What do you think?
Rate this book
Ruth
Book by Elizabeth Gaskell
686 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1853
About the author
Elizabeth Gaskell
960 books3,524 followersElizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, née Stevenson (29 September 1810 – 12 November 1865), often referred to simply as Mrs. Gaskell, was an English novelist and short story writer during the Victorian era. Her novels offer a detailed portrait of the lives of many strata of society, including the very poor, and as such are of interest to social historians as well as lovers of literature.
AKA:
Елізабет Гаскелл (Ukrainian)
AKA:
Елізабет Гаскелл (Ukrainian)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 777 reviews
May 22, 2024
Sniffles!
I hate reading books that makes me cry. Thankfully, I never read this one during my teen romance phase or l would have been blubbering all over the place! 😭
Sweet Ruth was very young, and very ignorant (more so than other girls her age). Parent-less at fifteen, she was apprenticed to a dressmaker by her (loving) guardian.
Unloved and mentally abused, poor Ruth maintained her sweet nature. Being ignorant of the world, with no loving, guiding hand, and very pretty, she was quickly seduced by a selfish scoundrel.
Blissfully unaware of her life of sin, until it’s too late, Ruth suffers the disgrace and disgust that only women have to violently endure.
She takes a vow to punish herself for her sin, just as vicious as the punishment she is given by her community.
Well, for those of you who haven’t read this book, this is all I’m going to tell you. 😔
Considering that I’ve already told you…
This book is highly recommended.
Five well deserved stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I hate reading books that makes me cry. Thankfully, I never read this one during my teen romance phase or l would have been blubbering all over the place! 😭
Sweet Ruth was very young, and very ignorant (more so than other girls her age). Parent-less at fifteen, she was apprenticed to a dressmaker by her (loving) guardian.
Unloved and mentally abused, poor Ruth maintained her sweet nature. Being ignorant of the world, with no loving, guiding hand, and very pretty, she was quickly seduced by a selfish scoundrel.
Blissfully unaware of her life of sin, until it’s too late, Ruth suffers the disgrace and disgust that only women have to violently endure.
She takes a vow to punish herself for her sin, just as vicious as the punishment she is given by her community.
Well, for those of you who haven’t read this book, this is all I’m going to tell you. 😔
Considering that I’ve already told you…
This book is highly recommended.
Five well deserved stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
June 13, 2008
It's funny; Gaskell's novels seems to me to be what everyone thinks of as a "Victorian novel," and yet she is not really read or taught widely. Just a thought.
Unlike some of the other readers, I did not love the character of Ruth. A lot of people say that Victorian heroines are always too good to be true, and I can see that point, but Ruth seriously is too good... in my opinion, too good to be very attached to as a reader. The narrator and Mr. Benson keep saying she has faults, but her faults seem to be that she is too proud to accept gifts or handouts and that she is overprotective of her son. These are the kinds of faults that you give when you're asked on your job interview what your shortcomings are -- they are, in a sense, strengths disguised as faults.
(Or maybe one reason I don't like Ruth as a character, though, is because of her masochistic insistence on beating herself up over one mistake, a trait that is uncomfortably familiar to me.)
Of course, her real fault is that she is a "fallen woman," which is exactly why Gaskell made her so unrealistically good and pure -- she had to make Ruth perfect in order to show that she was unfairly punished for one mistake she made in her youth. I understand this, but it makes it hard for me, as a modern reader, to be interested in her as a character. My favorite characters are Jemima, Ruth's younger, more rebellious, more flawed friend, and Sally, the housekeeper who seems a bit like a Dickens character.
One thing that was really interesting about this particular fallen woman story, though, is that Ruth is not raped (like Tess), nor is she flirtatious (like Hetty Sorrel). She seems to really love Bellingham at the beginning, and though Gaskell does hint that Ruth's romantic fantasies are part of her mistake, she is not a silly girl, only innocent. Ruth really doesn't seem to see anything wrong with living with Bellingham as a "kept" woman until other people make her feel it's wrong, and she never suggests or seems to think they will marry. In addition, unlike Hetty, Ruth is able to be taken back into society in a way -- though certainly she can never have another sexual or romantic relationship. In her own way, Gaskell makes a stronger case for the "fallen woman" than Eliot or Hardy, despite the fact that the latter two are (arguably, I suppose) superior stylists. (Well, and Hetty is, to me, a more interesting character because of her flaws -- and especially her crime.)
Another interesting thing is to see the various jobs Ruth has in her life; she is a seamstress, a governess, and a nurse. At one point, she loses her job and Jemima wonders how Ruth will support her son. I've said it before and I'll say it again: anyone who thinks the working woman or single mother is a modern phenomenon has never read 19th century novels or nonfiction.
This isn't my favorite Gaskell, but I enjoyed it.
Unlike some of the other readers, I did not love the character of Ruth. A lot of people say that Victorian heroines are always too good to be true, and I can see that point, but Ruth seriously is too good... in my opinion, too good to be very attached to as a reader. The narrator and Mr. Benson keep saying she has faults, but her faults seem to be that she is too proud to accept gifts or handouts and that she is overprotective of her son. These are the kinds of faults that you give when you're asked on your job interview what your shortcomings are -- they are, in a sense, strengths disguised as faults.
(Or maybe one reason I don't like Ruth as a character, though, is because of her masochistic insistence on beating herself up over one mistake, a trait that is uncomfortably familiar to me.)
Of course, her real fault is that she is a "fallen woman," which is exactly why Gaskell made her so unrealistically good and pure -- she had to make Ruth perfect in order to show that she was unfairly punished for one mistake she made in her youth. I understand this, but it makes it hard for me, as a modern reader, to be interested in her as a character. My favorite characters are Jemima, Ruth's younger, more rebellious, more flawed friend, and Sally, the housekeeper who seems a bit like a Dickens character.
One thing that was really interesting about this particular fallen woman story, though, is that Ruth is not raped (like Tess), nor is she flirtatious (like Hetty Sorrel). She seems to really love Bellingham at the beginning, and though Gaskell does hint that Ruth's romantic fantasies are part of her mistake, she is not a silly girl, only innocent. Ruth really doesn't seem to see anything wrong with living with Bellingham as a "kept" woman until other people make her feel it's wrong, and she never suggests or seems to think they will marry. In addition, unlike Hetty, Ruth is able to be taken back into society in a way -- though certainly she can never have another sexual or romantic relationship. In her own way, Gaskell makes a stronger case for the "fallen woman" than Eliot or Hardy, despite the fact that the latter two are (arguably, I suppose) superior stylists. (Well, and Hetty is, to me, a more interesting character because of her flaws -- and especially her crime.)
Another interesting thing is to see the various jobs Ruth has in her life; she is a seamstress, a governess, and a nurse. At one point, she loses her job and Jemima wonders how Ruth will support her son. I've said it before and I'll say it again: anyone who thinks the working woman or single mother is a modern phenomenon has never read 19th century novels or nonfiction.
This isn't my favorite Gaskell, but I enjoyed it.
August 11, 2020
Ruth is Elizabeth Gaskell’s tale of an orphaned girl who falls into the hands of an unscrupulous man and finds herself in the usual predicament that such girls face. What might, in our time, be a difficulty but barely raise an eyebrow, was, in Victorian times, a serious path to ruin for both the girl and her resultant child. Illegitimacy was not just a mistake, it was a sin, and the attitude of society was particularly cruel toward the woman involved, regardless of age, in this case 16, or circumstance, alone in the world and innocently naive.
There were, however, even in those times, those who were good and kind and wanted to see such a girl redeemed and not punished, and this story contains those souls as well. One of my favorite characters is Mr. Benson, the crippled gentleman who offers Ruth a chance to survive and make a better life. Ruth, in fact, becomes a story largely about redemption, the cost of judgmentalism, the hypocrisy of some professed Christians, and the value of truth when a lie seems the kinder route. No one could blame Ruth for anything other than desperation and poor judgment, but you could not say the same for many of those who have influence over her life.
