Mad City: A Novel

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Summary: A difficult but haunting book.
Review: I was drawn into the book from the first page. I could hear in my mind's eye Ruth's voice as she related her life. A difficult life in a small town in "anywhere" USA. To me she could have been from the south. I can hear a lilting southern accent as she narrates the book. I knew many of the people she describes, my parents are from a similar place. The characters have different names, but the situations are oh so similar. So many live this life of hardship to tragedy. But in the end there is still hope that one will overcome.

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Summary: Amazingly well written
Review: This book is amazingly well written and engaging. Hard to put down

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Summary: different, but enthralling
Review: I was expecting something different from this book, I was somewhat put off byits style, until I became accustomed and began to understand it more.So many of the analogies which seem odd and out of place seem to indicate Ruth's feelings which she pushes down in order to follow her "logic". I did not identify very much with Ruth, I felt as if her denial of things was extreme. I wanted desperately for her to make it, to achieve the happier, more fruitfull life her aunt tried to help her find. However I never really felt she would get away from what held her down.

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Summary: Rich, well-written, chracter study
Review: "The Book of Ruth" lulls the reader into a false sense of comfort with these more than slightly odd characters. Ruby, May and Ruth appear ordinary enough in their sadly mundane lives. Howver, each is a complex, and in the end, disturbing personality. The book lured me in with this somewhat twisted version of an average family engaged in their small battles. The end left me devastated and angry for those of us who settle for less than we deserve and those who try to keep us back.

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Summary: Makes you think.
Review: I first had trouble getting into the story line. It seemed to drag on and on and I wondered where it was going. Midway through, things began to change and I was more able to see where it was headed. Ruth struggled so much through her childhood only to find what she thought was love and then to have May tear that down was sad. The characters all brought in their own problems that culminated in the tragic ending. My disturbed feelings came for Justy. To have witnessed such a horrific scene and then be seperated from his mother, grandmother and father really reflected in his behavior upon Ruth's return to him. When I read the last words of the book and put it down, I could not help but wonder what would become of him. That was the saddest part for me. I did feel like the book went full circle

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Summary: BORING-DIDN'T LIKE THIS BOOK AT ALL
Review: I had to force myself to read this book. I had heard so much about it that I thought it must get better or have a great ending. It never happened. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone

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Summary: In a word, disturbing...
Review: The book of Ruth was beautiful and yet disturbing. The various characters lives were haunting. Long after I read the book I would find myself thinking about the characters. Ruth more than survived the choas in which she lived. Their lives were grim, yet Ruth (always seemed to know ) in her soul that there must be something better, something more.... Ruth's relationship with her Aunt was a lifeline that would greatly impact her future. Ruth was a beautiful character who found her voice, and through Ruby, her way into the world. I highly recommed this book

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Summary: "Killing is easy"?!!! I don't buy it...
Review: I took my time reading this book and knew from the beginning that something terrible was going to happen to either Ruth or her Mother. As the story went on, it was obvious that it was going to be to her Mother, but that didn't ease the shock or discomfort when it finally happened. Ruth's response was totally out of bounds. She thinks Ruby killed May for her? Why? What did May do that was so horrible? Nobody deserves to be brutally murdered, let alone in front of her daughter and grandson. Ruth should have gotten out long before. She and her husband were deadbeats of the worst order (it's disgusting that these people had children!) and then they blame the world for their problems. Ruby was a loser from the moment he forced himself on Ruth. Why do women insist on playing victim? Ruth blew her life and May and Justy paid the penalties. This book disappointed me. I really enjoyed Hamilton's writing style and prose, but I can't reconcile the ending. I have no sympathy for Ruth and the utmost compassion for May. Was anyone else struck by how hard this woman had worked in her life? Yes, she had her faults, but remember the chapter that ended with Ruth recalling how May had saved Justy from the fire? Why wasn't that ever described in more detail? Am I supposed to be feeling so antagonistic towards the novels heroine? I missed Hamilton on Oprah so if anyone can fill me in, I'd appreciate it. As it is, I see no hope or future for Ruth or her sons. Why can't she see how vile an act Ruby committed and hold him responsible? I couldn't identify with her at all. Her response to her Mother's murder was beyond comprehension. Did she ever grieve for this woman? Anybody who is identifying with Ruth better pack up and find a life.

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Summary: Fine line between love and hate
Review: The Book of Ruth is a beautifully simple story which penetrates the layers of love and hate that make up relationships. It severs as a display of what humans will do for love and how delicately thin the line is between love and hate. Through the eyes of a young, confused girl the details of daily life are soothing in their predictability until the "big even" happens and takes her to a place she always wanted to be

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Summary: A GREATER CAPACITY FOR UNDERSTANDING
Review: I finished this book with an overwhelming feeling of sadness and anxiousness. Jane Hamilton does an extroadinary job of bringing the reader into the life of Ruth and in myself a compelling need to reach out to her. The prose is outstanding and the way in which the author tells the story makes it impossible to leave the book without vivid pictures in your mind