What do readers think of One Minus One by Ruth Doan MacDougall? Write your own review.

I read "The Cheerleader" by this same author years ago and always wondered if she had written anything else really enjoyable. I will continue to wonder.

It's also puzzling to me why Ms. Peart picked this as one in her new line of books that should be reprinted. Of course, I didn't like "The World According to Garp" either, so you might want to read this book and judge for yourself.

This is the first book that I've read by Ruth Doan MacDougall. I felt it should have been a short story rather than a book, although it is a very short novel. I really enjoyed her writing style; it was descriptive without being flowery. You could clearly picture the characters. I did not understand why the author included the diary of Emily's grandmother. I supposed it was to compare the marriages of "Ma," "Lucy" and "Emily." My first impression was on the negative side, but after giving it some thought, I decided it would make a good book club choice. The last part of the book and the ending would make for a very interesting discussion. I would like to read more by this author.

This book was sweet but uninspiring. It takes place in rural New Hampshire in the late 1960's yet it seemed like the 1950's. The 60's were a time of exploring and taking risks yet this book was no more captivating than references to avocado appliances and harvest gold carpet. Nancy Pearl, the creator of the Book Lust series, chose to include this book for its character development. I did not feel drawn in by the characters and unlike her, did not wonder in the least about their lives after the book ended.

I read Nancy Pearl's introduction, I read the book, I read the the reader's guide and all of the pages that followed, and I have to ask: What was the point of this book? Yes, it attempts to explore the contrast between decisions of the head vs decisions of the heart; the tug of war between moving on and moving backward; pining for old love and discovering new love. The story was flimsy at best, the characters didn't especially interest me, and the ending was abrupt. On the plus side, it was a very short book.

I was prepared to like this book, based on the previews of it. I, too, grew up in the same era as the main character, Emily and expected to be able to feel a sense of affinity for her and the time that the book represented. By the time I was half-way through the book, I began to feel bored with her. She seemed to be obsessed with her ex-husband, who had divorced her. She becomes a one- dimensional figure. Everything that happens to her revives her memories of David and what they once shared. There was really no plot; the book was mainly a character study of Emily and she was not an interesting person. I was disappointed that the book was not as exciting as I was led to expect.

In One Minus One, MacDougall takes us back to the 1960's in the U.S.A., a time when the world reeked of cigarette smoke. Women chose ladylike brands including "Salem." Men opted for the more "manly" unfiltered brands like "Pall Malls."
At lunch and dinner, men drank Martinis or Manhattans since alcohol was a business ritual. It was also considered, the best way to relax even at home.
Women, who stayed at home, drank, too. Some even drank to the "soaps" on TV. Women, who worked in business usually drank like men.
(Nuns, priests, teachers, and nurses were the exception and seldom used smoking and drinking.)
In this world, divorced women simply did not fit in. They were outcasts without an "Oprah" or Dr Phil.
These women were "one minus one" to many even themselves.
This book lures no readers with one notable exception, young women born after 1970. These women can read and learn how a woman's place in the world has changed for the better. They can learn how a woman's value escalated and appreciate an identity without a husband, partner or boss. No cigarettes or alcohol are not required. Today's woman is blessed.