Part of Oprah's book club... and now I know why. Concise, provacative, and sassy. I really enjoyed it and read in in just a couple days. I plan on reading more of her books. Does contain some 'farmer language.' This is the kind of book that makes me want to write.

Have you ever read a book and felt so distant from it shocked you when you realized you were actually in tears? This novel, such a quick read that a devoted reader will finish it in one sitting, seems so benign and irrelevant, yet works its way into your heart. By the end I found myself shockingly gulping for air. This may be an Oprah pick, but it's a smart book that I'd recommend to anyone who can appreciate a simple story line and a solid tale.

This novel probably would not be written AS IS today. A Virtuous Woman came out in 1989, and, like a lot of older, possibly charming novels set in the past, in the south, AND written by white people, there is some race stuff that just…its bad. it is really bad. I’m personally not interested in white authors using the N word and I don’t think that’s a controversial opinion. And this was an Oprah’s Bookclub pick! Truly, what a different time, I guess. But I’m reading this in 2022 and can’t NOT read it with 2022 eyes, so there you have it. Maybe some people can. Your mileage will vary and all that. This is a much larger conversation, so I’ll just say that this book is bleak and kind of a mess, and throwing in racism surely doesn’t help matters.

A Virtuous Woman is told from alternating perspectives—a husband and wife with a large age difference—the husband speaking shortly after the wife’s death. They share stories about their lives before, during, and after their marriage. Maybe there is something charming here and there, but overall it was sort of a miserable reading experience. Luckily it was short.

The story was mildly engaging. I enjoyed the points of view. The several interesting aspects of the story are totally undeveloped. As a rule, I'm annoyed when suddenly at the end, the narrative structure is altered. And in this case it seems to have been switched for conevience sake. The author felt she had to incprportate new POVs to do want she wanted to do, and in that case those POVs should have been present throughout. Additionally, that would have made the story stronger. I wished the whole time I read the book that it were just a litle bit better, and by the end, I was just annoyed.

When the final page in a book leaves you with a lump in your throat, it's an automatic 5 star.

I loved Ellen Foster. This, not so much. No plot, just a series of events. Overkill on the heavy-duty Southern vernacular. At least it was short.

There is a scene in this book that still he haunts me, I won't mention it because its a spoiler moment, but I still remember a friend telling me about his identical experience.

RATING: 4 STARS

I enjoy Gibbons writing style and find that her stories are quite emotional. While this novel is quite short, the story is a powerful punch. I enjoyed this novel and am ready for more Kaye Gibbons.

Just finished reading “A VIRTUOUS WOMAN” by KAYE GIBBONS. I read this book while listening to the audible version narrated by the author KAYE GIBBONS & TERRY BEAVER. This is #5 in my AROUND THE YEAR IN 52 BOOKS CLUB (a book you can read in a day). It is also #21 in my Oprah Reads and Re-reads bookclub. When Blinking Jack Stokes met Ruby Pitt Woodrow, she was 20 and he was 40. She was the carefully raised daughter of Carolina gentry and he was a skinny tenant farmer who had never owned anything in his life. She was newly widowed after a disastrous marriage to a brutal drifter. He had never asked a woman to do more than help him hitch a mule. They didn't fall in love so much as they simply oh other and held on for dear life. In A Virtuous Woman, Kaye Gibbons transcends her early promise, creating a multilayered and indelibly convincing portrait of two seemingly ill-matched people who somehow miraculously make a marriage. I loved this book about love and loss. I believe I read it before a long time ago. Beautiful!

I don't really know why I decided to read this book. I found it at a bookstore, and it was basically free. It was probably because it was short. It was pretty good. A simple story of a small community's life with its sorrows and loves that easily strikes a chord with its reader's lives.

Moving story, told subtly, about a couple and their pasts and lives so far. The narrative moves back and forth between people and time lines but it's easy to follow. Good job on using local country jargon. Two people meet and fall in love, despite all their differences -- opposite upbringing, experiences, and ages.

This is the love story of Ruby Woodrow and Jack Stokes. Both people have had a tough life. They meet when Ruby is just coming out of an abusive relationship. Jack has never been married, is a tenant farmer and has had a rather dull and unsuccessful life.
Their love story is a slow and quiet narrative of caring for each other. The book is written from both Ruby and Jack's perspectives in alternating chapters. I did not care much for the book as the characters did not captivate my interest.