by Philippa Gregory
|
by Philippa Gregory
|
by Philippa Gregory
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Gregory's sixth novel moves from her usual historical fiction (A Respectable Trade, etc.) to a contemporary tale that treats familiar, middle-class domestic ground with a horrific tilt. Every Sunday, Ruth and Patrick Cleary, a young English couple married just four years, visit Patrick's parents in Bath. Both Ruth and Patrick work in news production, but even in the common area of career the balance of attention tips heavily toward Patrick. Ruth feels like an outsider in the close-knit Cleary family, and Patrick and his parents are oblivious to her pain. Orphaned since childhood, Ruth has always yearned for love and a sense of belonging. In the first flush of passion, Patrick promised these; he even promised to help Ruth recover her lost childhood by traveling back to her childhood home in Boston. Snugly married and absorbed by his career, however, Patrick has lost track of his wife and his promises. When the cottage at the end of the lane from his parents' manor house comes up for sale, he sells the Bristol condo Ruth loves without a thought. Ruth soon becomes a poster-girl for co-dependence: she loses her job and unwillingly becomes pregnant. After her son is born, she sinks into depression, allowing her mother-in-law to take over completely. Finally, she is manipulated into a "rest home" where she becomes zonked on antidepressants. Hitting bottom, Ruth rallies, only to take control of her life in a joltingly twisted way. Gregory writes smoothly enough, but her insights into the dysfunctional family are only pedestrian, laying fallow ground for a surprise ending that neither horrifies nor enlightens.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Ruth Cleary is carried along on a tide of family actions that leave her living in the little house she never wanted with a baby she hadn't planned to have. As Ruth struggles with postpartum depression and unresolved feelings about the premature deaths of her own parents, her mother-in-law, Elizabeth, manipulates information and situations to take control over Ruth and her family. The character of Elizabeth and her relationship with Ruth are developed carefully, drawing the reader through a range of emotional responses to reach the inevitable conclusion that Elizabeth is waging psychological warfare on Ruth. Gregory's (Fallen Skies, HarperCollins, 1995) novel is a compelling tale of family relationships and of the horror that can ensue when the balance of power is skewed against one member. That Ruth ultimately triumphs makes this most satisfying reading. A good purchase for general fiction collections.?Caroline M. Hallsworth, Cambrian Coll., Sudbury, Ont.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
What do customers ultimately buy after viewing this item?
 |
66% buy the item featured on this page: The Little House |
 |
30% buy Constant Princess CDN$ 13.10 |
 |
5% buy The Boleyn Inheritance CDN$ 11.64 |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
|||||||||||
Most helpful customer reviews
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Your Recent History
(What's this?)|
After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. |
