Rating: 
Summary: A riveting page turner!
Review: After Amanda finds herself in a shameful predicament, she moves back home to live with her sister, Mattie on their deceased parents estate. They devise a plan to fix the situation, but on a cold November night, everything goes wrong. Mattie dies suddenly and Amanda, the only person who knows what REALLY happened, keeps the secret to herself until many years later, when she's forced to divulge her dark truth.Christina Schwarz portrays a vivid plot, tightly intertwining the characters in a gripping storyline. In the end, when it all comes full-circle, you'll marvel at her mastery.
Rating: 
Summary: Christina Schwarz's first novel; "drowning" or sailing high
Review: Christina Schwarz's first novel was definitely a big hit. Times said ,"Her novel shows her compassion and understanding of the American landscape and the people who live on it." Drowning Ruth is a great novel that tells of the ties that bind sisters together and the forces that tear them apart, of the dangers of keeping secrets and of the dangerous consequences that can happen when the secrets are exposed. In winter, 1919, Amanda Starkey spends her days nursing soldiers who were wounded in the Great War. Amanda finds herself becoming suddenly overwhelmed, so she decides to leave Milwaukee and go back to her family's farm on Nagawaukee Lake. She tries to make herself feel better with her younger sister, Mathilda, and three-year-old niece, Ruth. But very soon, Amanda realizes being at her home town isn't helping her out at all. She still has all of her troubles back there with her as well. One terrible night almost a year later, Amanda is shocked by news when her sister mysteriously disappears and is later found drowned beneath the ice that covers the lake. When Mathilda's husband comes home from the war, wounded and with troubles of his own, he sees that Amanda has taken charge of Ruth and the farm, taking care of everything with all she has left in her. Throughout the book, Amanda tells the story of her family very carefully and secretly hides from herself, and the audience, the secrets of her past and of that night. Ruth, haunted by her own memory of that terrible night, grows up under the pressure and possessiveness of her aunt and gradually becomes more aware the things that happened in her childhood. Is it possible to ever deal with the trauma that she experienced? Will she ever be able to put it behind her and go on? Will she ever know the real truth? She tells her own story as she knows it but the truth comes out eventually. Drowning Ruth was very touching. I found myself really focusing on the character's feelings. Everything that was happening to them in their lives seemed so real. The things that happened in the novel, were things that actually happen in today's everyday life, making Drowning Ruth very believable. This was the first Schwarz novel that I read, but this novel has convinced me to read more by her. I could hardly put this book down. Christina Schwarz's used very vivid characters in this novel. You could see right through them and know what they were thinking before the novel even continued. The character's lives and the way they dealt with things were very different because of their difference in ages. That made the novel more interesting to compare the character's and how each faced things differently. Schwarz has a very large vocabulary, although, her sentence structure made the words easy to figure out. This definitely isn't one of those novels where you need to sit by a Thesaurus to read it! Most of her words were full of emotion and compassion. Surprisingly, I understood everything she was trying to say through her character's. This was Christina Schwarz's very first novel and she did an exceptional job! If you're looking for a novel that is impossible to put down and one that really gets your brain thinking and wondering, I recommend you read Drowning Ruth. Who knows? Maybe it will even bring about some emotions that you never thought were there. Regardless, Drowning Ruth earns 4 stars.
Rating:
Summary: 'Twas Special.
Review: I got hooked on the book right after the first few sentences. You are drawn right into the story, and you have to read on in order to find out just what is being talked about. The book goes back and forth among the two main characters: Ruth and Amanda. It is quite interesting how the tale is told with the build up of present day events along with going back and forth with a seperate story from the past. The transition between characters is smooth and understandable. It was an easy predicting book but it was still a lot of fun to read.
Rating:
Summary: truely phonominal
Review: This well written book, grips your imagination, pulls at your heart, and plays with your mind. The author's knowledge of the area gave her the oppurtunity to give vivid and accurate accounts of the Wisconsin landscape and harsh frigid winters. The book catches the reader form the first page and intrigues them until the last words. The situations provide for an interesting plot full of unexpected turns and an interesting conclusion. The book is truely phonominal.
Rating: 
Summary: Reader admits her stupidity
Review: Although I returned this book to my local library before I reached page 200, I'm sorry to say I was so curious about the circumstances of Mathilda's death, I went back to the library for an answer. This was a waste of time since, even after I got my answer, I still cared nothing for Mathilda or any of these other demented characters. As a child, I was forced to read books all the way through; after this, I'll act on my own good sense and quit sooner. After all, I could have been reading about characters I want to know. As one of your reviewers already pointed out, these people are quite ill; as often happens when one starts out to criticize someeone else, I've said more about my own lack of judgment than that of C. Schwartz. As for Oprah, she really should take a literature course.
Rating: 
Summary: What a waste of my time!
Review: I had to fight my way through to finish this book. Since it was recommended by Oprah's Book Club, I waded through the boredom. At the end, I just kept asking myself "Why?" ... why did I waste my time to read this story about a mentally ill woman, and her twisted life. Christina Swartz is now on my list of authors NOT to read. What anyone found to enjoy in this book is
beyond me!
Rating:
Summary: Good read... forgettable plot
Review: This book was a fun, quick read but a very forgettable one. The story of family intrigue, farm life and WWI America has been told many times in different ways, some which are more effective and impacting. Frankly, I did not find this book to be innovative or unique. It is a great attempt for someone learning how to become a writer. But it dissappoints the well-read person. It would be a good book to read on the beach during summertime but that is all it's worth for.
Rating:
Summary: I loved this book.
Review: I'm not always an easy reader to please. That said, I could not put this book down (much to my faimly's dismay). I cared very much about Ruth and felt very sad for all that happened and was done to her. I would tell anyone who wants a good book to read to read this one. The time spent reading this book was time well spent.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable historical fiction
Review: Winter, 1919. Amanda Sarkey spends her days in France in the Great War treating the wounded. She is abruptly sent home after she is diagnosed with "spells of dizziness and queasiness and frogetting where she is." She is told that she will be accepted back after she has time to recover. She returns home to her farm in wisconson to her sister Mathilda and her little niece, Ruth. Mathildas husband, Carl, is off assisting his country. Amanda is welcomed home with open arms and granted complete leave. Until on one stormy night, a terrible accident occurs and leaves Mathila dead and Ruth and Amanda alone. The two form together and deceide to live their lives together. When Mathildas husband returns home he is shocked to find his wife dead and Ruth within a strict household and Amanda refusing to discuss the fateful night. Ruth, meanwhile is growning up and rapidly discovering the strange events of her childhood. Being raised by her overprotective aunt, Ruth and the reader discover the truth of what happened on the snowy night and how family secrets can really destroy a woman. Powerful, rich in detail and gripping, Drowning Ruth is a deservedly sucessful debut, a #1 NY Times Bestseller. The intriguing polt and endless twists will keep the reader reading and guessing. The annoying character trials and poor ending is made up with the novel powerful plot, which mostly rams over these minsicule and annoying flaws.
Rating:
Summary: PAGE TURNER FROM THE VERY START!
Review: This is a GREAT book with lots of plot twists and turns! If you want an easy read that will keep you guessing until the end then this is the book for you! I have three children under the age of seven so my reading time is limited...but this book was definetly a priority! I loved the way that it was told in the first and third person....just goes to show that the same event can often be seen in many different ways! READ THIS BOOK:)
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