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Vinegar Hill (Abridged) Audiobook
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(3.00) - 13,149 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In a stark, troubling, yet ultimately triumphant celebration of self-determination, award-winning author A. Manette Ansay re-creates a stifling world of guilt and pain, and the tormented souls who inhabit it. It is 1972 when circumstance carries Ellen Grier and her family back to Holly's Field, Wisconsin. Dutifully accompanying her newly unemployed husband, Ellen has brought her two children into the home of her in-laws on Vinegar Hill -- a loveless house suffused with the settling dust of bitterness and routine -- where calculated cruelty is a way of life preserved and perpetuated in the service of a rigid, exacting and angry God. Behind a facade of false piety, there are sins and secrets in this place that could crush a vibrant yhoung woman's passionate spirit. And here Ellen must find the strength to endure, change, and grow in the all-pervading darkness that threatens to destroy everything she is and everyone she loves.
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"This was a depressing account of a family who, under the father's control, move in with the their loveless, vengeful, abusive in-laws. For me, this book signifies courage. Courage to stand up for what you believe in and dig yourself out of the gloom that life has given you. "
— Jennifer (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“A modern-day Little House on the Prairie gone mad…Manette Ansay is a powerful storyteller with lyrical gifts, and a wry, observant eye.”
— Amy Tan, New York Times bestselling author -
“Sweet, tender, and chilling.”
— Washington Post Book World -
“One of the best books of the year.”
— Chicago Tribune -
“Ansay paints a searing portrait of the Midwest’s dark side…Vinegar Hill remains a tough, uncompromising tale…Fine, spare prose and a hopeful ending.”
— Amazon.com, editorial review -
“[Ansay’s] language can be both apt and beautiful.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Reminiscent of the works of Jane Smiley or a more bitter Jon Hassler, this book is recommended for all collections.”
— Library Journal -
“Ansay writes with a diamond clarity tempered by compassion.”
— Booklist -
“[A] sensitive, probing story about the lasting scars of abuse. Lovely prose.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Awards
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An Oprah’s Book Club Selection in 1999
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A USA Today bestseller
Vinegar Hill Listener Reviews
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" This will make you think you're the best mother-in-law in the world! "
— Lezli, 2/20/2014 -
" One of the most insipid books I have read in a long time! DEPRESSING! "
— Dev, 2/19/2014 -
" Another one of Oprah's books I did not enjoy:( "
— Jeanine, 2/2/2014 -
" Excellent read...very easy to connect to the main character Ellen. Really was able to totally absorb myself in this book and each of the characters. I highly recommend. "
— Michelle, 1/31/2014 -
" read as a book on tape. "
— Judy, 1/29/2014 -
" Didn't like it at all. I thought it plodding and depressing and the characters had no redeeming value. I wanted to kick the main female character in the ass early on and tell her to get a life. I wanted to do the same to the main male character...hell, I wanted to do that to ALL of the characters! I like to escape in a book....this book was too much like other people's dreary lives. It had no message that I could tell. Not fun to read. "
— Shelly, 1/23/2014 -
" This is the perfect book if you're looking for something extremely depressing with no redeeming qualities to be found in any of the characters! "
— Chris, 1/23/2014 -
" Reminded me a little of Ethan Frome as I was reading it. "
— Ginny, 1/19/2014 -
" Hard to read but worth it. "
— Becky, 1/19/2014 -
" An Oprah book selection about a women verbally abused by her husband. A dark, deprtessing, well written tale and well worth reading. Pain and salvation, take control of your life themes. "
— Joy, 1/18/2014 -
" This book had nothing---I mean nothing to share with anyone. "
— Sharon, 1/6/2014 -
" Entertaining, Oprah pick. Kind of a downer, not to be read if you are down. "
— Maryvernick, 1/1/2014 -
" 3 1/2 stars. I thought it reminded me of growing up in the Midwest. It spoke to the elephant in the room and people living life with their eyes shut, sometimes swollen shut. "
— Brendygirl, 12/17/2013 -
