Ruby

Rating:
Summary: First Book in the Landry Family Series
Review: In "Ruby," we go deeper into the South, into Cajun country (Houma, Louisiana), where 15-year-old Ruby Landry lives in poverty with her grandparents, Grandmere Catherine and Grandpere Jack, never knowing who her parents were (her mother's dead, and her father is unknown at the moment). This is also one of the few books where the reader is aware of the time period in which the book takes place--the early 1960s.

As is typical with every V. C. Andrews heroine, Ruby has tremendous artistic talent and is encouraged by her grandmother to pursue her dreams of becoming a successful painter. However, several life-altering secrets arise to detour her from doing so. For starters, Ruby finds out her boyfriend (Paul Tate) is really her half-brother. (Imagine that.) Yet that doesn't really bother either of them, because they still get hot and heavy. Forbidden fruit and all that, I guess.

Ruby's second surprise comes when she finds a photo of her father, Pierre Dumas, and discovers that she has a twin sister living with him somewhere in New Orleans. Shortly after Grandmere Catherine confesses all of this, she dies, leaving Ruby in the care of her despicable, alcoholic Grandpere Jack, which was an obvious mistake, because he tries to sell her just like he did with her other two illegitimate siblings. So, Ruby flees Houma and searches for her wealthy family in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, a terrifically authentic setting that horror writer Anne Rice uses quite often in her own books; and it works just fine for V. C. Andrews as well in this series.

It's always interesting when I shop for V. C. Andrews books, because either her books are tucked away in the romance section, or they're mislabeled as horror. I've even found them in the kids section, but those are usually the recent miniseries books. While "Flowers in the Attic," for one, could probably be considered horror, most of her books are just dramatic family sagas, aka general fiction. There's nothing remotely scary about these books. It's more psychological, involving lurid family secrets (like rape and incest, which are hardly romance-friendly topics); that's probably why these books are branded "gothic horror."

Anyway, "Ruby" pretty much follows the same paint-by-numbers storyline that has been haunting practically every latter-day series by V. C. Andrews. Yet this is still a captivating series, filled with Cajun-style superstitions and horrible family secrets. Following "Ruby" comes "Pearl in the Mist" (#2), "All That Glitters" (#3), "Hidden Jewel" (#4), and "Tarnished Gold" (#5).

Rating:
Summary: Spectacular
Review: After all the books I've read by V.C. Andrews, which i will say is a lot, this is my favorite along with the rest of the series. When you begin reading this book you start to realize you become a part of Ruby and that's what makes it a great story. Everything she went through with finding out the truth about Paul and then leaving in search of her father and sister becomes a part of you and you then find you're relating to her pain and sorrow, her joy and hope. However, Gisselle was a great disappointment with her cruelty and selfishness. Then again, that is just what makes the story even better because you just love to hate her before it's over with. Using this example of Gisselle and the detailed events from the rest of the story, you realize how great a writer V.C. Andrews/The Ghost Writer is because you wish some of the things that happened in the story hadn't.However,you also realize if it hadn't happened and went in another direction, the story wouldn't have been so great. I recommend this book to any V.C. Andrews fan or even a first time reader.

Rating:
Summary: Readable
Review: I gave this book 3 stars because it did, in the end, achieve what it set out to do: it got me to buy the other books in the series. And it was an interesting read and a fast one. That being said, however, I think that this series more than any other (by V.C. Andrews) made me angry. I know that Andrews' characters are known for their...passivity, but Ruby really took it too far. She let everyone from her drunken, redneck grandpere to her to her whorish, jealous twin sister walk all over her. To tell you the truth, by the end of this first book, I was almost rooting for Giselle! At least she had a reason to act the way she did! She had been spoiled by her father, neglected by her adopted mother...she had to face the fact that her history wasn't what she had been told. She had to accept that she not only had a twin sister, but that the very same twin sister was moving into her house and usurping her place in her daddy's heart. And then? Then her sister stole her boyfriend! So...basically anything she wanted to do to Ruby was pretty much okay with me.

And speaking of the boyfriend...

Beau Andres was the most shallow, boorish, unlikable male lead I have ever come across. He dumped Giselle for Ruby, claiming to be oh so appreciative of her sweet virginity. Then at the first chance he gets he rapes her in her art studio! I don't care if she ended up enjoying the climax or not! She pleaded with him to stop about 50 times and he wouldn't! RAPE! And the fact that Ruby views this act not for the assault it is but for an indication of "love" is sickening. Their whole relationship was sickening...throughout this first book I kept hoping she'd run back to the swamps. I'd much rather have seen [having sex] with her brother than this lout. At least her brother treated her with some respect.

