- Paperback: 336 pages
- Publisher: Black Swan; New edition edition (3 Jun 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0552996858
- ISBN-13: 978-0552996853
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.7 x 2.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 456,417 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Book Description
A powerful tale of frustrated dreams erupting in violence, of pain and of human understanding.
Product Description
Pegged as the loser in a small-town family that doesn't have much going for it in the first place, Ruth grows up (unlovely and unloved) in the shadow of her mean and brilliant brother, Matt, trying to hold her own in a world of poverty and hard edges. The little happiness she finds is in reading the books on tape for old, blind Miss Finch and in the letters she receives from her adored Aunt Sid. Matt's genius for mathematics is his escape from Honey Creek, but Ruth, with no ticket out, cleaves instead to her tough and bitter mother, May, who continues to trickle out the last of her love to Matt even as he leaves them without a backward glance. Eventually Ruth meets and falls for Ruby, the sweet but slightly deranged man she marries and supports. Ruth spots stains at Trim 'N Tidy Dry Cleaners, bowls at the Town Lanes, and tries in vain to keep the peace between May, whose lashing criticisms blow through the cramped house with gale force, and Ruby, who spends his days getting stoned and watching reruns of Bewitched on TV. The arrival of Justy, Ruth and Ruby's newborn son, temporarily suspends everyone in mutual joy, but soon the baby becomes the object of their most heated contention. When the precarious household erupts in violence, Ruth is the only one who can piece their story together - and she gets at the truth in a manner at once ferocious, hilarious, and heartbreaking.
In this powerful, incandescent novel, Jane Hamilton has worked a small miracle: She has given voice to a young woman you have passed on the street a thousand times. Perhaps you have never noticed her, but the next time you see her, you will know who she is. Passionate in her commitment to life, Ruth is a stunning testament to the human capacity for mercy, compassion and love. The Book of Ruth is Hamilton's magnificent début.
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First Sentence
WHAT it begins with, I know finally, is the kernel of meanness in people's hearts. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
WHAT it begins with, I know finally, is the kernel of meanness in people's hearts. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:School & Library Binding
This is one of the most touching books I have ever read, so much so than since finishing it about a month ago, I haven't wanted to pick up another book, because I don't want its memory to fade. I didn't get into it first time and gave up after one chapter, but my sister spurred me on, and I am so glad she did. I tells the story of Ruth and her relationships with those in her life and their own past histories also. Please please please read it. It is truely excellent. I also really enjoyed the same author's Map Of The World, which I would also totally recommend.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
310 reviews
73 of 75 people found the following review helpful
A Terrible Beauty
23 Nov 1997
Format:Paperback
I finished "The Book of Ruth" last night and today I miss her terribly. I read some of the book's reviews on Amazon.com today, and I am amazed at how differently we see things, we humans. Because I cherished the experience of reading this book so deeply (and no, I wasn't abused), I can't imagine that those who didn't care for it could possibly have read the same book.
I make an assumption about Ruth from the very first chapter: that she is very mildly retarded or in some way subtly disabled. For me, her behaviors and perceptions are off just enough to imply some missing cerebral link. And this is what is so extraordinary to me: that someone without all resources at her disposal can yet perceive herself and her world with such precious, ingenuous, brilliant vision ... well, I would feel honored to have her as a friend.
To write from the point of view of a retarded person makes for such creative use of language and imagery. Ruth is like an idiot savant. She is all the best a human being can be, tireless in her effort to find good and truth in her experiences, resilient beyond belief. I think she puts us all to shame, "healthy" though we be.
Depressing? No, no, no. That's too easy. I am reminded of Yeats: "...a terrible beauty is born." I am in awe of Ruthy. I laugh through my tears and am comforted.
I make an assumption about Ruth from the very first chapter: that she is very mildly retarded or in some way subtly disabled. For me, her behaviors and perceptions are off just enough to imply some missing cerebral link. And this is what is so extraordinary to me: that someone without all resources at her disposal can yet perceive herself and her world with such precious, ingenuous, brilliant vision ... well, I would feel honored to have her as a friend.
To write from the point of view of a retarded person makes for such creative use of language and imagery. Ruth is like an idiot savant. She is all the best a human being can be, tireless in her effort to find good and truth in her experiences, resilient beyond belief. I think she puts us all to shame, "healthy" though we be.
Depressing? No, no, no. That's too easy. I am reminded of Yeats: "...a terrible beauty is born." I am in awe of Ruthy. I laugh through my tears and am comforted.
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
One of the most moving books I've ever read.
27 Oct 1999
Format:Paperback
I'm from a very small town, and when I was in high school, I actually had a boyfriend like Ruby - thank God I ran screaming for 1,000 miles before I stopped! This book spoke directly to me and mesmerized me from start to finish. Ruth was not retarded or pathetic - she was living the only life she knew with the only people available to her. I can only imagine how many other lonely & intelligent young women are living in her shoes - wasted, hopeless, potential completely unrealized, put down by everybody they know. I've recommended this book to every serious reader I know.
71 of 80 people found the following review helpful
Hamilton keeps you engaged
26 July 2000
Format:Paperback
The Book of Ruth is one of those books that is very thought provoking. It is not exactly the most upbeat book that I have read, but Ruth is in her own way trying to survive the best that she can.
Ruth's main tormentor in the book is her mother, May, who is so consumed by negativity that it is really pointless to try to argue with her. Ruth learns to survive her mother's negativity with the dream of visiting her Aunt Sid, who is May's youngest sister. Aunt Sid is like the polar opposite of May.
Unfortunately, Ruth has to deal with her brother, Matt, who is a math prodigy. May always seems to be more preoccupied with Matt. Thus, Ruth is always second fiddle. When Matt leaves for college, May still thinks that Matt can do nothing wrong. Even though, he basically cuts off communication with their family.
Ruth does eventually hook up with Ruby, who is a very emotionally disturbed man. They form a unique bond that eventually leads to marriage, which leads to Ruth, Ruby and May living under the same roof.
All I can say is that the ending is unbelievable. I could see the signs of major tension, but the ending still caught me off guard. I knew that I would finish reading the book, but I had to put it down after the shock in order to get some fresh air.
Hamilton has this knack for making you believe that things cannot get any worse, but then they do and you still cannot put the book down.
I was glad that there was some hope for Ruth at the end of the book. I'm not sure if Hamilton is trying to emphasize the fact that what we endure will make us stronger, but that is definitely what I get out of this book.
I would recommend this book only if you want something that is thought provoking and engaging. If you are in the mood for something light, then this is not the book for you. The Book of Ruth will definitely open your eyes up to someone who has had a rough life. Jane Hamilton has done a good job.
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