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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
It took me to practically the very end of the book to realize I had read this before, about 20 years ago. So it was like discovering this masterpiece all over again.
The first Oprah's choices I ever read and I was hooked. This book is a really good read.
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Gaslighting
Moderate: Racism, Rape
This was poignant and beautifully written, wry and funny and sad. However, it was tough to get through, despite how good it was, because it was a depressing book about depressing people who, for the most part, I felt sorry for but didn't much like.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I thought this was really beautiful. Jane Hamilton is really talented at writing characters that you really feel for. I despised Ruby the whole time but held love in my heart for Ruth. The ending felt rushed, and I wished the big event occurred earlier on so we got to see more of Ruth's recovery. I took a star off for that and for the overt racism that went unchecked by Ruth, despite her being the protagonist and seemingly disagreeing with the comments.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Murder
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a hard book to enjoy, and I almost stopped reading it near the beginning, but I'm glad I kept going. It took me a while to get into the mind of Ruth, even though it was told in the first person. Ruth and her mother are very poor in a poor town with little prospects. But they are definitely on the low end of society in their corner of the world, despite both working. Neither character is likeable or like each other, but they are stuck with each other and dependent on each other in myriad ways. In the midst of their joint misery, Ruth observes little things in their country home in the most poetic way and you see that she has little joys in her life. She falls for a young man with serious self-esteem and mental health issues, but who also manages to manipulate Ruth and her mother so that he doesn't work and barely helps around the house. It is an unhealthy triad, with competition over the new baby added into the mix. As you might imagine, it does not go well. Hamilton made these dysfunctional people believable and complex and although you would never want to live anything like they did, it is enriching to have been on this journey with Ruth.
It was a dark story, for sure, but reminiscent of Dickens in its structure. What happened to Ruth was horrible, but what struck me was how shocking it was to me. After everything I'd learned about her and her family, I should have seen it coming, but I didn't. Just as she didn't. I just didn't see that much violence hidden inside Rudy. I thought he would hurt someone by neglect or carelessness, so when the climax came, I wasn't emotionally prepared for it. I thought the author did a spectacular job of creating Ruth as a believable woman. Anyone might "know" a Ruth or a May in their own town. And equally, I thought the author did a good job of giving us Rudy as seen through Ruth's eyes. That's why the climax was more dramatic -- because like Ruth, I didn't expect it.
i thought i had read this years ago. i bought it at half-price for a dollar to give to someone else, but it turns out not to be the story i was thinking it was. i'm only in chapter 2 at this point, but i'm liking it so far.
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m really torn about this one. One one hand, the author went balls to the literary fiction wall, and at times I found myself getting lost in the lack of plot. This novel reads the way an indie movie watches; it is less a story than a deep-dive character study of severely flawed people. On the other hand, Hamilton is writing about “white trash” the way artists write about first loves. Ruth’s words are more romantic talking about her shitty life than most poets’ words are about Paris.
Personally, I found the most moving character to be May, who is terrible for many reasons but who inspired the most pity from me than any of the rest. Willard’s death combined with the house in Honey Creek decaying around her made her bitterly angry, and the way she expresses that anger to the outside world was fascinating to watch. I saw parallels between her and some familiar faces in my own life, and for that reason I was rooting for her. In her own way, she ends up being the hero of the story. I only wish Ruth was able to see it that way, and it breaks my heart to know that she never will.
Personally, I found the most moving character to be May, who is terrible for many reasons but who inspired the most pity from me than any of the rest. Willard’s death combined with the house in Honey Creek decaying around her made her bitterly angry, and the way she expresses that anger to the outside world was fascinating to watch. I saw parallels between her and some familiar faces in my own life, and for that reason I was rooting for her. In her own way, she ends up being the hero of the story. I only wish Ruth was able to see it that way, and it breaks my heart to know that she never will.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Rape