Ruth's Journey

The Authorized Novel of Mammy from Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind

By: Donald McCaig

Narrated by: Cherise Boothe

Length: 13 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

Authorized by the Margaret Mitchell Estate, here is the first-ever prequel to one of the most beloved and best-selling novels of all time, Gone with the Wind. The critically acclaimed author of Rhett Butler's People magnificently recounts the life of Mammy, one of literature's greatest supporting characters, from her days as a slave girl to the outbreak of the Civil War.

"Her story began with a miracle." On the Caribbean island of Saint Domingue, an island consumed by the flames of revolution, a senseless attack leaves only one survivor - an infant girl. She falls into the hands of two French émigrés, Henri and Solange Fournier, who take the beautiful child they call Ruth to the bustling American city of Savannah.

What follows is the sweeping tale of Ruth's life as shaped by her strong-willed mistress and other larger-than-life personalities she encounters in the South: Jehu Glen, a free black man with whom Ruth falls madly in love; the shabbily genteel family that first hires Ruth as Mammy; Solange's daughter Ellen and the rough Irishman, Gerald O'Hara, whom Ellen chooses to marry; the Butler family of Charleston and their shocking connection to Mammy Ruth; and finally Scarlett O'Hara - the irrepressible Southern belle Mammy raises from birth. As we witness the difficult coming of age felt by three generations of women, gifted storyteller Donald McCaig reveals a portrait of Mammy that is both nuanced and poignant, at once a proud woman and a captive, and a strict disciplinarian who has never experienced freedom herself. But despite the cruelties of a world that has decreed her a slave, Mammy endures, a rock in the river of time.

Set against the backdrop of the South from the 1820s until the dawn of the Civil War, here is a remarkable story of fortitude, heartbreak, and indomitable will - and a tale that will forever illuminate your reading of Margaret Mitchell's unforgettable classic, Gone with the Wind.

©2014 Stephens Mitchell Trusts. All rights reserved. (P)2014 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Disappointing

Any additional comments?

To me, the worst part of this book was the speech of Ruth, the main character. While the slaves of the south had a particular 'dialect' this character's speech was so bad it was unrecognizable as my dear "Mammy." Her English was so broken it made her sound stupid, which is just wrong. Also the story ended right in the middle of Mammy's life, which was a mercy considering I couldn't have stood to listen to much more of that terrible speech.

Disappointing

This was not nearly as good as Rhett Butler's People. It felt really disjointed when the story changed over to first person in the last third of the book. I felt McCaig did not really capture the closeness that Mammy had with Ellen and Scarlet. She would have been their closest confidant. Also, while interesting, I found it strange that suddenly in the last third of the book she all of the sudden gains the ability to see the future.

Another pet peeve of mine was how the narrator pronounced Eulalie wrong. It has been pronounced several times in several places. I guess this was the first time she had ever been exposed to Gone With the Wind. Why didn't anyone correct her??

Awesome!!!!

Awesome book absolutely loved it if you are a Gone with the Wind fan you've got to read this!!!

Well written! I did not want the book to end!

narrator

the narrator made this book awful!! would have been a better audio book with a different narrator. wish it had been!

Ruth's Journey: Mammy

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I all most didn't get this as I had read a review that said it was "Horrible" which it is far from. If you are a fan of the book "Gone With The Wind" You love the characters in the story. Mammy being one of my favorite. It answers many questions about Mammy from the time she was 4 years old. Its the story of the south and of Slavery. That is, a "Horrible" part of American history. It chills our blood to even hear the 'N" word used. Get past that and you will enjoy reading Mammy's story.

Who was the most memorable character of Ruth's Journey and why?

Mammy

Good addition to the GWTW series.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The beginning was slow and at times hard to follow. The first part of the book, was told from Scarlett o hara grandma solange's pov. A bit boring until ruth or Mammy get old enough to tell her story. There was also a lot of death, wives dying and children dying and heartbreak galore.

If you’ve listened to books by Donald McCaig before, how does this one compare?

I personal liked Rhett's story better but that was because I knew the chracters.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

I think she did well, crossing the many different chracter that were in the book.the evolution of Miss Katie into Scarlett seemed disjointed in the scheme of things. From GWTW I gathered Scarlett didn't like horses touch and this book has her jumping and out racing Beatrice Tarlelton.

Was Ruth's Journey worth the listening time?

I don't know if I would read it if I wasn't a GWTW fan.

Any additional comments?

The most interesting part was when Ruth was in Charleston. I won't give away the spoilers but it broke my heart when she was on the auction block.

disappointed

This book is Mammy's observations, not her journey. very little was said about how Mammy felt, just her telling a story about her owners.

Disappointed

Story doesn't even come close to Rhett Butlers People.... Just wasn't that good didn't really deal with slavery it was just weak

Ruth's Journey is a Horrible Book

What would have made Ruth's Journey better?

If the author had made me care about any aspect of the book - the characters, the country it started in - anything

What didn’t you like about Cherise Boothe’s performance?

The material was horrible

What character would you cut from Ruth's Journey?

The whole book

Slow beginning leads to interesting ending

What other book might you compare Ruth's Journey to and why?

This book is a good companion piece to the author's Rhett Butler's People. I felt it played off that story better than it did its source material of Gone With the Wind. It brought in some characters from Rhett Butler's People and fleshed out their back stories. If you didn't read that book or didn't like it, I could see that this would be confusing or disappointing.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The performance was good when doing Mammy's dialect. However, the author didn't attempt to do any other accents. I especially noticed this during the Irish O'Haras' dialogue. It seemed lacking that she didn't attempt to do an Irish accent for these characters.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, it was very slow in the beginning, during the set up to Solange's story. I had a hard time figuring out what was happening some of the time when they were in Haiti. I wanted to quit in the early parts but soldiered on because I wanted to learn more about Mammy. Once it got to Mammy and Ellen's story I felt that the pace picked up and it improved greatly.

Any additional comments?

I didn't enjoy this as much as I enjoyed Rhett Butler's People but I still think it is a worthwhile book and am glad Margaret Mitchell's Estate continues to authorize new material.