Drowning Ruth: A Novel (Oprah's Book Club)
"POWERFUL . . . SUSPENSEFUL . . . RICHLY TEXTURED . . . [A] CHILLING, PRECOCIOUSLY GOOD START TO A BRIGHT NEW NOVELIST'S CAREER."
-The New York Times
"[A] gripping psychological thriller . . . In the winter of 1919, a young mother named Mathilda Neumann drowns beneath the ice of a rural Wisconsin lake. The shock of her death dramatically changes the lives of her daughter, troubled sister, and husband. . . . Told in the voices of several of the main characters and skipping back and forth in time, the narrative gradually and tantalizingly reveals the dark family secrets and the unsettling discoveries that lead to the truth of what actually happened the night of the drowning. . . . Schwarz certainly succeeds at keeping the reader engrossed."
-FRANCINE PROSE
Us Weekly
"DEFT AND ASSURED . . . [WITH] STRONG CHARACTERS AND A PLOT LONG ON TENSION AND SURPRISES."
-Time
"A strong sense of portent and unusually vivid characters distinguish this mesmerizing first novel about horrifying family secrets and nearly annihilating guilt. Drowning Ruth is a complex and rewarding debut."
-ANITA SHREVE
Author of The Pilot's Wife "RIVETING . . . A VERY SUSPENSEFUL TALE, ONE THAT WILL KEEP READERS UP SHIVERING IN THE NIGHT."
-USA Today
-The New York Times
"[A] gripping psychological thriller . . . In the winter of 1919, a young mother named Mathilda Neumann drowns beneath the ice of a rural Wisconsin lake. The shock of her death dramatically changes the lives of her daughter, troubled sister, and husband. . . . Told in the voices of several of the main characters and skipping back and forth in time, the narrative gradually and tantalizingly reveals the dark family secrets and the unsettling discoveries that lead to the truth of what actually happened the night of the drowning. . . . Schwarz certainly succeeds at keeping the reader engrossed."
-FRANCINE PROSE
Us Weekly
"DEFT AND ASSURED . . . [WITH] STRONG CHARACTERS AND A PLOT LONG ON TENSION AND SURPRISES."
-Time
"A strong sense of portent and unusually vivid characters distinguish this mesmerizing first novel about horrifying family secrets and nearly annihilating guilt. Drowning Ruth is a complex and rewarding debut."
-ANITA SHREVE
Author of The Pilot's Wife "RIVETING . . . A VERY SUSPENSEFUL TALE, ONE THAT WILL KEEP READERS UP SHIVERING IN THE NIGHT."
-USA Today
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Community Reviews
I am not an Oprah's Book Club hater. And I live in (and love) Wisconsin.
I should have liked this more.
This is a perfectly ok book. The writing is quite good. The story is quite good. The characters are interesting but...
Here is where I'm floundering. All the characters fell just thismuch short for me. They were so close to being beautifully flushed out characters but each one was just missing something that would have gotten me there. That something is the thing that makes me weep if the character is hurt or sad or dies. That something is crucial for a book as character heavy as this one. I couldn't get a firm grasp on the characters or decide if I really liked (or hated) any of them, which made me feel very "meh."
I didn't hate it and it kept me interested all the way through, but I also wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it. I likely won't remember it very well a year from now.
3 Stars
I should have liked this more.
This is a perfectly ok book. The writing is quite good. The story is quite good. The characters are interesting but...
Here is where I'm floundering. All the characters fell just thismuch short for me. They were so close to being beautifully flushed out characters but each one was just missing something that would have gotten me there. That something is the thing that makes me weep if the character is hurt or sad or dies. That something is crucial for a book as character heavy as this one. I couldn't get a firm grasp on the characters or decide if I really liked (or hated) any of them, which made me feel very "meh."
I didn't hate it and it kept me interested all the way through, but I also wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it. I likely won't remember it very well a year from now.
3 Stars
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