Rating: 
Summary: Good read, but hard to follow at times.
Review: This is a good book to read, but sometimes it is hard to follow a few of the characters. A few of the characters come and go so frequently that you have a tendency to forget who they were in the beginning. What happened in this story probably happens more often across this country than most people realize. Definetely not one of Oprah's better choices, but I am glad I read it.
Rating: 
Summary: book of the month?
Review: I read this based on Oprah's recommendation and interview with the author. It was a quick read but I could not relate to any of the characters. Who would put up with such a horrible situation for as long as Ellen did? The in-laws were terrible but I found their actions were not true to life.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent!
Review: I found this book to be an extrodinary story of a woman trapped by the retraints of her culture...it took her time to process what was happening to her and what she needed to do to free herself from the clutches of her family and her church. The story is one of strength...it would be an excellent addition to a women's studies literature class...Well Done!
Rating: 
Summary: Good but very depressing
Review: A good book, the author has an amazing gift of description. Unfortunately, I felt that the plot moved very slowly and some of the plot twists were not fully explained.
Rating:
Summary: yuk
Review: This novel is depressing. All the characters are basically without valuable qualities. Even Barb, who I suppose is the "saving grace" for Ellen, isn't smart enough to get out of this God-forsaken town. Sure, there's empathy for the children, but their point of view isn't central in the novel.Even those who think this book is validated by the last sentence are likely just too dreadfully bored and depressed to think about the story that was told. My best guess is that a "part II" novel would have Ellen and children moving back in with her husband, just like Ellen's abused neighbor on Vinegar Hill. Although I can't imagine how many more socially disfunctional and emotionally grotesque chapters could follow this novel, Vinegar Hill. How did this get on Oprah's Book Club?
Rating:
Summary: Depressing tale of sub-human family
Review: Although a quick read with language that flows off the page in deft simile and metaphor, Vinegar Hill ultimately disappoints the reader. Set in the age of burgeoning feminism, the story is concerned with the survival of Ellen, wife of James and mother of two, who has been forced to move in with her austere in-laws. Little by little she watches her husband revert back to the insecure and deprived child ridiculed by his crude father and similarly unenlightened older brother. The revealed reasons for her marriage are almost ludicrous, even in this small farming community. Surely, one protests, there were other options? As she observes the decline of her immediate family unit, she stumbles upon the truth behind her mother-in-law's pathetic dreams and how they impact this dysfunctional group to the current day of the story. Her ultimate decision comes as no surprise, but one wonders how successful she will actually be, set adrift in a world where she is most definitely not endowed with the necessary navigational skills. The primary fault of her characterization is her lack of involvement. She "feels", but does not seem to have the ability to "do". She "puts up with" and the author offers nothing as to the "why" of this other than her frumpy reliance on the preachings of a 50s rooted Catholic priest and the sense of moral exactness of her mother and sisters, which, I guess, works historically but, is not enough psychological proof for the more thoughtful reader. What comes easily to her sisters and her mother, even her vengeful and decisive mother-in-law's mother, seems to be absent from Ellen's make-up. And so her 'big' decision seems flawed, conceived and acted upon by someone much stronger than the weak observer portrayed within the pages of the book. On the positive side, Manette's depiction of the Griers, mother, father and son is truly chilling in its sad realism. The desperation of James and his cleaving to his parent's sick and destructive ideologies creates an almost too real picture of the American dream gone astray. Obviously, this is not a story glorifying the stalwardness of America's heartland but rather a bleak and ruthless portrait of how one's unrealistic romanticism draws life's righteous lesson-givers to wreak havoc on the idealistic and ultimately destroy themselves and everyone else in the process.
Rating:
Summary: Something smells
Review: Oprah, Oprah.... How could you possibly. I mean I rarely follow her book ideas. This time I did and it will never happen again. THIS BOOK STINKS. It is depressing and damaging. It is gray in Michigan in the winter. This book has made it even darker. I didn't finish it. This seldom happens with me and a novel. YUCK. Do not waste your money, people.
Rating:
Summary: From North Dakota
Review: I had to push myself to keep reading this book. It was very depressing and I kept waiting for something good to happen. The way that Ellen was treated by her husband and especially her inlaws was ruthless. Even at the end, I found it difficult to feel good about what happened because it took her so long to get to a decision making point. I like a book that can make you cry, but this one just makes you mad. Try Where the Heart Is. It's funny and it's sad, but it makes you believe that in the end things turn out alright.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasantly surprised.... a great read!
Review: I read several reviews on this book and wasn't sure I wanted to read it. But my husband gave it to me for Christmas. I admit, I am drawn to books that are uplifting, entertaining, and funny. I like a nice escape. But I also appreciate good, descriptive writing. This book has fine writing. The author has you right there on Vinegar Hill with Ellen and James. You really get to know the family, even if you, like me, are shocked by the secrets it holds. I learned a lot of what it must have been for women in the 70's, and a lot about the place religion held in their lives. As a working mother of two, it made me realize how easy we have it today. We have so many more choices than the women even a generation before us. Most married young women today are equal partners with their husbands. Ellen was not treated as an equal partner and it was a real eye opener for me. Ms. Ansay does a beautiful job of pulling you into Ellen's world, feeling her pain, loneliness, and despair. I really recommend this book to anyone who enjoys good writing, even if it is a bit depressing at times.
Rating:
Summary: A Dark Cloud
Review: I found Vinegar Hill extremely dark and depressing. Although the writing was very descriptive, page after page I waited for something positive to happen to Ellen and her children. Not until the last passage of the book did I feel there might be a light at the end of the tunnel for them. After finishing this one, I felt a dark cloud hanging over my head. I have enjoyed many of Oprah's Book Club selections - this was only the second one that has truly disappointed.
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