Beginning

      As the book begins I noticed that it is not written in one time period. Every chapter is a different date. It goes back and forth from the present day to the past. The story has two plots, a story within a story. When reading this story you really have to pay attention to the dates in front of each chapter to make sure the story fits together. This style of writing makes things more interesting and gives the story a more complex plot line that keeps the reader engaged. One of the plots is focused on Eveyln and the other is about Mrs. Threadgoode's crazy life in 1929.
      Mixed in with each chapter is "The Weems Weekly" which is a weekly little article from 1929 that talks about what is going on in the small town. It talks about the Whistle Stop Cafe and the people in the town. It gives the reader more insight into Mrs. Threadgoode's stories from the past.
       From the begining, we can see that Mrs. Threadgoode is a young soul stuck in an old person's body. She loves talking to people especially Evelyn who is just trying to support her husband by coming there to visit his sick mother. Mrs. Threadgoode is very outgoing and speaks her mind. She doesn't seem to care if the listener is interested; she just speaks her mind. The beginning of the novel hooks the reader and makes them want to keep reading to get to know the characters and their stories.