A Virtuous Woman Oprah's Book Club :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

Sad but Sweet Little Story

2007-06-08
"A Virtuous Woman" is a short novel about an unlikely married couple who really make it work and come to depend on each other. The woman, Ruby, is 20 years younger than her husband, Jack. Ruby is dying of lung cancer, and the story is told by both Jack and Ruby in alternating chapters.

The writing style is similar to that we loved about "Ellen Foster." It's a fast read. But be careful. Don't read the ending on a bus or in a carpool, and have plenty of tissues on hand.

Highly recommended.

Can't get into the book

2007-03-08
I am an avid reader and love all kinds of books. I thought that since this one was listed in the "Oprah Book Club" that surely it must be good. I got to the third chapter and was bored. I put it down and have not been tempted to pick it back up. When they tell you on the first page that the woman you are reading about has died, it kinda puts the light out on wanting to read the book. You already know she is going to die.

A Virtuous woman

2007-02-22
I really did not care for this book very much at all. I found it to be pointless. It is a quick read but at the end of the day what was the point? I am not sure. I did not connect with the characters and when it it all said and done felt like who cares???

moving, wonderful

2007-01-07
She packed a lot of wallop in this short book. I felt like I'd had a cold punch to the ribs when I finished. It was a bitter sweet feeling though, I knew there was hope. She used the device of switching point of view between the two main characters, man and wife, chapter by chapter until the end when she increased the technique to a fever pitch. She chronicled the last few weeks before the wife dies of cancer, and the first few weeks for him after she dies. Her focus is not on the disease so much as an exploration of their love and reliance on one another. Profoundly moving, sad, sweet, and really well told.

Didn't meet my expectations....

2006-10-06
I'd heard good things about this book. This was a quick read. I was irritated by the main character's low expectations in life. When I was done with this book I was like, "what was the point of that?" Enough said!

Worth reading - a treatise on love

2008-07-24
The writing in this book is so good that I've read it twice. (Something I NEVER do. Nev. Er.) A Virtuous Woman tells the story of a married couple, Ruby and Jack, who meet each other, fall in love, and marry. Ruby later contracts lung cancer. Facing her death, she ruminates on her adventures and tries her best to prepare Jack to live without her. Jack savors the memories of the two of them, even as he knows he must move beyond them to continue his life. Chapters of the novel are alternately narrated by each of the two primary characters, a style which is effective because it lets us see the inner thoughts of both.

I enjoyed how this novel dealt with the definition of love. It is a subject worth considering, and one that can easily become maudlin. However, Gibbons' characters look at it with a steady, nearly objective eye. The characters know who they are and what they need from a mate. And when they find one another, there is a quiet cherishing that they do of one another. The love Gibbons writes of is a wise love, not young and foolish, not headstrong and impassioned, but matter-of-fact and solid as bedrock. I can appreciate such a story.

Wonderful

2008-05-26
This was a quick and fabulous read! I felt as if I knew each of the characters.

Time waster

2008-01-08
So, let's see. A virtuous woman is one who'll marry anyone who asks her to, one who'll leave considerate parents without a backward wave because a man with an attractive face suggests doing so, one who decides to take up a distasteful habit to prove she's capable of vice. Each of the characters in this one-dimensional book is either exclusively good or exclusively bad. That choice of character template is lazy and insulting to readers who're aware that humanity can't be sorted so effortlessly. This review is based on the first ten chapters of the book. I wish I'd had the good sense to quit reading beyond chapter one. This is the last book I'll select based on its inclusion in Oprah's "list."

Just kind of ok...

2007-12-16
The story was fine and it was a quick read with some interesting moments but overall I would not recommend this book unless you just need something to read on a quick flight. I really don't understand what all the fuss is about. I believe if you go into this book thinking it's some amazing novel you will be disappointed. But if you are looking for something light to read without becoming engrossed you will be fine. I certainly wouldn't call this a page turner and have a whole list of books I would recommend before this one.

Southern Voices Echo

2007-06-29
If the theme and heart-felt stories of Souhern souls resonate within your own soul, this is a wonderful read for you. It dares to probe the inner worlds of people in ways you will never forget. Another excellent read from a Southern voice about love, faith and the struggle to become whole can be found in Walking the Trail, One Man's Journey Along the Cherokee Trail of Tears by Cherokee and Alabama author Jerry Ellis. The book was nominated for a Pulitzer and was featured in Readers Digest.