Ruby

Ruby

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3.65 of 5 stars 3.65  ·  rating details  ·  1,114 ratings  ·  96 reviews
From the beloved author of "Necklace of Kisses" comes a modern-day fairy tale of a willful and intuitive heroine and a world of shocking realism and transcendent magic. Francesca Lia Block, this time with co-writer Carmen Staton, introduces readers to Ruby, a Midwestern girl named for the jewel that is believed to ward off evil spirits. Ruby's special gift is a sixth sense...more
Hardcover, 224 pages
Published July 3rd 2006 by HarperCollins Publishers (first published July 1st 2006)
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Community Reviews

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Mara
This is a pretty nifty, slightly insane book. It is, essentially, this: Ruby comes from an abusive background, sees Troy on DVD, develops an obsession with Orlando Bloom (Orion), travels to England to surreptitiously gain the trust of his family, and somehow cause him to fall in love with her as she battles the demons of her past. All with Francesca Lia Block's edgy fairy tale qualities spun throughout.

Only it's not ever that easy. Although, I really do think Orion is Orlando Bloom. Ruby, who i...more
Jaemi
An intertwining tale of two magical and troubled lives, Ruby is a gripping mix of fantasy and reality.

Ruby has always been different. Not just because she hides things.

She sees things. She hears things. She knows things. Her father has always ignored it. But she knows it's real.

She moves across the country, to LA, to take a job as a nanny. She wants to be able to leave herself behind. An ex-boyfriend shows up at her employer's door. Some things are easier said than done.

She leave LA and travels...more
Tehm
Mar 24, 2010 Tehm added it
Like all of Block’s books, fantasy is mixed with reality. Ruby’s story through the way she is unique, she makes her way through a scarring childhood. The beginning of the book is Ruby dictating how she survived her father’s abuse and molestation of her and her sister, Opal. She talks of how her father’s abuse and callous manner broke down her sister, she survived because she was stronger, she had a magic touch, for lack of a better word. She also describes how she had these dreams of magical wom...more
Jay
It's easy to see Carmen Staton's influence in this novel. Often with Francesca Lia Block's novels, I have a hard time following her narrative. She tends to shift in and out of different timelines, and her use of language can be a touch hard for me to follow. As much as I love FLB's novels, her stories, her characters and her wordplay, her use of timelines and formatting often cause me to pull away. Staton seems to have grounded FLB here, and so the flow of the story is very linear. It's easy to...more
Zoë (In The Next Room)
“You can change things with your will, your determination, your strength. You can move away, track down your true love, treat your children differently than you have been treated. But how strong do you have to be to fight a ghost?”

The cover of Ruby is extremely misleading- it features large text stating that this is a book by Francesca Lia Block. Underneath, in significantly smaller type, the cover says “and Carmen Staton”. I found this frustrating because what I expected of Ruby is what I have...more
Tiffany
Several months ago, I made my sister go to a Friends of the Library booksale that I couldn't attend for whatever reason. She found a copy of Ruby and called me, asking if I wanted it. I did a quick scan of all the different reviews on Goodreads (because clearly, I can't make up my mind without everyone else's input, hah) and decided to pass - they were that negative. A few days ago, my library held another FoL booksale, where I found yet another - or perhaps the same - copy of Ruby, sitting in o...more
Aviva
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Jillian Kern
Let me start off by saying that the fairytale and magical elements of this book are really amazing - the whole thing is sort of enchanting. Although the narrative's a little hard to follow, it just adds to this effect. That said, there was something thoroughly irritating about how SPECIAL Ruby was supposed to be. She has a difficult family background (maybe an attempt to offset it by showing tragedy in her life), but it seems like everyone she encounters just loves her. She works as a nanny (whi...more
Greta is Erikasbuddy
This story was simply magic! I loved it!



A fairy tale within reality. Ruby is on a mission to forget her past. While taking a job as a nanny in LA she accidently discovers her soul mate, an English movie star named Orion. Ruby becomes fascinated by the man. Reading the rags, watching his True Hollywood Stories, searching the web to learn where his favorite places to eat are.



