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The Song of Ruth
Ruth was a high-born Moabite, the widow of an Israelite slain by treachery. So great was her beauty that men stopped in battle to look at her. Boaz was the dynamic general of the Israelite army. Theirs was a love so great that it overcame bitter hatred, war and exile.
In a country of strangers, accused of being a spy and pursued by the lust of her enemies, Ruth became, through devotion and courage, the heroine of the Bible's most memorable love story.
In a country of strangers, accused of being a spy and pursued by the lust of her enemies, Ruth became, through devotion and courage, the heroine of the Bible's most memorable love story.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1954
3 people are currently reading
282 people want to read
About the author
Frank G. Slaughter
429 books79 followersFrank Gill Slaughter , pen-name Frank G. Slaughter, pseudonym C.V. Terry, was an American novelist and physician whose books sold more than 60 million copies. His novels drew on his own experience as a doctor and his interest in history and the Bible. Through his novels, he often introduced readers to new findings in medical research and new medical technologies.
Slaughter was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Stephen Lucious Slaughter and Sarah "Sallie" Nicholson Gill. When he was about five years old, his family moved to a farm near Berea, North Carolina, which is west of Oxford, North Carolina. He earned a bachelor's degree from Trinity College (now Duke University) at 17 and went to medical school at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. He began writing fiction in 1935 while a physician at Riverside Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida.
Books by Slaughter include The Purple Quest, Surgeon, U.S.A., Epidemic! , Tomorrow's Miracle and The Scarlet Cord. Slaughter died May 17, 2001 in Jacksonville, Florida.
Slaughter was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Stephen Lucious Slaughter and Sarah "Sallie" Nicholson Gill. When he was about five years old, his family moved to a farm near Berea, North Carolina, which is west of Oxford, North Carolina. He earned a bachelor's degree from Trinity College (now Duke University) at 17 and went to medical school at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. He began writing fiction in 1935 while a physician at Riverside Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida.
Books by Slaughter include The Purple Quest, Surgeon, U.S.A., Epidemic! , Tomorrow's Miracle and The Scarlet Cord. Slaughter died May 17, 2001 in Jacksonville, Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 7, 2017
Somehow I just couldn't get into this book although the author many years ago was one of my favourites. Not any more. I guess my tastes have changed.
September 10, 2017
(I read the Spanish translation--"La Canción de Ruth." Not a great translation, but very readable.)
I enjoyed reading this book, which is why I give it 3 stars. However, it wasn't a very good book, which is why I don't want to score it any higher.
Much of the novel was fun to read, like a romance/action adventure. The characters were pretty good, and although it is a story from the Bible it was not written in a devotional way, so that the bits of religion didn't feel too cloying. However, it had flaws that were impossible to ignore, even reading for fun.
Many of the plot points were not believable, and felt like blind spots in the author's research. It has the kind of flaw that drives me crazy in fiction, relating to errors in scale and size. Sometimes, two points are treated as close, as if they are just a short walk apart, and other times they are days between. Sometimes, the Israelites feel like a community of a couple hundred who all know each other, and then they are treated like a nation of tens of thousands. A related error is the way the author has the characters handling weapons, which he did not write about with much authority. I think he was guessing.
In other words--using a term that might or might not have been current in the 50s when it was written--the author has done a poor job of world-building. Too much was implausible. Honestly, it felt a lot like a 50s-era Hollywood set standing in for the Middle East. That impression is intensified by the fact that Ruth, a Semitic woman of 3000 years ago, has red hair, as if she is played by a European actress. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it better if I had imagined it like a sword and sandal epic, with Tony Curtis as Boaz and Sophia Loren as Ruth. Yeah, that's better.
Or better still, imagine it with William Shatner and some green lady on a red planet. Then I can forgive the cheap Paramount sets. :)
I enjoyed reading this book, which is why I give it 3 stars. However, it wasn't a very good book, which is why I don't want to score it any higher.
Much of the novel was fun to read, like a romance/action adventure. The characters were pretty good, and although it is a story from the Bible it was not written in a devotional way, so that the bits of religion didn't feel too cloying. However, it had flaws that were impossible to ignore, even reading for fun.
Many of the plot points were not believable, and felt like blind spots in the author's research. It has the kind of flaw that drives me crazy in fiction, relating to errors in scale and size. Sometimes, two points are treated as close, as if they are just a short walk apart, and other times they are days between. Sometimes, the Israelites feel like a community of a couple hundred who all know each other, and then they are treated like a nation of tens of thousands. A related error is the way the author has the characters handling weapons, which he did not write about with much authority. I think he was guessing.
In other words--using a term that might or might not have been current in the 50s when it was written--the author has done a poor job of world-building. Too much was implausible. Honestly, it felt a lot like a 50s-era Hollywood set standing in for the Middle East. That impression is intensified by the fact that Ruth, a Semitic woman of 3000 years ago, has red hair, as if she is played by a European actress. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it better if I had imagined it like a sword and sandal epic, with Tony Curtis as Boaz and Sophia Loren as Ruth. Yeah, that's better.
Or better still, imagine it with William Shatner and some green lady on a red planet. Then I can forgive the cheap Paramount sets. :)
January 6, 2012
Nice account of the story of Ruth and Naomi. Probably more fiction than fact, but I enjoy historical fiction as it often gives "legs" to the more sparse Biblical accounts, and makes me consider more deeply what life would have been like for the people living at that time. In particular, for Ruth, from the hated Moabite race, joining Israel.
May 25, 2017
Very well written. I understand that it is not real accurate, but it is a wonderful love story. The heroine is just about a perfect person, which is a little over the top sometimes, but I still enjoyed it.
April 17, 2008
classic love story. this mans combination of fact and fiction is amazing.
July 15, 2007
This was a enjoyable & quick read. It's a story of Ruth & Naomi in the Bible. Obviously the story is fictional, but I'm not sure how accurate it is in regards to the historical background at the time & the cultural expectations. However, it brings to life the characters. It's good in the sense that it makes the story alive in your mind, but it could be bad in the sense that it gives you preconceived notions about the characters in the story. So be sure to separate that in your mind before reading the Bible story again!
July 14, 2018
This story of love and devotion about Ruth, one of the bibles most beautiful, steadfast heroines and Boaz the General of the Isrealite army.
January 3, 2019
Speculates that Boaz knew Ruth earlier in her life. Interesting suppositions on how the Naomi family fared in Moab before coming back to Israel.
December 16, 2020
Wonderful inspiring book. Very beautiful and moving the love and blessings shown by a woman.
July 14, 2012
Not really the story of Ruth. Not a bad work of fiction, not a great one. A very middling work of fiction with interesting characters, lots of intrigue and a happy ending. Just not the story from the Bible. A quick weekend read.
May 16, 2010
Very interesting fictional account of the events in the Book of Ruth. Seems to be well researched on the Law and the customs of the time.
June 13, 2020
Most definitely one of the most beautiful love stories ever.
July 6, 2014
Always enjoy fictional history. Love how the story of Ruth just popped for me and love the love story.
Great read - easy to follow and good story line.
Great read - easy to follow and good story line.
May 15, 2009
The novelization of the Book of Ruth from the Bible. It is well written and exciting.
August 7, 2016
Read this book a long time ago and loved it. Still love it
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews