I watched the film a long time ago and read the book much later. Really appreciated the rich description of life in another time and cultural/political situation (American South in the 1930s).

from amazon.com:
Mrs. Threadgoode's tale of two high-spirited women of the 1930s, Idgie and Ruth, helps Evelyn, a 1980s woman in a sad slump of middle age, to begin to rejuvenate her own life.