Very Cold People
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- Create Date：2022-02-25 08:53:07
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Sarah Manguso
- ISBN：0593241223
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Summary
"My parents didn't belong in Waitsfield， but they moved there anyway。"
For Ruthie， the frozen town of Waitsfield， Massachusetts， is all she has ever known。
Once home to the country's oldest and most illustrious families--the Cabots， the Lowells: the "first， best people"--by the tail end of the twentieth century， it is an unforgiving place awash with secrets。
Forged in this frigid landscape Ruthie has been dogged by feelings of inadequacy her whole life。 Hers is no picturesque New England childhood but one of swap meets and factory seconds and powdered milk。 Shame blankets her like the thick snow that regularly buries nearly everything in Waitsfield。
As she grows older， Ruthie slowly learns how the town's prim facade conceals a deeper， darker history， and how silence often masks a legacy of harm--from the violence that runs down the family line to the horrors endured by her high school friends， each suffering a fate worse than the last。 For Ruthie， Waitsfield is a place to be survived， and a girl like her would be lucky to get out alive。
In her eagerly anticipated debut novel， Sarah Manguso has written， with characteristic precision， a masterwork on growing up in--and out of--the suffocating constraints of a very old， and very cold， small town。 At once an ungilded portrait of girlhood at the crossroads of history and social class as well as a vital confrontation with an all-American whiteness where the ice of emotional restraint meets the embers of smoldering rage， Very Cold People is a haunted jewel of a novel from one of our most virtuosic literary writers。
For Ruthie， the frozen town of Waitsfield， Massachusetts， is all she has ever known。
Once home to the country's oldest and most illustrious families--the Cabots， the Lowells: the "first， best people"--by the tail end of the twentieth century， it is an unforgiving place awash with secrets。
Forged in this frigid landscape Ruthie has been dogged by feelings of inadequacy her whole life。 Hers is no picturesque New England childhood but one of swap meets and factory seconds and powdered milk。 Shame blankets her like the thick snow that regularly buries nearly everything in Waitsfield。
As she grows older， Ruthie slowly learns how the town's prim facade conceals a deeper， darker history， and how silence often masks a legacy of harm--from the violence that runs down the family line to the horrors endured by her high school friends， each suffering a fate worse than the last。 For Ruthie， Waitsfield is a place to be survived， and a girl like her would be lucky to get out alive。
In her eagerly anticipated debut novel， Sarah Manguso has written， with characteristic precision， a masterwork on growing up in--and out of--the suffocating constraints of a very old， and very cold， small town。 At once an ungilded portrait of girlhood at the crossroads of history and social class as well as a vital confrontation with an all-American whiteness where the ice of emotional restraint meets the embers of smoldering rage， Very Cold People is a haunted jewel of a novel from one of our most virtuosic literary writers。
Reviews
Doug
，
2。5， rounded up。At a mere 191 pages， and every paragraph separated out from its neighbors by white space， this is really more of a novella - except it isn't really even that， since there is not much of a plot to speak of - it reminded me of such auto-fictional pensées in novelistic format as Drifts and Bluets; books that wander from subject to subject rather aimlessly， and then try to pull something amazing together in the final few pages。 Except， when something resembling that finally appears i 2。5， rounded up。At a mere 191 pages， and every paragraph separated out from its neighbors by white space， this is really more of a novella - except it isn't really even that， since there is not much of a plot to speak of - it reminded me of such auto-fictional pensées in novelistic format as Drifts and Bluets; books that wander from subject to subject rather aimlessly， and then try to pull something amazing together in the final few pages。 Except， when something resembling that finally appears in the final chapter， its nothing more than the not totally unexpected bugaboo of incestuous molestation and concomitant time spent on a psych ward。 Plus - wayyyyy too much menstrual blood for my tastes。 https://www。nytimes。com/2022/02/06/bo。。。 。。。more
Gail
，
Sarah Manguso used an interesting format to paint a picture of what it is like for a lower middle class girl with no historic pedigree to grow up in a town which is home to wealthy descendants of founding fathers and powerful people。 As expected， there are secrets and unhappiness to be found behind the doors of centuries old houses。
Kathy
，
4。5 stars
Julie
，
