Customer reviews
3.8 out of 5 stars
25 customer ratings
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Saving Ruth: A Novel
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Customer reviews
- Saving Ruth: A Novel
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- Customer reviews
Top positive review
A wonderful light and fun read
March 11, 2013
Not all books have to be a wow to be loved. This book drew me in and I read it in a day 1/2 and loved every minute of it. I still think of the characters and story line 2 weeks later like "I wonder what happens to Ruth and David". I just ordered her other book and expect to thourghly enjoy it. I am 57 years old.I hope my daughter who is 20 will read this for fun this summer. I think it will appeal to the 20-30 something age group because the characters are college age.I, as a parent of two college age kids related to the parents in this story like she was writing about my family.I think it is a very difficult thing to change the relationships you have with your kids when they come home from college. I am in the middle of the change in the relationship with my spouse and childern just like the book.
Top critical review
Good writing - story needed a little more depth.
August 22, 2018
Fairly Interesting, well written book. Felt that the ending was a little unrealistic and the portrayal of the eating disorder wasn’t very insightful. Having a relative with an eating disorder, I believe that the author had no understanding of just how disruptive this sickness is to living a normal life.
On the plus side, the writing was good and the story made for a nice, light read. I would compare it to a made-for-TV movie geared towards young people.
On the plus side, the writing was good and the story made for a nice, light read. I would compare it to a made-for-TV movie geared towards young people.
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March 11, 2013
Not all books have to be a wow to be loved. This book drew me in and I read it in a day 1/2 and loved every minute of it. I still think of the characters and story line 2 weeks later like "I wonder what happens to Ruth and David". I just ordered her other book and expect to thourghly enjoy it. I am 57 years old.I hope my daughter who is 20 will read this for fun this summer. I think it will appeal to the 20-30 something age group because the characters are college age.I, as a parent of two college age kids related to the parents in this story like she was writing about my family.I think it is a very difficult thing to change the relationships you have with your kids when they come home from college. I am in the middle of the change in the relationship with my spouse and childern just like the book.
March 13, 2013
This story was a sad commentary on today's society where parents inadvertently place pressure on their kids to be the best/skinniest/smartest/etc. I could relate to the pressures of living up to expectations others have placed on me in my life. And, it forced me to examine how my words and actions affect my children.
August 20, 2014
Nice, light read...if you are looking for an easy beach read, this is enjoyable.
May 11, 2012
I would describe this as a coming of age story. The book primarily revolves around nineteen year old Ruth and her slightly older brother, David.
The story takes place one hot summer in Alabama, while both siblings are home on college break. They spend their time life-guarding and coaching at the local summer pool. Ruth, insecure and suffering from low self esteem, finds herself finally acknowledged and popular after a drastic weight loss. David, meanwhile, has always been the popular, smart, soccer star who earned a full scholarship to attend school. However, David returns home that summer, moody and quiet, with some secret he seems to be unable to talk about. Adding to the mix is the fact that they are one of the very few Jewish families in a very southern, Baptist community.
One day, while at the pool, a young, black girl nearly drowns on David and Ruth's watch. Ruth and David finally must confront hidden racism in their town, issues with their family and acknowledging flaws within themselves before the summer ends.
I enjoyed this book and at approximately 279 pages, it is a pretty quick read. I loved the mix of family dynamics, religion and location. It did focus a lot of Ruth's anorexia. Also, at some points,I found myself reading really quickly through some of the dialogue between Ruth and her friends due to it going on and on with her weight...however, I would say this book was very realistic and takes a good look at some important issues. There is not a lot of action and drama as I originally thought, it focuses more on Ruth moving towards becoming the adult she wants to be. I think adults and older teens would enjoy this book and would have no issues recommending it to others.
The story takes place one hot summer in Alabama, while both siblings are home on college break. They spend their time life-guarding and coaching at the local summer pool. Ruth, insecure and suffering from low self esteem, finds herself finally acknowledged and popular after a drastic weight loss. David, meanwhile, has always been the popular, smart, soccer star who earned a full scholarship to attend school. However, David returns home that summer, moody and quiet, with some secret he seems to be unable to talk about. Adding to the mix is the fact that they are one of the very few Jewish families in a very southern, Baptist community.
One day, while at the pool, a young, black girl nearly drowns on David and Ruth's watch. Ruth and David finally must confront hidden racism in their town, issues with their family and acknowledging flaws within themselves before the summer ends.
I enjoyed this book and at approximately 279 pages, it is a pretty quick read. I loved the mix of family dynamics, religion and location. It did focus a lot of Ruth's anorexia. Also, at some points,I found myself reading really quickly through some of the dialogue between Ruth and her friends due to it going on and on with her weight...however, I would say this book was very realistic and takes a good look at some important issues. There is not a lot of action and drama as I originally thought, it focuses more on Ruth moving towards becoming the adult she wants to be. I think adults and older teens would enjoy this book and would have no issues recommending it to others.