Still, in the end, the author did do a good enough job on the characters for me to get so angry with them...which I guess connotes good writing. Of a sort. My advice? Read it but take it with a grain of salt.

Rating:
Summary: Another twisted and tormented Andrews family saga begins.
Review: I enjoyed the first half of this premiere novel in the Landry Saga far more the second half. All the gothic touches chill the reader in all the right places (I especially enjoyed the voodoo trappings), but the Cajun characters of Ruby's home were far more interesting than the spoiled rich brats in the New Orleans section of the story; and the tortures that Ruby endures at the hands of Gisselle and her cronies are so cruel and inhumane it makes the book difficult to enjoy. Nonetheless, there is more than enough mystery and intrigue in this family's story to make me want to immediately jump into the next book in the series the moment I finish this one.

Rating:
Summary: GREAT START!
Review: This was a great novel that I read in only 2 days!

Rating:
Summary: A good story set in an exotic world
Review: "Ruby", its three sequels and prequel are all written in the good old Virginia Andrews-style (which shows us that Mr Niederman, the ghostwriter chosen to finish the late author's works really succeeds in creating the athmosphere of her novels). Like all of her novels, this one features the rags-to-riches story, forbidden love and similar characters than those of her other novels, seasoned by the "good twin/evil twin" opposites that became very popular in literature ever since Erich Kastner's "Lisa and Lottie". Still this novel is very original, proving that true talent can write good stories even about old material. I especially love vivid the descriptions of life in New Orleans and the bayou. I didn't know anything about Cajuns before reading this book so it was new and exciting. This is the best book of the series, as in every series by V. C. Andrews but the sequels are quite good, too.

Rating:
Summary: Ruby
Review: Yes, I do recommend to my classmate because someone gave this book to me and they told me it's been good. When I starting reading already I was really into the book. I was actually into the book and the cover of the book was interesting because there was a girl who looks very sad. When I first get a book I usually read the first page And I would stop if I don't like it. I wanted to find out more of what happening like the dark secret or the surprise in this story. This was the first book I ever read of this arthur and just reading the first pages I fell in love with it.
The thing I really set my attention is when her mother had Ruby and Gisselle at the age of 20 and that she died very young when giving both to a twin. The dark secret was that her grandfather is a gambler and sold her other granddaughter for10 thousand to the baby father. The thing is Jack didn't know that he had a twin sister and that he only cared about himself.
The book relate to other books because every books has their own unique styles like the language they speak and talk, how there were raised different from everyone and where they come from. It relates to the reader if they want to find out more to the story or if it interesting to them. This book is more like a mystery with deep dark secretes with some romance, love and caring.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: By far, one of the VERY best books I have EVER read. This story is so captivating it hooks you from the first pages. Though this book is somewhat long,(like 442 pages I believe) I read this book easily in 3 days. You literally cannot put it down.

Rating:
Summary: So far VC Andrews best....but I've got many to go
Review: Having read the Dollanganger and Casteel family series, this (the Landry family series) was indeed my favorite. It's so different. Both the Dollanganger and Casteel family series took place (mostly) on the East Coast. To have Ruby set in the colorful Louisiana bayou was thrilling! AND, the evil twin sister twist was pretty exciting, too.

Ruby still has some of the maddening features that other Andrews characters have had, though. First, Ruby displays way too much tolerance. I would call her weak, but she triumphs over certain adversities -- she certainly has gumption and a stiff backbone to go from rags to riches (in true VC Andrews style) the way she did. However, the plethora of characters that walked all over her without her so much as raising an eyebrow makes you want to leap through the pages and smack her around a bit. I myself would have slipped a little arsenic in Giselle's tea and thrown Grandpere to the alligators in the swamps from day one - those characters were just too evil!!

The characters are a little flat and one-sided -- those who are evil are evil through and through. Those who are sweet and innocent and kind stay that way. Also, Paul fawns over Ruby juuuuu-uuuust a wee bit much. Come on....guys will do a lot for a girl, but he was cute and successful -- he wouldn't have stuck around through so much drama. (And it gets even worse in All That Glitters, book 3 of this series.)

Rating:
Summary: the start of a great siries!
Review: im hooked by this book I can tell its going to keep getting better read this book and the siris youll fall in to the story and think your living though it