Rating: 
Summary: Extraordinary
Review: One of the finest written books I've read in years, this is a stark, taut literary novel--as much character study as thriller. The reader is immersed in the characters' world and psyche. A great book.
Rating:
Summary: excellent novel
Review: A great book with a great flow. The development of characters is smooth and compelling. Intrigue lurks beguilingly behind the storyline as the scenes unfold to reveal a disturbing but brilliant ending. A pleasure to read.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book
Review: Lot's of people have thought that Drowning Ruth was hard to follow. I am 15 and i found it to be an very good book. Me and my Best friend Chelsea read it For english Lit. Drowning Ruth is a very good story told from many different points of view. I recommend this book highly to anyone who likes to read.
ENJOY!!!
Rating:
Summary: Family Secrets
Review: This was a terrific book. I was so filled with suspense & curiosity while reading it, I devoured it. This was a great tale. Twists & turns at every corner...
Rating: 
Summary: Drowning Ruth? Completely Inappropriate Title!
Review: "Mandy's Psychosis" . . ."Who's Ruth?" . . ."Matilda's in a Better Place" would have been better!If it weren't for Christina Schwartz's poetic writing style, which absolutely fascinated me, I wouldn't have finished the book on the plot alone. I found her an absolute artist with words, and her ability to express the nuances of human nature well above average. Painting pictures with words, I could actually feel the cold, touch the ice, smell the lake, share the pain, understand the temptations, and be transported back into the mind of a child (as Ruth speaks her pieces.) Even with all those strengths the character Ruth was boaring and dull throughout the story, while Amanda kept the boat afloat. The style was unusual. Time, place and character suddenly do an abrupt 180 degree turn, as through a time tunnel which connects the past and the present, when least expected. Since happens regularly it had a dizzying effect and reminded me of the old "one step forward and two steps back" cliche. Sharing a secret from my past(yikes), my youth involved an equally disfunctional personality alot like Amanda. In that light the book was compelling, and I either gained insight into the demons within, or related to how insidious they can be. With that I was satisfied.
Rating:
Summary: Strange but good
Review: This is one of the strangest books I have ever read, but I couldn't put it down until the very end. The book is not set up in your average book fashion. Basically you don't understand page 1 until you get to the last page. I trusted Oprah when I bought this one and I am not sorry at all, but I don't think I would have purchased it had I stumbled into it in a store. The book is not a fun read but it keeps you from wanting to put it down. It's actually somewhat stressful, although it does have mistery, drama and all the other good stuff some people like in books. At the end the reader is left with a feeling like a 50 pund load has been lifted off their shoulders and that in fact you are glad that there isn't more to read.
Rating:
Summary: The plot drowned me in the end
Review: Because of the book's promise on the cover that Drowning Ruth was a psychological thriller, I expected the ending to be more suspenseful and intriguing. The book drowned my attention in the end, which I found disappointing. I wanted Amanda to live up to my first impression of her, where I thought her capable of murder and wanted to understand her motivations. I resented her being a victim of circumstance.
Rating: 
Summary: Talented writer; So-so story!
Review: Okay, I admit it - I just wasn't crazy about this book. The whole idea of a mentally-ill and controlling aunt (Amanda) ruining the life of her little niece (Ruth) after the girl's mother (Mathilda) mysteriously fell through the ice and drowned one cold winter eve just disturbed me. ...And the ending was even more disappointing, leaving me with a tremendous feeling of hopelessness! This was Ms. Schwarz's first novel, and I did find her to be a talented writer in that her literary style was intriguing. The narrative alternates between the 3rd-person and the 1st-person. The 1st-person segments were from both Ruth and Amanda's perspective and I liked these parts best. It was this style of writing that kept me interested, despite my apathy toward the story. Because of her obvious talent, I would read a second novel by the same author if the story itself interests me.
Rating: 
Summary: A terrific read!
Review: Drowning Ruth is one of the better books I have ever read. Everyone should read it.
Rating:
Summary: Manipulating Aunt Wins!
Review: I usually like the books that make Oprah's list, but I was left really angry after finishing this book. I had a real emotional response to Drowning Ruth-I am not sure if this was good or bad. I am not sure if I liked or disliked the book after truly thinking about it. I will say I never felt intrigued by any of the characters except Ruth's mother. However the characters were real. I thought Ruth was a very unlucky person at the beginning of the book and I felt that way at the end of the book--I felt sorry for her. She in my opinion had her life manipulated and ruined by a hateful relative who was masquerading as a caring parent figure. This person hid all of the family secrets and spent most of her life trying to keep them hidden even if it cost a life or two. I had predicted all along where the author was going with the story line and had no surprises. I hate to use the old cliché but I felt like I saw the proverbial freight train a coming each time I picked up the book. I almost stopped reading the book when the aunt has her break-down, but something in my mind said this has such potential things are going to get better keep reading--not going to happen. HATED the ending. Ruth is the same isolated lonely person in the end that she was in the beginning. I felt sorry for her throughout the book. If you want an emotional read this is the book for you--I did want to give a few of the characters a piece of my mind. So I guess on the positive end the characters were truly well developed. I could see them and I wanted to let them know how I felt about their actions-even if I did not like them. I also liked the time period of the books setting. The early 1900's has always interested me and the author did a good job bringing the period to live. However the Depression did not seem so bad--no one was really affected in the book by the devastation of the Depression-was a little surprised at that. I guess every reader has to be their own judge of a books worth--I know this one made me think a great deal about it after I finished it--maybe it was better than I thought. Isn't that what a book is suppose to do-make you think. Because I was still thinking about the book and could not get it out of my mind a week after finishing it-Ultimately that is what made me write this review. Would love to know what others thought of the book. I am still thinking about it--does that make this book better then I originally thought?
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