A feel good story about second chances.i would definitely recommend this. .

Thanks publisher and netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and isn't influenced by anyone else

Für Fans von "Eleanor Oliphant is conpletely fine" - schrulliger liebenswerter Charakter, zart und wärmend.

A heartwarming read all about families and second chances. It reminded me of a few other books I’ve read but it was still a sweet story. There were times I felt like it got a bit stuck but overall I’m glad I pushed through and finished it. A lovely feel good book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
This is a story of second chances and forgiveness. Ruth is a retired, widowed lady who has decided she will just live the rest of her life alone. This book is about some unexpected changes in her life and how they give her hope for a second chance at life. I liked this story. I was glad Ruth was so open to new things in her life and looking to the future.

"That wasn’t Ruth's problem; she understood emotions all too well—lived in fear of them."
- The Autumn of Ruth Winters.

Thanks to #Netgalley for giving me a chance to read this book called #TheAutumnofRuthWinters before its publication in exchange for an honest review. 

'The Autumn of Ruth Winters' by Marshall Fine is that kind of book that I have never read before. It's a lot different from the books I read.

This book is about Ruth Winters, a lady who is 'retired, widowed, and resigned to spending the rest of her life alone in her suburban home.'

This is a heartwarming story as we see Ruth learns and tries to live a life the way she wants and make peace with her past, as she hasn’t had a comfortable past.

She has never had this perfect relationship with her sister, but now her sister is dealing with a major illness, and we get to see Ruth feel tons of emotions for her, and for the first time, her sister relies on her. Even though, you think you don't care for someone, time tells you that you do, you do care for that person.

Ruth, in this journey, finds herself and reconnects with the people she thought were far away from her world. Being an introvert, not liking to do things without any routine, she learns to pick up the broken pieces of her heart and life, gets a second chance in life, and learns that as long as you are here in this journey called life, it's never too late to start something new and live for yourself. Once you understand that, it's never too late, and at the same time, there is never enough time. So you gotta live when you realize that you haven’t lived, even if you find yourself as someone who is so much behind in life. Because you are actually not. Life happens to people at their own pace. 

It's got 3.5/5 stars.🌻

This is a well crafted tale of second blooming. As we get to know the story of this reserved, quiet, unassuming woman you get the feeling that there is a strength and depth that has never found fertile soil from which she could grow and discover herself. Circumstances including a troubled sibling relationship, loss of one of her parents and the self-assumed obligation to care for the other combine to constrain Ruth's world. Marshall Fine paints finely detailed pictures as Ruth struggles to understand her sister and herself. Ultimately forgiving and acceptance becomes her key to reawakening a broader vision of herself, open to new experiences and new love from an unexpected source.

I absolutely adored this! Such a feel good story about second chances and second acts. Ruth was a great character and I’m so happy and lucky I got to read this I would honestly recommend this. .

Ruth Winters is a beautiful character driven novel. Centred around Ruth and her fraught relationship with her sister Veronica. Within the story we find reminiscence, resolution, romance, and rebirth. I loved following Ruth’s journey.

Ruth and her sister have been estranged for years. Ruth's sister asks for a ride to the doctor.

Ruth has been making some extra income by babysitting pre-school children; there are some cute shenanigans.

Many thanks to NetGalley for introducing me to a "new to me author". Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to review the advance review copy The Autumn of Ruth Winters in exchange for an honest review.

264 pages. Publication date is Nov 5, 2024

This was a winner for me! Being from Minnesota, the setting was an unexpected bonus. I found the descriptions of the local area to be accurate and served the story well. As a huge GOT fan, I absolutely loved Chloe's reference, "Winter is coming". All around enjoyable while thought-provoking, the story of two estranged sisters who find their way to a passable peace late in life was relatable and believable. Ruth was in turns funny and wise while remaining true to her reserved and cautious nature.

Approaching her seventies Ruth Winters, a retired widow who supplements her income with a bit of childminding for her neighbours, keeps herself to herself, she likes things to be orderly and doesn't like change.

This novel takes the reader back in time where Ruth was always somewhat overshadowed by her younger sister Veronica. She made friends easily whereas Ruth struggled and to say the siblings didn't get on would be an understatement. Life took very different paths for both of them and following several fallouts the distance between them grew until contact was rare.

I loved the character of Ruth, her snippy abruptness hiding a child who grew into a solitary adult having learned that distancing herself was protecting herself.

Keeping your distance isn't always an option and one phone call changes it all. Ruth's orderly life is thrown off balance and change is afoot. I found this a lovely if somewhat predictable read. Sad, funny and heartwarming with lessons to be learned along the way.

My thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the advance review copy, all opinions expressed are my own.

If you're looking for a feel-good book, with a wonderful life lesson, this book is for you. The story follows Ruth Winters, a senior citizen who has an ongoing feud with her sister and is somewhat disappointed in her life. After receiving some difficult news, Ruth realizes it's time for change. This novel has a great lesson on second chances and taking accountability. It will make you think twice when assuming you know another person's point of view on a situation. This book teaches us that it's never too late to start something new and to live life a little differently. I really enjoyed this read!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'The Autumn of Ruth Winters' by Marshall Fine.