Very Cold People by Sarah Manguso is a 2022 Hogarth publication。 Ruthie relates back to us the story of her childhood， which takes place during the 1980s。 Ruthie lives in what might have been considered an ideal New England town， of Waitsfield， Massachusetts。 The place was the home of elite Lowell and Cabot families and is very class conscious。 The cold climate is not unique to the outdoors- the town is as bitterly cold on the inside as it is on the outside， harboring sickening secrets that blee Very Cold People by Sarah Manguso is a 2022 Hogarth publication。 Ruthie relates back to us the story of her childhood， which takes place during the 1980s。 Ruthie lives in what might have been considered an ideal New England town， of Waitsfield， Massachusetts。 The place was the home of elite Lowell and Cabot families and is very class conscious。 The cold climate is not unique to the outdoors- the town is as bitterly cold on the inside as it is on the outside， harboring sickening secrets that bleed over from the elite into the more depressed areas of the town。 Ruthie’s family is poor， and certainly does not fit into the community- as her mother is Jewish and her father is Italian。 While they struggle financially， Ruthie’s also suffers emotionally， as her mother is not only distant， but is the opposite of warm and supportive。 Ruthie also struggles in school and with friendships， which extends beyond and below her own class。 As she grows into her teenage years， she begins to see truths about her own mother， her friends， and the town in which she has been trapped。 Though her awakening is slow， it is profound， and comes just in time of allow Ruthie to save herself from a similar fate。 This short novel does not follow the normal format or formula and requires a little extra focus。 I liked the presentation， though， and found it to be quite effective。 Although I was all tucked in， warm and cozy， this book gave me a shiver I couldn’t shake。 The horrifying secrets， the emotional abuses， and the lack of any sort of comfort from the chill can feel quite uncomfortable。 Ruthie is a very sympathetic character， and my heart went out to her many times。 Her ultimate triumph， though， takes the edge off the frosty atmosphere as the story closes。 A palpable relief settled in around me， knowing the chain had been broken， at least for Ruthie， who not only survives， but also finds understanding and peace- a peace she has passed on to future generations。 Overall， this ‘memoir-like’ novel- which sort of reads like a journal， or diary or essay’s- is short， and spare- but packs a big emotional punch！ Well done！ 4。5 stars 。。。more
Veronica
，
I've really enjoyed her other work so was looking forward to this book。 It's very unique， less of a contained narrative and more a long series of vignettes about the main character's life growing up outside of Boston in the 80s & 90s。 It's compelling; I finished it one sitting。 Recommend。 I've really enjoyed her other work so was looking forward to this book。 It's very unique， less of a contained narrative and more a long series of vignettes about the main character's life growing up outside of Boston in the 80s & 90s。 It's compelling; I finished it one sitting。 Recommend。 。。。more
Upasna Barath
，
Very Sad People
Heather
，
Terribly sad， haunting and hopeless。
Shannon Yarbrough
，
Not my favorite by this author。 Such a disappointment for her first novel too。 I loved 300 Arguments: Essays which was a collection of personal aphorisms。 This book is laid out in pretty much the same way。 There are even double spaces between paragraphs and the story is bare bones。 It's basically just about a girl growing up in a small town with frugal parents。 She goes to school。 She makes friends。 It reads a lot like her diary。 Overall， it's a really cold narrative with characters I just could Not my favorite by this author。 Such a disappointment for her first novel too。 I loved 300 Arguments: Essays which was a collection of personal aphorisms。 This book is laid out in pretty much the same way。 There are even double spaces between paragraphs and the story is bare bones。 It's basically just about a girl growing up in a small town with frugal parents。 She goes to school。 She makes friends。 It reads a lot like her diary。 Overall， it's a really cold narrative with characters I just couldn't warm up to。 I'm glad it was less than 200 pages！ 。。。more
Beth
，
I really wanted to love this book， but I didn’t。
Karen Richards
，
This is a beautifully written novel。 Much of the beauty lies in the simplicity and precision of Sarah Manguso's prose。 Yet this simplicity uncovers the many layers of complexity of the main character， Ruth， as well as that of many of her peers。 There are no long， drawn-out descriptions of people or events nor is the language flowery。 With simple prose （at times just a few sentences） she beautifully elicits images of a cold and snowy Massachusetts winter。 She awakens our memories of shopping for This is a beautifully written novel。 Much of the beauty lies in the simplicity and precision of Sarah Manguso's prose。 Yet this simplicity uncovers the many layers of complexity of the main character， Ruth， as well as that of many of her peers。 There are no long， drawn-out descriptions of people or events nor is the language flowery。 With simple prose （at times just a few sentences） she beautifully elicits images of a cold and snowy Massachusetts winter。 She awakens our memories of shopping for the new school year; the corduroy outfits， the new notebooks。 Can't we all remember those moments？ And beyond those images， Manguso delivers a poignant message about class differences， the pseudo-caring that many adults offer， even to their own children， the hypocrisy between the messages adults deliver and the lives they actually live， and what it means to feel unloved throughout childhood and adolescence。 Though not a voluminous novel， "Very Cold People" speaks volumes to the difficulties of growing up while feeling invisible among those who should care the most。 Sarah Manguso evokes so much empathy for Ruthie and her friends， and good fiction should do just that。。。evoke empathy。 This one is worth a second read。 I look forward to Sarah Manguso's next novel。 。。。more
