Idige was raised by Sipsey, the family's black housekeeper, alongside Sipsey's son Big George. She grew up without prejudice, and was always close to Big George. When Buddy died, Idgie left home, staying down at the River Club with Eva Bates, and also spending a great deal of time alone in the woods, and only Big George knew where to find her. All that changed when Ruth came to Whistle Stop for the summer.

Idgie is unrefined and untamed by anyone, yet dedicated to Ruth and those close to her, Sipsey, Big George, as well as the Threadgoode family. Idgie starts the cafe, ostensibly as a business, but this little cafe some miles from the city of Birmingham, Alabama becomes the centre of the community, and the heart of the town. In the same way, the people of Whistle Stop take Idgie to their hearts. She keeps it quiet, but Idgie will always help those in trouble - hobos, coloured, man, woman - there are many who are thankful for Idgie's help.

After the cafe closed and Ruth died, Idgie went away. Some say she went to Florida, Ninny still thinks she catches a glimpse of her now and again, but Idgie is still alive to this day, charming bees and selling honey.

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Ruth Jamison was a distant cousin of Momma Threadgoode, who had come over to help out at the Church one summer; the summer where she met the teenage Idgie, who was still suffering over the death of Buddy Threadgoode, her brother.

Ruth was considered by Idgie and Ninny to be one of the bravest people there was, and Ninny considered her braver than Idgie in many ways. However, Ruth was never sure what to believe when it came to Idgie and Big George being arrested for the murder of Frank Bennett...

Ruth stood by Idgie when she went to Trial, declaring that Idgie had not enticed her away from Frank Bennett. Ruth told the courtroom that Idgie was her "best friend, and she loved her". In the end, it was Ruth who saved Idgie and Big George by arranging for the Reverend Scroggins to lie in court while swearing an oath on a copy of Moby Dick!

Ruth was one of the most loved people in Whistle Stop, and the whole town came to a standstill when she died of cancer on February 7th, 1947. She requested that Idgie and her son Stump not come to the funeral - she did not want either of them having to go through the experience. So, come the day of the funeral, Idgie and Stump were to be found in a nearby field, playing catch. Ruth's requested had been fulfilled, just as she knew it would.

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Evelyn Couch is tearing into her sixth candy bar at the Rose Terrace Nursing Home when Ninny Threadgoode unwittingly enters her life and changes it forever...

Evelyn's mid-life existence has degenerated into a daily exercise in monotony and gluttony. Her husband Ed ignores her. His Aunt Vesta at the Nursing Home throws blunt objects at her. Evelyn feels fat, forty and useless. In short, life has become an endless battlefield, and the only refuge she finds is with Ninny Threadgoode, and the stories of Ninny's hometown of Whistle Stop, Alabama.

Little by little, through listening to the stories told by Ninny Threadgoode, Evelyn begins to see where she has lost control of her own life. Ninny fills her with confidence, vitality, and slowly Evelyn gains a love of life, and most importantly, a love for herself. Evelyn no longer feels useless. She cares for, and is cared for by Ninny, she realises how reliant her husband Ed is on her, and she even takes up a new career as a Mary Kay agent. When last we see Evelyn, she has transformed, from an upset, lost woman into a vibrant, lively character.

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Ninny has the heart of an angel and she possess a great ability to tell a story, and never lets her audience down. She gives inspiration to Evelyn Couch, and in return is given the gift of friendship from Evelyn.

Ninny, the tallest of the Threadgoode children was adopted by the family following the death of her own family, and she marries Idgie's brother, Cleo Threadgoode.