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

Ruth is a widow who has been made redundant and spends her days babysitting other people’s small children.
She is set in her ways and does not like anything to change her routine.
When her estranged younger sister reaches out for her help Ruth is not happy and feels that she is being used but she decides to go along with it anyway.
I really enjoyed this book and though Ruth was a great character
A feel good story about second chances.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my e- copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ruth, a 70-something retiree who cares for young children, is set in her life. It’s a bit stagnant with grief, and the adherence to a strict schedule. But life keeps moving and this showcases Ruth’s evolution.

Character development is strong but the final quarter of the book didn’t come together in a way that made sense to me, and this affected my overall enjoyment of the story.


**I also really want to know where on earth a grocery store is priced so that you can purchase Pull-Ups, yogurt cups, and juice boxes for $11.21?!?!



Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC

The Autumn of Ruth Winters by Marshall Fine

Ruth Winters is retired, widowed and set in her ways, preferring the company of the young children she babysits for than adults. But Ruth's life is about to change in light of a request from her estranged sister Veronica, an announcement from her niece Chloe and a high school reunion.

What a fabulous book, I loved it! Really loved Ruth - the perfect mix of acerbic and vulnerable - and her relationship with Ronnie and Chloe. You're never too old and it's not too late! Very VERY highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

For the past few months, me and my husband have had several moments that made us stop and realise exactly how old we are. My husband observed to a worker at the local recycling centre that it’s really changed these days, the workers are knowledgable and actually want to help. She asked when it was he’d last visited and he said around the millennium. She then destroyed him by explaining she wasn’t even born then. I then had a moment of horror when my stepdaughter asked when I first saw Blur in concert and I realised it was thirty years ago! We’re not decrepit, we’ve got a few adventures left in us but we did realise that those adventures might be a little more sedate and that the idea of the patter of tiny feet will now be grandchildren. With these feelings in mind, I was quite drawn to the idea of a Bildungsroman featuring a woman in her sixties.I firmly believe that life has seasons and if this is autumn, I guessed we’d be looking at someone surveying their life and taking stock. Yet this is so much more.

Ruth Winters is retired, widowed and set in her ways. I rather like eccentric or curmudgeonly characters and Ruth is certainly quirky. She has a suburban life with a set routine that she follows obsessively. She often keeps her distance from others, using her routine as a barrier against getting to know them. She’s sharp tongued too, especially when it comes to Marvel movies and her sister. We take a journey with Ruth here and the catalyst isn’t just one thing; her niece makes a huge announcement, an unexpected old flame gets in touch, and her estranged sister’s news is life altering. This means Ruth must reconnect with people she’d accepted she would never see again and now she has to rethink what she thought her life would be. One thing is for sure, Ruth’s routine has gone to pot! It reminded me of the Japanese art of Kintsugi, where instead of throwing a broken vase out, gold is used in glue to to put it back together and make it even more beautiful. In fact the whole message of this art is that just because something is broken, it doesn’t mean it isn’t beautiful. It was amazing to think that Ruth might be able to adventure and change her life.

I loved going through Ruth’s memories and seeing the person she used to be. She’s witty and clearly still has those attributes, despite developing a barrier between herself and others. All of those layers - avoidance, grumpiness, sticking to routine - are there to prevent more pain and sadness. I wanted her to be more open and invite people in. We become old when we opt out of life, because learning new things, meeting new people and adopting new skills are all things that keep us connected to others and the world. They also keep us invested in the here and now. If she becomes open to people and new experience, she might just see life blossom. This author understands that in the minutiae of someone’s existence we can find the extraordinary within what seem to be perfectly ordinary lives.

3.5 stars

This was an enjoyable read, but considering the subject matter, I felt there was an absence of real emotion - and as such there was a disconnect for me. The ending was not satisfying for this reader but instead felt rather hurried and abrupt.

Otherwise, it was an entertaining read.

4.5 stars rounded up. Ruth Winters is a change-averse, no-nonsense retiree and widow who finds herself reconnecting with people she thought she’d never welcome in her life again.

I’m a millennial, but I felt like I connected to Ruth very quickly, in a “my kind of people” kind of way (minus her ageism against her new doctor). I found her soft spot for children endearing, and I loved that she treats them with patience and respect. Before I knew it, was fully immersed in Ruth’s journey of navigating all the unexpected changes in her life and finding happiness. Her reconciliation with her estranged sister was touching, and I was glad they got to spend what was left of their time together. I was also pleasantly surprised by the romance! The letters exchanged between Ruth and her high school sweetheart were a joy to read (well, ok, they are emails but they read like letters - in a good way)! I would definitely be interested in reading other works by this author. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

(3.5 stars!)

Reminiscent of reads like A Man Called Ove, The Autumn of Ruth Winters follows a no nonsense retiree who finds in grief and second chances a new lease on life.

This was a fine read. I enjoyed Ruth and the premise overall. Although it's unfortunate how long it took, I'm glad Ruth could move past old hurts and begin truly enjoying herself and her life.

I will say I struggled with some parts of this read. It felt pretty obvious this was written by a man. It also lacked a level of emotion and nuance I expected given the premise and concepts presented. With a doubt, I rooted for Ruth, but there was a disconnect. The ending was also a bit abrupt. Felt like we focused more on the past when I would've preferred a more elongated ending as a trade off.

Overall, a nice quick contemporary fiction read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

When I first realized Marshall Fine, a male, had written "The Autumn of Ruth Winters" from a female point of view and third person omniscient at that, I knew I was in for a ride. Not since I had read the short story, "The First Day" by Edward P. Jones did I experience such a feat done as smoothly and seamlessly.

On top of that, Fine tackles two themes about siblings: 1. Being free to let other people clean up your messes doesn't necessarily make you free, and 2. If two sparing siblings work out their grudges, they're more likely to move forward.

Through one of two reunions in this book, sisters trying to work out their differences before it's too late, and a fiftieth class reunion, Ruth Winters is able to face the world with anticipation instead of forgone conclusions and tired expectations.

I was afraid that this story would be entirely about Ruth meeting her Prince Charming. Instead, the story was about Ruth doing some heavy lifting in order to be able to recognize Prince Charming should he appear.

A decided departure from Marshall Fine's previous work.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Press for this advance copy.

A lovely heartwarming story about an older woman learning that it's never too late to change and grow. While the story felt fairly predictable at points, it a comforting story that I would recommend to any readers looking for an impactful read.

In a style. Similar to Elizabeth Strout, Marshall Fine tells the story of Ruth Winter. What seems to be her mid-Western pragmatism is really old hurts cloaked in a sense of just settling. A series of events, both good and bad, change all that for her. The characters are beautifully developed and I kept wanting to cheer for all of them.

I am French so I am sorry if my English is not good enough.

I have just finished this book and it was nice. I appreciated Ruth personality and her kindness. But I don’t like the flashbacks. They were boring.

This b00k is a wonderful reminder that it is never to late in life to choose joy and find peace. I loved how the character expressed how they saw each other only to find it was not how the others thought they were seen. I would have liked the ending to lead further down the road to happiness.

This was not one of the genres I would usually read, but I found it to be a satisfying story. Good character development, and I liked that the main character was rather quirky and seemed possibly neurodivergent. It seemed like a character and story arc that many older women could relate to. I enjoyed it!