Drowning Ruth

Rating:
Summary: Too predictable
Review: After hearing about Drowning Ruth on the Oprah show, and how much she loved it, I couldn't wait to read it. I finally (after waiting over a week) got to check it out from the library. I've never been so disappointed! It was a very predictable plot and was very hard to follow going back and forth between time periods and from first to third person. It took me the whole three weeks the library gave me to read it all because there were times I found it downright boring - it took about 100 pages to even get into it - but I kept reading, looking for the "surprises and twists" in the story... they never happened! Parts of it were "ok", but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Impressive but the ending could have been better
Review: I was very interested in this story and read it in two days and had trouble putting it down the first day. I feel that the beginning and most of the book is much better than the ending; which I was disappointed in. I think it is when Carl goes away that things take a less interesting turn. I really liked his character and thought he was a good guy. I admired him for staying and doing as much as he did. Ruth's childhood was described with such detail, but as soon as she got older, the story was not described in as much detail and things seemed to be glossed over quickly. I'm not too sure about the ending either. I probably would have preferred a happier ending but I am still not sure what the point of this book was. It seems to me that Amanda should have controlled her impulses more and if she had; none of those terrible things would have happened. I'm not sure what else could have been learned from the story.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent summer read
Review: What a gripping book! I started this book on a Saturday, and finished it Tuesday morning on the bus to work. The story unfolds gradually, almost teasingly, and keeps the reader hooked from the very first page. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good thriller and who won't mind staying up late to finish the book!

Rating:
Summary: Drowning Ruth
Review: Excellent, suspense filled, intriguing. Compells you to keep reading even when you should be doing something else!

Rating:
Summary: Middle of the Road
Review: Well, this story is just good enough to keep you reading. But not good enough to recommend to friends. It's one of those true "Middle of the Road" types of books...I didn't dislike it, but it certainly didn't keep me up nights turning pages. It's sort of like catching one of those Sunday afternoon movies that ropes you in, but in its entirety isn't really all that great. The characters are vividly portrayed, the story line is indeed interesting, but when I snapped the book shut at the end, I didn't feel the satisfaction that comes with having read a really good book.

Rating:
Summary: WONDERFUL
Review: I loved this book. I was so engrossed in the characters lives that I couldn't put the book down. I actually dreamed about them at night. I am reading this as part of a book club and many of the other members love it as well.

Rating:
Summary: The Predictable Drowning of Ruth.
Review: Drowning Ruth is a good start for a first time novelist. It is well-written and accurately depicts behavior in repressed societies. However, the book is quite formulaic and predictable. All those that start off together one way or another end up together. And it was death after death after death....It was a bit much and frankly, I had difficulty getting to know and like these characters. As they kept each other at a distance, they also kept me removed.

Rating:
Summary: 3 Stars
Review: I liked the idea of how everything came together in the story. However, I think the author should have saved more suspense for the end. I thought the author did a good job of introducing us to the characters and making us feel as if we knew them. I did feel like the book dragged on at moments. I think some of the information contained in the book was not relative to the story and it only distracted from the real story line.

Rating:
Summary: Remarkable
Review: What a great first novel! It's really a mystery, one that unfolds in the most interesting way. It's like the movie Memento, or the India wedding trip episode of Seinfeld. You start out knowing the end result: someone's drowned--but someone named Ruth is alive in the book--and you won't find out how it plays out until the very end. I loved the setting, and found the austere writing tone really appropriate to the time period. I am from the midwest, and found the author was spot on in describing the seasons and weather and how lives play out according to it. I really enjoy how the author tangles up the lives of the characters, and this is a remarkable first effort. If Schwarz keeps this up, she'll be the American answer to Margaret Atwood.

Rating:
Summary: Lack of communication
Review: Obviously, if people communicated in this book there wouldn't be a story. But it was so SAD! The story revolves around Ruth, who is raised by her aunt Amanda after Ruth's mother, Mattie, drowns and while Ruth's father, Carl, is off during WWI. While there is dishonesty and deception throughout the book, "Drowning Ruth" differs from many modern books in that there is little to no malice involved. The story, with chapter notes by Ruth and Amanda, is incredibly well-told; I would have given it five stars if only it weren't so very sad. There is a lot of conflict and not a whole lot of resolution but then, such is life.