Rating: 
Summary: tragically depressing
Review: Although vinegar hill is beautifully written, it's twisted characters make it difficult to turn the page. Also, it is too much of a cliche to base all of life's difficulties on organized religion. The element of mystery kept me reading to the end, but I would not recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting.
Review: I saw the author on Oprah's show and went out to buy the book because it sounded interesting. I was a little disappointed because it was so depressing and realistic. Life can be hard and the choices Ellen made in the book should really make you stop and look at your own choices. It wasn't bad but it didn't blow my socks off. Buy it when it is a regular paperback price and then it is worthwhile.
Rating:
Summary: Very Depressing and Sad
Review: I felt sorry for the wife throughout the whole book, but in the same instance, I didn't. It was like she let things happen to her. She did not have know enough about her husband before they married. As a wife and mother, I would never subject my children to that type of mental cruelty, but maybe she just didn't know where to turn because she was trying to do right by her marriage vows, her family and her God. The book forced me to finish because it caught my attention, but it was very sad.
Rating:
Summary: Hard to Love, Hard to Put Down
Review: Vinegar Hill is a difficult book. Difficult to like, difficult to hate, difficult to put down. On the whole, the book deals with some very depressing themes, (child abuse, the disintegration of a marriage)and is in a way very difficult to read. But the main character is so strong and resillient, you begin to admire her (even if she isn't entirely likeable). The ending is far from happy, or neat and tidy, but it IS satisfying. This book really improves as you reflect on it. It is not a book for the emotionally fragile, but it is one for people who enjoy stories about triumphs of the spirit.
Rating: 
Summary: Vinegar Hill
Review: This has to be one of the most depressing books I've ever read. Ellen needs to snap out of it and get a back bone. I have never met anyone who dwells on death, much less a whole family who thinks constantly about dying. I had to make myself finish this book hoping that it was going to get better, only to be deeply disappointed that the Ellen that was evolving was then cut off for no one to see.
Rating: 
Summary: Hope there's going to be a sequel!
Review: Two things: it's a good thing this book was short, and I hope there's going to be a sequel. I suffered so much with Ellen that I found myself resenting my OWN husband, even though my life in no way resembles hers. I certainly hope we're going to get to find out what happens to Ellen and her children. Who cares what happens to that weak husband of hers and his disgusting father? I found the characters to be a little too caricatured for my taste, but I did enjoy this quick read.
Rating:
Summary: Heartbreaking, involving, yet strangely incomplete
Review: This book was so depressing, so real, that I was only able to read it in small doses.The book does have several fairly well-developed characters. But don't expect them to come to any mutual understandings or tearful resolutions. There was no upside, but perhaps that was the point.
Rating: 
Summary: This family is so warped that it sucked me in
Review: The sinister twists in the personalities of the characters in this book makes it an irresistible read. The facts of the dead-end marriage were true-to-life. This story is believable - some people really are this miserable.
Rating:
Summary: Bittersweet escape
Review: Ansay engaged in a novel about a women supressed in a marriage that committed her to subordination. Ellen the main character attempts to subject herself and her children to the ritualistic abuse from her husband, his family and her family. A woman before her time escapes; she pervails and eminates to become the role model in her family. Easily read, with an ending that can satisfy most feminists. Nice job Ansay.
Rating:
Summary: An Enjoyable Read
Review: Kinda wicked, kinda crazy, but definitely a good read. The writing was clear, the story moving. I view this novel as a reflection of how blind faith can lead one astray. Although an excellent tale of one's ability to endure and overcome, I was slightly disappointed that Ansay didn't expose us to the new Ellen, strong and confident, sturdy and assured. Even though most of Oprah's book seem to have a similar theme (struggle, oppression, eventual self-actualization), she does an excellent job of selecting novels that cover the theme creatively, and realistically.
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