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Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Ruby in Books

Apr 3, 2019  
Ruby
Ruby
Cynthia Bond | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
8
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Ruby Bell lives in the town of Liberty in East Texas. She was one of the most beautiful women in the town. Liberty is the town she grew up in and ran away from in search of her mother in New York City. When news of the death of her best friend reaches her, she decides to return to Liberty, but the things that await her there are very dark and menacing.
Ephram Jennings lost both his mother and father at a young age and was raised by his sister Celia. Celia takes great care of Ephram and together they attend church every Sunday and are a pillar in the community.
Ephram has known Ruby Bell since they were small children, although his interaction with her has been very limited. When she returns to Liberty Ephram would like to change that. But Ruby Bell is no longer the same woman who returned to Liberty. Frequently she can be found huggin the chinaberry tree on the edge of the woods near her home(Bell Land), she is often naked, or barely dressed and once even urinated in the middle of the street. Everyone in Liberty knows that Ruby Bell is a harlot and a Jezebel. Ephram refuses to believe that this is true and makes it his mission to prove this to the entire town.

Religion plays a big part in this book which really spoke to me. We as Christians are taught to love one another and treat each other the way Jesus treated the world, with kindness and compassion. It always gets to me how tolerance and love become an issue when trying to help those who are different. Ruby is plagued by demons in this book and the town shuns and rapes her for this. They call her crazy and when Ephram goes to her to help her be the woman HE knows she can be, he is looked down upon by the entire town and especially by his sister Celia. Ephram wants to understand the demons in Ruby and he never judges her for her "crazy" ways, but tries to comprehend what she is going through.

This story really touched my heart. We all need to do what we can for each other especially in the African American community. We tend to shun away from each other instead of embracing one another. I loved the way that Ephram went to Ruby despite what the rest of the town thought. How he stood by her side no matter what. This book could teach us all a lesson.
  
With just two weeks to go until the town’s clock town starts ticking again, Ruth Clagan and her friends are busy getting everything ready to go. In order to help offset the expenses, they are hosting a fund raiser. However, Kim Gray, the town manager, is a no show until she is discovered crushed under the bell destined for the tower. Obviously, someone hated her. But who?

I was very surprised to see Kim was the victim, but pleasantly so since she’s been a pain in the previous books in the series. We learn even more what a nasty character she is along the way to the satisfying climax, even if one small part of the mystery isn’t quite resolved. The characters are charming as ever, and we get to know a few different supporting players this time, which I enjoyed.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/08/book-review-chime-and-punishment-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
Nineteen Minutes
Nineteen Minutes
Jodi Picoult | 2013 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.8 (12 Ratings)
Book Rating
I know a lot of people call Picoult formulaic, but I can't help it -- call me a fan of the formula. This book is reminiscent of such Picoult classics as <i>The Pact</i> and <i>Salem Falls</i> in that it features a classic courtroom drama with a big surprise at the end.

And sure, maybe you can guess the surprise, maybe you know what's coming, but, to me, it doesn't stop the joy of reading along to find out whether you're right or not. I couldn't put this one down.

Story centers around a small town high school -- a student regularly bullied and victimized by his peers brings a gun to school and kills and injures a number of his classmates. The story is told from a variety of perspectives, including the shooter, his mother, the town judge, the judge's daughter (a high school student), and the detective on the case. Picoult does a find job of weaving all their stories together as the book comes to its inevitable shocking conclusion.
  
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Nick Offerman recommended The Quiet Man (1952) in Movies (curated)

 
The Quiet Man (1952)
The Quiet Man (1952)
1952 | Classics, Comedy, Drama

"Taking a slight turn, I love the John Wayne film The Quiet Man. It’s quite something. It’s a John Ford movie, it’s John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. It’s kind of like John Wayne’s Brigadoon. He plays this boxer who killed a man in the ring in the States, and so, to escape his past, he moves to his ancestral little home in Ireland. It’s this quaint little village, and I believe it’s called Innisfree — I know Innisfree is from a Yeats poem, and it sort of represents the small Irish town of heaven; it’s sort of a fantastical place — but the town in The Quiet Man is Innisfree, which makes sense. So he goes there to escape his past, falls in love, of course, with Maureen O’Hara — who wouldn’t? — and her brother turns out to be the enormous, pugilistic, evil, Bluto-like landlord. So the movie cannot be resolved, nor can their love, without one final fistfight. It’s funny; just the other day, I sent a message to my agent, “Remake idea: The Quiet Man?” I have two fists. I can swagger."

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