The Book of Ruth: A Novel

Hamilton, Jane

ISBN 10: 0899197442 / ISBN 13: 9780899197449

Published by Ticknor & Fields, 1988

About this Item

First edition. Signed by author without inscription on title page. Jacket spine a bit faded, jacket faintly toned, otherwise an excellent copy. 1988 Hard Cover. 328 pp. Author's first book. "The black sheep of her troubled family, Ruth struggles to keep the peace between her mother, her young son, and her slightly off-the-wall husband and to put the pieces back together when a heated situation boils over.

Seller Inventory # 2348483

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Book of Ruth: A Novel
• Publisher: Ticknor & Fields
• Publication Date: 1988
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0899197442
• ISBN 13: 9780899197449
• Binding: Hard Cover
• Edition: First Edition.
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine
• Weight: 21 ounces
• Signed: Signed by author

About this title

Synopsis

The black sheep of her troubled family, Ruth struggles to keep the peace between her mother, her young son, and her slightly off-the-wall husband and to put the pieces back together when a heated situation boils over

Review

Oprah Book ClubŪ Selection, November 1996: The Book of Ruth is a virtuoso performance and that's precisely why it can be excruciating to read. Author Jane Hamilton leads us through the arid life of Ruth Grey, who extracts what small pleasures and graces she can from a tiny Illinois town and the broken people who inhabit it. Ruth's prime tormentor is her mother May, whose husband died in World War II and took her future with him. More poor familial luck has given Ruth a brother who is a math prodigy; Matt sucks up any stray attention like a black hole. Ruth is left to survive on her own resources, which are meager. She struggles along, subsisting on crumbs of affection meted out by her Aunt Sid and, later, her screwed-up husband Ruby. Hamilton has perfect pitch. So perfect that you wince with pain for confused but fundamentally good Ruth as she walks a dead-end path. The book ends with the prospect of redemption, thank goodness--but the tale is nevertheless much more bitter than sweet.