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Summary: Vinegar Hill
Review: A brilliant but gloomy story about Ellen who married her high school sweet heart after they became involved after one date. Several years into their marriage, James lost his job and when they began to run out of money, they had to move into his parent's house. Ellen was forced to cook and keep house in a dreary cluttered home with little love and affection. In addition to the terrible surroundings, she lived in a love-less marriage with "Jimmy", an insecure man who was afraid of his parents.Ellen's mother-in-law was a pathetic figure who accepted a life of abuse and despair with her domineering and miserable husband. Together they lived a status-quo existence where they rarely communicated. Each one lived in his/her own world. They did not decorate for Christmas and Ellen's children were not allowed to play and interact as normal children. Finally, Ellen sees the light with the help of her friend; she decides to leave her husband and his parent's home. She takes the kids and moves out to make it on her own... a victorious ending!
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Summary: worth your time
Review: I just finished "Vinegar Hill." Although some have thought the book was a waste of time, I thought it was a worthwhile read. Her words flow smoothly, and I had no problem staying with the story. This story may not be light-hearted, but if you have ever been in a bad relationship that you've had trouble leaving for one reason or another, you will be able to relate to Ellen.
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Summary: OPRAH WHAT WERE YOU THINKING???!!!
Review: I will never read another Oprah-recommended book. After barely making it through "The Pilot's Wife" (another piece of garbage recommended by Oprah) I decided to give this book a chance. I didn't think it possible, but this was even worse than TPW. Possibly the most boring book ever written. I think I got to page 45 and then I threw it away. Do not waste your time. I don't know what else to say.....
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Summary: The in-laws from hell!
Review: If you ever had a bad in-law experience, this book might help to put things in perspective. It could be worse, you could have in-laws like the one's in this book.
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Summary: Not impressed
Review: The book did not interest me from the beginning. The characters seemed so boring.
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Summary: The New Yorker Was Wrong
Review: The New Yorker said (quoted on the back of the book) that the last line of the book made it all worthwhile. Here's a tip. It doesn't.
And why didn't any of the reviewers feel sorry for James? He was caught in as much conflict as Ellen! Sure, at first I thought he was boorish, but as you read on and find out where he's been, I would think people (and especially his wife) would have some compassion for him. I guess they're a perfect example of what a lack of communication brings.
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Summary: Superb Writing, Bleak Story
Review: This book was a good read, but I cannot believe the story. This book, from what I could tell, was set somewhere in the late 1950's to the early 1960's, because there was mention of Vietnam and specific television commercials. Thank goodness the sexual revolution was shortly to follow, because if it had never taken place, I would run away from home and live in the wilderness like a wolfgirl before my family could ever force me to marry somebody I didn't love. The whole story is about a hopeless situation that Ellen is entangled in, and she doesn't have the guts to think for herself instead of letting a stir-crazy family and a medieval-themed Catholic church brain-wash her into feeling that she's selfish and can't provide for her family. Every male character is chauvinistic and stony when it comes to emotional stability, and every female is ignorant and under their husband's thumb when it comes to independence. The only smart females in this story are Ellen's 11 year old daughter and her divorced friend Barb. Note the word "divorced". That says more than anything for brains in a story like this one. There were times when it seemed that Ellen was finally going to speak for herself, but then she held back because James always made her feel guilty so easily. I would've left long before I watched my mother-in-law and her reclusive sibling go stir crazy. Using God as their excuse for their actions made me nauseous, frankly. I'm a Catholic, but not devout, for I believe there is far too much based on guilt and fear for that religion. After all, if God is so loving and forgiving, why should we be made to fear him so? For anyone who is of that mind set, this book will definitely make you angry and you'll keep wishing Ellen did more to defend her honor. James, too!
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Summary: Sharp and bitter
Review: This is such a bitter book with biting, sharp prose which leaves an acid taste in the mouth,
When Ellen Griers' husband James loses his job in 1972, he insists that they must return to his family home in Vinegar Hill, Wisconsin, to live with his parents. Ellen finds a teaching job at the local school while also cleaning and cooking for her in-laws, a thoroughly nasty pair who find fault with everything she and her children do and who go out of their way to make them feel unwanted.
Margartet-Mary, her mother-in-law, is delighted to have her son back under her thumb and, under her influence, and that of her equally revolting husband, makes Ellens' and the childrens' lives a total misery, under the guise of their strict version of Catholic religion, a rigid faith full of subtle cruelties. In the beginning of the book, Ellens' husband seems to be a normal although weak man, but under the influence of his parents, he does the weak mans' trick of buckling under to make life easier for himself. Towards the end of the story, the reason for some of Margaret-Marys' bitterness is revealed but it still doesn't make her any more pleasant and it makes one wonder if her nastier traits (and those of her husband) were always present in James' character or are they only b eing developed as his depression and his dependency on them grows? Not a book for the faint hearted or for those who are feeling a bit down!
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Summary: An excellent read
Review: Vinegar Hill draws you into the struggle of its main character, Ellen, as circumstances in her life force her to question her marriage and her faith. Ansay is a master at her craft: the inner life of her characters -- their questions, their pain, and ultimately, for some, their transcendence -- strike the reader with their truth and relevance. The author writes with clarity and compassion, and one does not need to identify with the circumstances of Ellen's life in order to empathize with her. I find it remarkable that this is Ansay's first book; it bears the stamp of a mature, complex, and highly skilled writer. Read it, and then read her others--especially her most recent, Midnight Champagne.
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Summary: Dark, dark, dark
Review: We all know people who struggle to stand up for themselves, who get caught in lifestyles we think we'd never tolerate. We also know their thinking is different from ours and that we cannot judge them for different thinking. Unfortunately, this makes this book no less frustrating. The reader surely wants Ellen to stand up for herself and leave her loser husband, if not for herself then for her children. A casserole over the head of the hateful in-laws might have also been in order. She leaves at last, but it almost seems too little too late.
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