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lovelyloro's review against another edition
3.0
Def not my favorite Gaskell story. This was only her second novel and I admire her for being ambitious enough to take on such a novel, especially so early in her career. Surely even a male author during this time would have suffered from public scrutiny, but as a female author I believe she was even more harshly judged.
This novel is a surprisingly compassionate portrayal of a situation that was strongly abhorred during that time. While I appreciated Ruth’s determination and the faith that she maintained despite the rejection from a community that she truly came to love, I found her to be, frankly annoying and insipid. Her innocence was understandable at the beginning of the novel but I did not feel as if there was much character development after the initial introduction. She was too innocent, too perfect. I have never been able to sympathize with such heroines. Gaskell’s depiction of Ruth goes beyond acceptable naïveté and thrusts her straight into benightedness, which is frustrating as it simply perpetuates the ideas of that time that women had no sense. Most of Gaskell’s characters in this novel seemed to teeter on the brink of sainthood or cruelty; there was not an awful lot in between.
The pietistic elements were a little too overt for my liking. Gaskell was not very subtle in her religious symbolism in this novel. The name Ruth, itself, has an obvious biblical reference. The Ruth of the bible was loyal, compassionate, and benevolent; characteristics Gaskell had her Ruth emulate. In fact her attributes paralleled those of an angel, so it is befitting that it was to the angles that Gaskell sent her.
So in the end, while I believe Gaskell definitely wrote this novel to help generate sympathy for women who might fall prey to "immoral men," the greater message she was trying to get across was acceptance of people and their follies as well as a true belief in a person’s ability to repent and still be a good person.
This novel is a surprisingly compassionate portrayal of a situation that was strongly abhorred during that time. While I appreciated Ruth’s determination and the faith that she maintained despite the rejection from a community that she truly came to love, I found her to be, frankly annoying and insipid. Her innocence was understandable at the beginning of the novel but I did not feel as if there was much character development after the initial introduction. She was too innocent, too perfect. I have never been able to sympathize with such heroines. Gaskell’s depiction of Ruth goes beyond acceptable naïveté and thrusts her straight into benightedness, which is frustrating as it simply perpetuates the ideas of that time that women had no sense. Most of Gaskell’s characters in this novel seemed to teeter on the brink of sainthood or cruelty; there was not an awful lot in between.
The pietistic elements were a little too overt for my liking. Gaskell was not very subtle in her religious symbolism in this novel. The name Ruth, itself, has an obvious biblical reference. The Ruth of the bible was loyal, compassionate, and benevolent; characteristics Gaskell had her Ruth emulate. In fact her attributes paralleled those of an angel, so it is befitting that it was to the angles that Gaskell sent her.
So in the end, while I believe Gaskell definitely wrote this novel to help generate sympathy for women who might fall prey to "immoral men," the greater message she was trying to get across was acceptance of people and their follies as well as a true belief in a person’s ability to repent and still be a good person.
jenrkeeling's review against another edition
3.0
The writing was beautiful but I found it difficult to enjoy the story as it was too steeped in Christianity for me.
outoftheblue14's review against another edition
3.0
Sarebbe stato necessario un ulteriore controllo bozze alla traduzione: troppi refusi piuttosto evidenti (parole ripetute, incongruenze, addirittura Miss Benson diventa Mrs Benson per un capitolo). Interessante il tema della redenzione dal peccato. Anche se, ovviamente, quando un uomo e una donna "peccano" insieme, è solo lei a dover portare il peso del peccato... l'uomo non ne è minimamente toccato.
Ruth, giovane orfana che lavora come apprendista sarta, viene sedotta e abbandonata da un giovane di buona famiglia. Appena sedicenne si ritrova incinta, senza casa e senza lavoro. Un pastore compassionevole e la sorella di lui accolgono Ruth nella propria casa, ma per l'inserimento di Ruth nella nuova comunità si rende necessario mentire, facendola passare per la giovane vedova Mrs Denbigh. Ruth vive ora una vita moralmente irreprensibile, ma il suo passato le si ripresenterà davanti... assieme al padre di suo figlio.
Il punto meno credibile del racconto è proprio nella prima parte. Ruth è orfana, e il suo tutore non si cura di lei; nessuno le ha mai insegnato che una giovane donna dovrebbe "preservare la propria virtù"; e non sa, non si accorge che questa virtù le è stata sottratta. Al tempo stesso, nessun accenno al desiderio che, si suppone, Ruth provi per il giovane Bellingham. Come fa una ragazza a non accorgersi nemmeno di aver fatto sesso? Possibile essere ignoranti fino a questo punto?
Pesantezza per i frequentissimi richiami alle Scritture e per le continue citazioni bibliche.
Ruth, giovane orfana che lavora come apprendista sarta, viene sedotta e abbandonata da un giovane di buona famiglia. Appena sedicenne si ritrova incinta, senza casa e senza lavoro. Un pastore compassionevole e la sorella di lui accolgono Ruth nella propria casa, ma per l'inserimento di Ruth nella nuova comunità si rende necessario mentire, facendola passare per la giovane vedova Mrs Denbigh. Ruth vive ora una vita moralmente irreprensibile, ma il suo passato le si ripresenterà davanti... assieme al padre di suo figlio.
Spoiler
Ruth si immolerà, forse per espiare la propria colpa, come una santa martire.Il punto meno credibile del racconto è proprio nella prima parte. Ruth è orfana, e il suo tutore non si cura di lei; nessuno le ha mai insegnato che una giovane donna dovrebbe "preservare la propria virtù"; e non sa, non si accorge che questa virtù le è stata sottratta. Al tempo stesso, nessun accenno al desiderio che, si suppone, Ruth provi per il giovane Bellingham. Come fa una ragazza a non accorgersi nemmeno di aver fatto sesso? Possibile essere ignoranti fino a questo punto?
Pesantezza per i frequentissimi richiami alle Scritture e per le continue citazioni bibliche.
rcsreads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Ruth was at times a little bit too pious for my tastes but I suppose she had to be super good to highlight the hypocrisy of societies treatment of "fallen women".
We all learned not to be judgy, lest our sons grow up to commit fraud. And while the ending was Old Curiosity Shop levels of saccharine it did make me have a good cry. Not Gaskell's best but still well worth the time.
hattiereadssomanybooks_x's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
msrichardsreads89's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
inkling_bee's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ronbert's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25