Rating: 
Summary: A Dazzling Achievement!
Review: The true artistry of this author is that she has taken a rather ordinary tale and transformed it into a riveting mystery. I eagerly flipped pages to uncover the details only to discover it wasn't the answer that kept my attention but the characters. Schwarz created characters so real that they seem to become members of our own circle of family and acquaintances. It's no small thing to make an ordinary story mysterious and fascinating. I believe it's the author's understanding of how most people have secrets and histories to reveal when we peel back the layers. The suspense is not in the story itself but in our own sense of discovery. Also recommended: The Color of Water by McBride, The Loser's Club by Richard Perez
Rating: 
Summary: nearly 5 stars
Review: The only thing keeping this from a 5-star rating is the ending--it doesn't quite meet expections. The rest of the novel is so well-developed that the end seems a little weak. I will definately check out her future novels.
Rating:
Summary: Another Great 1 From Oprah!
Review: I hate reading, but found myself drawn to this one. I love the way it plays out and wow what a surprise!
Rating: 
Summary: Very disappointed!
Review: I have read 5 Oprah recommended books and have loved them all except for this one. I guess my expectations were too high, on the back of the book it's catorgorized as a "psychological thriller", well I was not thrilled.I will say the story was told very uniquely, by the different characters, but from the beginning, you don't really know HOW it happens, but when you find out, it's not a suprise. All in all, I was disappointed. But it won't stop me from reading other Oprah books!
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing
Review: I found this to be an extremely enjoyable book. Throughout the first few chapters, which took me a few weeks to get through because I only read a little at a time, I was afraid it would drag a bit, but when Amanda's big secret came to the surface the plot began to pick up considerably and I finished it in two days.
Honestly though, I wouldn't classify this as a psychological "thriller". Psychological, yes, dramatic, yes, suspenseful, certainly, but I never was terrified or on the edge of my seat, which is something I would expect from a book classified as a thriller.
Nevertheless, Amanda's obviously deep-rooted issues create tension and give the novel definite suspense. It's not hard to figure out how events played out on the fateful night, though the truth is slightly different than what I expected, but really, I think this is more a story of familial relationships between people with entirely different personalities. I found that the most intriguing part of the novel was seeing how Mathilda's death affected each of her family members in their own way and how they dealt with it. Amanda obviously felt a lot of guilt at not being able to save her sister. Carl alternately felt sadness and deep depression at the loss of his wife and heated anger when he began to doubt Amanda's story and questioned Mathilda's integrity. Ruth, who it seemed for most of her early life was told by Amanda how she should feel and think, finally had to learn to deal with her own feelings about her mother, her aunt, and herself.
I think in a lot of ways too it was a coming of age novel, as we watch Ruth grow up and try to break free of her aunt's grip and then finally figures out where her place is. Although, Ruth is not the only one who has to grow up. Throughout the novel, Amanda is very immature, and it takes her a long time to finally come to terms with her sister's death and truly become an adult.
Altogether, I definitely recommend it. The novel has many elements in it and I think fans of any genre will enjoy it. It's not a difficult read either, and anyone will be able to get through it withough difficulty.
Rating:
Summary: Marvelous Pacing
Review: DROWNING RUTH is deceptively clever. What seems initially like the conventional, usually predictable murder yarn turns out actually being a meticulously crafted story of considerable artistic merit. The circumstances of the drowning of Ruth's mother serves as the catalyst that precipitates an intriguing flow of interrelated events in the lives of Amanda (the drowned woman's sister) and her niece Ruth. Christina Schwarz is a wonderfully talented writer who has woven a rather intricate tale of psychological suspense. There are many engrossing trwists and digressions (but quite necessary) in this very emotional marrative. The mystery is sustained throughout because the reader, as if carefully and thoughtfully fitting together all the jagged pieces of a puzzle, learns in successive chapters what actually occurred that particular wintry night so long ago in the past of both Amanda and Ruth. The writer does a marvelous job in pacing the delicate unravelling of the knitting. This is a thoroughly enjoyable thriller.
