Ruby Among Us (La Rosaleda Series #1) (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Forkner's debut novel about family secrets never quite gets off the ground. When Ruby DiCamillo dies unexpectedly from asthma, her eight-year-old daughter Lucy blames herself for not reaching her mother's inhaler in time. As she grows into a young woman, her grandmother Kitty overprotects her, filling her life with art, music and schoolwork but leaving wide gaps in her knowledge of family history. When Lucy insists on learning about her heritage, the secrets are as complicated as her grandmother's intricate quilts. Fortner struggles with creating successful flashbacks, and the pacing drags. In several places the plot takes a contrived twist (a photo conveniently falling out of an album, a chance meeting in a coffee shop) in order to move forward. Most difficult to believe is that the key tragedy that has shaped the family's history has kept Lucy's grandmother estranged from her family for so long. However, Fortner creates some memorable descriptions, and readers of faith should appreciate the strong Christian themes of this novel and its redemptive ending.
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Review

“In this memorable debut novel, the characters are well written and interesting…Readers will not want this story to end.” - Awarded 4 1/2 Stars - Romantic Times Book Reviews

“Ms. Forkner has given us a gift that like fine music rises at an ever-spiraling pace. Neither rushed nor delayed, Ruby Among Us offers a satisfying journey I will long remember.”
–Jane Kirkpatrick, award-winning author of A Mending at the Edge

“Highly recommended. If you’re a mother or daughter, you’re going to love Ruby Among Us. Forkner does an extraordinary job…. I look forward to more from this author.”
–Ane Mulligan, Novel Journey

“A multi-generational saga of hope, regret, and the grace that brings us home, Ruby Among Us evokes an invitational sense of place, a cache of characters you enjoy knowing, and a story that rips and mends your heart all at once.”
–Mary E. DeMuth, author of Watching the Tree Limbs and Wishing on Dandelions

“So engaging from the first sentence. I found myself holding my breath as I read. Tina has painted the pictures so real. I love the honesty and innocence. Mothers and daughters alike will feel very connected with this book.”
–Cindy Morgan Brouwer, singer/songwriter

“Don’t miss this one! Tina Ann Forkner is a strong new voice in fiction and Ruby Among Us is an amazing story of trials, regrets, and, ultimately, redemption. Lucy and her family history in the historic wine country of Sonoma bring to life the Scriptures about the Vine and His branches.”
–Kristin Billerbeck, author of The Trophy Wives Club

“Ruby Among Us is a haunting, beautifully-told novel of past secrets and present pain. Lovely, lovely voice and story. A remarkable debut by Tina Ann Forkner,... --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press (May 20, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400073588
• ISBN-13: 978-1400073580
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #706,602 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Truth and Healing, May 28, 2008

By	Kelly Klepfer (Iowa) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Ruby Among Us is a coming of age novel that wends its way through the lives of three women and the men who have loved them. Exploring the complexity of a young woman's fight to know the truth and an older woman's desire to protect her granddaughter from it results in a slow waltz of control, passion, fear and longing. Moments that shine of allegorical truth swirl within the story of Lucy and Kitty who live steeped in sorrow and guilt in parallel companionship that is only an inch deep.

Decades of story unfold when Lucy struggles to find out the truth about her mother's short life. Her quest takes her from a college campus to a vineyard, from death to death of innocence and from longing to sorrow to acceptance.

In the advanced reader's unproofed copy I struggled with some POV/tense issues that no doubt have been taken care of in the final version.

Inspirational fiction fans should find quite a bit to like in Ruby. Literary or romance fans may not find enough of either to really satisfy though there are flashes of each. The faith elements are realistically handled and some heavy duty topics are covered with grace and sensitivity.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars superb character study , May 24, 2008

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Her mother Ruby died when Lucy DiCamillo was eight years old. Her maternal grandmother Kitty raised Lucy with love. Now an adult, Lucy wants to know more about her late mom than mostly the memories shared by her beloved grandmother, but fears any inquiries she makes might hurt Kitty.

Lucy slowly learns why Ruby was a single mom raising her. She also begins to gain other pieces of her mom's life before Lucy was born and over the eight years they lived together. As she begins uncover secrets that enable her to start to know her mom beyond just her grandmother's memories of her daughter, Lucy also understands much more what makes Kitty tick and she realizes her granny will always love and cherish her.

This is a superb character study of a young adult needing her own personal connection to her late mom who died when she was a child. As Lucy investigates her maternal family tree, she tries to do so without hurting her grandma; yet begins to have a nagging feeling that everyone else knows secrets they keep from her. Fans will accompany Lucy on her personal quest as she needs to feel Ruby amongst her.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Inspirational Garden, August 18, 2008

By	Sam from Wyoming (WY USA) - See all my reviews

This lovely, sweet story is like a gentle stroll in a rose garden. There are velvety blooms of love; thorns of past hurts and fears; new buds of hope and innocence; tangled thick stems of hidden truths and lies; the faded blooms of past memories and of what might have been; and at the center the beautiful, heart-warming discovery of the most beautiful flowers of all: faith and unconditional love. Readers of inspirational stories will especially enjoy this one.