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Summary: Deliciously depressing!
Review: Whatever could go wrong for the heroines seems to happen. It is exciting and almost satisfying to have your worst fears for these characters realized time and again, unlike most writing of mainstream novels. I'm not a mean or morbid person, but this book feels like an outlet for your fears and worries. The worst does happen and life goes on. Wipe your brow of its sweat and read on. Let something bad happen to someone else for a change!
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Summary: extraordinary!
Review: For those looking for a one-dimensional tale told in a pedestrian fashion, look elsewhere! Yes, this novel is moving and a page-turner, but it is also exquisitely, subtely written. Its characters are compelling--nuanced (especially Amanda) and complex and its story haunting. This is far and away the best new novel of the year.
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Summary: A good summer read.
Review: While I found the novel to be a quick and alluring read, at times it felt more ominous than the plot warranted; the foreshadowing was a spoon feeding--perhaps appropriate for today's expectations in literature.
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Summary: Amazing debut, can't wait to see more!
Review: Drowning Ruth begins with a memory; or at least, the main character Ruth is sure it's a memory of her drowning. I think it's fair to say that many of us can relate to Ruth's foggy memory, the kind which you're sure must've happened, but no one is either confirming or denying it for you...Ruth is held firmly in the grasp of her spinsterish aunt Amanda, and it's through interesting flashbacks and images that we come to see why. In the beginning of this book ,we learn that Amanda's dear sister is dead, there's a scandal lurking that threatened to destroy Amanda, and at the center of it all is Ruth. Amanda, a formerly successful nurse in WWI, has watched her life come apart when she is "excused" from the military hospital to "rest." She knows her career as an "angel" to the fighting men is over, yet she feels she must be an angel to someone. Is this out of true concern, or is this need from somewhere else? As the result of a moment of recklessness, Amanda forces a distance between herself and every other character except Ruth. When Ruth's father Carl returns home wounded from the war, Amanda merely tolerates his presence and continually wishes he would go away, as he is a hindrance in more ways than one. At the same time, she becomes accustomed to Carl's presence on the farm and reluctantly begins to enjoy his company. As it happens with the other characters, just as Amanda is allowing herself to interact with a person, something happens to tear them away from her. Carl, meanwhile, can't understand why no one will tell him how Amanda's sister Mattie(his wife) died, and once he begins sleuthing, he discovers a remarkable secret. A secret that could ruin more than just one life in the tiny town... This book is a bit confusing at times, causing you to read some pages again to make sure you get all you should. Normally, that's a fault in a book, but not in this case. The flashbacks and exposition are worded like a memory, and the author wants us to try to remember the events, even though we were never there. It's a great, mysterious quality the book has, and it makes it all the more enjoyable. At the end of it all, we have to wonder: was Amanda as misguided as she seemed? How would we have handled the strain of all those secrets and losses? Highly recommended!
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Summary: This is my kind of book!
Review: I loved this book! This writing style really intriges me and I absolutely could not put it down. Amanda frustrated me with her controlling and obsessive parenting of little Ruth. Did I detect something of myself in her? And why DID Ruth go out on that ice? I could hardly wait to get to the end to find out, which is why I had it out of the library for only 38 hours! It is almost impossible to imagine the disgrace of having a child out of wedlock and how desperate those women must have been to keep their secret. This book also reinforces the concept that secrets breed assumptions, usually the wrong ones. I look forward to Christine Schwarz's next book and unlike some reviewers, I relish sinking my teeth into a book that makes me squirm just a little. I love a book that I continue thinking about after I'm finished reading it.
Rating:
Summary: you think you know what's going on........3 1/2 stars
Review: This is a story of two sisters, and of mothers and daughters. It is a story of ultimate family love, personal secrets and guilt. It pivots around personal secrets that never really vanish and the consequences and guilt that come from trying to keep a secret. One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was that I kept thinking I knew what was going to happen next, or some strange twist I was sure I knew was coming next, there would be a subtle shift and the story would travel down a slightly different path. Sometimes the shifts were more dramatic, but it made me continue to follow the author along the path to see where it ended up. I had strong feelings about several of the characters, especially Amanda and Mathilda, but even those feelings and attitudes changed back and forth through this engaging story. This was an amazingly well crafted first novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Well-written soap opera
Review: The writing is good, but the plot seems lifted from daytime TV. The young woman seduced by a philandering older man, the secret birth, the two girls who by wild coincidence become best friends (despite a four-year age difference)and don't realize their true relationship, the brother and sister who almost marry -- really, it got to be too much after a while. The "revelation" at the end was a letdown because there had been such a fevered buildup to it that I expected something truly shocking. Overall, disappointing.
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Summary: A Good Effort that Needs to be Measured on its own Terms
Review: This is one of those books that often gets panned by those who approach it with unrealistic expectations. While the characters are believable and well-developed, the book is primarily about relationships, not a Pulitzer-level story. However, the writing is beautiful, the plot quite engaging, and the mystery sufficiently plausible to keep you thinking. You'll be wondering about various scenarios for Ruth's drowning well into the book. Aside from the story, the time-setting is most interesting, as is the relationship between the sisters. Once you get into it, you'll have a hard time putting it down.
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Summary: Would benefit from some subtlety
Review: While it's not a terrible story, I was greatly disappointed in the author's execution. This story gives far too much away, far too early. There were many "revelations" in this book, and I can't think of any that truly surprised me. Foreshadowing is a great tool for an author when used well, but it was far too obvious here. I was also disappointed in the characters; they're very flat. For example, Amanda's motives are there, but they're not subtle in any way, and they don't provide you with a real look inside her head.
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Summary: Christmas Gift
Review: I picked this book up at a trade show and let it languish on my bookshelf for two months before I grabbed it to take on my Thanksgiving beach vacation. Boy, am I glad I chose this one! It was a page turner from start to (almost) finish. I've become rather tired of most of the Oprah book selections as they tend to be too broody and self-conscious, but this one was a gem. I can't seem to put it down and I try to sneak time into the day to read some more. This will be one I'll be sad to put down. My mark of an excellent read! Even if I did have to pay for my copy, it would be money well-spent. I plan to pass this along to my girlfriends and buy a few copies as Christams gifts. A great choice for women interested in fiction that explores feminine relationships, mental illness and great mystery.
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