This is not a perfect novel. One would wish to see Ruth as a more realistically flawed person, but to make the point Gaskell is pushing home requires her to be better than human and almost angelic. This is Victorian England, strictly religious, male dominated and wholly dismissive of the fallen woman; that Gaskell is brave enough to tackle the subject and point out the un-Christian tenets involved in shaming and shunning both these women and their children is remarkable. She holds up a mirror to society in a way that was sure to make a large sector uncomfortable. To do this, she makes Ruth not only pitiable, but good and overly repentant of her faults, which soon seem scarcely as bad as those of the men and women who condemn her.
This book was published a scant three years after The Scarlet Letter, some 30 years before Hardy’s Tess of the D'Urbervilles and three years after Dickens’ David Copperfield in which he also addresses the dangers to young women swept into the circle of unscrupulous men. It is significant that society was beginning to turn its face toward this problem and that this book was among the early efforts to highlight the problem and decry the unfair prohibitions that kept fallen women from ever reclaiming useful lives.
There were, however, even in those times, those who were good and kind and wanted to see such a girl redeemed and not punished, and this story contains those souls as well. One of my favorite characters is Mr. Benson, the crippled gentleman who offers Ruth a chance to survive and make a better life. Ruth, in fact, becomes a story largely about redemption, the cost of judgmentalism, the hypocrisy of some professed Christians, and the value of truth when a lie seems the kinder route. No one could blame Ruth for anything other than desperation and poor judgment, but you could not say the same for many of those who have influence over her life.
This is not a perfect novel. One would wish to see Ruth as a more realistically flawed person, but to make the point Gaskell is pushing home requires her to be better than human and almost angelic. This is Victorian England, strictly religious, male dominated and wholly dismissive of the fallen woman; that Gaskell is brave enough to tackle the subject and point out the un-Christian tenets involved in shaming and shunning both these women and their children is remarkable. She holds up a mirror to society in a way that was sure to make a large sector uncomfortable. To do this, she makes Ruth not only pitiable, but good and overly repentant of her faults, which soon seem scarcely as bad as those of the men and women who condemn her.
This book was published a scant three years after The Scarlet Letter, some 30 years before Hardy’s Tess of the D'Urbervilles and three years after Dickens’ David Copperfield in which he also addresses the dangers to young women swept into the circle of unscrupulous men. It is significant that society was beginning to turn its face toward this problem and that this book was among the early efforts to highlight the problem and decry the unfair prohibitions that kept fallen women from ever reclaiming useful lives.
December 30, 2019
I went into Ruth having been told that this was a depressing story. Well, it both is and it isn’t. It is a tale about a fallen woman in the Victorian era. She is also an orphan. She is not a prostitute, not even flirtatious, but she is pretty. What the book does remarkably well is put you there in her shoes. More than simply looking at how others see her, this is clearly made evident too, but the reader also experiences her world from her perspective which is of course strongly influenced by her personality. This woman is the eponymous Ruth of the title. If the story is to be in any way realistic, it has got to be grim.
There are, however, a wide array of subsidiary characters. They add depth to the story. Through them one sees events through different angles. There are characters that are kind and wise. Others are ordinary. Others amusing. Their presence lightens the story. What some say are at times extremely funny. Listen to this. Faith is speaking to her brother, Thurston, a good, kind dissenting minister. We watch as one little lie gets bigger and bigger. As explanation and excuse Faith tells us this:
“I do think I have a talent for fiction. It is so pleasant to invent and make the incidents dovetail together, and after all if we are to lie, we might as well do it thoroughly or else it is of no use. A bungling lie may be worse than useless, and Thurston, it may be very wrong, but I believe I may enjoy not being fettered by truth.”
I like books that mix humor with the sad and wisdom with foolishness and stupidity. Such is reality. This is what Gaskell delivers in her book.
Each character has a different personality, and each seems to me to be true to who they are. What they do and what they say fit. Ruth, poor Ruth, she is so meek and so alone in the world, and so the mistakes she makes seem understandable and yeah, forgivable. Her tears well up, again and again. No matter what you think of her, what she does makes sense given her predicament, her situation and her temperament. That she falls for is understandable. The love she feels for her may seem excessive but he is ALL she has! Each and every one of the characters make sense to me. Furthermore, as one event follows another, characters morph, they are molded by the events that occur. I was convinced that this was in fact how things could very well happen. There are good things that happen and there are bad things. Some people change and some people don’t, and this is exactly how life really is.
Some readers may complain that there is too much talk about religious beliefs. Not being religious myself, this is a complaint I might easily have made, but it didn’t feel this way to me at all. What is being stressed are not religious precepts but instead moral, ethical behavior. Neither is it unreasonable that a minister thinks in the religious way he does.
Eve Matheson narrates the audiobook. The narration is topnotch, superb, excellent. She uses different intonations for the different characters, and each and every one is perfect. Maybe my favorite intonation was Sally’s. Sally is the Bensons’ maid! Thurston and Faith are the Bnsons. There are arguments and fights, weeping and cajoling, young characters and old—all are performed with panache.
Basically, I liked this book for two reasons. Elizabeth Gaskell has a way with words. She knows how people talk and she invents good dialogues. She can draw a beautiful description of nature. She has the ability to accurately capture a situation and places and people as they really are. The result is that what is drawn is realistic and convincing. The book’s realism is the second reason I like the novel so very much. I came to feel convinced that events could roll out just as they did. Another reason I so like this book is that I saw and felt and experienced another person’s reality, and that person is very different from myself.
****************
*Wives and Daughters 4 stars
*Ruth 4 stars
*North and South 2 stars
*Cranford 2 stars
*Mr. Harrison's Confessions 1 star
*Cousin Phyllis TBR
There are, however, a wide array of subsidiary characters. They add depth to the story. Through them one sees events through different angles. There are characters that are kind and wise. Others are ordinary. Others amusing. Their presence lightens the story. What some say are at times extremely funny. Listen to this. Faith is speaking to her brother, Thurston, a good, kind dissenting minister. We watch as one little lie gets bigger and bigger. As explanation and excuse Faith tells us this:
“I do think I have a talent for fiction. It is so pleasant to invent and make the incidents dovetail together, and after all if we are to lie, we might as well do it thoroughly or else it is of no use. A bungling lie may be worse than useless, and Thurston, it may be very wrong, but I believe I may enjoy not being fettered by truth.”
I like books that mix humor with the sad and wisdom with foolishness and stupidity. Such is reality. This is what Gaskell delivers in her book.
Each character has a different personality, and each seems to me to be true to who they are. What they do and what they say fit. Ruth, poor Ruth, she is so meek and so alone in the world, and so the mistakes she makes seem understandable and yeah, forgivable. Her tears well up, again and again. No matter what you think of her, what she does makes sense given her predicament, her situation and her temperament. That she falls for is understandable. The love she feels for her may seem excessive but he is ALL she has! Each and every one of the characters make sense to me. Furthermore, as one event follows another, characters morph, they are molded by the events that occur. I was convinced that this was in fact how things could very well happen. There are good things that happen and there are bad things. Some people change and some people don’t, and this is exactly how life really is.
Some readers may complain that there is too much talk about religious beliefs. Not being religious myself, this is a complaint I might easily have made, but it didn’t feel this way to me at all. What is being stressed are not religious precepts but instead moral, ethical behavior. Neither is it unreasonable that a minister thinks in the religious way he does.
Eve Matheson narrates the audiobook. The narration is topnotch, superb, excellent. She uses different intonations for the different characters, and each and every one is perfect. Maybe my favorite intonation was Sally’s. Sally is the Bensons’ maid! Thurston and Faith are the Bnsons. There are arguments and fights, weeping and cajoling, young characters and old—all are performed with panache.
