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Fox's Earth
Librarian's note: See alternate cover edition of ISBN 0345304616 here.
Ruth Yancey knew she was beautiful, she knew she was special. Despite her squalid Georgia mill town roots, it was her looks and her inbred belief in a powerful destiny that led her to the most exquisite mansion in Sparta: Fox's Earth. Through insinuation, manipulation, and an impenetrable evil, she became its mistress for three generations--until another woman attempted to match her madness....
Ruth Yancey knew she was beautiful, she knew she was special. Despite her squalid Georgia mill town roots, it was her looks and her inbred belief in a powerful destiny that led her to the most exquisite mansion in Sparta: Fox's Earth. Through insinuation, manipulation, and an impenetrable evil, she became its mistress for three generations--until another woman attempted to match her madness....
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
9 people are currently reading
941 people want to read
About the author
Anne Rivers Siddons
54 books1,275 followersBorn Sybil Anne Rivers in Atlanta, Georgia, she was raised in Fairburn, Georgia, and attended Auburn University, where she was a member of the Delta Delta Delta Sorority.
While at Auburn she wrote a column for the student newspaper, The Auburn Plainsman, that favored integration. The university administration attempted to suppress the column, and ultimately fired her, and the column garnered national attention. She later became a senior editor for Atlanta magazine.
At the age of thirty she married Heyward Siddons, and she and her husband lived in Charleston, South Carolina, and spent summers in Maine. Siddons died of lung cancer on September 11, 2019
While at Auburn she wrote a column for the student newspaper, The Auburn Plainsman, that favored integration. The university administration attempted to suppress the column, and ultimately fired her, and the column garnered national attention. She later became a senior editor for Atlanta magazine.
At the age of thirty she married Heyward Siddons, and she and her husband lived in Charleston, South Carolina, and spent summers in Maine. Siddons died of lung cancer on September 11, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
August 1, 2022
A giant Southern Gothic book with a larger than life evil Queen. Ruth Fox is Scarlett O'hara dipped in poison and oozing madness. Fox's Earth is Gone with the Wind if written by Tennessee Williams. I loved every twisted turn of plot. What a lovely change from all the current books I've been reading. (I'm now motivated to go back through my bookshelves and see what else I put aside TBR.) It's beautifully written and transports you immediately to the deep South. Grab your sweet tea and settle in for a great story.
5 fabulous stars
5 fabulous stars
January 5, 2009
I usually love Siddons' books - a couple of the main characters in this book were so mean spirited, I didn't like them and therefore didn't enjoy the book very much.
December 21, 2013
Having read only one other book by Anne Rivers Siddons (Off Season, which I rated 4 stars), it seems silly to say that Fox’s Earth is the BEST book I’ve ever read by her; but, it is! Fox's Earth is a masterfully written epic with a phenomenal cast of characters! When I finished listening to Fox’s Earth, I was in awe and just speechless! That does not happen often!
Fox’s Earth, which means "where foxes dwell", is not just the name of the huge ancestral Georgian mansion that is the setting of the book; Fox’s Earth is the life story and life obsession of Ruth Yancey.
In the beginning, Ruth Yancey is the beautiful young daughter of a dirt poor mill town family whose father is not only a raging, insane, drunk and a horribly abusive, “loud, screeching, angry, hostile Old Testament preaching false prophet” who brings nothing but fear, guilt and shame to his family. At a local market, Ruth is spooteed by Alicia Fox, the wife of the owner of Fox’s Earth. Alicia is appalled at the chlld’s plight in life. Alicia feels compelled to save Ruth, so she approaches Ruth’s mother, Pearl, to make Pearl the offer of a lifetime: to give Ruth the chance to leave her family and become a “daughter” of Alicia Fox. In Alicia’s mind, Ruth will become an educated and a properly mannered and socialized Southern girl with all the benefits of the Fox name, wealth and social standing in the community. Ruth desperately wants the Fox’s Earth life and Pearl is willing to make sure that it happen. However, Ruth’s father is deadset against it! At her mother’s knee, Ruth is schooled in her mother’s ways and is advised as to exactly what Ruth will need to do in order to make this offer become a reality and then how to make it Ruth's life goal to successfully become a Fox woman at eery turn.
One would think Ruth would be overwhelmingly grateful for this gracious opportunity of a lifetime, but Ruth is not what she may appear on the outside.
Fox’s Earth is not just a “rags to riches” fairy tale. It’s the gripping story of the someone determined to get what she wants and the vise-like control she must have in order to make it all go her way, come hell or high water.
