Customer Reviews

Ruth

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Elizabeth Gaskell is often referred to as the forgotten classic author and "Ruth" is a prime introduction into this obviously complex and passionate woman. "Ruth" is a truly brilliant novel dealing with the issue of a fallen woman due to an illicit affair and subsequent birth of a bastard child. This, due to the societal assumptions of morality and righteousness, lead the main character into a series of deceptions and tribulations in an attempt at redemption. Gaskell's eloquent prose engrosses the reader into the lives of the multiple characters and as it is in three volumes, much time is spent developing each individual. This allows for a true feeling and understanding of the motives and meanings behind every action. The character of Ruth is obviously the most important and Gaskell allows her to develop into an almost Christ-like figure in her beliefs, faith and actions. "Ruth" is a novel that tackles incredibly sensitive and deep subject matter and reaffirms ones belief in a higher power. This is a novel that should be introduced back into the mainstream to achieve the stature that it deserves as a classic of literature.

I was surprisingly unimpressed with this book. So far I have read three of Gaskell's other novels -- North and South, Wives and Daughters and Mary Barton. I loved them all. Gaskell's faith, the elegant strength of her heroines, and the attention that she pays to the details of daily life kept me interested and engaged. Gaskell is just such a passionate and compassionate writer.I have loved the way she combines social commentary with fine story telling. But while Ruth starts out just as strong as her other books, I was bored a third of the way through. Ruth's long suffering, her sobbing and sighing and crying through her desertion by Mr. Bellingham, her motherhood, and her stuggle to overcome her sin drove me to distraction. I found this character annoying and insipid. While her early innocence was refreshing I really didn't feel there was much character development after that point. In fact, Ruth seems less like a real person than any of the other characters in Gaskell's novels. If you have never read anything by this author I would not recommend this book as the place to start. Any of the others is a better choice

I picked up "Ruth" at a used book store looking for a good book to read on my vacation. Once I started, it was hard to put down! I finished the last chapters while waiting in a hot parked car for my husband - I was so engaged in the book, I didn't even notice I'd been there for a couple hours! By the time my hubby got back to the car, I was still drying my eyes from all the tears shed, and thinking that I want to name my first child Ruth!

I admire Gaskell for taking on the social and religious condemnation of single mothers - and for creating a character that so successfully redeemed herself of sin! I loved the theological questions raised by the characters regarding forgiveness and acceptance. And I loved Ruth's determination, the love and support she received from her adopted family, and the faith that she maintained despite pain and rejection from the community around her. If you like Austin, Dickens, Burney, etc. you will enjoy this book!

Ruth is a tale of redemption set in early nineteenth century England.
Ruth is a young seamstress who is seduced at the age of 16 by a despicable and stupid cad whose name is Henry Bellingham. He deserts her on a holiday in Wales forcing the pregnant Ruth to flee.
Ruth finds a lodging and Christian love at the home of an elderly clergyman the Rev. Benson, his maiden sister Faith and their grouchy but kindhearted maid Susan.
Years pass and Ruth is loved by the community until her secret is revealed through gossip. She remains in Eccleston winning the approbation of the community following her nursing patients in a typhoid fever plague sweeping the village. She rejects the advances of her erstwhile lover who is in Eccleston with a new name "Mr Donne" and a position as the MP in the British Parliament in London.
With her secret made manifest Ruth is able to soldier on in life. She is rejected by the stern Mr. Bradshaw who hired her for years as a teacher to his daughters Jemima, Mary and Elizabeth. Ruth wins favor when she dies nursing Bellingham in the epidemic as well as several other townspeople. Her former enemy Mr. Bradshaw even buys an ornate gravestone.
Ruth is a candid look at the Victorian double standard and the second class citizenship of women in British society. The novel is beautifully written with lyrical passages on bird and animal life and the change in seasons in a small English town in the nineteenth century . This reviewer fell in love with Ruth who reminds one of Esther Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne's American classic "The Scarlet Letter." Ruth is one of the best Victorian novels you will read for its compassionate view of the human condition. The sequences in which the major characters have dreams is especially well done. Ruth will win your heart!

Elizabeth Gaskell's RUTH is a seemingly deceptive novel. Portraying a steadfastly single mother of an illegitimate child, the novel postures itself to be a sermon on the evils of sex. Instead it shows the hypocrisy of those who refer to the Biblical texts as fact rather than truth. Gaskell's novel of public damnation versus divinity is at times a frustrating one. Gaskell tends to lean heavily on maudlin devices to carry her plot along. Her characters rarely tread between the saintly and the dreadful. The reader is rewarded by the end of the novel, but Gaskell takes her time. An enjoyable, if not always gripping, read.

"Ruth" is one of five books written by Elizabeth Gaskell. It deals with aspects of English life in the first half of the 19th Century.

It is difficult to say much about the plot itself without giving away important details of the story. Suffice to say that Ruth, who is an orphan and from a humble background is put through the wringer of life.

The characters and their actions are often exaggerated to the point of almost being caricatures to modern readers. But this style maximises the emotional content of many of the incidents described in the book and is very typical of "romantic" English literature of the era. The same can be said of Dickens, Thackeray and Jane Austen.

Extended descriptive passages and the drawing-out of emotional scenes can be irritating because it slows down the narrative and is too obvious a device to hook the discerning reader. Presumably readers of the day loved this stuff - much as modern readers go for similar depictions on TV and in print.

