A review by nightmareroutine
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective slow-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? It's complicated

3.5

As a fan of the movie, I can say I enjoyed it more than this book. Both are definitely a product of their time, but the movie handled the more sensitive aspects with a bit more tact. While there are good aspects certainly (Ruth and Idgie are more explicitly an item in the book than the movie, WIN)  there are also downfalls (more insight into Evelyn Couch's internal world reveal a white feminist girl boss who wants to "blow up the middle east to prevent a third world war"...yikes). Even the good characters serving as the moral beacons of the story really come off with some terrible takes at times when discussing race, which is obviously a major theme of the book. But, overall, the novel was still both funny and touching, all the cast of characters get their stories nicely wrapped up in the end, and the writing was solid.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings