Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe | Literary Criticism & Book Review

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe Critical Overview

Critical commentary on Fried Green Tomatoes has been enduringly positive. The most typical reactions involve comment on Flagg, the comic television personality, writing serious literature. Critics also deem her portrayal of a lesbian relationship as tactful—in case anyone might fear the novel with its mainstreet cover could be steamy and lewd. There are also comparisons between her work and Garrison Keillor's amusing tales.

"What, Fannie Flagg write a novel? That lady with the gorgeous body and the Southern accent who seemed for a while to live her life only on or in the television set, saying kindly, witty, but certainly not very profound or serious things?" comes the question from Carolyn See, in a review for The Los Angeles Times. See then presents a summary of Flagg's accomplishment, which she views as a deft encapsulation of the American South, the Great Depression, and John Steinbeck. Through Flagg's Mrs. Threadgoode,...
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