Nancy
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This novel reads more like CNF/memoir than fiction。 The chapters read like individual essays。 The voice is coldly observant of minute detail， detached from an emotional life， and maybe that’s the point。 But what starts as a careful look at New England “coldness” and white privilege takes a sharp turn about midway through。 Character after character suffers from sexual abuse， one friend after another， then a cousin， then another cousin， then the narrator’s mother。 The narrator is committed to an i This novel reads more like CNF/memoir than fiction。 The chapters read like individual essays。 The voice is coldly observant of minute detail， detached from an emotional life， and maybe that’s the point。 But what starts as a careful look at New England “coldness” and white privilege takes a sharp turn about midway through。 Character after character suffers from sexual abuse， one friend after another， then a cousin， then another cousin， then the narrator’s mother。 The narrator is committed to an institution for unclear reasons， sedated， restrained， molested， all while calmly observing the whole thing。 It’s an unsettling read， a case study， an object lesson， but not really a novel。 。。。more
Terri Keaney
，
Strange book
larry franke
，
FantasticI love the way this is written in chunks without one word extra。 As dark as it is there's a beauty to it， and as much as I hoped Ruthie's sorrow would end I didn't want the book to end。 Thank you for a beautiful， sad， moving story。 FantasticI love the way this is written in chunks without one word extra。 As dark as it is there's a beauty to it， and as much as I hoped Ruthie's sorrow would end I didn't want the book to end。 Thank you for a beautiful， sad， moving story。 。。。more
Denise
，
Bleak， dark and beautifully written。
CJ
，
Writing style similar to Jenny Offill but darker subject matter。
Pam Poddany
，
WHAT A BOOK！！！ HIGHLY RECOMMEND！！！！It is the 1980's and our young narrator， Ruthie， shares her story about her life， her friends， her parents。。。。her every day life。 Ruthie is more or less invisible to her parents and if they aren't ignoring her， they are putting her down to a point where she pretty much feels worthless all of the time。 She has other family and friends， but they too have their share of problems。 Ruthie gives us a peek into her life。。。。WOW。The prose in this book is simply deliciou WHAT A BOOK！！！ HIGHLY RECOMMEND！！！！It is the 1980's and our young narrator， Ruthie， shares her story about her life， her friends， her parents。。。。her every day life。 Ruthie is more or less invisible to her parents and if they aren't ignoring her， they are putting her down to a point where she pretty much feels worthless all of the time。 She has other family and friends， but they too have their share of problems。 Ruthie gives us a peek into her life。。。。WOW。The prose in this book is simply delicious。 The format was different and unusual。。。stark and short paragraphs。 Reading this book is kind of like finding your sibling's unlocked diary and sneaking into a closet to read it with delight！This book is not to be missed。 This is author Sarah Manguso's first novel although she has non-fiction books out there。 The woman can certainly write。 I was instantly swept into Ruthie's world and didn't really want to leave。 。。。more
Alison Fleming
，
I cannot in good faith give a book that uses child sexual abuse so passively as plot progression anything more than one star。
Elinor
，
Beautifully written， stunning novel about the emotional restraint， violence， and hate found in everyday New England。 Manguso's got it down。 I know all these characters。 This will stay with me a long time。 Beautifully written， stunning novel about the emotional restraint， violence， and hate found in everyday New England。 Manguso's got it down。 I know all these characters。 This will stay with me a long time。 。。。more
Anne Caverhill
，
I found this book to be cold。 Reading it was cold。 I even felt cold。 The cold characters were mean with the exception of the author。 In fact her childlike neediness gave the story warmth but was so painful to read that well， I was glad when the book ended。 So， cold aside， the sparseness with which this author writes adds to the way the emotional scarcity of her life is being described。 And there is a distinguishable tidiness to her style。 Not pleasant but moving。This book has to be recommended。 I found this book to be cold。 Reading it was cold。 I even felt cold。 The cold characters were mean with the exception of the author。 In fact her childlike neediness gave the story warmth but was so painful to read that well， I was glad when the book ended。 So， cold aside， the sparseness with which this author writes adds to the way the emotional scarcity of her life is being described。 And there is a distinguishable tidiness to her style。 Not pleasant but moving。This book has to be recommended。 I’m not sure you will enjoy it but！ You will have grave respect for it and for the young girl who survived to write about it。 。。。more
Nush
，