Basically, I liked this book for two reasons. Elizabeth Gaskell has a way with words. She knows how people talk and she invents good dialogues. She can draw a beautiful description of nature. She has the ability to accurately capture a situation and places and people as they really are. The result is that what is drawn is realistic and convincing. The book’s realism is the second reason I like the novel so very much. I came to feel convinced that events could roll out just as they did. Another reason I so like this book is that I saw and felt and experienced another person’s reality, and that person is very different from myself.
****************
*Wives and Daughters 4 stars
*Ruth 4 stars
*North and South 2 stars
*Cranford 2 stars
*Mr. Harrison's Confessions 1 star
*Cousin Phyllis TBR
September 6, 2022
Ruth is much too good and saintly to be an interesting character. Nor is the story particularly original. Ruth makes a mistake in her youth and spends her life atoning for it. Yet, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel! With understated artistry, Gaskell illuminates the people surrounding Ruth by how they view her and interact with her. In the process, the novel also makes a strong statement about religious hypocrisy and the unfair treatment of women.
November 1, 2021
Ruth Hilton:
I’d like to tell you, dear Ruth, that your story made me feel deep and strong emotions inside me. Yes, I couldn’t help but choke up reading about your life and sometimes cry like a baby; other times, I used to be happy though, just like you were when you lived great and beautiful moments next to the few people who loved you, but suddenly I thought “might it last forever? Please God, make it last forever”, due to I didn’t have any idea what it could happen afterwards.
Ruth, the protagonist of your own story, when I met you the first time you were a good dressmaker apprentice – I could tell that you were trying it; besides, you had your friend Jenny who used to be nice and charming with you, whereas Mrs Mason was such a cruel and ruthless employer who was constantly against you. So unfair!
Then, suddenly, your world was changed. What happened? Well, you met a guy, not a good guy indeed, and you decided to get along with him, perhaps as some of us who have had a similar experience in our lives.
Let me give you a piece of advice, though. You should have been a stronger and braver woman despite the circumstances. For instance, I know before you met this man, you used to be such an angel: pure, honest, innocent, and naïve. When you met him, you trusted him, and perhaps that wasn’t the best decision you could have made… I know, I know what you’d say: it was not my fault. I’m sure it was not your fault, either your decisions or the consequences – it was not your fault that they treated you as though you were nothing, as if you had made a big mistake, a sin, like they used to say.
And, after all, what was your sin, Ruth? Falling in love with a man who was a coward and a liar? Trust me, THAT was not your fault.
What you should have known, dear Ruth, it’s the fact that this world is sometimes full of bad people, suffering, and sorrow. So, you trusted him, you were young, innocent… how could you have known the truth?
There is nothing wrong with you, Ruth; the society pointed you out, they judged you as though they were perfect; hypocritical society, I must say. Perhaps you felt confused, perplexed, torn, even you didn’t understand why, why this was happening to you. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… I don’t have an accurate answer – even though I don’t rule out the possibility of being truly and completely happy in your time, in my time things are not so easy either. Alas, it’s not surprising, therefore, that so many people are suffering such things and more.
Sorry!, it’s not time to talk about my time, but yours; thus, to all those people who called you out on your actions, people who hated you just because who you are: a woman and a mother… actually, according to them, that is supposed to be your sin… it’s just… not fair, not at all.
While I’m finishing this letter, a tear rolls down my face, not because your story has had neither a happy ending nor a sad ending, but because, as a sentimental person that I am, I really enjoyed being part of your life during these last few weeks. I’m not going to forget you, my dear friend; your story has touched me, and I certainly have to admit that you’ll dwell in my heart forever.
A common reader
————-
Victorian novel no. 3
4.5 stars
No my friends, I haven’t lost my mind; not yet. I just wanted to practice writing a letter in my target language, using all my impressions and feelings around this novel.
That’s all.
By the way, my advice is to read Ruth only if you really enjoy reading Gaskell’s novels. Otherwise, I’d try to read Cranford or The Moorland Cottage as my first attempt.
Afterwards, and based on your own experience, you’ll know whether this author is for you or not, and you could continue reading Ruth as your next pick.
P. S. Sally, why were you always using words such as thou, thee, durst, aye, and so on? As a non-native speaker that was driving me crazy!
I’d like to tell you, dear Ruth, that your story made me feel deep and strong emotions inside me. Yes, I couldn’t help but choke up reading about your life and sometimes cry like a baby; other times, I used to be happy though, just like you were when you lived great and beautiful moments next to the few people who loved you, but suddenly I thought “might it last forever? Please God, make it last forever”, due to I didn’t have any idea what it could happen afterwards.
Ruth, the protagonist of your own story, when I met you the first time you were a good dressmaker apprentice – I could tell that you were trying it; besides, you had your friend Jenny who used to be nice and charming with you, whereas Mrs Mason was such a cruel and ruthless employer who was constantly against you. So unfair!
Then, suddenly, your world was changed. What happened? Well, you met a guy, not a good guy indeed, and you decided to get along with him, perhaps as some of us who have had a similar experience in our lives.
Let me give you a piece of advice, though. You should have been a stronger and braver woman despite the circumstances. For instance, I know before you met this man, you used to be such an angel: pure, honest, innocent, and naïve. When you met him, you trusted him, and perhaps that wasn’t the best decision you could have made… I know, I know what you’d say: it was not my fault. I’m sure it was not your fault, either your decisions or the consequences – it was not your fault that they treated you as though you were nothing, as if you had made a big mistake, a sin, like they used to say.
And, after all, what was your sin, Ruth? Falling in love with a man who was a coward and a liar? Trust me, THAT was not your fault.
What you should have known, dear Ruth, it’s the fact that this world is sometimes full of bad people, suffering, and sorrow. So, you trusted him, you were young, innocent… how could you have known the truth?
There is nothing wrong with you, Ruth; the society pointed you out, they judged you as though they were perfect; hypocritical society, I must say. Perhaps you felt confused, perplexed, torn, even you didn’t understand why, why this was happening to you. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… I don’t have an accurate answer – even though I don’t rule out the possibility of being truly and completely happy in your time, in my time things are not so easy either. Alas, it’s not surprising, therefore, that so many people are suffering such things and more.
Sorry!, it’s not time to talk about my time, but yours; thus, to all those people who called you out on your actions, people who hated you just because who you are: a woman and a mother… actually, according to them, that is supposed to be your sin… it’s just… not fair, not at all.
While I’m finishing this letter, a tear rolls down my face, not because your story has had neither a happy ending nor a sad ending, but because, as a sentimental person that I am, I really enjoyed being part of your life during these last few weeks. I’m not going to forget you, my dear friend; your story has touched me, and I certainly have to admit that you’ll dwell in my heart forever.
A common reader
————-
Victorian novel no. 3
4.5 stars
No my friends, I haven’t lost my mind; not yet. I just wanted to practice writing a letter in my target language, using all my impressions and feelings around this novel.
That’s all.
By the way, my advice is to read Ruth only if you really enjoy reading Gaskell’s novels. Otherwise, I’d try to read Cranford or The Moorland Cottage as my first attempt.
Afterwards, and based on your own experience, you’ll know whether this author is for you or not, and you could continue reading Ruth as your next pick.
P. S. Sally, why were you always using words such as thou, thee, durst, aye, and so on? As a non-native speaker that was driving me crazy!
March 1, 2017
Gaskell as always is brilliant. I love her characterisation and dialogue and Ruth is a fascinating, interesting read, especially in terms of its discussion of morality, gender and sexuality in Victorian society.
March 25, 2022
3.75 stars
I haven’t read any Gaskell since my teens and this is one of her less well known novels, which caused a good deal of controversy when published. It’s certainly a slice of high Victoriana.
“The daily life into which people are born, and into which they are absorbed before they are well aware, forms chains which only one in a hundred has moral strength enough to despise, and to break when the right time comes–when an inward necessity for independent individual action arises, which is superior to all outward conventionalities.”
