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

This is a depressing book. Never finds any relief from hard down sadness.The first half drags, but does pick up in the second half. However it stays depressing.I admire the author, as it is well written and historically accurate. It was a depressing and shameful time in history, and the author showcases this in Ruth's story.Kept hoping Ruth would find a smidgen of happiness. After her husband was murdered and her only child was sold then died, Ruth never loved or was loved again.Although Ruth's story ends long before she dies, the reader knows her life never gets any better.If the intent of the author was to make the descendents of this era of US history feel shame or anger, it falls short. It is just too depressing. It rams the horrible to the point, that it is overload.I am sorry I read this book, something I rarely feel.I do applaud the author for putting this story together. Obviously he is a gifted writer. Way above average. But in my opinion this book is not a good look.

A true gone with the fan will not enjoy this book. It was very confusing in the beginning and most of the way through. To many people thrown together to fast with not enough character developement. Truth is the book is barely about mammy. Also the copycats that were between Scarlet and Solange which will be explained away by granddaughter taking after grandmother. It was parts of GWTW just rebooted. There is also a part which implies Ruth or Mammy knew of the Butlers before she came to Tara. In GWTH during the drapery scene Scarlet says Rhett has the money and Mammy says who dat a yankee? Now If Mammy was so traumatized by what the Butlers did to her family I would think she would know who Rhett Butler is. Considering in this book mammy meets Rhett in the library after his and Scarlets talk.

After re-reading Gone With the Wind and Rhett Buttler's People and reading Ruth's Journey for the first time (the three books in a row) I finally understood what I don't like about McCaig's books. The writing is very good, but so... cold. It's mostly a description of facts with a little feeling thrown here and there. GWTW is pure feeling and that's what I love about it. I like McCaig's books, but I'm never going to love them. I always feel like something's missing...

This novel gives such a fascinating background to the Mammy we THOUGHT we knew! It starts with Scarlett's grandmother in France, then Saint Domingue (later known as Haiti), where Ruth was born and miraculously survived when her entire family was slaughtered. The story goes through the drama, love, pain, betrayal, twists, turns, and surprising connections of her life as a slave mammy (and shockingly also as a "free" woman and a mother of her own child herself for a time before ever coming to Tara!) in Savannah, Georgia, Charleston, South Carolina. And of course we see her life and her coming to Tara, and eventually to rise above the other slaves (and some might say nearly equal to Mistress Ellen) at Tara, and her perspective on Scarlett, her family, Rhett Butler (and his circle, as introduced in Mr. McCaig's other novel "Rhett Butler's People"). Seeing the familiar events and characters from the beginning of Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind through her eyes, her wisdom, and her foreknowledge was, while not completely surprising, gives an insight into how much slaves witnessed and knew in the Old South.

I'm a huge fan of GWTW, both the movie and the book, so I was intrigued.  Big disappointment.  The first 1/3 of the book is really about Solange, Ellen O'Hara's mother; Ruth (Mammy) is a minor character.  The next 1/3 of the book is about Ruth's marriage and the death of her husband and child and is not at all the Mammy from the book or movie.  In this account she has "the sight" and can foresee someone's premature death.  In the last 1/3 of the book Mammy is again a minor character; this section of the book is about Scarlett, who is painted as a tomboy with no redeeming qualities.  There are several scenes in this book that run completely counter to the book and movie. For example, in GWTW when Bonnie is born Mammy is thrilled and tells Rhett that she has now been present at the birth of 3 generations of girls in the family. In this book she foresees Bonnie's death and is saddened.If you're a GWTW fan, this book is not going to please you.

Solange insisted Ruth speak French not Creole. Why was Ruth speaking "slave dialect" ? It seems like Solange would still speak French with Ruth when alone. I would have liked it for Ruth to learn to read. I know the author wanted to incorporate his book about Rhett Butler into the story, but the Ravenel storyline was just too contrived. Also Solange's family name, Escarlatte. Really?It was a good story for what it was, but it did not have the feeling of Mitchell's GWTW. It tried to blend the stories, but just missed the mark.

taken from the point of view of mammy this book is quite upsetting in certain points but it is very riveting to read very hard to put down. loved it.

I learned a lot about the movements of French and African people from the small island and coastal colonies around the u.s. and how they came to be around Georgia and Carolina etc... That as fascinating. And it fleshes out a very beloved character from Mitchell's GWTW.

Love it for gone with the wind readers

Very well done. More historical information than I expected. Can’t imagine what living as a black girl back then was really like.

Great condition