Customer Reviews

Rubyfruit Jungle

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I could not put this book down. It's southern accent and catchy plot kept me on the edge of my seat. I definitely recommend reading this book as well as Alma Matter.

I've just recently finished this novel for a college class I'm in dealing with gender and sexualities. The novel tells the coming-of-age story of Molly Bolt in primarily the 50's. As a child adopted by a very poor southern couple, Molly comes to realize early in her life she's a lesbian and she doesn't intend to apologize for this. Despite her family situation, she'a very smart and witty girl and people are drawn to her. After being kicked out by her mother who discovered she's lesbian, she goes out on her own determined to be successful.

I have to say like most other people in my class, I liked the character of Molly. She's smart, funny and witty. But, the book often seemed very unrealistic. Virtually every woman she meets that's her own age about ends up wanting to have sex with her once they discover she's lesbian. Now, I realize that must sound like an exaggeration, but if you read it you'll see it's not. The way in which she always ends up having sex with women is kind of hard to believe and some of her sexual encounters are comical. With all the sex she has and the gay people she meets, this book makes it seem like almost half the population is gay which I'm pretty sure isn't true, but these points shouldn't deter someone from reading the book if they're really interested. At one point, what's really weird is when Molly has sex with a woman who is a mother and her daughter finds out about it and starts to like Molly too and then wants to have sex with her own mother. That was even harder to believe.

But, the novel is easy reading and it's definitely something that's controversial. I can only imagine what people's reactions were to it when it came out. I think this book is worth reading since it's so simple and not particularly long. I have to say I do kind of have mixed feelings about it as one part of me feels like I'd never read it again and then another thinks the book was pretty good. I think this would be the kind of book it'd be fun to read with a friend and then discuss. I know there'd be plenty to discuss. So, even if you're only mildly interested, go ahead and pick this book up. It'll get you thinking and give you something to talk about.

Molly Bolt was just another dirt-poor little girl growing up in Coffee Hollow, just outside of York, Pennsylvania. Pretty much a tomboy, she could beat up her cousin Leroy and wouldn't take lip from anybody. She also lost her virginity to her girlfriend in the sixth grade.

"Rubyfruit Jungle" is a chronicle of Molly's life, told from her perspective, from the poor area of Pennsylvania to the somewhat nicer area near Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, to her hitchhiking to New York to become a film director. Along the way, she learns that she's the bastard child of a woman named Ruby and some unkown, married Frenchman, and she also must contend with the societal pressures of the 1960's and 70's of marrying a man to secure your future and that wanting to be a film director is easier than becoming one.

Molly Bolt is a strong-willed, self-suficient, incredibly proud character. She's a lesbian and doesn't care what anyone thinks about it. (I like that she's so matter-of-fact about herself.) She's determined and nothing is going to stop her from fulfilling her dream of becoming a director, even if she isn't able to make her film until she's 50. I think that she represents the kind of person that we would all like to be: strong, no-nonsense, and comfortable with ourselves.

The only item I didn't like about the book is that every woman Molly meets -- with the exception of her family -- falls in love with her: cheerleaders, New York socialites, college roommate. That just seemed a bit too farfetched to me. But, it doesn't detract from this incredible novel about remaining true to yourself. I highly recommend it!

First of all I am not a person of many words so my review will be somewhat short. Quality not quantity.

Rubyfruit Jungle was a grat book. It was a tad graphic, but that really did not bother me so much. I really like how the story went. Molly had such a hard life to begin with and her being a lesbian did not make it any better. Carrie was so mean to her and she did not accept Molly for the person she was. I am glad that things start to work out for Molly toward the end.

I went into Rita Mae Brown's Rubyfruit Jungle with a bit of skepticism (I go into everything with a bit of skepticism so that's really no surprise). I mean, anyone who co-authors mysteries with their cat seems awfully suspicious to me. However, this novel really does fulfill the word-of-mouth peg it gets handed, and I thankfully got sucked into the intrigue as well.

Molly Bolt defies everything anyone could ever expect out of her, except for the readers, whom she ends up pleasing tremendously. This novel starts in her youth and finishes in an open-ended manner right at the end of her NYU film school experience, and I dare you to find one dull moment in-between.