This story broke my heart and crushed my soul。 Very， very cold people。 Complicated， raw and honest。 Probably not a book to everybody's taste but worth the effort。I normally find stories told with short vignettes too disjointed to follow， but this book was well crafted and written and the vignette style worked well， almost as if they were flashes of memory。 This story broke my heart and crushed my soul。 Very， very cold people。 Complicated， raw and honest。 Probably not a book to everybody's taste but worth the effort。I normally find stories told with short vignettes too disjointed to follow， but this book was well crafted and written and the vignette style worked well， almost as if they were flashes of memory。 。。。more
Michelle （FabBookReviews）
，
Vignette-like in its presentation， this is a relentlessly bleak， sinister story， told in a matter-of-fact first person narrative。 At times， simply hard to read- in terms of subject matter- but Manguso’s writing throughout is so clear， spare， and precise。 （CW for multiple topics; tread carefully）。
Lynn Kilb
，
Bleak。 The writer's perceptions were acute and rendered vividly， especially when describing what was absent from her life。 Rare were moments of joy and when they occurred， they were immediately squelched by self doubt， cutting words from classmates， or， worst of all， parental ignorance。 I found the incessant negativity difficult to consume and though I do not consider myself a "very cold person，" at times I thought the author was dredging up insults to add to her injury。 How much more potent thi Bleak。 The writer's perceptions were acute and rendered vividly， especially when describing what was absent from her life。 Rare were moments of joy and when they occurred， they were immediately squelched by self doubt， cutting words from classmates， or， worst of all， parental ignorance。 I found the incessant negativity difficult to consume and though I do not consider myself a "very cold person，" at times I thought the author was dredging up insults to add to her injury。 How much more potent this story would have been with a few chosen moments of joy or a well-placed episode of comic relief。 。。。more
Jan
，
My two stars is mostly because I was expecting a novel and got what read like a boring autobiography。 It was depressing and had no real story- just an endless recitation of a young girls very seedy childhood， adolescence， and brief adulthood。 The story ends abruptly- not with a bang but a whimper。
Aria Harlow
，
This coming of ages story was a very emotive read and contains lots of hardhitting issues such as bullying， abuse， wuestionable， at best， parenting and so forth。 I was gripped and compelled to read further as I wanted to see what happened throughout the book。 It was well written with well developed if yet detestable charcaters at times and an interesting yet brutal storyline。 This book wont be for everyone but I found it enjoyable。
Shirl Kennedy
，
Well， that was certainly grim。
Erin Ching
，
Very well written and felt very much like a real person's perspective。 It's a difficult （for the natrator， her friends， and her family） coming of age story。 Very well written and felt very much like a real person's perspective。 It's a difficult （for the natrator， her friends， and her family） coming of age story。 。。。more
roxi
，
“snowfalls have unique bouquets。 snow isn’t just frozen water; it carries a remnant of the sky。 a blue hailstone tastes different from a white one because they’ve taken on air at different altitudes。”
Lori Lamb
，
I read in one sitting。 Difficult to read due to content which probably explains why I powered through it。 Very thought provoking。 I can't stop thinking about this in terms of generational and communal trauma。 Powerful。 I read in one sitting。 Difficult to read due to content which probably explains why I powered through it。 Very thought provoking。 I can't stop thinking about this in terms of generational and communal trauma。 Powerful。 。。。more
Tori
，
Really liked the style of writing， but it became too mundane and repetitive towards the end。
Bettys Book Club
，
I was hoping for a good character dunk in Very Cold People， but what I was treated to was an icy portrayal of tween/teen life。 I’m never lost for words， but I really can’t tell you what this book is about。 It’s like if the author wrote a book in a series of tweets。 I never felt like I was in the narrative。 I was constantly dropped little morsels of observations and feelings by the MC Ruthie i。e。 my smalltown town sucks， my mom’s a bitch， my friends are fucked up。 Where’s the new take？ I don’t th I was hoping for a good character dunk in Very Cold People， but what I was treated to was an icy portrayal of tween/teen life。 I’m never lost for words， but I really can’t tell you what this book is about。 It’s like if the author wrote a book in a series of tweets。 I never felt like I was in the narrative。 I was constantly dropped little morsels of observations and feelings by the MC Ruthie i。e。 my smalltown town sucks， my mom’s a bitch， my friends are fucked up。 Where’s the new take？ I don’t think I’ve ever been disconnected from a book like this。After I finished it I just sat there thinking what the actual fuck。 Walking around Toronto in -20 degree weather left my limbs with more feeling。The only positive note is that it’s only 208 pages so there’s that … 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Very Cold People
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Very Cold People&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Very Cold People&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0