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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
Most of the people who read this book have proabably led very different lives than the main character. They may cringe at the bleaknes of her upbringing and the poor choices she makes for herslf. It is her resilience that will make them keep turning the pages. I highly recommend this book.
Probably more of a 3.5, but it's highly readable, so I'm rounding up.
I don't really know why I have this book. I bought it years ago at a thrift store and have rarely thought of it since. I didn't know the plot when I started it, and it took me a while to accept it (I had a preconceived notion it was the basis for an upcoming film but apparently not because the plots definitely didn't match up). I didn't love it, but I don't regret reading it either.
The characters are extremely recognizable. The writing pulled me in. The plot is a bit of a slow burn, but it mostly pays off. I would have liked to have seen more out of some characters, but I think their absence was largely the point.
I don't really know why I have this book. I bought it years ago at a thrift store and have rarely thought of it since. I didn't know the plot when I started it, and it took me a while to accept it (I had a preconceived notion it was the basis for an upcoming film but apparently not because the plots definitely didn't match up). I didn't love it, but I don't regret reading it either.
The characters are extremely recognizable. The writing pulled me in. The plot is a bit of a slow burn, but it mostly pays off. I would have liked to have seen more out of some characters, but I think their absence was largely the point.
Read this book for the characters, not the plot. Hamilton's narrator is simple and comical and endearing. For example, her description of an elderly neighbor from her childhood: "[Mrs. Foote] had several black moles on her face and breasts so big if they had hands at the end of them they might be useful." (p. 80)
Read this book for heartbreak, not for happiness. If you're looking for a light read, this isn't it. But it's damn fine fiction.
Read this book for heartbreak, not for happiness. If you're looking for a light read, this isn't it. But it's damn fine fiction.
This was a book to savor...had to give it my full attention. Loved how a story so bleak and depressing had so many parts that made me laugh out loud. Excellent read.
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I picked this book up as a Shavuot read, expecting profound biblical allusions and creativity. This book was certainly not that. It was, however, a powerful reflection on family, forgiveness, and the significance of individual identity.
A darker, far less whimsical Scout Finch, Ruth narrates this story nearly anonymously, reflecting on her childhood, adolescence, and marriage. May, Ruth's mother, is run-down by life, widowed, abandoned, and poor. She taunts Ruth from the earliest days of her life, calling her stupid and constantly comparing her to her younger brother Matt, who is something of a mathematical prodigy in their tiny rural Illinois town. Ruth, thus, learns to rely on herself, defining her own identity and seeking love from neighbors and distant family. As she discovers a love for books, Ruth finds herself more and more in other worlds, giving her peace from the one she lives in. When she befriends the town slut, Dee Dee, and is set up on a date with a man named Ruby, she readily accepts their attention and affection, and so begins her adulthood.
In a word, this book is devastating. So little joy comes into Ruth's life that her seeming peace is troubling. Hamilton powerfully depicts toxicity and love, creating characters that are at once hateful and pathetic, eliciting pity and anger all at once. Well-written and troubling, I'm disappointed that I don't think this one will stick with me; in all honesty, I'm already struggling to remember the plot. I was affected while reading this and it hit me in the gut, but I don't think I'll be coming back to it.
A darker, far less whimsical Scout Finch, Ruth narrates this story nearly anonymously, reflecting on her childhood, adolescence, and marriage. May, Ruth's mother, is run-down by life, widowed, abandoned, and poor. She taunts Ruth from the earliest days of her life, calling her stupid and constantly comparing her to her younger brother Matt, who is something of a mathematical prodigy in their tiny rural Illinois town. Ruth, thus, learns to rely on herself, defining her own identity and seeking love from neighbors and distant family. As she discovers a love for books, Ruth finds herself more and more in other worlds, giving her peace from the one she lives in. When she befriends the town slut, Dee Dee, and is set up on a date with a man named Ruby, she readily accepts their attention and affection, and so begins her adulthood.
In a word, this book is devastating. So little joy comes into Ruth's life that her seeming peace is troubling. Hamilton powerfully depicts toxicity and love, creating characters that are at once hateful and pathetic, eliciting pity and anger all at once. Well-written and troubling, I'm disappointed that I don't think this one will stick with me; in all honesty, I'm already struggling to remember the plot. I was affected while reading this and it hit me in the gut, but I don't think I'll be coming back to it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Blood, Death of parent, Murder
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
twisted and tragic, and yet in uncanny ways, so relatable.