All who dwell in Fox’s Earth and everyone Ruth encounters seem to be caught in the web of Ruth’s passive/aggressive, flirty Southern charm and her cleverly disguised control of seemingly everything around her.
But then there's Rip, who (though only a few years younger than Ruth) became Ruth’s maid-servant when she arrives at Fox’s Earth. Rip is very observant even as a child and she always seem to know more about Ruth and her ways than Ruth is aware. Rip has a wisdom that Ruth doesn’t realize. Rip has a central place and a plan that plays an integral part in Ruth’s life and in the life of inhabitants of Fox’s Earth
Through whom and exactly how will this dark web of wicked deceit and control be broken? Well, you have to read the book to find out!
I highly recommend Fox’s Earth. It is an epic novel and well-worth the time to read it!
Fox’s Earth, which means "where foxes dwell", is not just the name of the huge ancestral Georgian mansion that is the setting of the book; Fox’s Earth is the life story and life obsession of Ruth Yancey.
In the beginning, Ruth Yancey is the beautiful young daughter of a dirt poor mill town family whose father is not only a raging, insane, drunk and a horribly abusive, “loud, screeching, angry, hostile Old Testament preaching false prophet” who brings nothing but fear, guilt and shame to his family. At a local market, Ruth is spooteed by Alicia Fox, the wife of the owner of Fox’s Earth. Alicia is appalled at the chlld’s plight in life. Alicia feels compelled to save Ruth, so she approaches Ruth’s mother, Pearl, to make Pearl the offer of a lifetime: to give Ruth the chance to leave her family and become a “daughter” of Alicia Fox. In Alicia’s mind, Ruth will become an educated and a properly mannered and socialized Southern girl with all the benefits of the Fox name, wealth and social standing in the community. Ruth desperately wants the Fox’s Earth life and Pearl is willing to make sure that it happen. However, Ruth’s father is deadset against it! At her mother’s knee, Ruth is schooled in her mother’s ways and is advised as to exactly what Ruth will need to do in order to make this offer become a reality and then how to make it Ruth's life goal to successfully become a Fox woman at eery turn.
One would think Ruth would be overwhelmingly grateful for this gracious opportunity of a lifetime, but Ruth is not what she may appear on the outside.
Fox’s Earth is not just a “rags to riches” fairy tale. It’s the gripping story of the someone determined to get what she wants and the vise-like control she must have in order to make it all go her way, come hell or high water.
All who dwell in Fox’s Earth and everyone Ruth encounters seem to be caught in the web of Ruth’s passive/aggressive, flirty Southern charm and her cleverly disguised control of seemingly everything around her.
But then there's Rip, who (though only a few years younger than Ruth) became Ruth’s maid-servant when she arrives at Fox’s Earth. Rip is very observant even as a child and she always seem to know more about Ruth and her ways than Ruth is aware. Rip has a wisdom that Ruth doesn’t realize. Rip has a central place and a plan that plays an integral part in Ruth’s life and in the life of inhabitants of Fox’s Earth
Through whom and exactly how will this dark web of wicked deceit and control be broken? Well, you have to read the book to find out!
I highly recommend Fox’s Earth. It is an epic novel and well-worth the time to read it!
December 6, 2007
Another great book by Anne Rivers Siddons who is a Southern author and writes as such....her stories depict characters and ways of life in the south that only a native would know...its always facinating to read about her characters and get a secret glimpse into another world...the thing about Siddons is that her books always have a mysterious and dark edge to them....there is always some evil that lurks beneath even in the most mundane and benign seeming story, which makes her a great writer...yet she is able to create stories which allow the reader to very easily and effortlessly relate to the characters and their lives....a good read
January 7, 2010
I did not finish this book. The characters were all two-dimensional and the heroine was smart but mean and crazy. I didn't like thinking about it.
May 14, 2023
For Mother's Day: south'rn
gothic mad mamas, hapless
men, deadly daughters.
gothic mad mamas, hapless
men, deadly daughters.
July 2, 2021
I didn't love this book the same way I loved this author's Colony, which I listened to last June, but it was still a really enjoyable, if dark, family saga. Sally Darling narrates the audiobook and her Southern accent gives the story just the right flavor of local color. Most of the characters weren't particularly likeable, but I did love Rip, the black woman who works for the family and who saw many things about the evil Ruth that her own family didn't always notice. I loved her sections of the story the most. I also liked that Siddons told the story in chronological order instead of trying to manage several timelines at once. It made it so much easier for me to keep track of everyone.
March 11, 2010
Beautifully written. In my opinion, her best book.
