Drowning Ruth is one of those novels that gets readers so worked up, so lathered, so feverish that they run around pressing the book into the hands of friends and, perhaps, strangers on a plane, insisting with wide eyes and spittle-flecked lips, "Here. Read this.""Well," the dumbfounded party responds, "what's it about?""I cannot tell you."Exactly. Drowning Ruth is one of those books you want to tell everyone about, but can't. To reveal a little would be to spoil too much. There are so many mysteries, so many surprises in Christine Schwarz' debut novel that nice folks will only give out crumbs of the plot. By "nice folks," I mean those readers who think prematurely reading the last ten pages of an Agatha Christie mystery is punishable by a jail sentence.In fact, Drowning Ruth might just be this year's literary equivalent to The Sixth Sense.Which is not to say that Drowning Ruth is a ghost story. It isn't. But yet, there are many characters who are haunted, you see, and--and--Okay, I'm starting to get lathered up again.[Deep breath.:]There. I'm fine now.From the first sentence to the last word, Schwarz carefully unpeels the mystery of what took place between sisters Amanda and Mathilda and Mathilda's daughter Ruth when they spent an isolated winter on a Wisconsin lake island in 1919. There is a tragedy and there is high drama of the kind familiar to readers of Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens and Theodore Dreiser (to punch home the obvious, Schwarz even has one character reading Dreiser's Jennie Gerhardt).We literally don't know what happened on the island until the very last sentence, and that's what propels us with such page-turning, lip-smacking fury through the book. Schwarz does a masterful job of gradually uncovering details of the three women's lives before 1919 and in the nearly three decades following the tragic events. The story moves between past and present quickly and sharply--like someone flipping back and forth through the pages of a photo album. But even readers who are easily confounded by non-linear narrative can find their way just fine through these pages. Schwarz know when to give us a peek and when to keep the curtain pulled across the mystery.Drowning Ruth bears the look of a book that belongs in the recent flood of what less-charitable critics call "chick lit." The fact that Ms. Winfrey has stamped her book club "O" on the cover doesn't help matters. But Drowning Ruth lifts its head high above the tide of mass-produced, Kleenex-friendly chick lit. Sure, there's a fair share of turn-of-the-century soap opera shenanigans and, yes, the story is strikingly old-fashioned in scope, but Schwarz's skill with words, characters and pace is so profound and startling that it becomes the sort of literature that sticks in the mind long after the final, shattering page is turned.I simply cannot tell you enough about this book.Except: "Here. Read this."
This novel tells the haunting story of two generations of a Wisconsin family brought together and torn apart by the lake adjacent to the family home. Focused on four women, sisters of two generations, the novel develops around the sisters' relationship with the lake, and the tragedy that ensues when it claims one of their lives. Much of the book is spent untangling the secrets which led to the drowning, and working out the complicated problems which arise from the family's attempts to keep these secrets. Scwartz's story jumps back and forth across time, from past to present and back again. This means that the story develops piece by piece, and this is what makes it something of a mystery. I found the plot development to be one of the more satisfying parts of this book, seeing the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. I enjoyed the developments leading up to Scwartz's telling of what actually happened the night of the tragedy. After that point, however, I found the plot to be something of a let-down. The conclusion seemed a bit too neat, and a bit forced. The most enjoyable part of this book to me was the way in which Scwartz set the scene- the way in which she managed to capture the sense of a time and place. The novel is set in the Wisconsin countryside in the first half of the twentieth century, with most of the action focusing on the last years of WWI, and the 1920s. Scwartz offers a convincing portrait of Wisconsin farm country in the late-1910s and early 1920s. Her descriptions are vivid, without being overstated, and her story intersects with several significant historical events, including WWI and the influenza epidemic. Scwartz gives her readers a strong sense of connection to the seasons, the land, the lake. I really did feel like I was part of the world about which she wrote. Overall, I enjoyed reading this novel. The development of the plot engaged me, and the scenery captivated me. I was a bit disappointed by the ending, but my reading was by and large time well spent.
What do You think about Drowning Ruth (2001)?
I'm not particularly good at figuring out mysteries, so naturally I didn't figure out the ending to this one. The problem, however, was that I didn't really care. The story was atmospheric, but the characters were too disinteresting. It was confusing at times, with meandering points of view and time shifts, which slowed the story down, making me lose interest a lot of the time.
—Kristina Hoerner
The last thing I do in the world is take advice from celebrities so when I discovered this was on Oprah’s book club list I almost didn’t pick it up. But the book kept calling out to me and I folded. Beautiful story. It reminded me a lot of “The Heretic’s Daughter”, by Kathleen Kent. Though completely different it had the same feel.‘Drowning Ruth’ is a story of painful secrets, love for a child and a woman’s life sacrifice for this child. This is one of those stories that tugs at your heart and keeps you turning the pages in hopes things will turn out right in the end. It also pulls you on in hopes to discover the mystery that has been woven throughout. Characters were believable, flawed, likeable and real. I found myself frustrated at times when secrets lived on but that is what made it valid. Secrets enslave us more often than protect. Dialogue was right on and I flew though the story. The only problem I did have was in the beginning. It jumps from one’s point of view to the next and even jumps from one time to another but once I figured that out, I found it easy enough to follow. Glad I own this Book!
—Carrie
Drowning Ruth was an Oprah book a few years ago, which just supports my opinion that Oprah doesn't actually read the books before they become part of her book club and go on to sell millions and millions.I wasn't all that excited about this book when my book group voted on it in December, but I was pleasantly surprised with how compelling the beginning was. It started out as a mystery with very few clues, so I wanted to keep reading. But after a while what had happened and what was going to happen was pretty obvious, so it wasn't quite as compelling anymore. But I did want to see how it was going to end. Unfortunately, none of the characters were likable... I didn't really care what happened to them, and didn't really care if there was a happy ending or not. Carl was the only character I really liked, and he disappeared half way through the book. Like several other books that we've read in the last couple years, the ending was so-so. It seems like so many authors get tired and kind of wimp out at the end of the book. It's too bad because the book had a lot of potential--multiple narrators, shifts in time--but was just kind of blah.
—Tiffanie
