The Book of Ruth (Oprah's Book Club) [Paperback]

Jane Hamilton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1989

Winner of the 1989 PEN/Hemingway Foundation Award  for best first novel, this exquisite book  confronts real-life issues of alienation and violence  from which the author creates a stunning testament  to the human capacity for mercy, compassion and  love.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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.

From Publishers Weekly

"In her first novel, Hamilton takes on a challenge too large for her talents," said PW of this tale about a Midwestern woman who is loyal to her wounded and wounding family. "Hamilton evokes Ruth's character marvelously, but others as seen by her are incompletely rendered."
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 298 pages
• Publisher: Anchor Books; 1st edition (December 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385265700
• ISBN-13: 978-0385265706
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (309 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #272,799 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jane Hamilton is the author of The Book of Ruth, winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award for first fiction, and A Map of the World, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and named one of the top ten books of the year by Entertainment Weekly, Publishers Weekly, the Miami Herald, and People. Both The Book of Ruth and A Map of the World have been selections of Oprah's Book Club. Her following work, The Short History of a Prince, was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 1998, her novel Disobedience was published in 2000, and her last novel When Madeline Was Young was a Washington Post Best Book of 2006. She lives in and writes in an orchard farmhouse in Wisconsin.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Terrible Beauty, November 22, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Book of Ruth (Oprah's Book Club) (Hardcover)

I finished "The Book of Ruth" last night and today I miss her terribly. I read some of the book's reviews on Amazon.com today, and I am amazed at how differently we see things, we humans. Because I cherished the experience of reading this book so deeply (and no, I wasn't abused), I can't imagine that those who didn't care for it could possibly have read the same book. I make an assumption about Ruth from the very first chapter: that she is very mildly retarded or in some way subtly disabled. For me, her behaviors and perceptions are off just enough to imply some missing cerebral link. And this is what is so extraordinary to me: that someone without all resources at her disposal can yet perceive herself and her world with such precious, ingenuous, brilliant vision ... well, I would feel honored to have her as a friend. To write from the point of view of a retarded person makes for such creative use of language and imagery. Ruth is like an idiot savant. She is all the best a human being can be, tireless in her effort to find good and truth in her experiences, resilient beyond belief. I think she puts us all to shame, "healthy" though we be. Depressing? No, no, no. That's too easy. I am reminded of Yeats: "...a terrible beauty is born." I am in awe of Ruthy. I laugh through my tears and am comforted.

70 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hamilton keeps you engaged, July 25, 2000

By 

Rob Darrah (Dallas, Tx United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Book of Ruth (Oprah's Book Club) (Paperback)

The Book of Ruth is one of those books that is very thought provoking. It is not exactly the most upbeat book that I have read, but Ruth is in her own way trying to survive the best that she can.

Ruth's main tormentor in the book is her mother, May, who is so consumed by negativity that it is really pointless to try to argue with her. Ruth learns to survive her mother's negativity with the dream of visiting her Aunt Sid, who is May's youngest sister. Aunt Sid is like the polar opposite of May.

Unfortunately, Ruth has to deal with her brother, Matt, who is a math prodigy. May always seems to be more preoccupied with Matt. Thus, Ruth is always second fiddle. When Matt leaves for college, May still thinks that Matt can do nothing wrong. Even though, he basically cuts off communication with their family.

Ruth does eventually hook up with Ruby, who is a very emotionally disturbed man. They form a unique bond that eventually leads to marriage, which leads to Ruth, Ruby and May living under the same roof.

All I can say is that the ending is unbelievable. I could see the signs of major tension, but the ending still caught me off guard. I knew that I would finish reading the book, but I had to put it down after the shock in order to get some fresh air.

Hamilton has this knack for making you believe that things cannot get any worse, but then they do and you still cannot put the book down.

I was glad that there was some hope for Ruth at the end of the book. I'm not sure if Hamilton is trying to emphasize the fact that what we endure will make us stronger, but that is definitely what I get out of this book.

I would recommend this book only if you want something that is thought provoking and engaging. If you are in the mood for something light, then this is not the book for you. The Book of Ruth will definitely open your eyes up to someone who has had a rough life. Jane Hamilton has done a good job.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most moving books I've ever read., October 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Book of Ruth (Oprah's Book Club) (Paperback)

I'm from a very small town, and when I was in high school, I actually had a boyfriend like Ruby - thank God I ran screaming for 1,000 miles before I stopped! This book spoke directly to me and mesmerized me from start to finish. Ruth was not retarded or pathetic - she was living the only life she knew with the only people available to her. I can only imagine how many other lonely & intelligent young women are living in her shoes - wasted, hopeless, potential completely unrealized, put down by everybody they know. I've recommended this book to every serious reader I know.