August 16, 2007
This was another good one from Anne Rivers Siddons. The story of Ruth, a poor child who connives to marry the son of a wealthy family, and schemes to keep the family estate, Fox's Earth, under the ownership of her female descendants. Ruth is rather despicable, and it's interesting to read a book in which the main character is not at all sympathetic. She will resort to anything to make sure Fox's Earth passes only to her female heirs. She raises her daughter to be helpless, so Ruth's plans pass on to her granddaughters, in particular the youngest, who turns out to be not as easily manipulated as her grandmother had hoped.
November 15, 2013
This book was focused on an evil woman who manipulated several generations of women into ruining their lives because of her selfish motives. It was too much evil for me. I really had to push my way through it in hopes of a more satisfactory ending. I don't always require a happy ending, but with this one I was really looking for one to offset all the negativity. I won't give away the ending, but will say it held some hope. Not enough to make up for the rest of the book, though. I wished I hadn't bothered reading it.
May 9, 2009
Yea it wasn't that great...very hard to get into...but I finished it anyway
June 25, 2009
Read this one pretty quick...I always love Anne Rivers Siddons. This one was kind of psychotic, but so interesting.
July 20, 2009
My favorite Anne Rivers Siddons novel (and I've read them all). The evil that lives at Fox's Earth is sly and scary.
January 19, 2010
Way too much high drama. Good to know that Anne Rivers Siddons only improved; this is an early 1980's book.
May 22, 2012
I DID NOT like this book! It was the story of a cruel, selfish, controlling woman. who destroyed the lives of her offspring.
October 24, 2025
It is a dark but seductive tale of five generations of southern women and the house that was their greatest inheritance and their most confining prison.
January 24, 2024
A good old southern drama..a page turner
July 19, 2009
Georgia: 1904-1973. Covers 3 generations of women in the Fox family. Siddons is great for detail, description and character development... making the book a bit long (546 pages) but the story is intriguing and keeps you wondering how the evil of the main character will impact the grandchildren until the very end of the story.
June 22, 2009
I really enjoyed "The House Next Door" but this one was marketed as horror and really was only at the edge of that genre. Siddons is what I'd consider more of a literary author. Well written but too subtle for my taste.
July 16, 2014
Because I had dearly loved Heartbreak Hotel, I picked this up, expecting something similar. Boy, was I disappointed. But then, later on, I read more of Siddons books and loved them all.
January 28, 2010
CHilling! My favorite of Siddon's books.
June 30, 2010
Riveting plot, richly developed charachters, and vibrant prose - this book is a must read!
October 26, 2010
Disappointing. I think this was the last of Anne Rivers Siddons that I read.
December 4, 2010
Although it's a totally depressing story, there are some interesting twists and the writing is decent.
December 31, 2010
This is a weird Gothic novel, but pretty engaging. Siddons has a good grasp of characters' psychology.
January 3, 2011
Really enjoyable. Some of Anne Rivers Siddons' books I don't care for, but this was very good.
March 16, 2011
Freakin' weirdest family EVER. And they haunt you. Smokin' writing!
April 26, 2011
My first Siddons; disturbing, yet wonderfully written.
April 29, 2018
This is a family saga, a very popular genre at the time it was published in 1981, but with a difference - the central character around whom the plot revolves is a psychopath. The book is set in the American Deep South and deals with the social and racial attitudes of the period it covers, from 1903 to some time in the 1970s.
Ruth Yancey is the uncannily beautiful daughter of a drunken, abusive, mentally disturbed mill worker who is also a part time preacher of the fire and brimstone kind, and his downtrodden wife, Pearl, who still has enough gumption to pass on her extremely jaded views of how to get on in life and make the most of opportunities to her daughter. Thanks to that, after having to make a horrific sacrifice, Ruth finally escapes her home to move into the beautiful house she has set her heart on: Fox's Earth, the grand house of the wealthy Fox family. She soon acquires the education and graces that a great southern lady requires in the early 20th century, but within her there is a cold hard kernel of hatred for the upper class folks among whom she lives, and she soon sets about engineering their destruction and gaining the house for herself.
As years pass, no one is safe from her mania - fueled by visions of her lost mother, Pearl, who apparently eggs her on - not even her own daughter or grandchildren as her manipulations mould them into the vulnerable personalities she needs them to be. Only Rip, the black servant who joins the household initially to take care of Ruth's daughter and then stays on to perform the same duty for her grandchildren, sees what she is really like and tries to shield her victims. But Rip's own family are not immune from her malign influence.
