Search - The Book of Ruth (Audio Cassette) (Abridged)

Mare Winingham is perfect reading this book. You can easily picture her as Ruth.

This is an excellent read, haunting in its hard luck, pathetic with meaness. A real page-turner, and yet, for most of the book, I liked only one character, and a minor one at that. I suppose it has its redemptive ending, or so I've read, but I don't see it. It is a story of losers who stay lost.

I listened to this book when I was first getting into audiobooks several years ago. When I finished listening I wrote my first ever "fan letter". Mare Winningham is brilliant as the narrator. She doesn't sound as though she's reading, per se. As I listened to the book while commuting to work, I pictured Ruth sitting in passenger seat just telling me her story. I've listened to many, many books since then and no other reader has come close to Ms. Winningham's performance. There is another audio version of this book, with a different narrator. If you're interested in listening, be sure to get the version read by Mare Winningham.

It held my interest, but it would be hard to say "I liked it." A sad group of characters, but I know they're out there.