Rating: 
Summary: Remarkable
Review: What a great first novel! It's really a mystery, one that unfolds in the most interesting way. It's like the movie Memento, or the India wedding trip episode of Seinfeld. You start out knowing the end result: someone's drowned--but someone named Ruth is alive in the book--and you won't find out how it plays out until the very end. I loved the setting, and found the austere writing tone really appropriate to the time period. I am from the midwest, and found the author was spot on in describing the seasons and weather and how lives play out according to it. I really enjoy how the author tangles up the lives of the characters, and this is a remarkable first effort. If Schwarz keeps this up, she'll be the American answer to Margaret Atwood.
Rating:
Summary: Lack of communication
Review: Obviously, if people communicated in this book there wouldn't be a story. But it was so SAD! The story revolves around Ruth, who is raised by her aunt Amanda after Ruth's mother, Mattie, drowns and while Ruth's father, Carl, is off during WWI. While there is dishonesty and deception throughout the book, "Drowning Ruth" differs from many modern books in that there is little to no malice involved. The story, with chapter notes by Ruth and Amanda, is incredibly well-told; I would have given it five stars if only it weren't so very sad. There is a lot of conflict and not a whole lot of resolution but then, such is life.
Rating:
Summary: Worthwhile Read
Review: I picked up the book on impulse, and read it in the course of a few evenings. (A few late ones at that ;-)I enjoyed the story. Yes, it dragged at points, yet other points I felt were not given enough attention. Still, I was drawn to read one more page, one more chapter, just to find out what happened. All in all, I found the author's style pleasing, the story compelling, and most importantly, I'm still thinking about the book after giving it a spot on the shelf.
Rating:
Summary: COMPELLING PLOT
Review: Christina Schwarz's first attempt is stellar. It is a grand story that holds the reader by intriguing characters and chilling secrets. The writing is crisp, the characters well defined, the plotline captivating and deceptive. The devious nature of each character leaves you breathlessly turning pages with no correct conclusion until the last leaf is splayed. Wonderful!!!! I wait impatiently for Ms. Shwarz's next endeavor.
Rating:
Summary: Great story of love and secrets...
Review: "Drowning Ruth" really makes you think about how humans react to tragedy and stresses in their lives and the effect their reactions can have on other people. Amanda couldn't have known that her secret would have the outcome that it did, but she had to live with the consequences nonetheless. It really makes you think about the ramifications of the actions you take in your own life. I loved the imagery in this book - you can almost feel the cold, dampness of the Wisconsin farm. Living in the Milwaukee area, I know the kind of winters she describes and can imagine the gray bleakness over the entire story. The water imagery is the other thing that struck me about this story. Water has been long used as a symbol of birth. In this case, it was death that was associated with the water but also a strange kind of birth - the birth of how Amanda and Ruth's lives would be forever changed and played out. It's definitely worth the read!!
Rating: 
Summary: A wonderful debut!
Review: I don't believe I have every read a first novel that has been nearly as impressive as Shwarz's Drowning Ruth. It is a story about love, family, children and making something out of unbearable circumstances. The characters are numerous and well-developed. The story is captivating and suspenseful - the reader only finding out in bits and pieces what has actually happened as Schwarz swiftly switches between the past and the present. I would liken her writing to Anita Shreve if anyone; fun and interesting yet inundated by deep issues of morality, shame and love. Finished easily in a few days, I anxiously await her next work.
Rating: 
Summary: Books are sacred but I threw this one away.
Review: I disliked this book so much, I abandoned it at a bus stop in San Francisco. For some reason, reading this book felt like watching a reality tv show, which I hate. I felt it was pandering and ponderous. If it was supposed to be dark comedy, it missed the mark, much like the movies "Very Bad Things" and "American Psycho" did. I know some people loved those, so perhaps they'll like "Drowning Ruth".
Rating:
Summary: Looking for a good book to read? Check out Drowning Ruth
Review: Once again Oprah has done a fantastic job in assigning her name to a new author. Christina Schwaz does an excellent job in her debut novel. The novel takes place during World War I (1914-1918); as the novel unravels so do the deeply rooted secrets of this mid western family. Amanda, the big sister, gets dispatched from the war because she's incapable to carry out her nursely duties. She goes back home and moves in with her younger sister, Mattie and her child Ruth. Mattie's husband is serving in the war, so Amanda takes over and loves having her sister and baby all to herself. By the time the war ends, some devastating events take place - Mattie drowns, Amanda raises Ruth, and Mattie's husband Carl returns. Carl raises some questions when he gets back - What happened to my wife and how did she drown? Christina takes us through Ruth's coming of age, her friendships and her consciousness on how her Mom drowned. This is a page-turner that keeps you begging for answers until the very end. It makes one think about secrets. Do you have any secrets that affect other people? Should you tell your secrets, or let destiny unravel them for you?
Rating:
Summary: Read this book
Review: If you are looking for something different and slightly twisted this is the book for you. It's only twisted in the way choices are made in the lives of these characters. I couldn't put this down and just when I thought I had things figured out well let's just say I didn't and I was surprised. For a debut novel Swartz has outdone herself. I actually feel bad for her because what if she can't live up to this book. All her future writings will be comapred to this book.
Rating: 
Summary: The mystery unfolds....
Review: This book was intriquing. Though she reveals within the first few pages that her sister had drowned, The author skillfully uncovered little bit by little bit what happened on that fateful night. As her neice, Ruth, grows older, her memory of that night also brings more information to light. There are times when this book moves very slowly, that is why I gave it a lower rating. Over all it was a good book, but moved too slowly for me.
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