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iregatto1004's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Cancer, Fatphobia, and Terminal illness
Minor: Cannibalism and War
soniuz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: War
blueshirt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
To her credit, the author attempts to address the gaping economic and social disparities between black and white people. But be prepared for a lot of outdated thoughts and phrasing. This book was written in the 1980s, and it shows.
One character, Evelyn, is a middle-aged housewife living in the 1980s. She has A LOT of off-color internal thoughts, including ideas about how black people are "just happier" than white people. I do not think the reader is supposed to interpret Evelyn's thoughts as reflecting the author's opinions...I think this is very much supposed to demonstrate that she is a sheltered, uneducated woman of her time.
Having said all that, this book is so tender. My favorite parts included:
- After Idgie and Ruth got together, Idgie's father sat her down and told her that she now had a woman and a baby to care for, so Idgie better settle down and get a real job. It was just not at all what I expected, haha.
- Big George loved his little girl so much he couldn't even stand to be in the house when her momma spanked her for being naughty.
- Idgie, Big George, and the elephant.
I fully recommend this book. I knocked a star off for the outdated ideas about race, but I honestly don't blame the author too much considering the subject matter and the time it was written.
Also, warning for cannibalism. But it's not at all graphic and is actually kind of hilarious.
4/28/2024 edit: I have such fond memories of reading this book that I bumped my rating up from 4.0 to 4.75. It's not a perfect book, but it did make me so happy.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Rape and Medical trauma
Minor: Cannibalism and War
kitaface's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Rape, and Sexism
Minor: Cancer, Cannibalism, Murder, and War
celery's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
katndrsn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Misogyny and Racial slurs
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Police brutality, Medical trauma, and Murder
Minor: Death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Terminal illness, Police brutality, Dementia, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, and War
staceyinthesticks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Death
Minor: Alcoholism, Cursing, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Dementia, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
portapages's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book is also contains characters who are rather queer, anti-racist, and socialist for their time, considering it's set in 1930s USA.
THAT SAID, once again, this book crosses multiple very trying times in USA's history. It was also written in 1987. The language used in the book is not something we deem acceptable anymore, especially considering the ethnicity of the writer.
However, while there were some questionable portrayals of black stereotypes (a child with blue gums is expected to be a devil and in some ways lives up to it, as compared to a black chold with a fairer complexion), I found that every person was approached with a lot of nuance. It was very artfully done.
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Hate crime and War
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual content
abigailkokitus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Graphic: Fatphobia, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, and Murder
Minor: Alcoholism, Alcohol, and War
lily1304's review against another edition
3.25
It's flagged as "LGBTQ+" because it prominently features a committed relationship between two women, and no one in the novel is ever weird about it. Racism and sexism are strong themes, but there is apparently zero homophobia in Whistle Stop, Alabama. It's honestly kind of refreshing, but also confusing. Everyone treats this couple like they're married, but they're described in really vague terms, almost like a "Boston marriage" romantic friendship. It's like the opposite of The Price of Salt.
The way racism is depicted is particularly interesting - the novel features the Ku Klux Klan and an old white lady with a mild discomfort around black men and everything in between. It's difficult to tell which mildly racist opinions are the author's and which are just the characters'. The N-word and the word "colored" are used with abandon. The novel also makes a big deal out of colorism among the black characters.
One of the characters, Evelyn, an older lady in 1986, goes on a whole journey about how sexism has affected her life - and her story concludes triumphantly with her at weight-loss camp, and losing a significant amount of weight is one of her victories. Unironically. Evelyn's relationship with Ninny makes it seem like the story is about to take a strong body-positive stance, but it's a total bait and switch.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Dementia, Grief, Cannibalism, and War
Minor: Kidnapping and Pregnancy