Vinegar Hill [Paperback]

I also don't buy the argument that the book was realistic because, in the '70s women had no other choices than to stay in unhappy marital and family situations. I would have respected Ellen's attempt to keep the family together if the author had shared Ellen's fears, confusion and ambivalence throughout the story. Instead, Ellen continues to stay with her dysfunctional inlaws and depressed husband bearing a flatness and resignation which frustrated me. I can agree that Ellen had FEWER choices than women have now, but she could have sought some type of counseling. She had a job, some money, and presumably some health insurance. So what was the point of the book? Was it a historical novel written to help us all understand what the '70s were supposedly like for a woman in her position?

The only reason I gave this book any stars is because it did hold my interest--I was waiting for something significant to occur, something which would enlighten me. Maybe I could learn something from the book if I saw Ellen change. Not a chance.

Yes, the readers who complained about the book being "bleak" or "whiney" did miss something: the growing awareness of the intelligent, far-from-whiney heroine, Ellen, who finally comes into her own at the end of the book. This does NOT have an unhappy ending. In fact, the ending is absolutely exquisite, but I will not give it away here.

It is a book about abuse - handed down from a despicable man to his entire family. His wife - Mary Margaret - is what I like to call a "swamp" - you could get lost in her bitterness, her cynicism, her bigotry, her hypochondria. Yes, she, too, is a product of abuse, but that doesn't excuse her manipulative, self-serving, constant diatribe that poisons the air around her.

Nevertheless, Ellen is a fairly objective observer in all this mayhem. She is like a swimmer, trying to break the surface so she can breath. Finally, she does, and it is such a welcome moment. I just loved her for her backbone - and her compassion even for her nasty in-laws. Every character is drawn beautifully.

This is a great women's book. What happened to the women of this country being grateful for a glimpse into a real woman's life? Guess what, critics? Abuse of women and children still exists. It seems there is some kind of backlash going on, a return to the former women-hating-women routine pre-Women's Movement. I, for one, can't have too many books about women - their joys, their struggles. I, too, have some criticism of Oprah's Book Club, but not because she chooses books that portray women's issues. That's one of the best things about her choices. Let's get together again, my women friends, not tear each other down.