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Summary: This one kept me reading
Review: This story is so thought prevoking. Just think about it......some people actually live like this :-{ I really liked this book, but I don't like ooey-gooey, finger in the cheek dimple kind of stories because they are SO unreal. This poor family's life was turned upside-down when the husband lost his job and his ambition and forced a move into his parents home. His parents were resentful of this and that set the tone for the house. The children endured negative situations that they will carry the rest of their lives. The story doesn't have a happy ending in the typical sence, but it does have a happy ending in a different kind of way. I liked the book a lot and if you enjoy reading a story that is thought prevoking, this is definitely worth reading and you will enjoy it.
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Summary: A TRUE HEARTBREAKER!
Review: Vinegar Hill is a deep, profound, heartbreaking novel. It is a classic example of how cynicism, resentment, and hate can poison not only the person who harbors these characteristics, but how others around such a person can be poisoned by them as well. Fortunately, the heroine of this story is finally able to rise above this stench-filled environment. What a novel! Definitely not for the Danielle Steel crowd, and certainly not a novel to be read if one feels the need for a cheering up. The author is telling the reader that life without love and compassion can be a monstrous experience for everyone concerned.
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Summary: Captivating In A Disturbing Way
Review: 'Vinegar Hill' was very easy to read, yet at times I wanted to toss the book out the window! I couldn't help but feel sorry for Ellen Grier, the books main character. Her life is less than ideal, and I felt her discomfort throughout the book. I have not read any other books by the author of this book, but I will add them to the list of possible reading. The author makes the characters come alive with description and thought. In the end, I was glad to see Ellen get herself and her children out of the mysery that had become her life. It was an uplifting ending to a disturbing tale of abuse, both mental and physical. I would recommend this book to others without hesitation.
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Summary: Gut wrenching
Review: I found this novel hard to put down. Even in the most tormenting moments of this family's life, they were irresistable and human. Their hatred and their love was confusing and depressing but so real that it compelled the reader to see what would happen next.
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Summary: Bravo! Brilliant! A nearly-perfect novel - I loved it!
Review: Vinegar Hill is one of the best works I've read this year. The author should be congratulated on her outstanding achievement. Yes, the readers who complained about the book being "bleak" or "whiney" did miss something: the growing awareness of the intelligent, far-from-whiney heroine, Ellen, who finally comes into her own at the end of the book. This does NOT have an unhappy ending. In fact, the ending is absolutely exquisite, but I will not give it away here. It is a book about abuse - handed down from a despicable man to his entire family. His wife - Mary Margaret - is what I like to call a "swamp" - you could get lost in her bitterness, her cynicism, her bigotry, her hypochondria. Yes, she, too, is a product of abuse, but that doesn't excuse her manipulative, self-serving, constant diatribe that poisons the air around her. Nevertheless, Ellen is a fairly objective observer in all this mayhem. She is like a swimmer, trying to break the surface so she can breath. Finally, she does, and it is such a welcome moment. I just loved her for her backbone - and her compassion even for her nasty in-laws. Every character is drawn beautifully. This is a great women's book. What happened to the women of this country being grateful for a glimpse into a real woman's life? Guess what, critics? Abuse of women and children still exists. It seems there is some kind of backlash going on, a return to the former women-hating-women routine pre-Women's Movement. I, for one, can't have too many books about women - their joys, their struggles. I, too, have some criticism of Oprah's Book Club, but not because she chooses books that portray women's issues. That's one of the best things about her choices. Let's get together again, my women friends, not tear each other down.
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Summary: Leaves a "vinegar" taste in your mouth
Review: I really didn't enjoy this book. It was well written, but certainly left me in a rather dismal mood when I finished it. I guess I couldn't see a point to the pessimism in the story, or at least a good reason why I should have read something that left me feeling so bleak. A good book doesn't always require a fairytale ending, but Vinegar Hill left me with such a "yuk" feeling I really did regret having read it. Perhaps I was not in the right mood, or I missed something? Either way, I wouldn't recommend this one to friends.
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Summary: not a happy place
Review: This is the story of a young wife and mother brought to live with her in-laws. Their sarcasm and cruelty to her and her children is seemingly tolerated and ignored by a weak and withdrawn husband. This is a downbeat story all the way through. You can almost feel her hunger for freedom the same way a drowning man would hunger for air. Well written but definitely not a feel good story.
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Summary: So incredibly boring and pointless
Review: I kept waiting and waiting for something to happen. I don'tknow why I bothered to stick with it. This book was so boring and awaste of time ...
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Summary: Aptly named book
Review: This is not a book to read when you're feeling blue. If you just like "happy stories"- don't read this. I, fortunately, was on the beach in the Bahamas when I read this so it perhaps didn't seem so bad. But I have to say, this is one of the darkest books I ever read. I liked it anyway. No, I wouldn't read it again. I think it may describe more families in America than we'd care to acknowledge. As Thoreau would say, those people "living lives of quiet desparation". It was beautifully written- heartfelt. So many people have reviewed this book and seem to have hated it. The intense dislike may mean that this book has evoked remotion. I think that's worth something in a novel.Give it a shot. It's eerily sad and will take you out of your comfort zone. And, it may make your own world look good by comparison.
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Summary: Thought I could relate
Review: When I heard this was a book about a woman dealing with nasty in-laws I thought I would really get into it. (because of a situation with my now ex's nasty mother...but I won't go there right now!) The book was not altogether horrible--but it wasn't as engaging as I thought it would be. Ellen is a real pushover...I kept wanting so badly for her to tell her in-laws (and sorry excuse for a husband) to go to hell; however she just sat there and took the abuse. It was more sad then anything. To think someone would with-stand all of that abuse. The end left me sorta empty...I didn't come away from the book with anything eye-opening. The plot itself had a lot of potential, but nothing spectacular was done with it.
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