Rating: 
Summary: Unusual Story - Gifted Writer
Review: This is a very unusual story. This does not mean it's bad - or that it's good - just that it's different. Schwarz is a gifted writer but has an unusual method of telling her story. Instead of it being told in a linear fashion, the mystery is revealed just a bit at a time via recollections of two of the main characters. I found the first 2/3 of the book quite compelling, but once I figured out the gist of the story and the answers to the mystery, I wanted it to get to the end a bit quicker than it did. The synopsis has been told numerous times in other reviews, so I won't go into it here. Amanda is a disturbing character who has been a little "off center" since she was a child. The author keeps true to this character by revealing what happened the fateful night of Mattie's death just a little at a time through Amanda's eyes -- and then through her niece Ruth -- who always insists she also drowned that night. As far as an "Oprah" selection goes, it is not my favorite, but it's not the worst one either. I would consider reading other books by this author and will look forward to seeing what she comes up with for her sophomore effort.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing "secret"
Review: I thought the book was a really good book. However, the whole time I was reading I couldn't imagine what it was that really happened that night. After finding out what really happened, I was really disappointed and never understood why it was such a secret in the first place. (What happened to Mathilda, that is--not what happened to Amanda. With that aside, I still found it to be a great book. I had a hard time putting it down every night at bedtime.
Rating: 
Summary: Exhilarating read!
Review: I've heard a lot of negative things about this book after I had purchased it. I thought for sure that I had spent too much money for nothing. How wrong I was! This was the most captivating, ever changing book I ever read. The minute I thought I had everything figured out, the plot changed. The characters were real and prone to human mistake and human consequence. I could feel myself drowning in the guilt and the shame the characters felt and by the end of the book I was completely exhausted. Any book to bring out that kind of emotion in the reader is a book well written.
Rating:
Summary: An Intriguing First Novel
Review: The first page of Drowning Ruth is so provocative and full of impending doom, that it will pull you into the story and keep you turning pages to the very end. Set in rural Wisconsin and spanning the time between World Wars I and II, the story, narrated by the two main characters, Ruth and her Aunt Amanda, begins with the late night drowning of Ruth's mother, on a cold November evening. This event causes a chain reaction of secrets, lies, betrayals and deceit that follows the characters through this story, changing all their lives forever. Ms Schwarz has written an intriguing first novel, full of great characters and riveting scenes, with enough twists and turns to keep you off balance and guessing. The real strength of this book is her eloquent writing and attention to detail as the story moves back and forth between the fateful night of the drowning and the present. The only real weakness to this novel is its rather hurried, predictable and anti-climactic ending. After such a tense and compelling story, the ending was a bit of a let-down. That said, Drowning Ruth is a very good first effort and I look forward to reading Christina Schwarz's future works.
Rating:
Summary: I can hear her voice in my head
Review: Excellent! A must read. I felt their voices in my head as if I were the characters. Wonderfully written. Thanks
Rating: 
Summary: DULL
Review: This story was incredibly dreary and lonely, and while I am reading many reviews describing Schwarz's characterization as powerful, I can't agree. I didn't care for the characters much, except maybe Ruth, and what I felt for her was mostly pity. I didn't have any feelings or thoughts about this book after finishing it, which is very unusual for me. Specifically, I was chomping at the bit to get into a "good read" because this left me rather unfulfilled.
Rating: 
Summary: Come on Oprah you can do better
Review: I know I am the voice of dissent but I was truly disappointed by this book. I had to force myself to finish it. It was predictable, the character development was poor, and it was very unrealistic. It is promoted as a mystery and of insight into family secrets but I found it neither. I know the ending after the first three chapters. If you must read it at least wait until paperback....
Rating:
Summary: Exceptional first novel
Review: Wow! It is amazing that a new novelist could pull off a such an intriguing and well-written book. The story seamlessly flips back and forth between a chronology and past events. While most of the narration is in the third person, first person observations by Amanda and her niece, Ruth, are interspersed. Slowly, the hidden secrets which have forever impacted all the characters' lives are revealed, like peeling away the layers of an onion. This kind of storytelling is difficult to pull off, but works marvelously here. The story spans the end of World War I to the beginning of World War II, and remains true to the technological, societal and economic changes over this time. The characters are complex and believable. The central character is Amanda, who takes on raising her niece, Ruth, after her sister Mattie drowns under mysterious circumstances. The story is tragic but nonetheless wonderful and, frankly, I held out hope for better times at the end. I don't want to go any further, since I don't want to spoil the story. However, as is clear from this review, I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Truly captures the strain of keeping a secret.
Review: Although I have found all of the Oprah selections interesting, I couldn't become a part of many of them because of my cultural identity (differences). I could feel Mandy's shell around me, hiding the truth and suffocating her. If you pull a blanket over your head long enough, you will forget how good it feels to breathe fresh air. That is Mandy's fate until the truth is completely and finally released. And guess what? Life goes on; the earth doesn't open up and swallow you! You don't often hear the phrase "what will the neighbors think" anymore, but there are still many families holding deep, dark, damaging (or damning) secrets. If you are hanging on to secrets you should read this book. If your life is an open book, read this to find out why some of us are shocked by your honesty.
Rating:
Summary: Drowning Ruth
Review: Poisonwood Bible and Mother of Pearl lulled me into a false sense of optimism and I had my husband buy Drowning Ruth for me. "Oprah's Bookclub" selections usually evoke fear in me. I avoid depressing (she calls them real life) books because most of my early life was lived in a family situation that could be the plot for one her common bookclub choices. I will be much more cautious next time. Drowning Ruth can be described in one word: GRIM!!!!! If you must try it I recommend reserving a library copy. That way you can spend your money on a book that entertains, uplifts, humors or celebrates life. You know, one of those that you just hate to finish!!!
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