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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October 3, 2012
THis book reminded me of "The Help" in the quality of its writing and characterizations. hHe problems of anorexia, racism, relationships,
and drugs set in a small Southern town were well integrated and it was a quick engrossing read. I didn't want it to stop. Bravo! I salute
Ms FIshman at the start of a great career. More please.
and drugs set in a small Southern town were well integrated and it was a quick engrossing read. I didn't want it to stop. Bravo! I salute
Ms FIshman at the start of a great career. More please.
October 17, 2012
I truly loved this novel -- the characters were real, the voice so honest and raw I sometimes flinched, and the atmosphere of a small, Southern town in the height of summer engulfed me. This book felt deep and true -- and brave. I rooted for Ruth to succeed and wiped away a few tears along the way.
April 26, 2017
My astounding new author! Zoe fishman takes your breath away.
September 26, 2016
Good book. My first time reading this author and i really liked the real life family dynamics which most people can identify with.
July 25, 2014
I really have enjoyed this book. Really told a story about a young girl and her brother. I have read the other 2 books by this author as well. Job well done
May 2, 2012
I read Saving Ruth in two sittings, which I RARELY do. It is so well-written, so fluid. You know how some books, there are parts that are thrown in that are unrealistic but you buy into it for the sake of the book? None of that is in Saving Ruth. It's just a great story, so believable, so relatable, with wonderfully flawed people. I wanted to be there, spending time with Ruth during that hot summer in Alabama with her best friends, her smothering parents, and the hot guy Chris who was suddenly interested in her. Heck I wanted to be her, experiencing her summer, and having those feelings all over again.
Ruth comes home from her freshman year in college having lost 35 pounds and feeling like a new person. Her brother, David is back too, but he's sullen and moody. Ruth is experiencing attention like she's never had before, and everyone is calling her skinny, a word she's never heard before. Her crush, Chris, is taking notice, David's closest friend. David and Ruth have always been lifeguards and coaches at the neighborhood pool. Now there are secrets David's keeping, their parents are dealing with the return of their two children from college, and Ruth is struggling with her eating problems (the problem being that she's not eating).
A near-drowning at the pool occurs and the events that transpire afterward put the whole story into motion - Saving Ruth deals with issues of eating disorders, depression, racial indifferences, marriage problems, sibling rivalry, and family relationships.
I loved this story so much because it reminded me of being that age again, of having feelings of being free, but still being under the eye of your parents, and of finally having attention from boys and of trying desperately to feel like a woman in my own skin. Zoe Fishman took me right back to my 19-year-old self and it felt wonderful to be there, to revisit those feelings, no matter how tumultuous those feelings were at the time.
Ruth comes home from her freshman year in college having lost 35 pounds and feeling like a new person. Her brother, David is back too, but he's sullen and moody. Ruth is experiencing attention like she's never had before, and everyone is calling her skinny, a word she's never heard before. Her crush, Chris, is taking notice, David's closest friend. David and Ruth have always been lifeguards and coaches at the neighborhood pool. Now there are secrets David's keeping, their parents are dealing with the return of their two children from college, and Ruth is struggling with her eating problems (the problem being that she's not eating).
A near-drowning at the pool occurs and the events that transpire afterward put the whole story into motion - Saving Ruth deals with issues of eating disorders, depression, racial indifferences, marriage problems, sibling rivalry, and family relationships.
I loved this story so much because it reminded me of being that age again, of having feelings of being free, but still being under the eye of your parents, and of finally having attention from boys and of trying desperately to feel like a woman in my own skin. Zoe Fishman took me right back to my 19-year-old self and it felt wonderful to be there, to revisit those feelings, no matter how tumultuous those feelings were at the time.
May 1, 2012
Growing up in Alabama, Ruth Wasserman wanted to fit in, but being a curly haired junk food Jew made her stand out from the predominantly white Baptist students who she attended high school with. Making her feel even more of an outcast was her brother the golden one David was a popular soccer star. Because of her low self-esteem, Ruth escaped Alabama to attend college out of state where she lost a ton of weight to become unhealthily emaciated.
Following her freshman year in Michigan she comes home for the summer to work as a lifeguard and teacher of young children at the local pool alongside of David. However besides her food disorder, her sibling seems different and distant towards her even lost his thrill for soccer though he plays at school in Atlanta. Their parents fear the future relationship between them without their children at home. When Ruth rescues young Tanisha from drowning, instead of a heroine she is scorned and faces a lawsuit from angry parents over neglect. She also hides her sibling's secret from everyone though she knows he is at fault for the delay by not being poolside. Finally there is David's friend Chris.
This is a warm family drama starring a teenager who has spent her life feeling like a fish out of water, but proves she is a steel magnolia as she blossoms into a brave young woman performing difficult Balancing Acts between her family, her friends, Chris, her job and racial accusations. Fans will enjoy the trials and tribulations of Ruth who saves herself by reaching out to save others.
Harriet Klausner
Following her freshman year in Michigan she comes home for the summer to work as a lifeguard and teacher of young children at the local pool alongside of David. However besides her food disorder, her sibling seems different and distant towards her even lost his thrill for soccer though he plays at school in Atlanta. Their parents fear the future relationship between them without their children at home. When Ruth rescues young Tanisha from drowning, instead of a heroine she is scorned and faces a lawsuit from angry parents over neglect. She also hides her sibling's secret from everyone though she knows he is at fault for the delay by not being poolside. Finally there is David's friend Chris.
This is a warm family drama starring a teenager who has spent her life feeling like a fish out of water, but proves she is a steel magnolia as she blossoms into a brave young woman performing difficult Balancing Acts between her family, her friends, Chris, her job and racial accusations. Fans will enjoy the trials and tribulations of Ruth who saves herself by reaching out to save others.
Harriet Klausner
August 31, 2012
This coming of age story is a wonderful read, one that will resonate with anyone who survived the tumultuous transition from teenager to adult. Both Ruth and her brother struggle with parental expectations and the desire for control over their lives. They, and their parents, are shaken out of their complacency by a near-tragedy that could have had much worse implications than it did. Ruth is a well-developed and vulnerable character, one battling with an eating disorder and trying desperately to reconnect with the brother who has always eclipsed her.
Once I started reading, I didn't put this book down until I was finished. Well-written and well-imagined, this story and the voice rang true from start to finish. I was genuinely engaged with Ruth as she attempted to navigate the treacherous waters of her first summer home from college- balancing friends, family, and food in desperate attempt to keep it all together. There are no big revelations here, no life changing message- just a well-crafted coming of age tale that I would recommend to any reader.
Once I started reading, I didn't put this book down until I was finished. Well-written and well-imagined, this story and the voice rang true from start to finish. I was genuinely engaged with Ruth as she attempted to navigate the treacherous waters of her first summer home from college- balancing friends, family, and food in desperate attempt to keep it all together. There are no big revelations here, no life changing message- just a well-crafted coming of age tale that I would recommend to any reader.
May 8, 2012
Not really looking forward to this book at first, but my book club had it scheduled. I ended up really enjoying this book. Nice easy read. Without ruining the plot, one really starts to feel for Ruth. Worth the price to buy and read.
June 27, 2018
Worth the read; part coming of age and part tweeny drama.
