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A review by mvalliere18
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg
5.0
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.