However, the narrative itself is gripping, especially towards the end of the book when events reach their climax and the various threads of the plot are drawn together. There are exciting twists and turns in the plot, almost like a modern thriller. This is where Gaskell shines - she is a very skilful constructor of intricate story plots. It is difficult to put the book down as we near the end of the story.

Another area in which Gaskell shines is her depiction of characters, even though they might be standard "types" to readers of the day.

Mr Bellingham, who later changed his name to Mr Donne, is a central figure in the story, yet he is only superficially dealt with by the author. For much of the book he is just a ghostly presence. This appears to me to be such a glaring fault that I assume the handling of Bellingham/Donne was a conscious decision of Gaskell.

I can only assume that by making him such a shadowy, almost trivial, figure Gaskell makes the contrast with Ruth's trials and tribulations even more stark and harrowing. If that is indeed the case, then this book becomes more stylistically sophisticated and modern than a mere tear-jerking romance.

"Ruth", like all Gaskell's books is an enjoyable read for the story alone. One can skip over much of the purple descriptive bits without any loss. The book also gives a valuable insight into attitudes and ways of life in the early 19th century. This will interest readers who love history. Fiction such as this can illuminate social history.

This book was so gripping that I finished it in two days; I couldn't put it down. I cried periodically throughout the book, and sobbed uncontrollably when I got to the end. Since I didn't read the chapter titles before I read the book, I didn't know how it would end. This is a beautiful yet heart wrenching story, but I really wish it had a happier ending. In a way, one could say it was a good ending, yet I would have wished for Ruth to have married and had some happiness in this life, not just a reward in the next world. I suppose that after reading "North and South", I had expected a story that also ended well. This book affected me much more than "North and South", which I also loved. Somehow, this book had the impact on me that "The Count of Monte Cristo" did - another riveting book that drew me in instantly and I couldn't put down for 2 days until I finished it. The plot was in some ways similar to "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall", but at least that book had a happy ending.

Other reviewers have outlined the plot, so I won't go into that here. Perhaps only those who have suffered intensely can understand Ruth's pain, rejection, fears, and reactions. I was impressed that at no time did Ruth lay the blame for her sin on anyone but herself, although clearly she was young, innocent, alone in the world, and may have wondered - under the circumstances - if she even had a choice. Although the self-righteous characters in the book got their just desserts, I have to wonder if any of them would have acted more honorably than Ruth did had they been in her shoes - an orphan, young, utterly alone, naive, vulnerable. It is so easy to judge, but perhaps we have been spared similar tests because we would not have been able to bear them.

I look forward to reading Elizabeth Gaskell's other books, but I will check the table and contents first and may not plunge in right now if it looks like another tragedy. I think I need to recover from this one first. I loved this book, but just be prepared that this is not light reading.

When one thinks of Victorian sensation novels, one thinks of Wilkie Collins or Mary Elizabeth Braddon. The name Elizabeth Gaskell does not immediately come to mind. Elizabeth Gaskell was a contemporary and friend of Charles Dickens. Ruth, the author's second book, is not Gaskell's best known novel, but it is a forgotten gem that is worthy of much praise.

Ruth is the story of a young and innocent orphan who falls into the hands of a vain aristocratic young man named Mr Bellingham. Ruth Hilton was apprenticed to a seamstress by her guardian, but she loses her job when Mrs Mason, her employer, finds Ruth alone with Bellingham. The sweet and innocent orphan finds herself without a roof over her head. The cunning Bellingham coaxes Ruth into accompanying him to London where he promises he will take care of her. Ruth agrees. The sixteen year old orphan cannot begin to comprehend the ramifications of her decision.

Ruth and Bellingham spend time at an inn in Wales where there is much talk and gossip about the beautiful young lady who is accompanied by a man who is not her husband. Ruth, however, remains oblivious to the gossip behind her back. Her stay in Wales is simply the happiest time of her life, but that happiness is cut short.

Bellingham becomes ill and is whisked away by his mother leaving Ruth alone and heartbroken. Soon after Bellingham's departure Ruth is taken in by generous clergyman, Mr Benson. Ruth discovers that she is pregnant, and Mr Benson and his sister, Faith, take Ruth home with them and attempt give her a new identity to avoid the stigma attached to an unmarried mother. Ruth takes up residence at the Benson's home under the name of the widow Denbigh. Ruth lives with the Benson's for many years, but secrets always have a way of coming out.

This is a novel of sin and redemption. The subject matter may not seem controversial to modern readers, but the author was very apprehensive about how the novel would be received by nineteenth-century readers. The novel sparked all sorts of debate about redemption that may or may not interest readers today, but the novel is worth reading for its emotional intensity. Ruth has one of the most heartbreaking endings that I have ever read. Highly recommended!

Upon discovering a new author, Elizabeth Gaskell, I bought and read "Ruth". I was very impressed with the way she unlocks the deep seated moral issues that everyday people deal with upon discovering the indiscretions of others. A good way to do an internal examination of our own values and how we deal with others.

I have read most of Elizabeth Gaskell's books, and like some of her others, this one starts out slow, but builds in interest towards the middle. You really empathize with the main character, and the harsh judgement she receives is shocking by today's standards. The book provided a lot of food for thought and was an enjoyable read.