Excellent book. Very different from the movie, which I also enjoyed. And there are recipes in the back! ( )

Wonderful Southern fiction -- alternately hysterically funny and tearfully poignant. What's stuck with me the most since reading the book several years ago are the friendships of the women -- particularly Ruth and Idgie. Anyone who's seen the movie ought to read the book, too -- there are some differences, and there's just plain a lot more to the book (as is usually the case). ( )

Another of my all-time favorites. Set in the South, it's a story of women and their relationships. ( )

Fried Green Tomatoes is the inaugural book in the reading group that my friends and I are forming, with the theme of food in literature. We thought it would be fun to read, discuss, and then eat food from the books. Yum!

Fannie Flagg is a nice starting point. Her book is very easy to read - it relies on voice more than other literary techniques, with a lot of dialogue and character interaction and quick images and descriptions. I've read before that southern writers have their own genre, so to speak, a flavor that is distinctly southern, and Flagg certainly catches that vibe, with a light hearted spirit that I appreciated. As far as southern writers are concerned, I've only read Faulkner and O'Connor before, and their tales are considerably more depressing.

The characters here are quirky, but not as grotesque or tragic, even when tragic incidents occur. An indomitable spirit of human courage and goodness pervades the novel. Definite southern pride, but also much love. The paralleled relationships of Idgie and Ruth with Evelyn and Mrs. Threadgoode are beautiful portrayals of female love, and Idgie is, as they say in the book, a real crack-up. A plethora of characters complement these main women: Ruth's perky son Stump (lost an arm in a train accident), the protective Big George who watches over these women, Eva down by the river who loves men and isn't ashamed of it, the Sheriff Grady who acts tough but secretly helps Idgie with her vigilante justice schemes, the homeless train jumper Smokey who is in unrequited love with Ruth - and that's not even all of them! Some of them are better than others, but you come to love all of them (well, except Frank Bennett, and he gets his comeuppance in the end), and that is a good thing, because the novel is framed by relationships and dialogue. In fact, the chapters swing from one perspective to another, sometimes dwelling in the head of a brand new person more than halfway through the novel. In another book this might distract, but because a huge theme here is community, the morphing point of view is entirely suitable.

The other big factor in this story is setting. Whistle Stop is as living and breathing as the people that inhabit it. My mother-in-law, as she read the book, told me that it evoked such strong memories that she had to read it out loud to her husband. The insertion of newsletters, constant vignettes of small-town life that are hilarious, and local gossip are some of the devices that Flagg uses to establish the town. I felt like I could hop in a car and visit Whistle stop. The constant inclusion of food not only made my stomach grumble, it also helped establish the southern culture and community; food is another integral part of community.

I don't mean to suggest that this book is nothing more - Flagg incorporates several interesting plots, including a compelling mystery and the metamorphosis of Evelyn. It's simply that the storyline, as interesting as it is, doesn't compare to the fantastic characterization and setting. With a heaping portion of humor and love to accompany all that food, this is a feel good novel that is not to be missed.

Edited to fix Evelyn's name. Color me embarrassed. ( )

The film Fried Green Tomatoes is one of my absolute favorites, so it’s not a surprise that the book has become a favorite as well.

It’s the story about four women from different times. Two are alive in flashbacks, one is hearing the story while suffering her own mid-life crisis, and the other is telling the story of Ruth and Idgie.

It’s a powerful book that lets your live the life and experiences of four vastly different characters. Each character goes through their own separate heartache and happiness, different from the others.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has seen the movie, especially because there are differences though not critical, or to anyone who loves a good book about friendship, because above all else that is exactly what this is about.

It might be one of my favorite books of the year so far. ( )