Book Reviews of The Book of Ruth

This was an wonderfully written book with a shocking ending. I suggest you reread the first few pages after you finish the book.

This book was a very insightful account of a young woman who'd been "different" all her life. Made to feel unworthy and unwanted by her mother--especially when compared to her accomplished younger brother--Ruth embarks on life after high school at a dreary job in a dreary town. Her life is changed in many ways--not all positive-- when she meets, marries, and has a child with Ruby, an immature, impulsive boy in a man's guise. A tragic series of events changes Ruth's life forever and, it seems, puts her on a better path after all.

Our narrator tells a simple yet emotionally moving tale of a life filled with quiet desperation and infinite dreams. I was moved enough to write a review, which I never do. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys challenging their perception of what defines a normal family.

None are so blind as those who do not wish to see. Ruth, the unreliable narrator of this sad tale, lives this maxim throughout her life. "The book of Ruth" is an uncomfortable reminder of how we can be blind when we want something bad enough�even if that thing is an unwise choice. With success, Jane Hamilton places the reader in the mind of a disturbed young woman; somehow Hamilton creates sympathy for the undesirable characters in this novel. Definitely a triumph for the author's first book.

This book was horrible in the beginning. It was boring and hard to follow. The middle and ending were better, but still hard to follow. This is the first and probably last book that I will read by Jane Hamilton.

This was a sad heart-wrenching book..well written. It is amazing that there are people that just don't get it.

Well written but depressing. From the back cover:
- "A sly and wistful, if harrowing, human comedy. Hamilton is a new and original voice in fiction and one well worth listening to."
Boston Sunday Globe
- "Ms. Hamilton gives Ruth a humble dignity and allows her hope - but it's not a heavenly hope. It's a common one, caked with mud and held with gritted teeth. And it's probably the only one that's worth reading about." New York Times Book Review
- "Hamilton's story builds to a shocking crescendo. Her small-town characters are as appealingly offbeat and brushed with grace as any found in Alice Hoffman's or Anne Tyler's novels." Glamour
- "Jame Hamilton's novel is authentically Dickensian...The real achivement of this first novel is not so much the blackness as the suggestion of resilience. At the end, Ruth begins to put together her shattered body, pirit and life. Her words are awkward, as they have been all along, but suddenly and unexpectedly they shine." Los Angeles Times
- "A disturbing and beautiful book." Hilma Wolitzer

Very good story about recovery and hope.

Author Jane Hamilton leads us through the arid life of Ruth Grey, who extracts what small pleasures and graces she can from a tiny Illinois town and the broken people who inhabit it. Ruth's prime tormentor is her mother May, whose husband died in World War II and took her future with him. More poor familial luck has given Ruth a brother who is a math prodigy; Matt sucks up any stray attention like a black hole. Ruth is left to survive on her own resources, which are meager. She struggles along, subsisting on crumbs of affection meted out by her Aunt Sid and, later, her screwed-up husband Ruby. Hamilton has perfect pitch. So perfect that you wince with pain for confused but fundamentally good Ruth as she walks a dead-end path.

Great read...a peek inside the world of the poor,and possibly mildly retarded Ruth. Interesting look at her longings for a better life yet also her acceptance of the life she had. The author really lets you look through Ruths eyes as she grows up with a critical, distant mother.Your heart will ache for a better life for poor Ruth, and it will swell with hope from her aunt that truly cares. Definitely worth reading.

This book, The book of Ruth, was difficult to read and finsh. It depressed me, and made no sense. I kept reading hoping it would get better, but it never did. Such high praise from others, but it just left me, wondering why did I bother.

Emotional story about an ordinary girl who has an exceptional brother who goes off to college, leaving her alone with her hateful mother to work at a dry cleaners in a crappy, going-nowhere small town. From the story and how Ruth "tells" it you realize how her naivete' and hopefulness is what could potentially be her downfall. She gets hooked up with a loser, has a baby, and you are just frustrated for her hanging on to the hope that things will turn around for her. Makes you take a look at your own family and life, in general, with a different perspective and attitude.

I could not stop thinking about this book long after I finished it. This author is an incredibly gifted writer. The descriptions are bold and vivid. Though it is a story of devastation and pain, it is richly told. Ruth, a small town girl, is raised by a woman who is bitter about life. They coexist without closeness. Ruth's life is sheltered and drab. Because of her inexperience and ignorance, she meets a mentally ill man and falls in love. She does not see he is dangerous until he brings forth immense suffering and loss. Ruth finds strength and the courage to go on (as she had in childhood) through the love and support of an estranged aunt.

