Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe cover art

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

A Novel

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Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

Written by: Fannie Flagg
Narrated by: Lorna Raver
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About this listen

 Folksy and fresh, endearing and affecting, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is the now-classic novel of two women in the 1980s; of gray-headed Mrs. Threadgoode telling her life story to Evelyn, who is in the sad slump of middle age. The tale she tells is also of two women--of the irrepressibly daredevilish tomboy Idgie and her friend Ruth--who back in the thirties ran a little place in Whistle Stop, Alabama, a Southern kind of Cafe Wobegon offering good barbecue and good coffee and all kinds of love and laughter, even an occasional murder. And as the past unfolds, the present--for Evelyn and for us--will never be quite the same again...

"Airplanes and television have removed the Threadgoodes from the Southern scene. Happily for us, Fannie Flagg has preserved a whole community of them in a richly comic, poignant narrative that records the exuberance of their lives, the sadness of their departure. Idgie Threadgoode is a true original: Huckleberry Finn would have tried to marry her!"
--Harper Lee, Author of To Kill a Mockingbird

"A real novel and a good one... [from] the busy brain of a born storyteller."
--The New York Times

"It's very good, in fact, just wonderful."
--Los Angeles Times

"Funny and macabre."
--The Washington Post

"Courageous and wise."
--Houston Chronicle Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Women's Fiction

What the critics say

"The people in Miss Flagg's book are as real as the people in books can be. If you put an ear to the pages, you can almost hear the characters speak. The writer's imaginative skill transforms simple, everyday events into complex happenings that take on universal meanings."—Chattanooga Times

"This whole literary enterprise shines with honesty, gallantry, and love of perfect details that might otherwise be forgotten."—Los Angeles Times

"A sparkling gem."—Birmingham News

"Watch out for Fannie Flagg. When I walked into the Whistle Stop Cafe she fractured my funny bone, drained my tear ducts, and stole my heart."—Florence King, Author of Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady


"Admirers of the wise child in Flagg's first novel, Coming Attractions, will find her grown-up successor, Idgie, equally appealing. The book's best character, perhaps, is the town of Whistle Stop itself—too bad trains don't stop there anymore."—Publishers Weekly
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I’ve watched the film many times but was always curious about the source material - turns out that both the film and the novel are excellent in their own ways, the film for condensing the narrative effectively, and the novel for weaving a wonderful tale with so many unforgettable characters - I especially appreciated how the author was able to tease out the suspense right until the end of the book by purposely withholding choice information - as a side note: I feel that the last chapter could have been omitted; Evelyn’s last chapter is perfectly sufficient for a satisfactory ending.

The narrator was excellent - this was the perfect audiobook - strongly recommended!

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Wonderful narration

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I read this book every single year if I can! It's an endearing tale of an unlikely friendship and the transformation of the main character into a secure and happy woman. What's not to love? To the people saying the book is racist...hello! It's an accurate representation of the old South. If you think things weren't like that and aren't still like that...you're living in a dream world. The author was merely telling the truth of how things were. My advice...if you're particularly sensitive to those kind of things, this isn't your book.
I, personally love the raw reality of it.
Please read the book first before watching the movie! They are 2 completely different animals.

A New Classic

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Fried green tomatoes has always been one of my favourite movies and the book gives so much more in-depth back story to all of the characters ive always loved! obviously the book and the movie have a ton of differences, but both are a delight!

Ive always loved this story

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Lorna Raver is perfection. She does sweet justice to Fanny Flagg’s incredible characters and beautifully woven story. There are parts of this story that are difficult to read but that is Ms. Flagg’s brilliance - the ugliest of humanity contrasted with the exquisite. I shed as many tears of joy as of sorrow. I’m a bit heartbroken that it all had to end but I have the sequel in book form and I can’t wait to start it. Good bye Whistle Stop and all the folks… for now.

Delicious! A tasty listen that is sure to delight and satisfy!

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Outstanding, amazing, beautiful story about love, friendship. its a classic and I'll be recommending to everyone loves to read/listen a good story.

The whole thing!!

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