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Summary: The Book of Ruth Review
Review: I took this book off a dusty shelf of my house to examine it. It had no sign of a synopsis nor any indication of its plot entailments just a few critics' reviews that wailed "sly and wistful" and "a disturbing and beautiful book" making it seem like a promising read; then again, what author would put a bad review on his or her book? Regardless, I decided to give it a try. It was only twelve pages shy of the reading requirement, after all. As I read page after page, finding it hard to put down, I discovered it to be a fascinating autobiographical narrative of the fictional character Ruth Grey Dahl. The observant and sensitive narrator recounts, in her descriptive colloquial language, the triumphs and struggles throughout her life-from her days as a bright-eyed young girl living with her strong-willed, domineering mother May, to her bittersweet days as a young mother and wife. She stresses the importance of family and that each member is an important piece to the puzzle of the family unit. The author Jane Hamilton uses foreshadowing at the very start of the novel. She gives hints to the violent nature of her husband Ruby and their perpetually disastrous future as a married couple. Hamilton uses the motif of escape throughout the novel. As a young woman, Ruth's mother May had big plans for herself and her husband. They longed to escape the small town of Honey Creek, Illinois, to the bigger and brighter world of Chicago. Miss Finch, an old blind woman who becomes a mentor for Ruth, often reminisces of times as a young woman when she and her husband would take trips to Hawaii. She longed for her restored sight-to be able to see the clear blue oceans and soft, sandy beaches. Imagery is also an important aspect in Hamilton's novel. The reader sees the "tight gray curls fuming" when May is in one of her moods and envisions Ruby's blackened, rotten front tooth that was a result of his father's violent outrages. The novel was a delightful and emotional read that reminds us that, as long as we have family, we are never alone.
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Summary: Inspiring this writer to write
Review: I read this book (her first novel, folks, this one came before "Map of the World") before it ever hit the Oprah picks. I was discusted by Ruby, horrified by the mother, but absolutely inspired to write my own novel, "Forever Retro Blues," when I finished. Writing about heartache isn't easy, but necessary when life is looked at up close and real. Jane does a great job her first time out--she makes it real and accessible. I look forward to many more in the future.
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Summary: Could easily be confused for a nonfiction book because
Review: it was so well described! I felt like I could actually be in the scene that was described and see the nearby creek and the house. I found it hard to put down and stayed up very late because I just had to read the last 30 pages to see how things turned out. What happened was disturbing but enlightening as well because the girl unfortunately didn't do much to help herself out of a very terrible situation and didn't see the disaster coming. Makes one want to be in more control of their choices and not let others choose for them as much perhaps. Good book!
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Summary: One of the Best...
Review: I read this book over a family vacation, and finished it in the car on the way home. I almost jumped out of the car while reading the last few pages!! My husband thought I'd taken leave of my senses, and my kids thought I was a nut! Basically I was freaking out... If you've read the book you know what I mean.The book is full of foreshadowing, and starts out with word that go something like "I believe it all starts with a seed of meanness in everyone's heart..." or something like that, and we find out exactly what the narrator means. True this is not a happy and uplifting book. It deals with an emotionally abusive mother, a young and somewhat naive girl and her husband who is a drug addict as well as unemployed.... Somehow though, Jane Hamilton's excellent character development helps to care about each and every one of these people, and to somehow empathize or at least sympathize with them, and maybe even love them at times. I found the character of Ruby, the husband, to be particularly well developed, pathetic and yet lovable. I found this book better than Map of the World, especially due to its "wow"! ending; I thought Map of the World fell somewhat flat in that area. But not The Book of Ruth... Great read!!
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Summary: The Book Of Ruth
Review: I read this book a few week ago and found it disturbing and far from one of my favorites. I would consider it hard to finish. The story is very sad all the way through. You start to wish something good would happen to this girl. It's one disaster after another, her life is horrible....
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Summary: for a "word" person
Review: Not much of a plot, not much of a story, but I like how Jane Hamilton writes. If you listen to the lyrics of songs instead of the beat of them, you will like this book; if you are more into the music than you are the lyrics, you won't.
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Summary: Enjoyable but Dark
Review: Well written tale that no matter how shallow the rut gets, it's still a rut. This is a side of life that exists but we don't always want to recognize it. Enjoy this read now that you know what you in for. It's definitely worth your time.
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Summary: Better understanding of others
Review: I have always had the problem of not being able to finish books. I read really far into them and then quit because I've lost interest or have already started a new book. The Book of Ruth changed that for me. I was eager and drawn to the pages almost immediately. While it took a few good weeks to fully finish it, I blame the subject matter and not the plot or writing style. I honestly 'hurt' after reading parts of this novel because I saw true human suffering through a victim's perspective. This book openned my eyes to the true feelings of a mentally handicapped and emotionally abused individual. I have become a better person after reading this book because of the understanding it gave me.
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Summary: Jane Hamilton's 1st novel sets the stage for greatness
Review: I have read all of Jane Hamilton's novels, and this first book is still my favorite, which is not to say that the others aren't as good; simply that I fell in love with poor Ruth. I heard Jane say once that she worried about how people would respond to Ruth, and that touched me. Jane Hamilton has a way of becoming a character in a way no author does, in my mind. She usually writes in 1st person, so she has her work cut out for her in portraying a slow, awkward girl despised in her own skin and by her own family, yet who exudes a simple goodness even she herself is aware of. Further, Jane never takes the easy way out, making the central character so predictable as to be easily definable in any way. Real people are not definable creatures, and neither are Jane Hamilton's people. How can you help but feel a stab of sorrow for Ruth's mother May after reading her remembrance of the loss of her one true love, the only good thing, she thinks, that ever came her way. Especially insightful is Ruth's description of her father's hand on her head in a brief moment of unscripted happiness, a rarity in their household, so simple and yet so wonderful that she remembers it for the whole of her life.
Read this book - it is not the happiest prose you'll ever spend time with, but Ruth's sheer determination to rise above all the 'meanness' in her life is well worth the effort.
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Summary: Book of Sorrows
Review: This is one of the many great books that would not have come to our attention had it not been for Oprah ... I found it disturbing and powerful, an eye-opener into the world of domestic violence and abuse. I saw the sad, tragic climax coming, long before it arrived, but even its inevitability could not lessen its impact. This book and Rapture of Canaan are among the most "honest" books written of late. Hamilton is a great writer.
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