false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171483298m/101911.jpg 101911 17 <b>Oprah Book Club® Selection, November 1999:</b> Vinegar Hill is an appropriate address for the characters who populate A. Manette Ansay's novel of the same name. After all, when Ellen Grier and her family return to the rural hamlet of Holly's Field, Wisconsin, it's not exactly a happy homecoming. Her husband, James, has been laid off from his job in Illinois. And for the moment, the family has moved in with Ellen's in-laws, Fritz and Mary-Margaret, an unhappy pair who dislike their daughter-in-law almost as much as they despise each other: <blockquote> The first time Ellen sat at this table she was twenty years old, bright-cheeked after a spring afternoon spent walking along the lakefront with James, planning their upcoming wedding. It was 1959 and she was eager to make a good impression. She didn't know then that Mary-Margaret disliked her, that she was considered <I>Jimmy's mistake</I>. </blockquote> Thirteen years later, in 1972, Ellen is back at the table with no escape in sight. Both she and her husband do find work. Yet James seems to settle a tad too easily into his old life, and shows no interest in finding a place of their own. Even worse, his job takes him away from home for weeks at a time, leaving Ellen to cope with her abusive in-laws. <p> In <I>Vinegar Hill</I> Ansay paints a searing portrait of the Midwest's dark side, of a rural culture infected with despair and ruled over by an unforgiving God. Yet she does hold out a grain of hope, too. Just as Ellen seems permanently entangled in familial desperation, she makes a surprising discovery about James's long-dead grandmother--a woman whose rebellious spirit inspires Ellen to rescue herself and her loved ones from the impinging darkness. This late-breaking redemption doesn't cancel out the preceding unhappiness: <I>Vinegar Hill</I> remains a tough, uncompromising tale, one that requires some fortitude to read. But those with the heart for it will be rewarded with fine, spare prose and a hopeful ending. <I>--Alix Wilber</I> 99634 1980 Vinegar Hill (P.S.) total:2446|5:124|4:446|3:973|2:667|1:236| 2446 6893 3199 285 2 2 false false Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2000 Tue May 27 06:13:49 -0700 2008 Tue May 27 12:42:56 -0700 2008 more...]]> 1 1 false false Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Feb 09 17:55:40 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 12 10:14:50 -0800 2009 The writing is repetitive, and the visuals are uncreative and obviously depressing. She hits you over the head with the misery of her characters, but to what point?
Shockingly mean and violent events abound, but again I saw no point. The only character that was suprred to actio...more...]]> 4 1 false false Fri Feb 08 22:36:23 -0800 2008 Fri Feb 08 23:08:07 -0800 2008 more...]]> 2 1 true false Sun Jan 13 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 28 04:54:08 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 28 04:54:40 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 22 07:43:11 -0800 2008 Wed Mar 19 21:03:15 -0700 2008 My favorite part of the book is whe...more...]]> 3 1 false false Mon Jun 16 12:54:07 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 16 12:57:59 -0700 2008 more...]]> 1 1 false false Wed Apr 23 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Jan 14 13:37:36 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 14 13:42:55 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 25 20:52:46 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 25 21:39:20 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Jun 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 22 12:21:15 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 26 19:59:18 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Fri Sep 05 12:44:01 -0700 2008 Thu Sep 11 13:18:47 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 1 false false Tue Nov 13 08:34:27 -0800 2007 Tue Nov 13 08:38:56 -0800 2007 In stark contrast to this novel is Prodigal Summer - which I loved! I've decided I want to read about strong women making strong decisions and NOT because th...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Mar 29 07:47:02 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 29 07:49:55 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 0 false false Tue May 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed May 13 05:14:47 -0700 2009 Wed May 13 05:20:02 -0700 2009
On the cover of my copy...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 25 15:32:29 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 25 15:37:24 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jul 09 16:56:56 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 09 17:02:10 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jun 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 11 06:00:09 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 13 15:57:23 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Tue Feb 24 16:53:15 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 24 16:56:40 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 24 09:40:36 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 24 09:44:23 -0800 2008 more...]]> 2 0 true false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Sep 14 05:36:03 -0700 2007 Mon Oct 01 08:32:56 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Sep 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 31 15:07:57 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 02 15:23:40 -0700 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=101911