This is a confusing story line throughout much of the book. I've never read an author that wanted to hold back the plot from the reader so much. Great characters and solid writing, but I'm not sure I could recommend the book because it was a study in frustration for much of it. The reader is finally rewarded but it was much too late in the book for me.

What a good book. If you liked Where the Crawdads Sing you will like this book.

Very good with a lot of twists.

I usually write my reviews immediately after finishing a book so the story is still fresh in my mind. I finished this book a week ago and since I've already forgotten some of the major plot points I guess I can say I didn't think it was an "amazing" read. The plots of amazing books usually don't slip my mind within a week. Anyway, on to the review...
"Drowning Ruth" is a disturbing tale of woman named Amanda who is left to raise her niece Ruth due to the fact that her sister Mattie drowned when Ruth was just a baby. Amanda's character is somewhat emotionally disturbed because she never completely recovered from witnessing Mattie's tragic death. (The story takes place in 1919 and they didn't have Prozac or pop psychology books back then.)
The story was somewhat confusing to me because it jumped back and forth chronologically and I had to keep flipping back to remember what had already taken place. I don't particularly like this style of writing. Each chapter is written from a different character's perspective which also added to my confusion. I think the book would have been a smoother read if it were written from just Amanda's point of view. However, the story is gripping and flowed nicely because as the mystery of the drowning unfolds the subplots are interesting and all of the characters are very well developed. This is an excellent FIRST novel. I'm sure we'll see more of Christina Schwartz in the years to come and I only hope her next book is a bit less scattered.

The plot was interesting, the narration was fine.
But the end was abrupt, left me with so many questions. Some of the characters that were most interesting just vanished from the story like nothing.

such a fantastic read!

I was hooked on this book from page one.

A strange and amazing book: Amanda and Ruth are the team that Amanda and Mattie had been and Ruth and Imogene would become.

The main character in the convoluted story was probably the lake with its lake culture and the island which revealed each character as he/she really was.

As the story teller changed with each chapter the story was not smoothly, chronologically told, but it was revealed and made legitimate.

Guess what? This book is about drowning. No really. The whole thing. I think it's some type of theme.

I read this book a few years ago and forgot everything. Now that I've reread it for bookgroup, I can see why I forgot. The characters bore me. They have no characteristics that surprise, delight, or inspire. The only reason I kept reading is to find out how Ruth drowned. Ruth turns out to be just as woosie as her Aunt Amanda. Her father is a woose too. The only one with any character (Mattie) is dead, so that should tell you something. And we know who Imogene is the first time she wants that blue marble...Anyway, I gave it two stars because the writing is tolerable and she kept the "big secret" of how Mattie drowned until the end. Kudos for that, at least.

First apprehension, then empathy, then outrage, justification, disgust…I was on a roller-coaster.

Can’t say the book gave me many happy moments; it kept me on edge waiting, with anticipation and dread, to see what was coming next to twist my theories out of whack.  The validity of Amanda’s grounds for dismissal at the beginning of the book was on my mind throughout the story.  

The miserly disclosure of bits of a mystery, given from several points of view, had me tense and speculating to the very end.

Ruth drown many times, and I went under with her.

Interesting, but too long and a bit confusing at time with all the back and forth in time.