In places the style is baroque and overblown - Ruth has a 'glow' which encompasses her like a nimbus. One life after another is blighted, and the author usually telegraphs the fact well in advance: we are told that a certain person will die, even the manner of their death, or will have to leave, and then the story goes back and shows how that comes about. This means that there isn't much suspense, and I felt discouraged from sympathising with any of them, because they would soon be bumped off etc, apart from Ruth herself and possibly Rip who is almost like her good other half ... in fact, the story deals with the idea of people who are your 'other end' as Ruth calls it, so that you know what they are thinking without them having to say. Rip has an amazing radar for what Ruth is up to, but it becomes more difficult for her with advancing age to stay ahead - plus, as a servant, and a black person in the Deep South and in that era, she has the odds stacked against her. To some extent, it is credible that she stays on to try to protect the children, given Ruth's threat early on to sack her and make sure she cannot get work if she opposes her, but the revelation near the end of the story that something happened to Rip's own family member 15 years beforehand did stretch that credibility - surely there is only so much someone can put up with in silence? Rip is the most sympathetic character in the novel, though an exemplar of the faithful family retainer, and ultimately a bit of a cliche sadly.
The edition I have has a spooky cover with a crack in the earth beneath the house which has a human form - it reminded me of a mandrake. I think the publisher was trying to cash in on the connection with Siddon's horror novel, as that is prominently referred to on the cover: 'The House Next Door'. However, despite the low-key psychic elements such as Rip's ability to guess what Ruth is up to, and Ruth's visions of her mother, this is not horror fiction.
Given the issues I found with the book, ultimately I could only award it a 3-star rating.
Ruth Yancey is the uncannily beautiful daughter of a drunken, abusive, mentally disturbed mill worker who is also a part time preacher of the fire and brimstone kind, and his downtrodden wife, Pearl, who still has enough gumption to pass on her extremely jaded views of how to get on in life and make the most of opportunities to her daughter. Thanks to that, after having to make a horrific sacrifice, Ruth finally escapes her home to move into the beautiful house she has set her heart on: Fox's Earth, the grand house of the wealthy Fox family. She soon acquires the education and graces that a great southern lady requires in the early 20th century, but within her there is a cold hard kernel of hatred for the upper class folks among whom she lives, and she soon sets about engineering their destruction and gaining the house for herself.
As years pass, no one is safe from her mania - fueled by visions of her lost mother, Pearl, who apparently eggs her on - not even her own daughter or grandchildren as her manipulations mould them into the vulnerable personalities she needs them to be. Only Rip, the black servant who joins the household initially to take care of Ruth's daughter and then stays on to perform the same duty for her grandchildren, sees what she is really like and tries to shield her victims. But Rip's own family are not immune from her malign influence.
In places the style is baroque and overblown - Ruth has a 'glow' which encompasses her like a nimbus. One life after another is blighted, and the author usually telegraphs the fact well in advance: we are told that a certain person will die, even the manner of their death, or will have to leave, and then the story goes back and shows how that comes about. This means that there isn't much suspense, and I felt discouraged from sympathising with any of them, because they would soon be bumped off etc, apart from Ruth herself and possibly Rip who is almost like her good other half ... in fact, the story deals with the idea of people who are your 'other end' as Ruth calls it, so that you know what they are thinking without them having to say. Rip has an amazing radar for what Ruth is up to, but it becomes more difficult for her with advancing age to stay ahead - plus, as a servant, and a black person in the Deep South and in that era, she has the odds stacked against her. To some extent, it is credible that she stays on to try to protect the children, given Ruth's threat early on to sack her and make sure she cannot get work if she opposes her, but the revelation near the end of the story that something happened to Rip's own family member 15 years beforehand did stretch that credibility - surely there is only so much someone can put up with in silence? Rip is the most sympathetic character in the novel, though an exemplar of the faithful family retainer, and ultimately a bit of a cliche sadly.
The edition I have has a spooky cover with a crack in the earth beneath the house which has a human form - it reminded me of a mandrake. I think the publisher was trying to cash in on the connection with Siddon's horror novel, as that is prominently referred to on the cover: 'The House Next Door'. However, despite the low-key psychic elements such as Rip's ability to guess what Ruth is up to, and Ruth's visions of her mother, this is not horror fiction.
Given the issues I found with the book, ultimately I could only award it a 3-star rating.
February 23, 2022
Fox’s Earth, Anne Rivers Siddons, 1981
My favorite quote: “Not even an errant spectre of the South’s splendid, sad and silly Civil War walks the matted earth here …”
Most interesting characters: I’m going with Ruth Yancey, an ambitious woman determined to possess Fox’s Earth at any cost. There are many more fascinating characters besides her, of course, but she’s the one that held me, riveted, to Fox’s Earth until the very last page. Read it, and you’ll see what I mean. Ruth’s a peach!
