But issues of race and sexism and queerness are woven into the story in a way that feels natural, and I always appreciated that the relationship between the two women was treated as a matter of fact, even in their tiny, Southern, 1930s town. I should mention, too, that there is frequent use of the ‘n’ word, given the time and locale.

The book was written in 1987 and holds up well, save for some outdated views of weight loss. It is at once the tale of two women, Idgie and Ruth, who run the Whistle Stop Café and become the beating heart of their small town, and the story of Evelyn, who is suffering mid-life woes and gains inspiration from a much older woman who knew Idgie and Ruth and shares their story with Evelyn. The novel is set in Alabama in the 1930s and the 1980s. Over the years, I have read this book several times-it is often my ‘easing into summer’ book. But it’s also just a wonderful story with a cast of the most charming characters, an equally charming setting, and a perfect mix of comedy, heartache, and mystery. It’s possible that, at the time, the sweet tale of two women sharing a life together spoke to a part of me that had yet to come fully to the surface. I’m not sure how I happened upon it, but I fell in love with it immediately. The first time I read Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg, I was in high school.

So, given that it’s the end of the school year, which means it’s also almost summer, I’m offering a review from my heart and soul (rather than from my brain) of a book that is one of my favorite summer reads and simply one of my favorite books of all time. It’s the end of the school year and while I have been reading for pleasure, I’m not sure I have the capacity to write an intellectually stimulating review that will do justice to any of the books I’ve just read.

Fannie flagg fried green tomatoes