"Ruth remembered drowning. . . . Ruth maintained that she had drowned, insisted on it for years, even after she should have known better."

This psychological mystery features complicated characters living on a family farm in Wisconsin during World War I and the Depression years. We find out family secrets, connections, misunderstandings, tragedy, and psychological problems layer by layer as the story is told from multiple points of view. The lake is almost another character and a source of danger. Readers who like complex characters in a slow-moving story will enjoy "Drowning Ruth". 3.5 stars.

2.5

A relative oldie but not necessarily a goodie. I remember a lot of talk about Drowning Ruth when Oprah chose it for her book club many years ago. The book description always intrigued me but I’d never bothered to get a copy. When I recently saw it in a bargain bin, I snatched it up greedily. I thought it seemed strange to find it reduced to only a few bucks. Then, I started to read it. For about a hundred pages, I was gripped by this tale of two sisters: Amanda who has returned home after burning out while taking care of soldiers wounded fighting in WWI and Mathilda who has been discovered drowned in an icy lake. Amanda is left to care for Mathilda’s young daughter, Ruth, while she awaits the return of her brother-in-law Carl, who has been wounded while fighting. Wanting to know what happened to Mathilda that cold night, I kept reading though I found it an increasingly difficult book to read. Part of this is due to the characters - they are not a real likeable group, even Ruth. Worse for me is the writing style. Schwarz jumps back and forth in time, between characters and between first person and third person points of view. It’s confusing and distracting. I feel sure this tale could have been told more simply which would have helped make it easier to follow. A few years ago, I may have enjoyed "working" to finish this one but I now prefer a book that doesn't make my head hurt while trying to read it.

I'm having trouble putting together my thoughts on this book. The story was interesting and the mystery kept me engaged. I felt that some things were unanswered, and so I was left a bit unsatisfied. (i.e. I wanted to know more about Amanda and Joe's past, I felt confused about Amanda's "mental illness") I also felt that the transitioning from past to present wasn't always clear. The switching in and out of 1st and 3rd person was different and took some getting used to. The characters were interesting, yet I had trouble figuring out both Ruth and Amanda at times. Overall I definitely liked it more than I disliked it and thought it an interesting read.

Excellent for a first time author. Unexpected storyline that pulls you along.

Hhmmm I’ve got mixed feelings about this story. It was well written story however I dont think it was a psychological read as stated in the blurb. I thought it was more like a family drama.
I do like all the loose ends tied up in a story and I don’t feel it was this time.

I found this to be an average read. I read it, liked it but won’t be recommending it to my friends.

i wasted my whole day reading this shitty book just so i could be done w it

Stupid Oprah. Stupid predictable book. I feel like an asshole for even paying $0.10 at the library book sale for it.

You know how the characters in Lost drag things out for a painfully long time just by not asking pertinent questions, or sharing relevant information? Yeah, this book was like that--only worse, because it's really a simple story that could have been told in novella-length. (Also, no Sawyer!! -_-;;)

prastos paslaptys

Iš ‘Lapkričio vaiko’ tikėjausi tokio ūkanoto romano, kuriame nėra per daug tamsos ar niūrumo, bet ir linksmumo ten rasi ne kažin kiek. Tokia ji ir buvo, bet pati istorija manęs nesujaudino.

Iš esmės tai istorija apie nieką. Galbūt kažkiek apie netektį, sielvartą, pasirinkimus, bet čia jau stipriai ieškant, nes bendrai tai viskas sukasi apie mergaitę, kurios mamai nuskendus ją augina perdėm prieraiši teta ir iš Pirmo Pasaulinio karo grįžęs tėvas. Istorijos variklis - kas atsitiko tos mergaitės mamai, bandoma suteikti tam įvykiui daugybę mistiškų aplinkybių, apipinti didelėmis paslaptimis, bet tiesa visiškai nesiderina su ta pompastika, nes yra visiškai neįdomi.

Skaitymą apsunkina nuolatinis šokinėjimas tiek laike, tiek pasakotojo asmenyse. Tai šiandiena, tai 15 metų prisiminimai, tai pusės metų prisiminimai, tai pirmojo asmens pasakojimas ir atsiminimai, tai trečiuoju asmeniu pasakojama istorija bet ir vėl sekant skirtingus asmenis ir jų mintis. Dėl laiko kažkiek suprantu, nors ir labai neharmoningas išpildymas. Kodėl reikia kaitalioti pasakojimo asmenį be jokios aiškios struktūros - absoliuti mistika.

Nepaisant, rodos, beprasmiškos istorijos ir itin keisto pasakojimo būdo, istorija užkabino, susiskaitė. Gal man tiesiog užteko tos nuotaikos ir lėto pasakojimo bei paslapčių pažado. Skaitymo procese juk dar nebuvo aišku, kad didžioji paslaptis bus šnipštas.

2.5 stars. Strange read. Mixed view points and kinda drawn out. Lots of “accidental” death and overbearing mother figure

As one might guess by the title of this book, a tragic drowning is at the center of this book. Amanda is a young woman who is left to raise her sister's young daughter, Ruth, after the girl's mother drowns. It becomes clear almost immediately that Amanda is a woman of many secrets, including secrets about what really happened that cold night in November.

I enjoyed the author going back in time before the drowning to give us the backstories that led to the event as well as leading us through the years of aftermath post-drowning. I also enjoyed how the author chose to reveal all the secrets. It definitely made the book a page turner.

I do feel like the author dropped the ball on a few details. For instance, I felt more of a backstory between Amanda and Joe would have been nice. I would have liked to have seen more from Carl towards the end and would have liked him to learn the truth. I also would have liked to have seen more of Arthur and Ruth towards the end. There was a lot of mention of Amanda's jealousy over Mathilda, especially when Mathilda was born. I thought for sure that was going to tie into later events but I was pleasant surprised when it did not in the way I was afraid it would. With this being said, I felt like the author didn't really touch on Amanda's mental illness as much as she could have. It was mentioned but then mostly forgotten. I felt like that was a dropped opportunity.

I'm not really sure what I was hoping for with the ending because knowing of the drowning, I knew that it was going to be a sad story all around. I have read several comments about the characters not being likeable. I disagree. I felt for most of the characters. My heart broke at the end for both the main characters. Overall, I thought this was a fairly well-written first novel that definitely kept my attention.

This book is so good. It kept me wondering and asking questions the whole time. The author really knew what she was doing. It's one of those books that you think about long after you put it down. I definitely recommend this book.