This was a book which had one question ‘What happened on the lake the night Amanda’s sister Mathilda died’. Amanda was a neurotic character and her taking in the role of mother for Ruth is reflected in Ruth.

The male characters are all a bit supercilious with Cliff, Mathilda’s husband disappearing to be a sailor on the Great Lakes and Clement the man who seduced Amanda was a bit of a dick with few redeeming features.

What I did like about the book was it’s setting in Wisconsin after WW1. The wintry atmosphere and the day to day description of life was well written. I did find the book slow to read but stuck with it and was satisfied with the ending.

I don't recommend it to my friends. Other authors are much better at jumping different time periods and characters. I found this book confusing and ordinary. It didn't grab and hold my attention. This is a Oprah Club's book. To me, this book questions the credibility of this club.

I enjoyed this mostly because of its vivid imaging of the lifestyles and surroundings. The characters are relatable and drawn with depth. Others complain that the time changes are confusing, but that didn't bother me with this particular story. The prose is crisp, and things move along. It does seem odd that the male characters sort of fade out without much consequence. This depiction of rural life in the early 20th century allows us to appreciate how much better things are now.

This one took me awhile to finish; it was the book I would read before bed because I could normally count on not accidentally staying up super late reading it! But halfway through, I stopped thinking of it as a "What really happened that night?" Book where the author gives you hints of flashbacks and I didn't feel like it even really mattered too much. I loved when Imogene entered the book - it got so much better. I really loved the Ruth/Imogene/Amanda dynamics to the point where I didn't notice (or seem to care like other reviewers) that the male characters were more "minor" roles. There are sooo many books with women who are constantly in that situation and I don't think anyone would call those books "Man Lit" because there's not enough women centering?