May 30, 2012
Ruth is home for the summer after her first year of college, and she thinks everyone seems fixated on her weight. Sure, she has lost that teenage body fat, but she is hardly thin, at least not in her own mind. In reality, Ruth is skin and bones. It causes her family to be distant, particularly her brother David. She and David work at the local pool as lifeguards, and when a child nearly drowns on their watch, both of them have their eyes opened to the truth about the world in which they live, and the struggles they both are having.
This book was completely captivating. I thought the character development was superb. I really related to Ruth, despite the fact that she is a Jewish girl living in the South, and I am a Catholic girl living in the East. Ruth's struggles with weight, body image, and low self esteem are so common among young girls that I think a lot of readers will see something of themselves in Ruth. It was interesting to see the situation primarily through her eyes, then having it juxtaposed against the observations of others; this really gave the reader a good idea of how skewed her perceptions of her body are. I was shocked to learn what David's secret was; I honestly thought it was going to be something completely different, and I still feel like maybe his story was not completely told.
There are a lot of themes going on in this book. At it's heart, it is a coming of age story, but there is a strong theme of wanting to belong, or fit in. Ruth and David are Jews living in the South, not completely fitting in. Racial tensions at the local pool are high, with the whites feeling that black children do not fit in. Ruth and David both, as individuals, feel they do not fit in to the roles placed upon them.
This book is a wonderful read for the summer. It flowes quite nicely, and despite dealing with heavy subject matter is a nice quick read. I think the book will appeal to adult readers, as well as the more mature young adult readers.
This book was completely captivating. I thought the character development was superb. I really related to Ruth, despite the fact that she is a Jewish girl living in the South, and I am a Catholic girl living in the East. Ruth's struggles with weight, body image, and low self esteem are so common among young girls that I think a lot of readers will see something of themselves in Ruth. It was interesting to see the situation primarily through her eyes, then having it juxtaposed against the observations of others; this really gave the reader a good idea of how skewed her perceptions of her body are. I was shocked to learn what David's secret was; I honestly thought it was going to be something completely different, and I still feel like maybe his story was not completely told.
There are a lot of themes going on in this book. At it's heart, it is a coming of age story, but there is a strong theme of wanting to belong, or fit in. Ruth and David are Jews living in the South, not completely fitting in. Racial tensions at the local pool are high, with the whites feeling that black children do not fit in. Ruth and David both, as individuals, feel they do not fit in to the roles placed upon them.
This book is a wonderful read for the summer. It flowes quite nicely, and despite dealing with heavy subject matter is a nice quick read. I think the book will appeal to adult readers, as well as the more mature young adult readers.
June 22, 2012
Ruth Wasserman was a wallflower in high school, younger sister of her handsome and athletic brother. Now as Ruth returns home for the summer, it seems that everyone will pick up right where they left off almost a year ago. Only things have changed. Ruth, for one, has lost A LOT of weight and is struggling to find herself in dieting. Her brother is even more secretive than he ever was, one of her brother's friends is finally interested in dating her and, to top it all off, it seems that her parents marriage is shaky since dad is now sleeping in another room.
What does seem constant is Ruth's job as a lifeguard at the local pool. It's safe and familiar to her. That is until a near drowning occurs one day and Ruth's life is turned upside down. Suddenly the world is different, with hints of racism and struggles against the cliches of the deep south.
Saving Ruth is quirky and smart-aleck sounding, but it's very entertaining and quick to read. Like a good southern novel, Saving Ruth is very character driven, with a plot that basically centers around Ruth and her young self-involved ways. With racism and sex smoldering underneath it all, this novel is enticing. Ruth and the interactions with her family reminded me of my younger life in many ways and for that I was glad that her family rallied to "save" her from herself.
You might want to know: This book contains cursing, smoking pot and references to sex.
I received this book complimentary from TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review but the opinion in this review is all mine.
What does seem constant is Ruth's job as a lifeguard at the local pool. It's safe and familiar to her. That is until a near drowning occurs one day and Ruth's life is turned upside down. Suddenly the world is different, with hints of racism and struggles against the cliches of the deep south.
Saving Ruth is quirky and smart-aleck sounding, but it's very entertaining and quick to read. Like a good southern novel, Saving Ruth is very character driven, with a plot that basically centers around Ruth and her young self-involved ways. With racism and sex smoldering underneath it all, this novel is enticing. Ruth and the interactions with her family reminded me of my younger life in many ways and for that I was glad that her family rallied to "save" her from herself.
You might want to know: This book contains cursing, smoking pot and references to sex.
I received this book complimentary from TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review but the opinion in this review is all mine.
May 20, 2012
I won this book through a Goodreads.com First Reads Giveaway and I thought it was a pretty good coming of age novel. The plot was pretty interesting and well developed the only thing that I wish it had included was more of a conclusion on how/if the problems (like the eating disorder) got solved. They never fully got solved, just plans were made for them to be worked on. The book was a little slow going, but I enjoyed how real it was and the author was afraid to put certain elements in there. But, overall, a pretty good book.
September 2, 2013
saving ruth was hard to put down even when i finished it. Ruth is back from college and now shes skinny but not skinny enough for herself. after comming home to be a lifeguard for a bit again she relizes hes not the only who has changed her brother David seems more distant the ever but after a little black girl almost drowns on her watch now she is forced to revel secrates about her town family and herself
