and the gang, I loved the period American South setting and the reflective story told within a story which always works so well as a narrative structure for me.
I laughed out loud at the weems newsletter subject matter and cried at the loss of the characters who you come to care so much for despite really only catching snippets of their lives over a period of decades.
My only criticism would be that because you dip in and out so quickly with such short chapters, some of the more moving aspects are thrown at you and you have little time to take it in before you've moved on to another story and another time. But that is only because I wanted to spend so much more time with these characters.
Highly highly recommend, this would literally be perfect to read at any time in the year.
Okay here are some thoughts after reading other reviews. This is a racist book. Is it a good story? Yes it really is. But the white woman author is so racist throughout the book that even with the lesbian relationship between Idgie and Ruth and the progressive character of Evelyn, it’s hard to stomach the way the black characters are written knowing who wrote it. I don’t have a thought out answer of if white people should write fiction stories about racism/slavery (except my gut feeling is no, we shouldn’t). I really liked the plot and the narrative and maybe I will watch the movie to experience it from another angle but I just wish the narrative of racism in the south and everywhere else could be left to those still dealing with it/it’s aftermath. Stop taking those stories from people’s lives.
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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:
Yes
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
emotional
funny
sad
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:
Yes
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
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
Though it began as a sweet tale of Southern life, it started to become a leftist propaganda piece for current social issues. It became more than I was comfortable wading through.
Great story. Quick read. The only reason I rated it a 3 was because the representation of African American characters seemed stereotyped, and trying to write in dialect is always distracting.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved this book! I’ve seen the movie, but I am so glad I read it too. The book delves into the story with such a rich, beautiful woven mix of characters, themes, timelines. You definitely need to keep in mind that it was published in the 80’s, for that time it explores some progressive topics like classism, racism, menopause, depression, gender, queerness and more. In todays standards it is a bit out of touch and says the n word in exorbitant amount of times. BUT i still loved it and can give it a grain of salt given the time and place it came from. Would definitely recommend!