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have been meaning to reread this for some time, because I know I read it as a teen, but I didn't remember it hardly at all. Normally I remember lots of oddly precise details from books I read during that time period, though I think this may be because I read many of them numerous times. I couldn't have read this more than once. It did not come back to me as I read!
I was too young to understand what I was reading. Having read it now, and comparing it to Jane Hamilton's other book, The Map Of The World (which I did not like nearly as much, in no small part because of how removed it is from its characters), I have found a lot more to love about it.
It's hard to know how much about this is a spoiler, and who would care at this point. Ruth is presented as intellectually disabled in some way, but I think it takes a more experienced reader to see that she is not. She was neglected, emotionally abused, and didn't have the self esteem or ability to study on her own in order to get back on track--she understands abstract concepts and even advanced literature just fine on her own. By contrast, she meets a man called Ruby who *does* seem to have some kind of cognitive impairment, and at the very least, some terrible qualities and habits. Ruth first invents the person she wants Ruby to be and falls in love with that, then she focuses on what she calls his "good points." She does not realize there is more to this situation, and this isn't because she is intellectually disabled. It's because she is inexperienced and needs some form of love or approval. She does not know another way.
This book was written in 1988 (well, published--it may have been written even before that), and what seems like very light queer coding now was probably about as much as a mainstream novel could say then without scandal, risk of turning away publishers, etc. It seems that Ruth might not have known that being with another woman is a thing, but the mere description of her friend Daisy near-naked on a motorcycle sure made an impression on her.
These characters meet sad fates, but honestly, when it comes to my depressing literary fiction, it was close to the best thing that could have happened. Ruth doesn't see this by the end. But she has the right support system, and there's hope that she will come to know what we know. I hope she does.
I was too young to understand what I was reading. Having read it now, and comparing it to Jane Hamilton's other book, The Map Of The World (which I did not like nearly as much, in no small part because of how removed it is from its characters), I have found a lot more to love about it.
It's hard to know how much about this is a spoiler, and who would care at this point. Ruth is presented as intellectually disabled in some way, but I think it takes a more experienced reader to see that she is not. She was neglected, emotionally abused, and didn't have the self esteem or ability to study on her own in order to get back on track--she understands abstract concepts and even advanced literature just fine on her own. By contrast, she meets a man called Ruby who *does* seem to have some kind of cognitive impairment, and at the very least, some terrible qualities and habits. Ruth first invents the person she wants Ruby to be and falls in love with that, then she focuses on what she calls his "good points." She does not realize there is more to this situation, and this isn't because she is intellectually disabled. It's because she is inexperienced and needs some form of love or approval. She does not know another way.
This book was written in 1988 (well, published--it may have been written even before that), and what seems like very light queer coding now was probably about as much as a mainstream novel could say then without scandal, risk of turning away publishers, etc. It seems that Ruth might not have known that being with another woman is a thing, but the mere description of her friend Daisy near-naked on a motorcycle sure made an impression on her.
These characters meet sad fates, but honestly, when it comes to my depressing literary fiction, it was close to the best thing that could have happened. Ruth doesn't see this by the end. But she has the right support system, and there's hope that she will come to know what we know. I hope she does.
This book was hands-down, the most depressing thing I've read in ages. Justifiably likened to Dickens, it was compelling in the way a train wreck or a house fire is compelling... you are horrified, but you need to keep reading to see what else could possibly happen. None of the characters were likable, although you definitely empathize with the narrator - Ruth. The lives of these characters is devastatingly bleak. The climax was much as I expected. The redeeming value in the book is that the author's words are exceedingly effective in painting this set of desolate scenes. She is obviously very skilled in her craft.
Ugh.
What a sad, depressing book. There was nothing redeeming. I did like Ruth and wanted the best for her, but at some point I just wanted her to stand up, shake off all the crap she was hauling around, and make a life for herself.
I started sad, there were brief, brief interludes of happiness in the middle, then the end was way depressing.
Not good.
What a sad, depressing book. There was nothing redeeming. I did like Ruth and wanted the best for her, but at some point I just wanted her to stand up, shake off all the crap she was hauling around, and make a life for herself.
I started sad, there were brief, brief interludes of happiness in the middle, then the end was way depressing.
Not good.