Ruby Audiobook By Ann Hood cover art

Ruby

A Novel

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Ruby

By: Ann Hood
Narrated by: Khristine Hvam
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A grieving young widow and a pregnant teenager find an uncommon friendship in a luminous, deeply moving novel.

After a college student speeding in a blue Honda Civic kills her husband of less than a year, Olivia is completely lost. One hot summer day, she walks into the beachfront Rhode Island cottage she and David bought the previous August—the place where they had planned to someday start a family—and finds a stranger sitting at her kitchen table.

Pregnant fifteen-year-old Ruby is looking for a safe haven for herself and her baby-to-be. Olivia takes her in, desperate to assuage her grief through human connection, even with a troubled teenager. But Ruby has something else that Olivia wants. When she agrees to let Olivia adopt her unborn child, Olivia’s life begins to change in ways she never imagined.

A story of love, loss, and unexpected friendship, Ruby introduces two women who help each other move on with their lives in a world where there are no easy answers.

©1999 Ann Hood (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction Friendship Feel-Good
All stars
Most relevant  
Ms Hood development of characters in unparalleled I. modern writers. I do not look forward to the day when I have I havefinishe. I all of her books !

beautiful book

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Would you recommend Ruby to your friends? Why or why not?

I would recommend another one of Ann Hood's books instead. Ruby was marginal in comparison.

What about Khristine Hvam’s performance did you like?

The performance was very enjoyable.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The characters never became up close and personal enough for me to have an extreme reaction. I never became connected personally to any of the characters.

Any additional comments?

I loved The Red Thread and The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood. Ruby was not nearly as engaging as those. I expected the story to be a rich tapestry of characters and details but felt like the same events were happening over and over again. I finished the book, but would probably not have been bothered if I hadn't.

So So

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This book was hard for me to finish. I’m not a fan of any fictional romance novels—I know, call me coldhearted, but I think romance novels are a waste of time. The story starts out somewhat believable and then quickly turns into a formulaic made-for-screenplay piece of junk. The narrator mispronounced too many words and the story got unnecessarily trashy seemingly because the writer probably didn’t know how else she would keep her readers’ attention. This is not a title I will favorite.

Too Similar to Other Stories

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Would you listen to Ruby again? Why?

No not really. Once is enough

What did you like best about this story?

The characters were easy to imagine.

Which character – as performed by Khristine Hvam – was your favorite?

Ruby

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When she decided to keep her baby.

Any additional comments?

No

Worth listening

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This book started out without too much bad language. Then it didn’t take long to start using the “F” word. It’s hard for me to listen to that much language and graphic sex. Although the. Book kept me listening. The story was mixed in emotion. Sad, happy, hopeful, and many other emotions. It’s ok.

Too much bad language.

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My first and last book by this author. In my opinion there was too much foul language and sexual content. Also ridiculous story line.

Not for Me

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I don’t know why I keep giving this author chances. I’ve read/listened to many of her books and they never get better.

All of Ann’s books are a let down.

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Her husband died. She's sad and misses him. She wants a pregnant teenager's baby. Repeat over and over and over until the end of the book. It took me forever to get through this book - I kept starting other books, hoping to return to this one after a "break" and it would get better. No, it didn't.

Boring

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I like feel good reads. I like books that wrap with ‘happily ever after’ endings. This book didn’t exactly go or end the way I’d hoped. While some things were wrapped up, others were left undone. Just, not a fan at all.

Not what I was hoping for…

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