Ruby decides to try the English lifestyle for a while. There she works at a pagan supply store and meets the man she has bee...more
Liza
Dear Charan,
The book that I currently read was called Ruby by Francesca Lia Block which is a work of fiction . The book is about this girl named Ruby who grows up in small house with her sister , mother, and father. her father abuses her and her sister . Ruby leaves and goes to explore , she gets a job babysitting for this sweet couple, then she goes to London and she gets another watching her friends son, who she is secretly in love with .
This book made me realize that I can be that one girl w...more
Krystal Levy
It was a bizarre story, but then again, FLB stories are usually bizarre. She is a magical writer though, her use of language makes the characters sparkle and leap off the page. I have read everything I can find by her over the years since my friend introduced me to her back in middle school, some books are hard to find though, but I am still looking. The subject matter of this book is quite serious, violent and dangerous, but real. It is also beautiful. Her writing is not for everyone but I enjo...more
Michelle
Odd little book about a girl named Ruby who has a Knowing. The I’m-not-sure-why-I-know-something-but-I-do sort of Knowing. After a rough childhood – alcoholic and abusive father – she decides to search out the movie star Orion, knowing that they are destined to be together. Because hey, somebody has to be with the gorgeous hunk, so why not her, right?

Even with the ultimate themes centered around healing and becoming a new person fueled by love I felt this book was a little too dark. I just didn...more
Lorra Fae
The book was beautiful but a bit all over the place - I got into it more about half way through, when there was a more solid story-line (though the whole story is a bit of a jigsaw). Lots of magic, spells, stalking a celebrity and becoming his care-giver and falling in love - the only issue I have with Block's books sometimes is that the main characters seem only to exist for the men they seek out - not always, but often enough.
There are a lot of animal stories in this book which I loved - Ruby'...more
Cristina
The perfect treat! Cotton candy for my soul.
I lovelove you, Francesca Lia Block. This was just what I needed. I'm glad I waited years being weary of this little book, because I really needed something this beautiful and sweet in my life this week. I was so afraid that Block's voice would be somewhat dimmed by the addition of Staton... but it wasn't, at all. If anything, it was just a bit more linear and there were a few less of those mile-long run-ons (that I absolutely adore), but the poetic, p...more
Liz
"All we have to do is ask."

Lovely! In this story Francesca, in her magical way, evokes a sense of wonder, hope and trust in an otherwise dark life. Ruby is a wonderful character that draws you in from the start. Her sense of wonder and use of magic to escape her situation was beautifully written. At the heart of this book is of course a love story...and although we don't get to know Orion too well, his gentle nature and kindness towards Ruby won me over. Simply told and visually compelling, Ruby...more
Linda
Just finished re-reading "Ruby," co-written by one of my favorite authors ever, Francesca Lia Block, along with Carmen Staton.
I don't know anything about Carmen Staton or her writing, but I think it's very much a Francesca Lia Block book, with many of her unique, artful and creative elements. A magic-realism style, with a balance of light and darkness, and a damaged, vulnerable female character who overcomes her hurtful past and finds her inner strength through magic and love.
A perfect start t...more
black lamb
I originally rated this a four, but having reread it a few times after my initial read, I knocked it down to a solid 2. For me, FLB is very hit-or-miss; like most people I loved the Weetzie Bat books, particularly the character of Witch Baby, and she has a couple of other books I really adore, too. But then she has books like Pink Smog and Ruby where I just have to wonder if this is even the same author.

There were aspects of this novella I liked a lot - I liked the character of Ruby, actually. I...more
Ciara
Nov 15, 2008 Ciara rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fourteen-year-olds who love "rocky horror", no one else
francesca lia block has really turned out to be a disappointment, huh? man. i was so into the "weetzie bat" books as a young teenager. i read all of them over & over again & recommended them to all my friends. but i have hated everything else she has ever written, & i am nervous to ever try re-reading the "weetzie bat" books lest they don't stand up to the test of time. after all, i am a bit more sophisticated in my literary tastes now than i was when i was 13, & i would adore ev...more
Swankivy
A woman named Ruby with an abuse-filled past chases the love of her dreams, using her natural enchantedness and her oneness with nature to help her overcome her demons. I liked that there was a lot of authentic modern magic in this story--I recognized all of it--and I liked that the damage done to Ruby in her younger years became something that helped shape her and something she grew through and past, not something she magically dropped because a man finally loved her the right way. The only thi...more
Stephanie
Sep 19, 2007 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Francesca Lia Block fans
I wasn't sure what to expect from a Francesca Lia Block book that was co-written by an author I hadn't heard of. The difference in style is obvious. This book is much more plain, and it is mostly lacking in Block's signature imagery. However, it isn't all bad.

