Drowning Ruth [Hardcover]

Christina Schwarz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2000

Minor wear to corners of DJ. Single name inscribed on fly. Volume fine. Fast shipping. Seller guarantees 100% satisfaction.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 338 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038549971X
• ISBN-13: 978-0385499712
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (381 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,387,812 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

168 of 177 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An engrossing psychological thriller!, August 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Drowning Ruth (Hardcover)

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel -- from its memorable, engaging first sentence ("Ruth remembered drowning." How could *that* be?) to its quietly poignant final scene. The plot centers on a mystery of family secrets surrounding Ruth's murky memory. Along the way to its resolution, the author develops a psychologically sophisticated portrait of a family living in rural Wisconsin during World War I. Time, place and the personalities of some wonderful, idiosyncratic characters are presented in rich detail. This book reminded me of two personal favorites of recent years. Like *Snow Falling on Cedars*, it is densely atmospheric. The lay of the land and the vagaries of the weather become important elements in the story; the effect is to transport the reader into a vividly imagined world. Like *Anywhere But Here*, this book is eloquent in its portrayal of intensely ambivalent relationships among women: between sisters; between mothers and daughters. Drowning Ruth should appeal to fans of many genres: family drama; historical novel; mystery and psychological thriller, to name a few. I recommend it most highly!

109 of 113 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Now featured on my personal Top Ten list . . ., August 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Drowning Ruth (Hardcover)

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!!

67 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marvelous Pacing, August 10, 2003

By 

Alan Cambeira "author of Azucar's Trilogy" (Dominican Republic, author of Tattered Paradise...Azucar's Trilogy Ends) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Drowning Ruth: A Novel (Oprah's Book Club) (Paperback)

DROWNING RUTH is deceptively clever. What seems initially like the conventional, usually predictable murder yarn turns out actually being a meticulously crafted story of considerable artistic merit. The circumstances of the drowning of Ruth's mother serves as the catalyst that precipitates an intriguing flow of interrelated events in the lives of Amanda (the drowned woman's sister) and her niece Ruth. Christina Schwarz is a wonderfully talented writer who has woven a rather intricate tale of psychological suspense. There are many engrossing trwists and digressions (but quite necessary) in this very emotional marrative. The mystery is sustained throughout because the reader, as if carefully and thoughtfully fitting together all the jagged pieces of a puzzle, learns in successive chapters what actually occurred that particular wintry night so long ago in the past of both Amanda and Ruth. The writer does a marvelous job in pacing the delicate unravelling of the knitting. This is a thoroughly enjoyable thriller.
I recommend this book very highly.