It deals with one of the favourite topics of the time, “fallen women” and is the story of Ruth Hilton a girl who is orphaned fairly young and is working in what can only be described as a sweat shop. Ruth has an interminably good and sweet nature and is very trusting. Ruth meets a rake of the upper class variety and falls for his charm. The inevitable happens (she is abandoned) and Ruth loses her position and is homeless, contemplating taking her own life. She is found by a dissenting minister, Mr Benson, who rescues her. It was good incidentally that one of the main characters who is one of the heroes of the tale has a disability. Ruth is taken in by Benson, his sister and their servant and they invent a story that she is a widow. Her son Leonard is born and the rest of the novel is the working out of this beginning. Some of the characters are very strict and moralistic and it is clear throughout that Ruth could not have had any sort of life had the truth been initially known. Ruth is almost unbelievably good throughout, but don’t expect conventional happy endings.
There is a strong religious thread throughout and Gaskell explores the themes of fallenness and redemption. In doing this she highlights the double standards between men and women. The religious background enables Gaskell to put the Madonna/Whore dichotomy into one character. There is even a bit of a pandemic at the end which was interesting, especially the way Gaskell uses it.
This caused some controversy at the time, however tame it may seem to us and there was some burning of it. Gaskell herself wrote:
“Of course it is a prohibited book in this, as in many other households; not a book for young people, unless read with someone older… but I have spoken out my mind in the best way I can, and I have no doubt that what was meant so earnestly must do some good, though perhaps not all the good, or not the very good I meant.”
It’s a good example of Gaskell’s approach as a crusading novelist and it was good to read her again after all these years.
I haven’t read any Gaskell since my teens and this is one of her less well known novels, which caused a good deal of controversy when published. It’s certainly a slice of high Victoriana.
“The daily life into which people are born, and into which they are absorbed before they are well aware, forms chains which only one in a hundred has moral strength enough to despise, and to break when the right time comes–when an inward necessity for independent individual action arises, which is superior to all outward conventionalities.”
It deals with one of the favourite topics of the time, “fallen women” and is the story of Ruth Hilton a girl who is orphaned fairly young and is working in what can only be described as a sweat shop. Ruth has an interminably good and sweet nature and is very trusting. Ruth meets a rake of the upper class variety and falls for his charm. The inevitable happens (she is abandoned) and Ruth loses her position and is homeless, contemplating taking her own life. She is found by a dissenting minister, Mr Benson, who rescues her. It was good incidentally that one of the main characters who is one of the heroes of the tale has a disability. Ruth is taken in by Benson, his sister and their servant and they invent a story that she is a widow. Her son Leonard is born and the rest of the novel is the working out of this beginning. Some of the characters are very strict and moralistic and it is clear throughout that Ruth could not have had any sort of life had the truth been initially known. Ruth is almost unbelievably good throughout, but don’t expect conventional happy endings.
There is a strong religious thread throughout and Gaskell explores the themes of fallenness and redemption. In doing this she highlights the double standards between men and women. The religious background enables Gaskell to put the Madonna/Whore dichotomy into one character. There is even a bit of a pandemic at the end which was interesting, especially the way Gaskell uses it.
This caused some controversy at the time, however tame it may seem to us and there was some burning of it. Gaskell herself wrote:
“Of course it is a prohibited book in this, as in many other households; not a book for young people, unless read with someone older… but I have spoken out my mind in the best way I can, and I have no doubt that what was meant so earnestly must do some good, though perhaps not all the good, or not the very good I meant.”
It’s a good example of Gaskell’s approach as a crusading novelist and it was good to read her again after all these years.
October 11, 2023
I finish this with tears on my cheeks. A heartbreaking ending, but a deeply redemptive one, a radiant close.
**
A friend of mine noted that Elizabeth Gaskell's novels are so different from each other. I have read North and South, Cranford, Wives and Daughters, and now Ruth, and I agree. I knew Elizabeth Gaskell was a religious person, but I did not expect from her previous novels that Ruth the novel would be so deeply religious. In fact, I think reading this novel would be a challenge in some ways for a reader who did not have some familiarity with the Bible and with the Christian faith. Since I finished the novel a couple days ago, the characters and questions the novel raises have been rolling around in my brain, and I'm eager to try to put words to them.
**
A friend of mine noted that Elizabeth Gaskell's novels are so different from each other. I have read North and South, Cranford, Wives and Daughters, and now Ruth, and I agree. I knew Elizabeth Gaskell was a religious person, but I did not expect from her previous novels that Ruth the novel would be so deeply religious. In fact, I think reading this novel would be a challenge in some ways for a reader who did not have some familiarity with the Bible and with the Christian faith. Since I finished the novel a couple days ago, the characters and questions the novel raises have been rolling around in my brain, and I'm eager to try to put words to them.
April 5, 2017
Apparently Elizabeth Gaskell took a lot of flak for her heroines, some at least who were less than ideal ladies of their era. Mary Barton of Gaskell's first novel made some poor choices and Ruth here seems to have been a bit naive as well. What the author got in trouble for, faced social censorship* for, in her fiction seems tame by today's standards.
Reading other reviews here on Goodreads, more than a few didn’t like our little Ruth either but for different reasons. That puzzled me as I guess it never crossed my mind to like or dislike her. I was just concerned with how she was going to survive her predicament.
Ruth is a The Scarlet Letter-type story. Without giving too much of the plot away, she is the proverbial fallen woman, and like Hester Prynne, she is a very good woman despite her one error in judgement. The story is an exploration of society’s grappling with this/her sin. Can they be like Jesus and forgive or do they want to hang on to and throw stones? Those are the questions.
So I guess I don’t see/expect ‘the character’ of Ruth as needing to be fully developed for the purpose of this novel. The characters around her are VERY interesting indeed!
It’s a good read and accomplishes what the author set out to do. Highly recommended.
*Her husband was a minister.
Reading other reviews here on Goodreads, more than a few didn’t like our little Ruth either but for different reasons. That puzzled me as I guess it never crossed my mind to like or dislike her. I was just concerned with how she was going to survive her predicament.
Ruth is a The Scarlet Letter-type story. Without giving too much of the plot away, she is the proverbial fallen woman, and like Hester Prynne, she is a very good woman despite her one error in judgement. The story is an exploration of society’s grappling with this/her sin. Can they be like Jesus and forgive or do they want to hang on to and throw stones? Those are the questions.
So I guess I don’t see/expect ‘the character’ of Ruth as needing to be fully developed for the purpose of this novel. The characters around her are VERY interesting indeed!
It’s a good read and accomplishes what the author set out to do. Highly recommended.
*Her husband was a minister.
February 7, 2023
La época victoriana ofreció grandes obras que, a día de hoy, se siguen considerando verdaderas cumbres de la literatura. Sin embargo, siempre se les ha achacado un tratamiento de la moralidad excesivamente puro, pensado para que la sociedad se sintiese identificada con esos valores y se alejase de comportamientos desleales, promiscuos o egoístas. En este contexto, entra Elizabeth Gaskell dispuesta a revolucionar estos ideales tras unas primeras novelas más enfocadas en la nueva clase obrera y en el costumbrismo rural.
Esta controversia se iniciará tras la publicación de Ruth, en la que se narra la vida de una joven costurera que se queda embarazada tras un romance pasajero con un aristócrata. A partir del nacimiento de su bebé, tendrá que aceptar su pecado y penitencia, que no serán compatibles con el profundo rechazo de la sociedad hacia estos comportamientos en una mujer.
Ruth me parece una novela valiente. Pocos autores se habían atrevido a hablar sobre las relaciones extramatrimoniales, especialmente en una comunidad tan tradicional como lo era la Inglaterra del siglo XIX. Me alegra pensar que actualmente este tipo de historias puedan haber quedado desfasadas, ya que esto querría decir que nuestra sociedad está evolucionando hacia unos valores más justos. Y aun así, Ruth se sigue sintiendo muy actual. Elizabeth Gaskell describe perfectamente ese miedo a la opinión de los demás, el rechazo del pueblo basado en habladurías y, como eje principal, la desprotección de la mujer y su desigualdad ante actos también cometidos por un hombre.
