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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Disclaimer: This review contains my thoughts on the series as a WHOLE, with notes about individual books.
This was one of the heaviest series I've ever read.
Hits:
- The chapters were short, and the pacing was fast. This, combined with the drama and scandal, made the books hard to put down.
- I appreciated that the second book was a prequel. It provided a significant amount of context, addressing unanswered questions about Mama Ruby.
Misses:
- The amount of sexual trauma and content that occurred throughout this series got old and stale very quickly. It almost felt like there was this underlying assumption that because of the setting and time of the series, this type of content and trauma just automatically had to be a part of the story. I was able to pull through this in books one and two, but book three broke the camel's back. I DNFd book three at 12%. The heaviness was taken to an extreme that I could no longer stomach—a scene involving a graphic description of a grown man with a 14-year-old girl. Fiction or not. Immediately NO.
- Though Mama Ruby had her ways, I truly feel she deserved so much better. Reading book two broke my heart because I didn't want that to be her story. However, after reading her story, I understood why she was the way she was with Maureen. Othella was a terrible "friend" and didn't care about Mama Ruby at all. I will die on this hill.
Overall:
This series wasn't my favorite from Mary Monroe. While it stayed true to her style of mess and scandal, it was just a bit too heavy for me.
Read this in high school as well. A great read, but it sent chills through my body.
Good and Exciting
Enjoyed reading this and the wild and crazy stuff Mama Ruby was always doing. Being a mom I couldn't imagine controlling my adult children the way she did.
Enjoyed reading this and the wild and crazy stuff Mama Ruby was always doing. Being a mom I couldn't imagine controlling my adult children the way she did.
I really didn't like any of the books she wrote that I have read. I don't know what compelled me to even continue to read the books. They deal with a harsh subject and it seems like all she writes about is misery. I just didn't enjoy the stories.
I didn't like this book nearly as much as the Mama Ruby prequel or the God Don't Like Ugly series. I found most of the characters to only be semi likeable and quite annoying... especially Mama Ruby's penchant for calling people (and the devil) low down funky black dogs every other page, and the habit of going on and on about how she was basically a perfect Christian and blessed and sanctified etc etc when in actuality she was a multiple murderer, a liar, an alcoholic, and many other things.
I really wanted more from this book being by Monroe. My biggest complaint about this was how absolutely numbingly repetitive it was. Mama Ruby needed help from the Lord, the Psychiatrist, the Pastor and whoever else
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was super excited for this one and it had been on my TBR for a long time, unfortunately it was not what I was expecting. I found Mama Ruby super strange and alarming as a character. I did not enjoy the style of writing or dialogue either. This was not one I could push myself to read.
Mama Ruby is a trip, however, her story made for a great page turner! If you’re into a great southern storyline with a range of emotions throughout the characters, I definitely recommend this.