I recommend this book very highly.
Rating:
Summary: wonderful story!!
Review: Apparently (according to these reviews) you either like this book or you don't. I liked it. I highly recommend it. Great story.
Rating:
Summary: Good story and more...
Review: I read many customers' reviews before writing this review and was particularly interested in the deeply emotional responses provoked by "Drowning Ruth". The reader is put through a succession of changing emotions, particularly about Amanda. I began the book certain that Amanda was psychotic, but finished the story feeling that the reader must allow that her mental health was shaped as much by the times as by nature. Had Amanda lived today, she might have been a very different person from the one in the book. She might not have been so naive, would have had more control over her future, and would have had more choices in her life. Helpful medication would have been available to her and she would not have had to spend months in a "sanitorium". I went through many feelings about Amanda. During most of the book, I was curious about her motivations; she appeared to me to be a seriously disturbed person. But as the book came to a close, a sense of desperation grew around her, a desperation which had it's own logic. She was loosing hold on her secrets. The last few pages are remarkable. I can understand why some readers felt disappointed. We expect one thing but get another, which is less in keeping with the image we had maintianed about Amanda throughout the book. This ending is unexpected; it is dramatic, but reveals logic and redemtion. The reader is jolted. Amanda showed some strengths, setting her sights beyond her parents' farm and becoming a nurse. She cared for mangled, dispirited American soldiers returning from the font lines of France in WW I. She was a good nurse, volunteering to care for the most difficult patients. Under these circumstances, she eventually broke down. Piecing people back together and watching young men die can break event the strongest (remember Hawkeye in the last episode of M*A*S*H?). There are implications toward the beginning of the book that Amanda's mother was ill. Amanda had to deal with her mother's instability which is vaguely portrayed possibly as migrane headaches, Meniere's Syndrome or auditory hallucinations. Her response to what must have been a constant fear of losing her mother, was a wish to "own" her. This is important to bear in mind re: Amanda's relationship with both Mathilda and Ruth. In one scene, Amanda's father proves to be a strict but thoughtful man. In his short stint in the book, he proves quite human. Eventually when both parents die, Amanda blames herself. The seeds of a severe, but misplaced guilt are planted. No, there is no "happy ending" here. The dysfunction of this family continues. I particularly liked Ms. Schwarz's hints of strengths and dysfunctions running through this family like a long braid, looping over, around and through the generations. Families hand down their values and priorities to future generations. Thus, Ruth could no more disconnect from her aunt than Amanda could disconnect from her parents' farm. Through her passivity and ambivalent connectiion to Amanda, Ruth becomes part and parcel of her family.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting story with not enough satisfaction.
Review: I was torn between giving this book an "okay" or "good" rating. The entire story line was pulling and interesting. I hung on to every word as if I was on the edge of a cliff. The author used so many character secrets to keep the reader interested. With each new secret, the story would take a firmer hold of my attention. The author really did a wonderful job of introducing and explaining each character, so it didn't seem as if the people were background nobodies. On the other hand, the author keeps the climax within reach almost the entire length of the book. You, the reader, know what is going on, but you want everything to be in the open. It's understandable to keep the book moving, but the secrets are withheld for far too long. And it's even more disappointing to find that most of the secrets aren't even revealed to the people that they are supposed to be revealed to. Also, the author ends the story on a satisfying note, so that I had almost forgotten about some of the main characters that weren't concluded. For instance, Ruth's father was left out of the story for a large part of the conclusion and all of the climax. It was a compelling read, though. Everyone should be able to find a bit of themselves in at least one of the characters.
Rating:
Summary: Thought it was going to be a bore...
Review: ...but it was a page turner instead! I liked the way the author was able to intertwine present day with the past. Normally I don't like flashbacks, but the story flowed so well that I read the book in two days. Highly recommend.
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