La autora tampoco defrauda en su escritura. Su control del tiempo narrativo es poderoso, e incluso lo irá perfeccionando en posteriores obras. Varios pasajes descriptivos poseen una belleza sublime. La autora era experta en la presentación de escenarios y tenía un don de palabra muy afinado para encontrar la manera perfecta en la que el lector pudiera imaginarse cada escena. Leer a Gaskell es sinónimo de calidad literaria, más allá del tipo de historia que quisiera contar.
Para narrar este novela, la autora recurre a una protagonista excesivamente pura (curiosa la dualidad entre su pecado y su carácter), lo cual no deja de sorprenderme, pues Elizabeth Gaskell es una experta en la creación de personajes grises, imperfectos, con algo más de profundidad. Otro aspecto que acompaña a la novela es un tono pesimista que ya se intuye en las primeras páginas. Prácticamente no hay ningún tipo de pausa cómica que descargue la tensión de la historia, a excepción del personaje de Sally, que proporciona breves toques de humor en momentos puntuales.
Elizabeth Gaskell ofrece otro gran abanico de personajes inolvidables, que servirán para poner sobre la mesa la escasa libertad que existía en una sociedad que funcionaba de acuerdo con las apariencias. Se reflejan dualidades en el propio género: el hombre bondadoso frente al hombre dominante, la mujer rebelde frente a la mujer pasiva. Pero si hubiese que desprenderse de todas estas ramificaciones de la novela, Ruth en definitiva habla sobre la libertad de la mujer. Esto provocó que se quemaran ejemplares tras su publicación. A día de hoy quizás encontramos a gente que querría quemar el libro, pero por suerte estamos avanzando en otra dirección, hacia una sociedad más libre, justa e igualitaria. Seguimos aprendiendo.
Esta controversia se iniciará tras la publicación de Ruth, en la que se narra la vida de una joven costurera que se queda embarazada tras un romance pasajero con un aristócrata. A partir del nacimiento de su bebé, tendrá que aceptar su pecado y penitencia, que no serán compatibles con el profundo rechazo de la sociedad hacia estos comportamientos en una mujer.
Ruth me parece una novela valiente. Pocos autores se habían atrevido a hablar sobre las relaciones extramatrimoniales, especialmente en una comunidad tan tradicional como lo era la Inglaterra del siglo XIX. Me alegra pensar que actualmente este tipo de historias puedan haber quedado desfasadas, ya que esto querría decir que nuestra sociedad está evolucionando hacia unos valores más justos. Y aun así, Ruth se sigue sintiendo muy actual. Elizabeth Gaskell describe perfectamente ese miedo a la opinión de los demás, el rechazo del pueblo basado en habladurías y, como eje principal, la desprotección de la mujer y su desigualdad ante actos también cometidos por un hombre.
La autora tampoco defrauda en su escritura. Su control del tiempo narrativo es poderoso, e incluso lo irá perfeccionando en posteriores obras. Varios pasajes descriptivos poseen una belleza sublime. La autora era experta en la presentación de escenarios y tenía un don de palabra muy afinado para encontrar la manera perfecta en la que el lector pudiera imaginarse cada escena. Leer a Gaskell es sinónimo de calidad literaria, más allá del tipo de historia que quisiera contar.
Para narrar este novela, la autora recurre a una protagonista excesivamente pura (curiosa la dualidad entre su pecado y su carácter), lo cual no deja de sorprenderme, pues Elizabeth Gaskell es una experta en la creación de personajes grises, imperfectos, con algo más de profundidad. Otro aspecto que acompaña a la novela es un tono pesimista que ya se intuye en las primeras páginas. Prácticamente no hay ningún tipo de pausa cómica que descargue la tensión de la historia, a excepción del personaje de Sally, que proporciona breves toques de humor en momentos puntuales.
Elizabeth Gaskell ofrece otro gran abanico de personajes inolvidables, que servirán para poner sobre la mesa la escasa libertad que existía en una sociedad que funcionaba de acuerdo con las apariencias. Se reflejan dualidades en el propio género: el hombre bondadoso frente al hombre dominante, la mujer rebelde frente a la mujer pasiva. Pero si hubiese que desprenderse de todas estas ramificaciones de la novela, Ruth en definitiva habla sobre la libertad de la mujer. Esto provocó que se quemaran ejemplares tras su publicación. A día de hoy quizás encontramos a gente que querría quemar el libro, pero por suerte estamos avanzando en otra dirección, hacia una sociedad más libre, justa e igualitaria. Seguimos aprendiendo.
February 26, 2008
Others might have found this book problematic because of all the scriptural references that Mrs. Gaskell quotes but I found it refreshing and loveable. Her writing is very sympathatic towards Ruth although not all of the characters in this novel are near being as Christ-like as Mr. and Miss Benson. Sally the housekeeper kept the humor and a few tears in the book for me but Ruth's character was unmistakable of pure love for all mankind even at her death and her forgiving heart to nurse back the likes of the scoundrel Mr. Donne and his stupidity and lack of propriety and respect to the opposite sex and towards his own son which I was so glad stayed with the Bensons who could give him the care and education that he deserved whether he be a child born out of wedlock or not. Besides Ruth my other favorite character was Mr. Benson...he had all the right ideas of true christianity even when his whole parrish made the decision to leave his congregation because of Ruth. And he stood by her like a true christian would.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2017
I like Elizabeth Gaskell more and more as I begin to engage with her novels beyond North and South. Sylvia's Lovers, which I read last year, I thought genuinely one of the great Victorian novels. Ruth is an earlier work (dating to 1853, Gaskell’s second novel after Mary Barton), and you can tell that she is less sure of her art.
What courage, however! Gaskell tackled head-on in this novel the compromising theme of the “fallen woman,” and she did so in the full knowledge that she would attract opprobrium in the process (there are even accounts of a few copies being burned in moral protest.) Gaskell took on this challenge with a coolness that still impresses today, writing in a letter to a friend the year the novel came out, “I think I must be an improper woman without knowing it; I do so manage to shock people.”
In terms of critical assessment, I would say I loved the first two thirds or so of the novel, and found its rhythm rather faltered towards the end. The tale of the eponymous heroine’s “fall” and its aftermath is handled with great sensitivity and moral boldness. Gaskell paints very vividly the hypocritical horror with which Victorian society responded to evidence of female sexual transgression, and the courage of those prepared to challenge the moral dictates of the day. Gaskell expertly sets up a contrast between the splendid, eccentric-yet-respectable household of the Bensons, in which the fallen Ruth finds shelter, and the stiffer, more disfunctional family of the wealthy industrialist Mr Bradshaw, with whom the Bensons are tied by patronage links. For a substantial portion of the novel, there is a genuine suspense and tension, as you wait to see whether Ruth’s secret will be exposed.
In the interest of avoiding spoilers, I won’t describe what happens later in the novel. Suffice to say that the novel takes an increasingly “Victorian” turn towards the end, which many modern readers will find unappealing. Gaskell also starts leaning on creaky coincidences to move her plot forward: the kind of thing that a breezier novelist like Wilkie Collins can carry off, but which seem out of place in a serious character-driven and issue-driven novel of this kind.
A few things I liked in the novel. Gaskell’s portrait of the fictional, semi-industrialized, midland town “Eccleston” is a nice anticipation of later, more fully realized “social novels” like her own North and South, and George Eliot’s Felix Holt: The Radical. There are some engaging minor characters, such as the Bensons’ rough-diamond servant Sally, and the Bradshaws’ complex, flawed, impetuous daughter Jemima. The wealthy, spoilt seducer and abandoner, Bellingham, is less appealing, but I thought very well drawn.
