I got my copy of Diamond Ruby by Joe Wallace on its release date, April 4th, and finally completed it last night.  I’m normally a slow reader, but with the distractions of Book Expo, nice weather, and a general desire for the book to never end, it took me longer than usual to complete.  Diamond Ruby is 480 pages and worth every one of them.  Joe Wallace paints a complete picture of what it might be like living in New York City in the 1920s.  The story comes to life and the characters are painted in such a way that you not only feel that they are real (many of which were), but that you are their friend or enemy.

The main character “Diamond” Ruby Thomas has an amazing gift to throw a baseball and the book follows her challenges from growing up without parents and having to raise her two nieces.  While baseball is a central theme in the book, an interest in the game is not required to love this story.  While I enjoy the occasional day at the ballpark, I would never consider myself a baseball fan.  Despite that, I was able to follow the descriptions of the game.

In the end, I give it a rating of 4.5 out of 5.  It kept my interest and while I may have gone a week or two without turning a page, it was still on my mind what would happen next.  I also believe that it captured the time period well.  I was not alive in the 1920s, but I am aware that mindset was very different, as were the living conditions.  While I am unsure if it was a perfect portrayal of the city at the time, the setting created was engrossing and completely believable.

Diamond Ruby by Joe Wallace is now available to rent in the BookSwim catalog.