The reading chosen for January is "Fried Green Tomatoes at Whistle Stop Coffee " by Fannie Flagg.
Scheduled for commentary on Monday, Feb. 6, 2023 at the Gilberto Rovai Community Library in Incisa.
THE PLOT.
The novel unfolds with a dual parallel narrative: partly, following a non-chronological time order from 1929 to 1949 and beyond, it is narrated by Mrs. Weems, in the "Whistle Stop Bulletin" and others; partly it unravels through the anecdotes that the elderly Mrs. Threadgoode in 1986 tells to her attentive friend Evelyn Couch, such as that of Ruth and Idgie's love affair. Through these tales emerges a society of the 1930s-1940s that, while beginning to change, still struggles to accept the black population outside the lens of servitude.
THE AUTHOR.
Fannie Flagg is best known as the author of the international bestseller Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, whose screenplay she also edited for the film adaptation. Her work as screenwriter for the celebrated 1991 film Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop was awarded an Oscar nomination for best nonoriginal screenplay. In the book, the author dwells on the tender relationship that binds the two main characters Idgie and Ruth: however, the references to the emotional relationship between the two women, which are more evident in the novel, have been much softened and barely hinted at ambiguously in the film transposition of the same, mainly in order not to damage the film from a commercial point of view.
Fannie Flagg wrote a cookbook, as yet untranslated into Italian, entitled The Original Whistle Stop Cafe Cookbook. First printed in 1991 by Fawcett, it was later reprinted in 1995 in softcover by Ballantine Books under the title Fannie Flagg's Original Whistle Stop Cafe Cookbook. The book is devoted to the typical dishes of southern U.S. cuisine, a favorite setting for her novels. Although the author's original cookbook has not been published in the Italian market, there is, however, a book in Italy that is also dedicated to the imaginary railroad refreshment house and that repurposes recipes for all the dishes mentioned in the novel: Fried Green Tomatoes and Other Recipes. Small and Big Revolutions at the Train Stop by Barbara Buganza.
The reading group is organized by the municipal libraries of Figline and Incisa Valdarno to enable local readers to share thoughts, emotions and reflections arising from a reading chosen in common with other enthusiasts. In fact, these are not group readings but shared readings that will be held until June 2023. The books read so far with the group: "Everything Calls for Salvation" by Daniele Mencarelli, "The Golden Glasses " by Giorgio Bassani, "-" by -.
For information and reservations, contact the biliotechs directly:
Marsilio Ficino Municipal Library (Figline):
Tel: 0559125290/0559125291
E-mail: biblioteca.ficino@comunefiv.it/g.fanfani@comunefiv.it
Gilberto Rovai Municipal Library (Incisa):
Tel: 0559125445/0559125446
E-mail: biblioteca.rovai@comunefiv.it/g.fanfni@comunefiv.it