The character I found most distinctive, however, was that of the brave and thoughtful dissenting minister Thurston Benson, the first figure in the novel with the intellectual boldness and religious empathy to hold out a hand to the outcast Ruth. Benson first appears during the most dramatic episode in the novel, set in the Romantic heterotopia of tourist Wales. He is a striking figure physically: a disabled man, “of the stature of a dwarf,” who appears mysteriously at Ruth’s side, helps her across a set of stepping stones, and starts speaking to her about Welsh legends of fairies. She is struck by his “gentle, pensive manner, and his “very singular, quite beautiful” face, although Bellingham scornfully dismisses her “little hunchback” as “not a gentleman” on account of his seedy lodgings and clothes (“he must be a traveller or artist, or something of that kind.”)
Benson is used later in the novel to embody a model of free-thinking, radical Christian morality, capable of challenging the smug bigotry and unthinking cruelty of conventional mores. He gets some great lines in that capacity: when it is put to him that “the world has decided how such women should be treated,” he replies, “I stand with Christ against the world.” Although this is never spelled out in the novel, Gaskell clearly suggests that Benson’s “Christ-like” sensibility may be rooted in his experience of physical disability, which gives him an unusual degree of empathy for the weak and the ostracized. This seems to me an interestingly “modern” intuition for the time.
By sheer serendipity, I have found myself reading two Victorian novels over the past few months that include a disabled man of notable facial beauty as one of their main characters: this and Wilkie Collins’s The Law and the Lady, published some two decades later, in 1875. You could hardly find two characters more different than Gaskell’s saintly Benson and Collins’s magnificently bizarre Miserrimus Dexter, yet I found myself wondering whether Benson might have provided the seed of inspiration from which Collins’s remarkable Gothic conoction grew.
March 26, 2023
Attraverso la storia di Ruth Hilton, il romanzo offre un'immagine nitida e realistica della società vittoriana, della condizione della donna in un'epoca satura di patriarcalismo, dei pregiudizi morali imperanti e di una forte e ingiustificata discriminazione sociale.
Il percorso di Ruth, da donna sedotta e disprezzata a persona in grado di vedersi redenta agli occhi della società stessa che l'ha così violentemente esclusa e condannata, rievoca, in alcune parti, le atmosfere de La lettera scarlatta, di Hawthorne. C'è spazio per la crudeltà, ma anche per la comprensione e l'aiuto, per la condanna, ma anche per l'assoluzione, per gli spiriti gretti come per le menti più aperte e illuminate. Su tutto cade la mano oppressiva di un sistema religioso rigido e prevaricante, che solo pochi individui riescono, se non proprio a fuggire, almeno a ricondurre a quei principi evangelici ormai sepolti sotto la patina dell'immagine, dell'onore, della rispettabilità. Trama ben articolata. In alcuni punti scorre meglio di altri. Infastidisce assai l'onnipresenza di un credo religioso oscurantista ai massimi livelli, ma penso fosse proprio l'intento della Gaskell quello di rimarcarlo, per indurre il lettore a riflettere. Per chi, come me, ha un'anima fortemente anticlericale, è, di certo, un'opera che, nonostante l'indubbio valore, si digerisce a fatica. Un po' come certi romanzi di London per chi ama spassionatamente gli animali.
Il percorso di Ruth, da donna sedotta e disprezzata a persona in grado di vedersi redenta agli occhi della società stessa che l'ha così violentemente esclusa e condannata, rievoca, in alcune parti, le atmosfere de La lettera scarlatta, di Hawthorne. C'è spazio per la crudeltà, ma anche per la comprensione e l'aiuto, per la condanna, ma anche per l'assoluzione, per gli spiriti gretti come per le menti più aperte e illuminate. Su tutto cade la mano oppressiva di un sistema religioso rigido e prevaricante, che solo pochi individui riescono, se non proprio a fuggire, almeno a ricondurre a quei principi evangelici ormai sepolti sotto la patina dell'immagine, dell'onore, della rispettabilità. Trama ben articolata. In alcuni punti scorre meglio di altri. Infastidisce assai l'onnipresenza di un credo religioso oscurantista ai massimi livelli, ma penso fosse proprio l'intento della Gaskell quello di rimarcarlo, per indurre il lettore a riflettere. Per chi, come me, ha un'anima fortemente anticlericale, è, di certo, un'opera che, nonostante l'indubbio valore, si digerisce a fatica. Un po' come certi romanzi di London per chi ama spassionatamente gli animali.
August 17, 2016
This tragic story was supposed to have moved me? If so, it failed completely because it bored me to death instead.
First, it's that the main character, Ruth Hilton, is too kind, too good, too pure, too lame. So non-relatable, not even her sad end elicited anything from me. Second, it's the melodrama and sentimentality Gaskell indulges in that gets tiresome after a few repetitive Poor girl! scenes, since the author seems determined to throw all sorts of disgraces at her character, whilst aiming to keep her as blameless and pure as the driven snow, so unrealistically stoic that it begs for one single moment where she's allowed to be angry and feel resentful at all that injustice instead of enduring it like a good little sacrificial lamb. What a spineless protagonist, seriously, what a pushover.
The writing is old school Victorian classic, by which I mean wordy and ponderous and meandering, rather moralising at times as well, and overall makes it difficult to stay interested and keep your eyes open if you're reading in the night. It's hard to believe the same Gaskell who wrote that masterpiece North and South could've been the author of this novel.
First, it's that the main character, Ruth Hilton, is too kind, too good, too pure, too lame. So non-relatable, not even her sad end elicited anything from me. Second, it's the melodrama and sentimentality Gaskell indulges in that gets tiresome after a few repetitive Poor girl! scenes, since the author seems determined to throw all sorts of disgraces at her character, whilst aiming to keep her as blameless and pure as the driven snow, so unrealistically stoic that it begs for one single moment where she's allowed to be angry and feel resentful at all that injustice instead of enduring it like a good little sacrificial lamb. What a spineless protagonist, seriously, what a pushover.
The writing is old school Victorian classic, by which I mean wordy and ponderous and meandering, rather moralising at times as well, and overall makes it difficult to stay interested and keep your eyes open if you're reading in the night. It's hard to believe the same Gaskell who wrote that masterpiece North and South could've been the author of this novel.
April 25, 2017
I was moved by the book. But I would recommend North and South if you are a newbie to Gaskell.
What to expect?
- Ruth portrayed as the extra angelic girl with no vices (made her seem less realistic)
-underlying commentary on whether good looks = good character
- view points about illegitimacy
- social period where the whole burden (sin) falls on the mother
- brisk pacing. But Vol. 2 was extremely dragging and very preachy.
- at times, the plot has abrupt jumps. Perhaps this is because I was expecting something similar to North and South
Read more on http://www.thebooksatchel.com/ruth-el...
What to expect?
- Ruth portrayed as the extra angelic girl with no vices (made her seem less realistic)
-underlying commentary on whether good looks = good character
- view points about illegitimacy
- social period where the whole burden (sin) falls on the mother
- brisk pacing. But Vol. 2 was extremely dragging and very preachy.
- at times, the plot has abrupt jumps. Perhaps this is because I was expecting something similar to North and South
Read more on http://www.thebooksatchel.com/ruth-el...
February 12, 2022
a wonderfully written classic about a orphan girl Ruth who works in clothing factory, and is seduced by an unscrupulous charmer , Henry Bellignham.
She is abandoned by her lover and sent away in disgrace , and rescued by the kindly pastor, Mr Benson and his sister , and after giving birth to a son, is given a new life.
When her past is rekindled she is again treated with cruelty and the novel ends sadly.
A excellent essay of women, sexuality and hypocritical cruel morality in Victorian times.
Times have changed and single mothers can sometimes hold their head up these days but things have changed not enough, some people still have the priggish mentality of Victorian times and too much suffering is visited on girls and young women, as a result of hard hearted judgement and 'morality' being put before compassion.
She is abandoned by her lover and sent away in disgrace , and rescued by the kindly pastor, Mr Benson and his sister , and after giving birth to a son, is given a new life.
When her past is rekindled she is again treated with cruelty and the novel ends sadly.