First off, everyone seems to have a fairly good opinion of this book. My opinion differs a bit, as I am sure my personality differs as well.
This book is viewed as an inspiring tale of a womans survival of a unhappy childhood and a survivor of a vicious attack.
I do not get insprired by one mearly surviving the world. I am inspired by people who not only survive the world, but make it a better place in some way or another. Which also for future readers is a difference that will impact the enjoyment of this book. Lots of reviews mention 'hope' as a theme, but I had yet to be convinced that Ruth actually possesed any. If you are inspired by someone bearing through their circumstances (poverty and teasing) and not dying as a result of a muderous attack, than you may enjoy the book a lot more than I did.


(*Caution SPOILER*)The main character, Ruth, lements her husband incarciration (he is the attacker) and neglects her child as a result of the unfortunate event. She neither rallies to make a better life for her and her child or better the situation by moving on (emotionally speaking) regarding her relationship with her abusive husband. The ending really left me shaking my head and aware this must have been a first novel for the writer.
The Book of Ruth was a disappointment for me, I think that had the book reviews been a little more honest as to the level of skill the writer used and about the content of the book, I wouldn't have been so disappointed. I would have still been uninspired however. Quite frankly, I felt is was a waste of time, but of course it was required reading form my literature course so I had no choice.

Ruth narrates the story of her life in a plaintive, wistful voice, telling of life in a small town with a mother who clearly prefers her brother over her, and evenutually a husband who marches to the beat of his own drum. I enjoyed this Dickins-like novel which shaped intensely human characters and built to a shocking pinnacle leaving the reader in disbelief.

Sad and scarily real. Well written.

Not the biblical book of Ruth. A little hard to follow. Ruth is a counntry innocent with a schrewish mother and a wierd husband. A different kind of life.

I loved this book!!! Read it twice. Very interesting characters.

"This is the story of Ruth. It is the story of her struggles, her fears and anxieties, her victories and failures but, ultimately, it is the story of her growth. Like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon Ruth emerges from her trials stronger and more beautiful than she ever believed she could be.

I love this story. Just reading it is an affirmation of the human spirit. My own life has been a thousand times easier than Ruth's and yet Jane Hamilton weaves her tail so skillfully that I still could see bits of myself in poor Ruth. And in the end, after seeing how Ruth overcame so much, I knew for sure that I could take on the world and win. Damn right! One hand tied behind my back.

Go Ruth! And go Jane Hamilton! Books like this don't come along too often and when they do they should be mandatory reading by order of the king of the universe. " amazon review

Wrenching story about the sad life of Ruth, but I found that I couldn't put it down.

This book started off slowly for me. I was also uncomfortable with the characters' life situation. The characters and their lives are unpleasant but they are beautifully written. The book remindes me of how often we write people off as ignorant, ugly, unsalvageable--when what separates us from them is often an accident of birth. I felt hopeful for Ruth at the end and the possibility that her sons will escape her fate. A must read, if for no other reason than to get in touch with your own prejudices.

beautiful story

I love Jane Hamilton and I absolutely loved this book. Richly developed characters & very hard to put down. AND there's a surprise ending! I'm having a hard time letting it go so if you take it please love it as much as I did.

Ruth was one of the best, made me cry and laugh at just about the same time. I found my self wishing for the best for her as if I knew her.
A great book!
:)Zuphoto

This was a very strange book. Although the story teller is gifted in telling the details of the story and making you feel that you are there with the main characters, you have this ominous feeling that something bad will happen. You hope that the life of the main character will change for the best. I was hooked to the story but I did not care for the ending, without this being a spoiler. Well written but sad.

ok

Excellent...Jane Hamilton has a unique way of story telling.

What a beautiful, sad, funny book. All the right stuff. Jane Hamilton does it best in this epic. You will worry about the characters even after you turn the last page.

Jane Hamilton uses the English language the way a painter uses a canvas. Great reading!

this was ok for me

Excellent book.

Good book!

A great read for those lazy summer days coming up!
:)

Excellent novel...hard to put down...

From the back cover: "A sly and wistful, if harrowing, human comedy. Hamilton is a new and original voice in fiction and one well worth listening to." - Boston Sunday Globe

Goog book. I liked this one.

