Drowning Ruth: A Novel (Oprah's Book Club)

Christiana Schwartz writes an excellent story. I was engaged from beginning to end, a definite page turner. Rich setting expertly defined pulled me along the path of a sister, (aunt's) love and devotion for each other.

3.5 stars---There was just enough suspense to keep me engaged however, the plot wasn't that twisty. While I enjoy novels told through the voices of several main characters, I found this one more difficult to follow since the readers are being thrust back and forth from past and present.

With its vivid depiction of its post-World War I setting in Wisconsin, its nightmarish complexities as a family saga, its carefully developed suspense, and its simplicity of theme, Drowning Ruth has "blockbuster movie" written all over it. Its selection by Oprah has guaranteed its popular success as a novel. The above statements should not be regarded as negatives, however. Drowning Ruth is a terrific read! The author is precise and careful about building her suspense with excruciating slowness. She has created intriguing characters--at heart, not all that different from you and me--characters who are confronted with difficult problems to solve, some of which are not of their own making and some of which are the unexpected results of desperate decisions made in the long ago past. Her alternations of point of view help to give breadth and depth to the conflicts within the main characters, while the fragmentary memories which Ruth contributes add to both the mystery and the sense of dread. Although Schwarz ably illustrates the restricted roles into which women had to adapt themselves during the period, the mores which applied to "good girls," and the limited choices open to them, the lack of liberation is so natural a part of her story that her novel and its complications are by no means part of a liberation manifesto. Drowning Ruth is a simple story presented clearly and suspensefully by an author who, like Amanda, is careful to keep her grasp completely within her reach. Mary Whipple

Drowning Ruth is a beautifully written story, with a plot that will have you on the edge of your seat. The way in which Schwarz unravels her tale could be likened to William Faulkner. Each chapter revealed a new layer in the plot, and I relished every one. I found myself concocting many possibilities for Ruth's drowning; it was only at the end that I could fully comprehend what happened - I can't say that about many books I read. The raw emotion I felt reading the ending of the book therefore felt real, not "manufactured" or sentimental.

I rarely send in reviews of books, but "Drowning Ruth" moved me to add my voice to the crowd. This is by far the most interesting and engrossing novel i have read in a very long time. I love it when I find myself sinking into the story, into the characters, and that is exactly the feeling I got when reading this novel. The writing is so good that it carried me away, to another place altogether, to a cold Wisconsin lake in the winter. Christina Schwarz paints such a compelling picture of the sisters' relationship that I felt almost a part of the scene. In fact, all of her characters are so vivid that i feel as though I would recognize them walking down the street. And the story itself is a page-turner. Anyway, BUY IT!! READ IT!!