A excellent essay of women, sexuality and hypocritical cruel morality in Victorian times.
Times have changed and single mothers can sometimes hold their head up these days but things have changed not enough, some people still have the priggish mentality of Victorian times and too much suffering is visited on girls and young women, as a result of hard hearted judgement and 'morality' being put before compassion.
October 27, 2019
Una novela que redime el estigma de muchas mujeres en la sociedad victoriana. Estupenda, Gaskell no decepciona.
Y la edición de D' Época tampoco, dado que hay un anexo donde explican las circunstancias de la época, como se recibió este libro y que Hardy lo tomo de referencia para Tess.
Y la edición de D' Época tampoco, dado que hay un anexo donde explican las circunstancias de la época, como se recibió este libro y que Hardy lo tomo de referencia para Tess.
August 27, 2024
4.5 ⭐
This book definitely will take you on an emotional journey, from optimism to despair, to hope and faith, to fear and courage, and back again. As we follow Ruth through her story, we examine the Christian response to a "fallen woman", in this case a woman who is more of a victim than a willful hardened sinner. Gaskell weaves a tale that has a clear message regarding the life-changing power of grace and love as contrasted with the harmful damage of prideful legalism.
The moralizing and "preaching" are kept to a minimum - unlike some Victorian books, even others by Gaskell herself - I felt like she did a good job of showing rather than telling to illustrate her point. But there are a few detours into that type of narrative and dialogue, which are not my favorite.
I also really did not love the ending. I wont' say more because I don't want to spoil it, but... yeah... Why did you have to go and do it that way, Gaskell?
What I did love was Gaskell's ability to take us through the emotions that the characters experienced. There were quite a few Jacob-wrestling-with-the-angel moments that various characters - particularly Ruth - went through. And we as the reader wrestle right there with the character, struggling through a variety of questions and desperate situations.
And back to the point of the story here - truly, it was a beautiful exploration of God's love and grace transforming a life and a person. ❤️
This book definitely will take you on an emotional journey, from optimism to despair, to hope and faith, to fear and courage, and back again. As we follow Ruth through her story, we examine the Christian response to a "fallen woman", in this case a woman who is more of a victim than a willful hardened sinner. Gaskell weaves a tale that has a clear message regarding the life-changing power of grace and love as contrasted with the harmful damage of prideful legalism.
The moralizing and "preaching" are kept to a minimum - unlike some Victorian books, even others by Gaskell herself - I felt like she did a good job of showing rather than telling to illustrate her point. But there are a few detours into that type of narrative and dialogue, which are not my favorite.
I also really did not love the ending. I wont' say more because I don't want to spoil it, but... yeah... Why did you have to go and do it that way, Gaskell?
What I did love was Gaskell's ability to take us through the emotions that the characters experienced. There were quite a few Jacob-wrestling-with-the-angel moments that various characters - particularly Ruth - went through. And we as the reader wrestle right there with the character, struggling through a variety of questions and desperate situations.
And back to the point of the story here - truly, it was a beautiful exploration of God's love and grace transforming a life and a person. ❤️
August 20, 2016
Poor, poor Ruth.
In Ruth, Elizabeth Gaskell takes on the hypocrisy of Victorian morality with regard to "fallen" women. Sixteen year old Ruth is an orphan and very trusting and naive when she is seduced by the charm of Mr Bellingham. The book tells of her mistreatment by society when he callously discards her afterwards. Mr Bellingham, of course, receives no such mistreatment! This is, at times, a very sad book but Ruth is also treated with great kindness by some, and she is such a graceful and dignified character, that it is also quite uplifting at times. Gaskell's characters are very well drawn - I especially loved the servant, Sally, with her down-to-earth Northern ways.
By modern standards, this story does feel a little heavy handed, but I imagine it was quite controversial at the time it was written.
I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by Eve Matheson. The narration was very good, but be aware that the "chapters" in the audiobook are not the actual chapters of the book which can be confusing!
In Ruth, Elizabeth Gaskell takes on the hypocrisy of Victorian morality with regard to "fallen" women. Sixteen year old Ruth is an orphan and very trusting and naive when she is seduced by the charm of Mr Bellingham. The book tells of her mistreatment by society when he callously discards her afterwards. Mr Bellingham, of course, receives no such mistreatment! This is, at times, a very sad book but Ruth is also treated with great kindness by some, and she is such a graceful and dignified character, that it is also quite uplifting at times. Gaskell's characters are very well drawn - I especially loved the servant, Sally, with her down-to-earth Northern ways.
By modern standards, this story does feel a little heavy handed, but I imagine it was quite controversial at the time it was written.
I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by Eve Matheson. The narration was very good, but be aware that the "chapters" in the audiobook are not the actual chapters of the book which can be confusing!
Shelved as 'abandoned-or-try-again-later'
September 21, 2016Writing style was torture for me. Could not do it. So sorry!
October 10, 2023
ummmmm ok Mrs. Gaskell we need to talk.
March 10, 2024
За мен Гаскел е наистина недостижима.
Страшно много емоции ме подложиха на атака, още нямам сила да разпиша мнението си за този роман. Давам му сто звезди!
Страшно много емоции ме подложиха на атака, още нямам сила да разпиша мнението си за този роман. Давам му сто звезди!
September 1, 2013
3.5**
Ruth drove me crazy; women who are vulnerable and have such terrible obstacles thrown at them should gain
empathy. Gaskell seemed to go to the extreme with Ruth: tragedy, poverty, isolation and no fight. Her character felt one-dimensional.
Ruth starts alone in the world working as a dressmaker, at the beginning she shows empathy towards a fellow dressmaker and some spunk which does make her likable. She meets a Mr. Bellingham, who is completely narcissistic and infatuated with her innocence/beauty/sex appeal, and they end up in a compromising situation which changes her life forever. Eventually alone and abandoned by Bellingham she meets a Mr. Benson who takes her under her wing. He lives with his sister and they both protect and care for Ruth.
Many things happen to eventually bring Ruth into a position of respectableness and she finally finds her way in the world. Unfortunately, her past is rekindled and she is exposed as a corrupt and fallen woman. Some of the wonderful things that I found in Mary Barton were not to be found with Ruth. This novel was a story that was too extreme in its tragedy, Ruth had no fight and by the end I couldn't sympathize with her situation any longer.
On the other hand, I thought Mr. Benson's character was incredibly interesting. He had a physical challenge with his health but I thought he was strong and a plausible potential love interest. Gaskell did a nice job in showing us the depth of his character and his struggles between his religious beliefs and Ruth's past. He is so much more than a black and white character and he sees the shades of gray that make it so difficult to judge others.
If Gaskell wanted to impress upon the reader the double standard and incredible unfairness to women at that time, she could have been a little less heavy-handed. For me, giving Ruth a bit more strength and depth would have drawn me to her more.
Ruth drove me crazy; women who are vulnerable and have such terrible obstacles thrown at them should gain
empathy. Gaskell seemed to go to the extreme with Ruth: tragedy, poverty, isolation and no fight. Her character felt one-dimensional.
Ruth starts alone in the world working as a dressmaker, at the beginning she shows empathy towards a fellow dressmaker and some spunk which does make her likable. She meets a Mr. Bellingham, who is completely narcissistic and infatuated with her innocence/beauty/sex appeal, and they end up in a compromising situation which changes her life forever. Eventually alone and abandoned by Bellingham she meets a Mr. Benson who takes her under her wing. He lives with his sister and they both protect and care for Ruth.
Many things happen to eventually bring Ruth into a position of respectableness and she finally finds her way in the world. Unfortunately, her past is rekindled and she is exposed as a corrupt and fallen woman. Some of the wonderful things that I found in Mary Barton were not to be found with Ruth. This novel was a story that was too extreme in its tragedy, Ruth had no fight and by the end I couldn't sympathize with her situation any longer.
