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Ruby
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Ruby Hardback - 2014

by Cynthia Bond

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Reader reviews for Ruby

From the publisher

A New York Times bestseller and Oprah Book Club 2.0 selection, the epic, unforgettable story of a man determined to protect the woman he loves from the town desperate to destroy her. This beautiful and devastating debut heralds the arrival of a major new voice in fiction.

Ephram Jennings has never forgotten the beautiful girl with the long braids running through the piney woods of Liberty, their small East Texas town. Young Ruby Bell, "the kind of pretty it hurt to look at," has suffered beyond imagining, so as soon as she can, she flees suffocating Liberty for the bright pull of 1950s New York. Ruby quickly winds her way into the ripe center of the city--the darkened piano bars and hidden alleyways of the Village--all the while hoping for a glimpse of the red hair and green eyes of her mother.

When a telegram from her cousin forces her to return home, thirty-year-old Ruby finds herself reliving the devastating violence of her girlhood. With the terrifying realization that she might not be strong enough to fight her way back out again, Ruby struggles to survive her memories of the town's dark past. Meanwhile, Ephram must choose between loyalty to the sister who raised him and the chance for a life with the woman he has loved since he was a boy.

Full of life, exquisitely written, and suffused with the pastoral beauty of the rural South, Ruby is a transcendent novel of passion and courage. This wondrous page-turner rushes through the red dust and gossip of Main Street, to the pit fire where men swill bootleg outside Bloom's Juke, to Celia Jennings's kitchen, where a cake is being made, yolk by yolk, that Ephram will use to try to begin again with Ruby.

Utterly transfixing, with unforgettable characters, riveting suspense, and breathtaking, luminous prose, Ruby offers an unflinching portrait of man's dark acts and the promise of the redemptive power of love.

Ruby was a finalist for the PEN America Robert Bingham Debut Novel Award, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, and an Indie Next Pick.

Details

  • Title Ruby
  • Author Cynthia Bond
  • Binding Hardback
  • Edition First Edition
  • Pages 333
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Hogarth Press, New York
  • Publication date 2014-04-29
  • ISBN 9780804139090 / 0804139091
  • Weight 1.44 lbs (0.65 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.6 x 6.57 x 1.16 in (24.38 x 16.69 x 2.95 cm)
  • Category Fiction - General
  • Library of Congress subjects Love stories, African Americans
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 2013033049
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Media reviews

“Reading Cynthia Bond’s Ruby, you can’t help but feel that one day this book will be considered a staple of our literature, a classic. Lush, deep, momentous, much like the people and landscape it describes, Ruby enchants not just with its powerful tale of lifelong quests and unrelenting love, but also with its exquisite language. It is a treasure of a book, one you won’t soon forget.”
—EDWIDGE DANTICAT, author of Claire of the Sea Light

“Pure magic. Every line gleams with vigor and sound and beauty. Ruby somehow manages to contain the darkness of racial conflict and cruelty, the persistence of memory, the physical darkness of the piney woods and strange elemental forces, and weld it together with bright seams of love, loyalty, friendship, laced with the petty comedies of small-town lives. Slow tragedies, sudden light. This stunning debut delivers and delivers and delivers.”
—JANET FITCH, author of White Oleander
 
Ruby is a harrowing, hallucinatory novel, a love story and a ghost story about one woman’s attempt to escape the legacy of violence in a small southern town. Cynthia Bond writes with a dazzling poetry that’s part William Faulkner, part Toni Morrison, yet entirely her own. Ruby is encircled by shadows, but incandescent with light.”
—ANTHONY MARRA, author of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena

“From the first sentence, Cynthia Bond’s unforgettable debut novel, Ruby, took hold of me and it hasn’t let go. Once I began reading I couldn’t stop, awed by Bond’s immense talent. Ruby’s story is one of pain and beauty, damnation and redemption. Cynthia Bond has written a book everyone should read, about the power of love to overcome even the darkest of histories.”
—AMY GREENE, author of Bloodroot

“Bond proves to be a powerful literary force, a writer whose unflinching yet lyrical prose is reminiscent of Toni Morrison’s.”
O, The Oprah Magazine

“In Ruby, Bond has created a heroine worthy of the great female protagonists of Toni Morrison…and Zora Neale Hurston… Bond’s style of writing is as magical as an East Texas sunrise, with phrases so deftly carved, the reader is often distracted from the brutality described by the sheer beauty of the language.”
Dallas Morning News

“[E]vocative, affective and accomplished… Bond tells the story of Ruby and Ephram’s lives and their relationship with unflinching honesty and a surreal, haunting quality.”
—Jessica Luther, Texas Observer

“If you love well-written historical fiction and multifaceted grown-up characters, put Ruby at the top of your beach bag. Cynthia Bond invents two headstrong lovers: solid Ephram Jennings and spirited Ruby Bell. They live in repressive Liberty, Texas, in the oppressive 1950’s. Bond delivers multiple goods with this one. Be sure to keep some hankies near your bedside.”
Essence

“Cynthia Bond creates a vibrant chorus of voices united by a common struggle… [T]he prose’s lyricism and Ruby’s interaction with the dead call to mind Beloved… While Bond’s characters may sense the inevitability of loss and loneliness, they are also driven by something else, a timid hopefulness that they may find serenity and compassion amid the ghosts who haunt them.”
The Rumpus

“Written in a Southern Gothic style… The poeticism of the narrative is exquisite, juxtaposing horrific imagery with dreamy evocative lyricism.”
—July Westhale, Lambda Literary

“Literary magic.”
St. Louis American

“[A] dark and redemptive beauty... Bond’s prose is evocative of Alice Walker and Toni Morrison, paying homage to the greats of Southern gothic literature.”
Library Journal (starred)

“[A] powerful, explosive novel. Bond immerses readers in a fully realized world, one scarred by virulent racism and perverted rituals but also redeemed by love.”
Booklist (starred)

“An unusual, rare and beautiful novel that is meant to be experienced as much as read.”
—Debra Ginsberg, Shelf Awareness (starred)

“A stunning debut. Ruby is unforgettable.”
—John Rechy, author of City of Night

“Cloaked in authenticity, Ruby is unlike anything else out there right now.”
Windy City Times

“Impeccably crafted… Ruby is undoubtedly the early work of a master storyteller whose literary lyricism is nothing short of pitch perfect.”
BookPage

“Bracing....Undeniable....The echoes of Alice Walker and Toni Morrison are clear....A very strong first novel that blends tough realism with the appealing strangeness of a fever dream.”
Kirkus

About the author

CYNTHIA BOND has taught writing to homeless and at-risk youth throughout Los Angeles for more than fifteen years. She attended Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, then moved to New York and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. A PEN/Rosenthal Fellow, Bond founded the Blackbird Writing Collective in 2011. At present, Bond teaches therapeutic writing at Paradigm Malibu Adolescent Treatment Center. A native of East Texas, she lives in Los Angeles with her daughter.

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Ruby: A Novel
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Ruby: A Novel

by Bond, Cynthia

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  • Very good
  • Hardback
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Very good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780804139090 / 0804139091
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Hogarth, 2014-04-29. Hardcover. Very Good. 1.2600 9.2900 6.3800. Stated first. Inscribed and signed by the author on the title page, along with another gift inscription on the title page. Near fine in jacket.
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Ruby

Ruby

by Cynthia Bond

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  • Hardback
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Very good
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Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780804139090 / 0804139091
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Crown/Archetype, 2014. Hardcover. Very Good. Former library book; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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Ruby

Ruby

by Cynthia Bond

  • Used
  • Very good
  • Hardback
Condition
Very good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780804139090 / 0804139091
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1
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Description:
Crown/Archetype, 2014. Hardcover. Very Good. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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Item price
A$10.43
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Ruby

Ruby

by Cynthia Bond

  • Used
  • Very good
  • Hardback
Condition
Very good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780804139090 / 0804139091
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Description:
Crown/Archetype, 2014. Hardcover. Very Good. Missing dust jacket; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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Ruby
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Ruby

by Bond, Cynthia

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780804139090 / 0804139091
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Description:
Penguin Random House. Used - Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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Ruby
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Ruby

by Bond, Cynthia

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Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780804139090 / 0804139091
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Penguin Random House. Used - Very Good. Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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Ruby: A Novel
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Ruby: A Novel

by Cynthia Bond

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Hogarth, April 2014. First Edition. Hardcover. Collectible-Good/Good. First edition by number code. Dust jacket has shelf wear.
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Ruby: A Novel (Oprahs Book Club 2.0)
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Ruby: A Novel (Oprahs Book Club 2.0)

by Bond, Cynthia

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Hogarth. First Edition. Very Good. With dust jacket. It's a well-cared-for item that has seen limited use. The item may show minor signs of wear. All the text is legible, with all pages included. It may have slight markings and/or highlighting.
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Ruby: A Novel (Oprahs Book Club 2.0)
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Ruby: A Novel (Oprahs Book Club 2.0)

by Cynthia Bond

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Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780804139090 / 0804139091
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Hogarth, April 2014. Hardcover . Very Good/Good. Very Good Hardcover with Good Dustjacket. Moderate shelfwear to DJ, including rubbing and tearing. Light shelfwear to covers. Spine ends bumped. Pages clean and tight in binding. Pictures available upon request. A locally owned, independent book shop since 1984.
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Ruby
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Ruby

by Bond, Cynthia

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  • Hardback
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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780804139090 / 0804139091
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Hogarth Press, 04/29/2014. Hardcover. Used - Good. Used - good condition. For mass produced books with multiple editions the book on hand may not be edition listed. Please reach out with any questions about condition or edition.
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