Ruth Winters is a character we can all relate to at times. She's firm in herself and her life, she doesn't need change and doesn't like it. Throughout this book, Ruth's grumpy demeanor gets challenged by her sister, her niece and even an old classmate. I adored Ruth and I loved how she came out of her resistant shell for others but still remained true to herself, it was relatable and beautiful.

The Autumn of Ruth Winters felt like it fit snugly into the new category of fiction that focuses on the vibrancy and complexity of the lives of Older adults. And for that, I really commend it. It was heartwarming and felt both snug and complete.

I wish there was more to it and although I have a hard time defining what that is, I felt that I needed more development of the relationships of the characters to care and feel alongside them. The plotting of the story is succinct so I'm not quite sure how that would even be accomplished. I loved the addition of a character like Chloe and was actually the most empathetic to Irwin and compelled by the size of his heart at the end.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The description of this book sounded like something that I would enjoy. I like books with older or quirky protagonists. But this one was a very slow starter. I think part of the problem was how bitter Ruth was throughout a large portion of the book. It did show character growth in Ruth. This will appeal to a lot of people that enjoy a Cinderella type story, although with a darker tone. Once I got into the book, I did enjoy it and grew to like the character. But I really struggled when so much of the story was inside her head and she was such a bitter person who blamed her sister for many of the things that had happened in her life. This probably bothered me more than many people as I feel like people need to take responsibility for their own life and choices that they make. The book does address this and ends in a better place than it started. The high school reunion didn’t ring true to me, and seemed to be a bit rushed. I’m sure this will be a favorite for some readers, just not for me. Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read it. #netgalley. #the autumnofruthwinters

In a word, this novel was touching. It was refreshing to step outside of my comfort zone and follow a main character in her 70s.
I really liked Ruth and found her both charming and funny. However, I ultimately hoped for more at the end. The beginning of the novel was so character driven and made Ruth feel so real to me, but the latter half and the subsequently introduced characters felt rushed and less fleshed out in comparison.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read that explored themes of loneliness, forgiveness, insecurity, and family. I will miss my time with Ruth!

a lovely little story about nostalgia, second chances, family, sisters, rekindled connection, and ultimately, forgiveness.

Ruth was a great character and seeing her development across this novel was heartwarming. the title is the perfect play on words with the themes of the novel. Overall, I enjoyed reading this.

3.5

thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc!

Ruth Winters is a woman who likes things the way that they are, she doesn’t like change just for the sake of something different, she likes having a routine, and she sticks to that routine, unless it is unavoidable. She’s retired, and spends most of her days with the children that she babysits. She is content with her life as it is, and doesn’t need a man.

Trauma touched her life when she was younger, her parents were in a car accident, which left her to care for her father in the years that followed, while her younger sister, Veronica, went off to live her life, marrying when she was in college. A distance between them followed.

When Veronica calls her, asking her a favor after all these years, Ruth is both surprised and somewhat reticent. After all, they haven’t been in touch for ages, and Ruth seems to be very set in her ways. But even though so many years have passed, she is a bit hesitant, but hopeful this reunion will change things for the better.

A story of family, love, loss, and finding a path through it all.


Pub Date: 05 Nov 2024


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Lake Union Publishing

This rather somber novel is touching in its exploration of changing perceptions and healing old emotional wounds. The title serves as a double meaning – the events take place in the fall and, at 70 years old, the protagonist is in the autumn of her life. It is a storyline of redemption and how peoples’ motivations are not always apparent from observing their behaviors. Overall, it was an enjoyable read with a satisfying conclusion.

Ruth Winters has her life in order and does not appreciate change. A childless widow of over twenty years, she finds herself abruptly terminated from her bookkeeping job of almost four decades – company loyalty meant little when two companies merged and rendered her position redundant. To supplement her pension, she finds herself providing part-time day care to toddlers and, surprisingly, she is not only good at it, but enjoys it, too.

This is not the only lifestyle altering change that shakes up her life. Her beloved niece, who lives in California, calls to say she is pregnant with her first child. Ruth hears from an old high school friend inviting her to their 50th reunion and offering the possibility of romance. Finally, the real shocker comes from Ronnie, her estranged sister who reluctantly asks for Ruth’s help when a health crisis occurs.

The two sisters have quite different personalities and had a rocky relationship even as children. Their relationship as adults has been bitter and full of vitriol. Ruth has never forgiven her sister for her selfish choices after their parents were in a horrific car accident. Their mother died and their late father was incapacitated for eight years during which Ruth was his sole caregiver. Her dream of graduate school and her career evaporated in her commitment to her father. Ronnie was nowhere to be found. Ruth’s bitterness was deepened when Ronnie and her then-husband tried to force her to sell the family home and split the proceeds to cover their financial shortfall. The storyline follows the transformation of not only this relationship, but of Ruth’s life as she embraces change and accepts responsibility for her own past choices.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

This was a beautiful read, i loved the characters and was routing for Ruth throughout. The description of the relationship with her family was truthful and it was nice to read of the rawness as it felt honest and believable. Thank you