Rating: 
Summary: Deep With Depth But No Relief
Review: The beginning of this book grabbed me. It had promise of a dark family story with plenty to grab hold of and to sink your teeth into. I was very excited about this book in the first 75 or so pages but then quickly lost my passion for its story. That isn't to say it was not worth reading. It certainly was, it just didn't make it 'round to home base. The story, of a young married woman with two children in the early seventies who is forced to give up her home to live with her in-laws when her husband is unable to find work, is certainly one that most of us can relate to. The frustration, the disappointment, the difficulty in turning your life over to anothers home. This home, especially since her in-laws were stoic, rigid and miserably disfunctional. The story of her husbands family unfolds, not like a beautiful budding rose, but like a rose in a garden devourerd by beetles. Each petal that opens, shows it rotten, hole-filled, disease stricken self, culminating in a garden of what can only be weeds that nearly strangle those few innocents left. And this can be sickening when you see it in the sun light. What turned me off was that there was little relief of this suffering. I kept wanting to scream, "GET OUT", "Get the f--- out", but it didn't do any good. Even though in the end, the young wife does get out, didn't seem to feel as if it would matter. And as usual, dysfunction breeds dysfunction.
Rating:
Summary: Sometimes confusing.
Review: Vinegar Hill was all in all a good book. I was touched by the hardships the women in the novel were forced to endure. The characters are developed in a way that allows us to either love or hate each of them. My feelings were passionate toward all of them. However, throughout the novel, the reader expects something wonderful to happen to at least one of the characters. A happy ending. The lack of this may, however, be the draw to the novel. At times the book becomes confusing due to the endless change of narrator and the switching from past to present. This novel does not sugar-coat anything. If you are looking for a book without a fairy-tale ending, that honestly depicts life and demonstrates to the reader that things don't always turn out perfectly, this is it.
Rating: 
Summary: An eye-opening book to another reality
Review: Honestly, I am glad that I finished reading this book. It is very depressing and I cannot understand why the main character keep on going for so long under the circumstences that she is in. However, I realized that I had learn something from another culture from another era in this country, and how women had endured the situation with so much courage and dignity. The language is fluid and very readable, the author shifting back and forth from the past to present time. But as I mentioned earlier, I'm breathing more freely now that I finished the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Why did I waste my time on this book
Review: I kept hoping that something nice was finally going to happen to someone in this book. Why do I need to read about this entire disfunctional family when I have my own. Maybe I should write a book.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I enjoyed reading the book, but the ending was a huge disappointment because of the many loose endings. I also was waiting for the climax, or even some little surprise, but it just never materialized. I consider this book a waste of reading time.
Rating:
Summary: Stark and Bleak
Review: I'm not sure if I'm being fair giving this book only three stars. The writing of the book itself was quite good; and the stark language used by Ansay prortrays each scene quite well. However, I can't say I enjoyed it. I'm not sure if that was the fault of the book itself, or of my discomfort of the scene it presented. In the 1970's, Ellen Grier's husband lost his job. Without money, they leave their home and return to live with his parents. Abusive and hateful, they simultaneously despise Ellen yet depend on her to serve their every whim. Ellen's husband easily falls back into his old life and fails to try to provide something better for his family. Ellen must ultimately discover what she should do - go against her family, her husband, and her church; or go against herself and her private beliefs. The combination of a startling revelation about her husband's family and a spell of sickness seem to make the choice for her. Ultimately, however, the book is bleak. Ellen may be able to resuce herself, but not her family; and I found myself with less hope for people in these abusive circumstances.
Rating:
Summary: Honest story, hopeful ending
Review: I really enjoyed this book. I am a big fan of anything that Oparh selects. If your looking for a funny, light-hearted story, this is not it. This book explores the life of Ellen Grier & her family who move back to Vinegar Hill w/ the in-laws after James loses his job. Ellen finds a job as a school teacher & James gets a job as a traveling salesman. James' parents Mary-Margret & Fritz are very set in their unhappy ways. They are not happy to have the family living w/ them, especially Ellen. There are many secrets that live in the home, such as emtional abuse & violence. I have great respect for Ellen, she is strong but does not know it. She works, takes care of the house & the family. James is very weak, he does not know how to stand up for himself & quickly falls back into his childhood lifestyle. I enjoyed this book because it showed all the pressures women faced back in the 70's. It was expected for them to keep the family happy no matter how they felt. I recommend this read for any women who has ever doubted herself & the choices she makes.
Rating:
Summary: Hoped for more
Review: I found the back cover to be a bit misleading... while it was a good read, I kept waiting for a climax that didn't happen. The writing was extremely descriptive and I often felt myself right there in the house during many of the scenes, but once it was over I was left feeling unfulfilled.
Rating:
Summary: The Way It Was
Review: Although this book was quite depressing, I found it to be true to life as I remember it back in 1972(the year that I graduated from high school). I think that we forget how trapped our mothers felt in their relationships. If they found they were in an abusive relationship, there was no support from the community or their families. Sometimes I found it very painful to read, but I congratulate the author on the ending. Ellen Grier did what my mother did not have the courage to do. I recommend that you read it with an open mind, keeping the time period in perspective. Sometimes the storyline became a little unbelievable, but still made for an interesting read.
Rating:
Summary: UGH
Review: I just finished reading this book... some of the descriptions were vivid..but the plot was difficult to follow... was it about a cranky, hateful, mother in law.. an abusive spouse... a miserable woman trapped in an unhappy marriage ...or murder of babies for vengeance???????? I kept waiting for the climax ...sorry but I thought I wasted my time reading Vinegar Hill it left me with a sour taste ...
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