Opening scene: Two mysterious women, heading toward a house of many deaths … a house called Fox’s Earth … (cue dramatic music) P.S. -- I frequently hear dramatic music when I’m reading Anne Rivers Siddons. It just seems natural …
The gist: A story of the life and obsession of a woman who sacrifices everything -- including her own husband and children -- to own the mansion called Fox’s Earth
Greatest strengths: For having such an extensive cast of characters (Fox’s Earth spans several generations) Anne Rivers Siddons does a fine job making sure the reader never feels confused or overwhelmed
Standout achievements: Don’t ask me how Anne Rivers Siddons manages to take a premise as seemingly harmless as Fox’s Earth and turn it into something dark and terrifying, but that’s exactly what she does -- and I love her for it. More on that in just a minute …
Fun Facts: It was my collaborator, author Tamara Thorne, who first introduced me to the work of Anne Rivers Siddons -- and she’s not the only horror writer who admires her: In his book, Danse Macabre, Stephen King praises her novel, The House Next Door, calling it one of the best genre novels of the 20th century. True enough, but Fox’s Earth, while not a ghost story, is dark and scary in its own right. You’ll likely never get a clearer look at the inner workings of a psychopath than you will in Fox’s Earth
Other media: N/A -- but this would make a great miniseries. Or a soap opera -- and I’m not even into that
Additional thoughts: I won’t lie: I really didn’t think I was going to like Fox’s Earth. Up until this one, the only Anne Rivers Siddons book I’d read was The House Next Door -- which I loved, but I knew that was a bit of a one-off. Aside from that one, Anne Rivers Siddons sticks to Southern literature -- which I’ve never taken any particular interest in. But I’m grateful that Tamara insisted I read Fox’s Earth. I actually really loved it. Who knew Anne Rivers Siddons had such dark, dark talents, but she does … oh yes, she does …
Hit or Miss: HIT!
Haunt me: alistaircross.com
Read Fox’s Earth: https://amzn.to/3segvwN
My favorite quote: “Not even an errant spectre of the South’s splendid, sad and silly Civil War walks the matted earth here …”
Most interesting characters: I’m going with Ruth Yancey, an ambitious woman determined to possess Fox’s Earth at any cost. There are many more fascinating characters besides her, of course, but she’s the one that held me, riveted, to Fox’s Earth until the very last page. Read it, and you’ll see what I mean. Ruth’s a peach!
Opening scene: Two mysterious women, heading toward a house of many deaths … a house called Fox’s Earth … (cue dramatic music) P.S. -- I frequently hear dramatic music when I’m reading Anne Rivers Siddons. It just seems natural …
The gist: A story of the life and obsession of a woman who sacrifices everything -- including her own husband and children -- to own the mansion called Fox’s Earth
Greatest strengths: For having such an extensive cast of characters (Fox’s Earth spans several generations) Anne Rivers Siddons does a fine job making sure the reader never feels confused or overwhelmed
Standout achievements: Don’t ask me how Anne Rivers Siddons manages to take a premise as seemingly harmless as Fox’s Earth and turn it into something dark and terrifying, but that’s exactly what she does -- and I love her for it. More on that in just a minute …
Fun Facts: It was my collaborator, author Tamara Thorne, who first introduced me to the work of Anne Rivers Siddons -- and she’s not the only horror writer who admires her: In his book, Danse Macabre, Stephen King praises her novel, The House Next Door, calling it one of the best genre novels of the 20th century. True enough, but Fox’s Earth, while not a ghost story, is dark and scary in its own right. You’ll likely never get a clearer look at the inner workings of a psychopath than you will in Fox’s Earth
Other media: N/A -- but this would make a great miniseries. Or a soap opera -- and I’m not even into that
Additional thoughts: I won’t lie: I really didn’t think I was going to like Fox’s Earth. Up until this one, the only Anne Rivers Siddons book I’d read was The House Next Door -- which I loved, but I knew that was a bit of a one-off. Aside from that one, Anne Rivers Siddons sticks to Southern literature -- which I’ve never taken any particular interest in. But I’m grateful that Tamara insisted I read Fox’s Earth. I actually really loved it. Who knew Anne Rivers Siddons had such dark, dark talents, but she does … oh yes, she does …
Hit or Miss: HIT!
Haunt me: alistaircross.com
Read Fox’s Earth: https://amzn.to/3segvwN
Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews