Entry Title: Finding Baby Ruth

Author: Sara Hoffman

Judge Number: 69

Entry Category: Mainstream/Literary Fiction

 

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• Books are evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 meaning “needs improvement” and 5 meaning “outstanding”.

• The 1-5 scale is strictly to provide a point of reference; the scores are meant only to be a gauge, and are not a cumulative score, nor are they tallied or used in ranking. 

• A "0" is not a negative score. Our online review system only recognizes numerals during this portion of logging evaluations.As a result, we've substituted a “0” in place of “N/A” when the particular portion of the evaluation simply does not apply to the particular entry, based on the entry genre. For example, a book of poetry, a cookbook, or a travel guide would not necessarily have a “Plot and Story Appeal, and may therefore receive a “0” - indicating that the rating was not applicable.

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Structure, Organization, and Pacing: 5

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Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar: 5

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Production Quality and Cover Design: 4

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Plot and Story Appeal: 5

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Character Appeal and Development: 5

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Voice and Writing Style: 5

 

 

Judge’s Commentary*:

 

While I’m not in love with the title of Sara Hoffman’s FINDING BABY RUTH (which makes me think both of the baseball player and the candy bar), I think the book’s content is often extraordinary and based on a true story. What I think I like most about the book is the fact that it’s a historical novel that doesn’t feel at all forced or phony. All too often, historical fiction winds up being merely a recitation of all of the facts that the author uncovered in his/her research. Not the case here: Hoffman seamlessly weaves in details of the 1920s without calling undue attention to them, so the effect is that we feel immersed in the time and place without feeling beaten over the head. Along the same lines, Hoffman (a journalist, according to her bio on the back of the book) doesn’t overwhelm us with her research about the story itself; it never gets in the way of the plot and the characters. The characterizations are solid, the prose strong, and the book’s design and layout very elegant and simple. The cover is striking, if a little bit bland; still, I think it could be attractively faced out on bookstore shelves. I did not expect to enjoy the book as much as I did, and I’m happy to send it along to the second round of judging. An excellent job.