" Hmmm.. So I read this book in December and I already don't remember what happened- and that says a lot. This book is pretty forgettable and I just didn't connect with the characters at all. Apparently you can't always trust Oprah- (except when she endorses a certain political candidate) "
— Amanda, 12/12/2013 -
" Too depressing!! "
— Erinmarie510, 12/10/2013 -
" Could not even finish it! "
— Alison, 11/30/2013 -
" Frustrating characters, making terrible choices. "
— Marty, 11/10/2013 -
" The angst was just too much for me. "
— Margaret, 8/5/2013 -
" I didn't really enjoy reading this. I didn't feel like I gained or learned anything. "
— Shelly, 6/16/2013 -
" Loved this one.Trying to make my way through the Oprah's book list. "
— Tonya, 5/31/2013 -
" I only read it coz i pikt it up cheap. Kinda droned on with very few interesting moments. "
— Brooke, 4/24/2013 -
" I'm still trying to sort out how I feel about this book. That's not necessarily a good thing. "
— Tiara, 3/7/2013 -
" Started out okay, got weird; just didn't develop characters, make me care about them, or really give any kind of closure. "
— Jennifer, 10/26/2012 -
" WOW! There is a lot going on in this small book. The reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is that I wanted to know more. There seems to be a lot left unsaid. "
— April, 10/23/2012 -
" I know I read it, but I can't remember anything about it-- even after reading the synopsis. Perhaps it's my poor memory, but I'm guessing it's not that great. "
— Michãel, 8/22/2012 -
" This is the book that got me reading again. It is definately not a feel good book, but I loved it. "
— Mary, 3/13/2012 -
" This was on the shelf from a book sale and I guess I hadn't noticed it was an Oprah book club pick because I've learned to avoid those. Like seemingly all of them, this one is a story of a cruelly dysfunctional family. "
— Nancy, 11/5/2011 -
" <em>Notes written on September 14, 2008</em>: I should know better than to delay writing a review. I finished this novel months ago and don't remember a thing about it, except I liked it and I didn't throw it across the room when I was done. So there. "
— Angela, 6/26/2011 -
" well written, very depressing, as it must have been to be an unhappily married woman in the 60s and 70s... "
— Robin, 6/18/2011 -
" This is a very painful book. I'm reading it as part of a book club,or I am certain that I would not finish it. <br/>The story is long and boring and the characters are not interesting at all. <br/>At least I only have 50 pages left. I hope something exciting happens. <br/> "
— Jaime, 6/15/2011 -
" Taught me I don't have the same reading tastes as Oprah. "
— Ctb, 5/16/2011 -
" I know that I read this book and that I liked it but I am not too sure what to rate it, it was a long time ago... "
— Misty, 5/9/2011 -
" hate is too strong a word, but cant say I liked this book either "
— Suzi, 5/9/2011 -
" Frustrated by all the angst and suffering by many of the characters. I was releived to finish the book! "
— Tiffany, 4/24/2011 -
" A good book but I have to say it was the third book that I've read this year with a reference to twins. Very wierd! "
— Nicole, 3/24/2011 -
" It is scarey how cruelty and abuse affect each generation, and how difficult it is to break that cycle. "
— Sherri, 3/22/2011 -
" I only read it coz i pikt it up cheap. Kinda droned on with very few interesting moments. "
— Brooke, 3/11/2011 -
" tugged at my heart strings a little. "
— Kama, 3/5/2011 -
" Powerful and compeling. After reading this book, I had to read all of Ansay's books. I did. Sometimes this book was hard to get through because of the graphic scenes and situations, but run don't walk to your public library or book store to read this timeless classic. "
— Lisa, 2/26/2011
About A. Manette Ansay
A. Manette Ansay is the author of eight books, including Vinegar Hill, Midnight Champagne (a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award), and Blue Water. She has received the Pushcart Prize, two Great Lakes Book Awards, and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. She teaches in the MFA writing program at the University of Miami.
About Debra Monk
Anne Rivers Siddons is a New York Times bestselling author who she has written works such as Sweetwater Creek, Islands, Nora Nora, Low Country, Up Island, Fault Lines, Downtown, Hill Towns, Colony, Outer Banks, King’s Oak, Peachtree Road, Homeplace, Fox’s Earth, and Heartbreak Hotel. Her novel The House Next Door was made into a made-for-television movie starring Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Colin Ferguson, and Lara Flynn Boyle. She and her husband, Heyward, split their time between their homes in South Carolina and Maine.