To say Brown has a distinct voice in this novel would be an understatement. Molly's words spark off of the page in every sentence, and her discontent with life and the world can be felt by anyone who even touches this book. Coincidentally, I too am a film student and a lesbian, and though I didn't grow up in the South, I can certainly relate to Molly's predicaments. The great thing is that everyone can relate to at least one aspect of this novel, no matter what their sexuality, career, or origin is, and never once does this connection to Molly and her coming-of-age seem in any way sentimental or over the top.

Read this novel as a perfect example of great contemporary literature. It has a fabulous modern edge about it, while still maintaining that feeling of a classic novel. With a headstrong (almost bull-headed) protagonist, vivid locations, astounding yet realistic situations, and most importantly, an author with a personal voice nearly all authors would die for, Rubyfruit Jungle is the pleasant surprise that I can never forget.

I read this book for an English class book report. I thought it was so good! I enjoyed all of the characters. Rita Mae will get you laughing or crying as you read this book. I LOVE IT!!!! I read it about three times by now. Buy this book and fast Chop chop. If you don't read it you'll be missing out.

I first read this book in the mid '80s at UMCP in an American Studies class. I remember that I commented in class that the book was unbelievable because the main character seemed to meet lesbians every place that she went. Surely there weren't that many gay women in the world!

The real lesson turned out to be that we all have our own "coming of age" story. In a way "Ruby Fruit Jungle" pushed me to understand that my own evolution into adulthood was, at the same time, very similar to and different from the one that Brown describes. Growing up is filled with joy and pain despite your orientation - or any of the other descriptive details of your life. Brown makes this point beautifully in this novel.

I picked up this one on the recommendation of my wife and after reading Rita Mae Brown's writer's manual. I wanted to see how she had put into practice what she was preaching.

Jill had said that it read like a first novel, and it does, but that's not to take away anything from it. Like most first novels, there is a certain exuberance here that is sometimes muted or even lost in the works of more mature authors. There's also a refreshing sense of difference here--this is a novel written by someone whom you've never met before (that is, at the time of publication), and who is baring herself for the first time. And bare all, Brown does. Like some first novels, it feels highly autobiographical, as if Brown was saying my life is something like this, only not quite as exciting, so I'll liven it up in prose. Along the way is a fun time.

What makes this unique among other first novels in that autobiographical sense si that Rubyfruit Jungle is about a lesbian. But to describe it that way is to stereotype it. Perhaps more applicable is that Rubyfruit Jungle is a novel about the life of a woman who turns out to be a filmmaker, except that wouldn't be accurate enough either. The lesbian connection has to be mentioned because that's where the conflict arises in the book (along with the examination of a certain amount of sexism). While I found it hard to agree with a basic tenet expressed in the book--that sex between two woemn is inherently more intense than that between the opposite sexes--I nevertheless enjoyed the view of life from an entirely different angle.

Brown went on to write both mysteries and "mainstream" stories that have been more popular, but this first book stays in print for a reason: sometimes the things you slip when you're unsure of yourself (or unselfconscious) are more powerful than the heavily edited work.

There is not enough napalm on the entire planet to rid humanity of the mindless prattling going on in this book. This is the extent of your whole life? If you accidentally brew a batch of bad beer, throw it out and start on another. Rita Mae Brown appears intent on convincing the reader that the festering liquid stench known as Molly Bolt is really a perfect batch of excellent brew that is just "different". News flash, Rita! Sanitize the carboy! That's not fruit, it's mold!

Rita Mae Brown's novel "Rubyfruit Jungle" had me laughing out loud by the time I reached page 5. The book tells the life story of Molly Bolt, a poor girl who comes from rural Pennsylvania. Molly narrates the book, which follows her to her adolescent years in Florida and to her life as a struggling film student in New York. Along the way, Molly lives her life as a sexually liberated young lesbian.

Molly is a wonderful character: a witty, intelligent combination of artist and trickster. The book is full of humor and satirical outrageousness. Molly is surrounded by a colorful cast of characters, most notably her strong-willed mother. The narrative as a whole is well-structured, and Brown brings Molly's story to a very satisfying conclusion.

As funny as "Rubyfruit" is, it also has some relevant insights on a number of issues: mother-daughter relationships, anti-gay prejudice, sexism in academia, socioeconomic barriers, etc. Molly's desire to be a filmmaker is a key theme: she is a creative individual who wants to tell relevant stories about "real people," and not just impress some pompous group of cultural elites.

Brown's prose style is excellent: muscular, sexy, lively, humane, down-to-earth, and always enjoyable. For a good companion text, try Audre Lorde's "Zami," a moving narrative of African-American lesbian life.