Drowning Ruth: A Novel (Oprah's Book Club) by Christina Schwarz Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Drowning Ruth: A Novel (Oprah's Book Club)
Book Review: Loses it's momentum along the way
Summary: 3 Stars
This novel starts off very strong. I was gripped by the first sentence: "Ruth remembered drowning." What a great way to start a book titled Drowning Ruth. Schwarz gives you a paragraph of third person, then jumps right in to first person, preparing you for a read much like Faulkner's As I Lay Dying: a work that defies structure in some ways but that reads very plainly.
Amanda's voice at the beginning of the novel is well written. I couldn't stop reading her sections. Unfortunately, as the novel progresses, her voice becomes less thrilling and we're given more and more third person, the writing of which is much, much weaker than Schwarz's first person.
In terms of story, Drowning Ruth starts off strong, but loses it's momentum along the way. Though the novel is described as a "thriller," I figured out what was happening about halfway through (the plot is pretty transparent) and spent the rest of the time being frustrated that the characters wouldn't just come out and say what had happened. This is one of those mysteries in which the narrator dances around an event and won't just tell the reader what happened, much like Palahniuk's Invisible Monsters. The suspense is fake. The second half of the book is just meant to draw out the mystery for added suspense -- not much really happens that contributes to the plot. This would have been a better novella or short story.
This book is worth checking out if you are a creative writing student. As I said before, it defies structure somewhat and there are some good examples of strong voice. If you're just looking for entertainment, pass this book for another.
Book Review: You could drown in this book
Summary: 5 Stars
The characters are so interesting and plot is so suspenseful that you could get lost in this book and drown in it. My book club read it, and we discussed it for a long time. Although many of us wanted a happier ending, we agreed that it had the right ending.
There is a lot of death in this book. Now, in the age of antibiotics and Tamiflu, death is not so near, and that makes this book seem almost like a horror novel in places, when once character after another dies. But this takes place in 1919, so it's right.
If you like your fiction dark, try: The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber or Rabid: A Novel by T.K. Kenyon.
Minna
Book Review: Good summer read
Summary: 4 Stars
I liked that I was able to "get lost" in this story and it was a fast read. Interesting plot and good story -- could have used a little more emotion.Book Review: I Tried
Summary: 1 Stars
This book irritated me on many levels; not that the writing was poor or the plot weak. In fact, the plot, the premise, the writing were good--unfortunately the characters didn't pull it off or keep me interested because they were all kinda indifferent or unlikable.
I read somewhere the number one reason people keep reading a work of fiction--regardless of plot--is because they care about someone in the book.
In this book, I was hoping they would all drown by the end of the story...
Book Review: Interesting time, interesting place
Summary: 4 Stars
This novel tells the haunting story of two generations of a Wisconsin family brought together and torn apart by the lake adjacent to the family home. Focused on four women, sisters of two generations, the novel develops around the sisters' relationship with the lake, and the tragedy that ensues when it claims one of their lives. Much of the book is spent untangling the secrets which led to the drowning, and working out the complicated problems which arise from the family's attempts to keep these secrets.
Scwartz's story jumps back and forth across time, from past to present and back again. This means that the story develops piece by piece, and this is what makes it something of a mystery. I found the plot development to be one of the more satisfying parts of this book, seeing the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. I enjoyed the developments leading up to Scwartz's telling of what actually happened the night of the tragedy. After that point, however, I found the plot to be something of a let-down. The conclusion seemed a bit too neat, and a bit forced.
The most enjoyable part of this book to me was the way in which Scwartz set the scene- the way in which she managed to capture the sense of a time and place. The novel is set in the Wisconsin countryside in the first half of the twentieth century, with most of the action focusing on the last years of WWI, and the 1920s. Scwartz offers a convincing portrait of Wisconsin farm country in the late-1910s and early 1920s. Her descriptions are vivid, without being overstated, and her story intersects with several significant historical events, including WWI and the influenza epidemic. Scwartz gives her readers a strong sense of connection to the seasons, the land, the lake. I really did feel like I was part of the world about which she wrote.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this novel. The development of the plot engaged me, and the scenery captivated me. I was a bit disappointed by the ending, but my reading was by and large time well spent.