Rating: 
Summary: Oprah!
Review: How I love you! She did it again. The effect of this book on me reminded me of the effect BOOK OF RUTH by Jane Hamilton had on me. For the first half, I was ridiculously depressed and considered stopping in the middle of the book because I couldn't take it anymore. But with both books, I'm glad I perservered. I put down each book (both of which were page turners and I COULDN'T put them down until they were over) with a sense of joy and happiness and relief and great love. I don't know how these writers do it, but I'm glad they do, and I'm glad Oprah points them out for us!
Rating: 
Summary: A little on the dull side
Review: Ansay's novel is Oprah Book Club worthy but on the other hand, much more slow moving & detailed than other picks. The physical setting & characterizations are intimately described but often lack emotional bite. Some of the characters--especially the main one, Ellen--were flat & uninvolving. There are many strong themes, however, & I look forward to reading more of Ansay's stuff since this is seemingly experimental.
Rating:
Summary: Ansay to Morrison
Review: After finishing Ansay's "Vinegar Hill" I was very dissapointed by most of the reviews I read bashing the book. If you are looking for a simple uplifting book to read on the beach pick up a romance novel at Jewel Osco, but if you are interested in literary style I would encourage you to check this one out. The myriad of parallel's to Toni Morrison's "Beloved" kept me intrigued throughout this complex piece. Not only is "Vinegar Hill" a powerful feminist piece, it is also a deep psychological portrayal of the complications of the child/parent relationship. Sure, the story was disturbing, but I loved the book, and I would highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: As the Chicago Tribune says: "One of the best books of the year." And the Washington Post Book World says: "Sweet, tender, and chilling." And the Madison Smartt Bell says: "A brilliant, bitter book...Manette Ansay's prose style cuts with a diamond edge." I recommend it for all.
Rating: 
Summary: Like Swallowing a Bitter Pill...
Review: While this writer is definitely talented and writes beautiful, poetic, lyrical prose, reading this book was not a good experience for me, and I really don't like it, although I admire her writing. While I don't have a problem with dark stories about dysfunctional families, or abusive stories with graphic sex, what I didn't like was the bitter, angry tone of the author and the way that she seems to satirically mock her characters rather than empathizing with them. Also, I thought this book was stridently feministic, to the point that all the female characters' problems were being blamed on the males, when I thought the females were obviously very screwed up, to the point that they hated their own bodies and their own sexuality. I couldn't understand Ellen's love for her mother, when her mother was worse off than Mary-Margaret, in my opinion. Also, while I am no fan of Catholicism, being a born again Christian, and I strongly disagree with many of their teachings, I think it's a little simplistic to blame all of the characters' miseries on the teachings of the church. The men in this story are despicable, but I think the women are also despicable. It almost seems as if the author believes that what Mary-Margaret did to her children was her "only way out," and that the female characters had no choices because they were so oppressed by the church that they couldn't think for themselves. Although I know some of the Catholic teachings about women re: birth control, etc., are oppressive, women still have a choice not to accept it without resorting to murder. I would have enjoyed the story much more if the author had treated it as a serious examination of abuse within families, rather than treating the characters with blatant bitterness and contempt. By the end of the story, I didn't feel that the characters had really evolved or that they had learned anything, so it all seemed like an exercise in wallowing in bitterness. She's a very good writer though, and this book is definitely worthwhile, but it's not something you want to read to put you in a good mood.
Rating: 
Summary: Can't Recommend this book
Review: Twisted! Is this writer an embittered person? Her skill as a writer is not in question, but I'm hard-pressed to know to whom I could recommend this book. It's off-base on Catholicism. Hard to care about any of the characters. Not much redeeming value. I kept looking for a light; do appreciate the briefness.
Rating:
Summary: Too descriptive in all the wrong areas.
Review: This book was a disappointment. The characters lacked personality, the story was dull, and the ending was too predictable.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your time.
Review: Vinegar Hill is the most depressing book I've read in months. About a woman trapped in an unhappy marriage and a completely unsatisfactory living situation, this tale goes from bad to worse. Although the writing itself is not bad, there is no climax, no ray of hope to keep the reader pressing on. As you turn the pages, you just find out one more terrible thing after another and you wonder if Ansay is clinically depressed or driven to write her autobiography or someone else's. What else would drive a person to write such a novel? Don't read it if you have faith in marriage and family life. It will just dash all your hopes and dreams.
Rating:
Summary: A Tremendous Waste of Talent.
Review: This book is a fine example of beautifully written, highly descriptive prose. Unfortunately, it serves only to demonstrate the overall importance of story over style. One keeps waiting for the story line to pick up, and occasionally some vague hint promises that it might. It never does, then one begins to hope that the ending might justify all the labor invested in the bland reading. The end resolves nothing; it is neither unique nor even interesting, leaving the reader wondering how he or she got duped into staying with such a long, lifeless narrative.
Rating:
Summary: Packs A Real Punch!
Review: This is a hard one to describe. It's no easy read, that's for sure. It's deep, emotional and most of the characters aren't very enjoyable. But, some how it all works. The story of one woman's life has (of course) been done countless times before, but never like this. You feel each painful minute and day for Ellen. Her trapped life inside that house breaks your heart. You just want to run in there and grab her, shake her, and get her out. It's amazing to see the sad and downward spirl of one woman's soul. This is a really good book, not easy, but very enjoyable. Take some time and savor it. You'll be very happy you did.
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