Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg

Evelyn Couch, a dissatisfied housewife becomes friends with an old woman, Ninny Threadgoode, while visiting her mother-in-law at a nursing home. Threadgoode tells the story of two women, tomboy Idgie and beautiful Ruth, and the small town café they ran together during the depression. The Whistle Stop Café become a haven for the poor, colored people, and abused women like Ruth herself. Inspired by stories of Ruth and Idgie facing off against the Ku Klux Klan and the local sheriff, Evelyn finds herself making empowering changes in her own life.

After Idgie saves Ruth from an abusive marriage, these two friends become partners in running the Whistle Stop Café. Although they are never called lesbians” it is the story of love between two women.