On the other hand, I thought Mr. Benson's character was incredibly interesting. He had a physical challenge with his health but I thought he was strong and a plausible potential love interest. Gaskell did a nice job in showing us the depth of his character and his struggles between his religious beliefs and Ruth's past. He is so much more than a black and white character and he sees the shades of gray that make it so difficult to judge others.
If Gaskell wanted to impress upon the reader the double standard and incredible unfairness to women at that time, she could have been a little less heavy-handed. For me, giving Ruth a bit more strength and depth would have drawn me to her more.
February 28, 2017
I need to process...
So so good though!
So so good though!
May 31, 2020
4.5/5
Qué maravilla de novela. Muy dura, muy dramática, llena de injusticias... pero preciosa.
Este es uno de esos libros que te transmiten tanto, que no olvidas.
En primer lugar decir que la historia en sí no ha sido para nada como la gente me había pintado que sería... Pensaba que encontraría una historia de rechazo, de supervivencia, de soledad... Cuando más bien he encontrado una historia llena de amor (no romántico) en el que vemos la importancia de estar rodeados de gente que nos quiere, nos perdona, nos apoya. Vemos relaciones de amistad, "familiares", una relación madre-hijo preciosa, y también la importancia de ser buenos para recibir lo mismo de los demás.
La historia empieza cuando Ruth está trabajando de aprendiz de costurera con más chicas y una señora que las acoge, y un día conoce a un caballero de 21 años que queda totalmente prendado de ella. Él intentará seducirla y Ruth, tan inocente, caerá en sus redes de tal manera que la señora que la acogía la hechará por tener comportamientos inadecuados. Y así es, Ruth será deshonrada, y el mismo señor que la deshonra la abandonará. A partir de aquí vemos como los hermanos Benson (una señora y un señor de unos 50 años), unos personajes que no olvidaré nunca, la acogen y poco a poco ella va conviriténdose en una más de la familia. Tendrán que inventar alguna historia para que no descubran que Ruth no es "pura" y que no la rechacen los de su alrededor, pero eso también se complicará cuando descubrán que está embarazada.
¿Lo mejor? Las relaciones que vemos entre los personajes, la impresionante narración de Gaskell, todos los personajes secundarios (especialmente los Benson), y lo mucho que ha logrado transmitirme esta historia.
(SI QUERÉIS SABER MÁS HABRÁ UNA RESEÑA EN MI BLOG, ESTAD PENDIENTES)
Qué maravilla de novela. Muy dura, muy dramática, llena de injusticias... pero preciosa.
Este es uno de esos libros que te transmiten tanto, que no olvidas.
En primer lugar decir que la historia en sí no ha sido para nada como la gente me había pintado que sería... Pensaba que encontraría una historia de rechazo, de supervivencia, de soledad... Cuando más bien he encontrado una historia llena de amor (no romántico) en el que vemos la importancia de estar rodeados de gente que nos quiere, nos perdona, nos apoya. Vemos relaciones de amistad, "familiares", una relación madre-hijo preciosa, y también la importancia de ser buenos para recibir lo mismo de los demás.
La historia empieza cuando Ruth está trabajando de aprendiz de costurera con más chicas y una señora que las acoge, y un día conoce a un caballero de 21 años que queda totalmente prendado de ella. Él intentará seducirla y Ruth, tan inocente, caerá en sus redes de tal manera que la señora que la acogía la hechará por tener comportamientos inadecuados. Y así es, Ruth será deshonrada, y el mismo señor que la deshonra la abandonará. A partir de aquí vemos como los hermanos Benson (una señora y un señor de unos 50 años), unos personajes que no olvidaré nunca, la acogen y poco a poco ella va conviriténdose en una más de la familia. Tendrán que inventar alguna historia para que no descubran que Ruth no es "pura" y que no la rechacen los de su alrededor, pero eso también se complicará cuando descubrán que está embarazada.
¿Lo mejor? Las relaciones que vemos entre los personajes, la impresionante narración de Gaskell, todos los personajes secundarios (especialmente los Benson), y lo mucho que ha logrado transmitirme esta historia.
(SI QUERÉIS SABER MÁS HABRÁ UNA RESEÑA EN MI BLOG, ESTAD PENDIENTES)
March 17, 2012
I had a hard time getting into this book at first. When I finally gave up trying to get through the laborious introduction criticizing Mrs. Gaskell's work, then I could hardly put it down. This book evoked many emotions in me -- I laughed, I cried, I disliked certain characters, and loved others. I believe that is a sign of a good book! The story takes place in the mid-1800's and revolves around the main character, Ruth, who has been orphaned and through some innocently-made poor choices, finds herself abandoned, alone and pregnant. Two kind souls take her in to live with them and provide a safe haven for her. How other people around her respond to her -- and particularly when they find out "the truth" -- is great seed for discussion: the perils of judging others, honesty, forgiveness of self and others, to name just a few. There is a definite religious bent to the book -- which is another thing that I liked about it. My favorite quote from Mr. Benson: "I take my stand with Christ against the world." I loved the language of the book -- Jane Austen-ish. There were many passages that were quite profound. This was the first Elizabeth Haskell book I have read but it will not be the last!
October 11, 2023
5.1/5 Stars 🌟 (Rounded down to 5 stars 😏)
"Be brave and faithful. It is to God you answer, not to men. The shame of having your sin known to the world, should be as nothing to the shame you felt at having sinned. We have dreaded men too much, and God too little...But now be of good cheer."
I feel like this quote kind of said it all for me.
Ruth is an amazing story of repentance in its raw form. And not the way one would think. It's a story that doesn't cut corners over the soul's recovery from sin or God's love for us, no matter what we've done.
It's a love story. Not romantic, mostly every other kind.
I wish everyone would read Ruth. Then you'd really understand everything that I can't explain in words.
I want to thank Miriam for buddy reading this with me 🩷 You made my experience all the more special. Thank you, Miriam! I'm glad we did this together!
"Be brave and faithful. It is to God you answer, not to men. The shame of having your sin known to the world, should be as nothing to the shame you felt at having sinned. We have dreaded men too much, and God too little...But now be of good cheer."
I feel like this quote kind of said it all for me.
Ruth is an amazing story of repentance in its raw form. And not the way one would think. It's a story that doesn't cut corners over the soul's recovery from sin or God's love for us, no matter what we've done.
It's a love story. Not romantic, mostly every other kind.
I wish everyone would read Ruth. Then you'd really understand everything that I can't explain in words.
I want to thank Miriam for buddy reading this with me 🩷 You made my experience all the more special. Thank you, Miriam! I'm glad we did this together!
March 2, 2022
Ruth ! I never imagined I would get so many emotions reading this ...
This hit hard at places , it was not a typical victorian novel that I am used to reading.
Loved it ... loved it
What I took away from this book:
1- The importance of parents or any wise figure to bring up children with good sense of right and wrong.
2- If a sinner repents we should accept them and leave the final judgment of forgiveness to God... specially if the sin was made out of ignorance or innocence .
3- Don't condemn children for their parents faults .
4- There are good people in the world that are NOT selfish and want the best for the outcasts and fallen .
5- If the whole world stands against you, but you believe in God's plan and go accordingto his rule, everything will fall into place sooner or later.
This hit hard at places , it was not a typical victorian novel that I am used to reading.
Loved it ... loved it
What I took away from this book:
1- The importance of parents or any wise figure to bring up children with good sense of right and wrong.
2- If a sinner repents we should accept them and leave the final judgment of forgiveness to God... specially if the sin was made out of ignorance or innocence .
3- Don't condemn children for their parents faults .
4- There are good people in the world that are NOT selfish and want the best for the outcasts and fallen .
5- If the whole world stands against you, but you believe in God's plan and go accordingto his rule, everything will fall into place sooner or later.
April 1, 2008
This was an absolutely fascinating and wonderful read. The author is a fabulous writer. The themes of repentance and redemption were done to perfection and the main character, Ruth, is truly an exemplary heroine. I hope to add more to this review when time permits.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 777 reviews