Rating: 
Summary: Wisconsin Gothic
Review: "Drowning Ruth" is a promising first novel, bound to do well with Oprah's coveted approval. Written in the style of Daphne DuMaurier, with a few well-defined characters, and secrets hidden over long years, this book will keep your interest. The climactic four or five pages at the end are satisfying, and all the plot ends are tied up.For someone who grew up in the lake country, in the midwest as I did, the geographic setting is familiar, and Schwarz does a fine job of depicting Wisconsin land and lakescapes. She also has a master touch in describing women's relationships-- sisters, mothers, daughters, friends. (That is probably why Oprah latched onto the book.) Her touch is less adept at fleshing out the male characters, but she gives it a good try. This is a light, entertaining read although its plotlines are heavily Gothic. You'll easily step into the world of Amanda, Ruth and Mattie, and the events of their circumscribed lives will easily engage you and stir your sympathies.
Rating: 
Summary: Tense, Beautifully Written
Review: This is the best debut novel I've read in years. Schwartz is a startlingly inventive writer and the characters and plot are compelling and complex. I found this book highly rewarding--as successful as a subtle study of character as it is as a literary thriller.
Rating: 
Summary: hard to get into
Review: One word best describes my experience with this novel...BORING! After taking approximately 100 pages to get into I found it extremely predictable and just downright boring.
Rating:
Summary: Not a bad book, but not a great book either
Review: I found "Drowning Ruth" to be just okay. I enjoyed the start of the book more so than the middle to the end. I breezed through the first half and then became bored. I agree it was very predictable. I would have liked more mystery to the story.
Rating: 
Summary: A little different -- but great!
Review: I took this book on vacation with me. Had I known I would whip through this book so quickly I would have taken more reading material with me! It was a fast read. Often when I am reading a story I can predict how it will end, but many times this story surprised me. The author's note at the end of the book was something I have not seen before, and it was interesting to see how she came about the story, characters, setting, etc. I will look forward to reading other stories by Christina Schwarz in the future.
Rating:
Summary: A MYSTERY THAT COULD DROWN YOU
Review: As a mystery author with my debut novel in its initial release, I found Christina Schwarz's DROWNING RUTH fascinating. It is a historical novel set in a time period we would all recognize as modern. The story takes place early in the 20th Century. It involves a young woman who struggles to deal with all of her society's restrictive expectations upon young women in that era as well as with her own personal desires for her life. Amanda Starkey is a Lutheran girl who finds herself forbidden from marrying a Catholic boy in rural Wisconsin. She becomes a nurse in Milwaukee, and she finds herself seduced by a man into what was then considered dishonor. She returns to the family farm where a number of family members die--some from the influenza epidemic sweeping the world. Caring for her drowned sister's child becomes primarily her responsibility, even after her brother-in-law returns from WWI. As the story progresses, there are many questions that need to be answered and once the answers arrive, they are most enlightening. DROWNING RUTH is a terrific first novel.
Rating:
Summary: excellent read
Review: One of Oprah's best picks ever. A book full of many suprises, keeps your mind going from start to finish.
Rating:
Summary: Grabbed me and held me under!
Review: What an interesting novel. Very well-written, and thought-provoking. Yes, it is a little formulaic, and all the familial connections seem to be a bit overwrought, but I found myself thinking about the characters while working, and I kept coming back to the book. It had a mysterious charm, much like Mathilda's hair waving underwater, that grabbed me and kept me under its spell. The "secrets" are perhaps a bit too telegraphed - you could see them coming on the horizon. But there was always just enough of a twist that the resolution was slightly different from what I expected. I have to say that when I saw this was an Oprah book, I reconsidered finishing it. But I did, and that will teach me to be a little more open-minded in the future! All in all, a book full of dark, damp, murky imagery, and thoughtful writing.
Rating:
Summary: life improving
Review: I enjoyed this book in that it left some mystery until the end while the characters' lives tended to improve-they overcame their pasts.
Rating:
Summary: thrilling, beautifully written
Review: This is an unusual first novel: assured and graceful. It's full of twists and turns, but it's a good deal more than a thrilling read. It's a deft and subtle exploration of character and motivation--and it's beautifully and carefully written.
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