While the writing style may be different, it is a typical Block book in the way it blends fantasy and magic so effortlessly with gritty reality. The romance in the book seemed strange and forced to me, and I could have definitely done witho...more
April
The plot of this book only ruins the beauty of Block's writing style a little bit. I found the whole falling in love with the movie star thing to be a little far-stretched, but overall I didn't let it ruin the amazing imagery found in this novel; you'll really feel like you're in another world when the book takes you to the setting of rural England. Ruby's character as the narrator is also very honest, raw, and contemplative, which adds a body of grace to the story that is both touching and pric...more
Rachel
Francesca Lia Block has such a unique way of telling a story that is short, and to the point, while not leaving anything important out. I love her writing style, which makes me feel like I'm reading a long, beautifully descriptive poem.

Ruby is a very simple book with a very simple plot. Many books tend to drag out a simple plot line into endless pages of nonsense, while Blocks books are always simple in size, yet full in description and charm. What I love about this book, is that it brings back...more
Traci
Jul 23, 2009 Traci rated it 3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Traci by: Alison
Shelves: fiction
Block has to really, really make a mess of things to get anything less than 3 stars from me.

This just didn't have the same magic as everything else I've read by her. It was lovely, but somehow less intoxicating. Maybe it has something to do with the heroine being an adult (or maybe it has something to do with co-authoring). Although, perhaps that makes sense. The wonder was a little discombobulated and the beauty a little less accepted...appropriate for a slightly jaded adult, I suppose.
Kate
May 15, 2011 Kate rated it 5 of 5 stars
Shelves: owned
Emotional and lyrical, I can read Block in one sitting... and prefer to! This one is very adult, but really, all her books are. The concepts are very adult, yet told from a more magical and fantastical point of view. The way a child may concoct a fairy tale to explain something he/she is unable to comprehend. This book read like poetry and the ending gave me a vast sense of calm and satisfaction.
Danie P.
I love the way she writes...everything comes out like a fairytale that was built of "real life" events. The story follows Ruby and Orion told in sometimes alternating chapters. Ruby is haunted by the pain of a father who abused her and her sister and Orian is haunted by the pain of betrayal. They are both drawn together somewhat magically and help each other cope with their pain.
Dina
I've loved Francesca Lia Block since I first picked up Weetzie Bat at age 13. I don't think I've ever disliked any of her books, but some are obviously better than others. This one is not bad. The story is engaging, the writing is pretty, and the characters are interesting. It's not particularly deep, despite the darker subplot of abuse and family dysfunction, but it's a pleasant read.
Lily
A lot of people were disappointed by this one but I felt as if FLB has done it again. While this novel is somewhat based in romance, I feel that it was not as strongly rooted as it's summary comes across as. FLB and Staton do an excellent job at writing a short-tempered and abusive father -- I felt myself relating to it all too well with some of the experiences I have with my own father.
Jaden Brulotte
This book was a little too short for my liking as it didn't allow for the depth of character I have come to enjoy over time. While I love Block's books, this was not a favorite. I felt like it left some issues hanging at the end and that it could have been a much more enjoyable read had it been developed a bit more and those issues been more wrapped up in some fashion.
Dana
This book was really intense. At first it starts off with this girl named Ruby, but some chapters revert back to another perspective from another person whom you don't realize is this other character until the end of the book. This book also deals with paganism and wicca which for some people might pose a problem. I love this book, but it was not light reading.
Vicki
Jun 21, 2012 Vicki rated it 3 of 5 stars
Shelves: teen
Ruby has a special gift-knowing her own destiny-her family doesn't acknowledge. She pursues who she feels is her life's partner-famous actor Orion-where she actually meets him and helps him to heal after a physical accident and much stress due to his profession.
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Francesca Lia Block was born in Los Angeles to a poet and a painter, their creativity an obvious influence on her writing. Another influence was her childhood love of Greek mythology and fairy tales.
She has lived in the city all her life, and still resides there with her daughter, Jasmine Angelina (about whom she wrote her book Guarding the Moon), her son Samuel Alexander, and her two dogs: a spr...more
More about Francesca Lia Block...
Weetzie Bat (Weetzie Bat, #1) Dangerous Angels (Weetzie Bat, #1-5) I Was a Teenage Fairy The Rose and the Beast: Fairy Tales Retold Echo

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“Sometimes a wild horse needs to feel that his rider is just a little bit wilder.” 17 people liked it
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