Excellent story.

Great story.

Jane Hamilton is a really incredible, fabulous writer
Loved this

Very good family drama.

from the back cover; Hamilton's story builds to a shocking crescendo. Her small-town characters are as appealingly offbeat and brushed with grace as any found in Alice Hoffman's or Anne Tyler's novels.

Ms. Hamilton gives Ruth a humble dignity and allows her hope-but it's not a heavenly hope. It's a common one-caked with mud and held with gritted teeth. Ane it's probably the only kind that's worth reading about....New York Times Book Review

A good book that describes a life unknown to most people.

You will laugh out loud at this story of a young female mid-Western "hillbilly" who gradually learns to survive on her own.

A disturbing and beautiful book

Very well written. Slow moving, but it really keeps your attention and makes you want to read on until it reveals the "event" it is building up to.

This book was at first hard to get into. But oh my it is a book that will be with me for a long time. Great book

LA Times wrote: "...authentically Dickensian...Ruth begins to put together her shattered body, spirit and life." Won Hemingway Foundation award.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I think it was just a little slow at the beginning. But it makes up the rest of the book.

Jane Hamilton is a gifted and talented author. How she created such characters is beyond me. I have read it numerous times, and never get tired of it, it always amazes me.

Very fast paced. Heartrending--get out your kleenex!

I thought this was a very good book. The story about a dysfunctional family and the tragedy that befalls them is one that haunts long after you have put the book down.

A good, slightly offbeat book.

I enjoyed this book, although I sometimes got frustrated with the characters (Ruth reminded me a LOT of a family member at times).
Overall the story was well worth the read.

softcover, human comedy with humble dignity, shocking crescendo;disturbing and beautiful

This is both a disturbing an dbeautiful book. the real achievement of this novel is not so much the blackness as the suggestion of resilience. At the end, Ruth begins to put together her shattered body, spirit, and life. We should all be this resilient. Wonderful bookok

I really liked the voice of the story and the ending caught me by suprise.

Jane Hamilton's terrific first novel, disturbing, compelling, an excellent read!

A gripping tale with a strong sense of place.

A very moving book about how a person is able to overcome unbelievable obstacles in life and become a shining study of resilience.

This book was to me very special it gave me a insight into the lives of Ruth and Naomi that while maybe not entirly accurate I thuoght it was a great addition to the original story

Couldn't put this one down!

Bleak, yet rich in emotion, characterization, and imagery.

The first novel of Jane Hamilton (author of A Map of the World). A sly, wistful, human comedy of the story of Ruth as she begins to put together her shattered body, spirit and life. Very heart-warming.

Its funny, its sad, it hopeful. A true "woman's book."

This book was disturbing yet wistful, I found the small town people in this book very appealing.

Funny, harrowing, compassionate, harsh, totally unglamorous..this book is original, well-written and compelling. Ruth is a most unlikely heroine, an innocent in a world on the edge of nightmare, with a totally unique way of viewing the world. You will not easily forget her.

Highly recommended.

Winner of the Pen/Ernest Hemingway Foundation Award. "The real achievement of this novel is not so much the blackness as the suggestion of resilience. At the end, Ruth begins to put together her shattered body, spirit and life. Her words are awkward, as they have been all along, but suddenly and unexpectedly they shing." LOS ANGELES TIMES

I didn't get to read the book, but saw the movie which was excellent. This was an Oprah book January 1997

A sad book but interesting.

Typical Oprah book - women not in peril but not living up to their hopes and dreams

Amazon.com
Oprah Book Club® Selection, November 1996: The Book of Ruth is a virtuoso performance and that's precisely why it can be excruciating to read. Author Jane Hamilton leads us through the arid life of Ruth Grey, who extracts what small pleasures and graces she can from a tiny Illinois town and the broken people who inhabit it. Ruth's prime tormentor is her mother May, whose husband died in World War II and took her future with him. More poor familial luck has given Ruth a brother who is a math prodigy; Matt sucks up any stray attention like a black hole. Ruth is left to survive on her own resources, which are meager. She struggles along, subsisting on crumbs of affection meted out by her Aunt Sid and, later, her screwed-up husband Ruby. Hamilton has perfect pitch. So perfect that you wince with pain for confused but fundamentally good Ruth as she walks a dead-end path. The book ends with the prospect of redemption, thank goodness--but the tale is nevertheless much more bitter than sweet.

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