Frozen Teardrop: The Tragedy and Triumph of Figure Skating's "Queen of Spin" Paperback – November 15, 2011

I feel a little mean as I write this, for Ruh's story is one of hope and she sounds as though she is a lovely human being. I enjoyed parts of the book, but found it repetitive in places and dragged a bit. As I got further into the book, the often repeated line of , "But we did not know this then" or some variation began to grate on me. So did the constant excuses for her mother's behavior to the point of absurdity. A mother who beats her child to get her to perform, who does not take her child out of a sport that is obviously killing her or could leave her crippled for life is NOT the perfect, most loving, wonderful mother anyone could ask for. I have no doubt of the love Ruh has for her mother or rhat her mother loved her, but this denial of the obvious bothered me. It took away from the rest of the story which really is a great story of triumph over great pain and suffering. I actually found the mother's chapter at the end to be more genuine, as I do believe she was sorrowful and regretted her behavior.All in all, it was an okay book that sort of kept my interest for I am interested in skating and the world of skating. But it was an odd book and left me with more questions than answers. It sounds as though Ruh is doing well now and good for her. She has paid her dues and then some.

I am very puzzled by the reviews of this book here. While she did lead a horrendous life offstage, and is honest about it, this book is full of moralising. It seems to be all about repressing any hint of anger, at all costs. It is full of denial.I don't understand how she can consider her mother so perfect and wonderful and free of all blame, when she was abusing her child emotionally and physically, and denying her illness to the extent that it was impossible for her to heal, for many years.Does she really believe that everything was all her own fault, though she had started in figure skating at the age of four, and was rigidly controlled ever since?I'm not saying that she shouldn't forgive, it's good that she did, but she seems to have taken all the blame on herself, and refuses to acknowledge any anger or negative emotions toward her abusive and controlling mother at any time.Not only that, but she keeps telling the reader how to feel, or rather how not to feel. Telling us from the very start that we're not to feel any anger at any time towards anyone.Expressing anger (without trying to hurt anyone) can be a good thing. You can become very depressed from repressed anger.I'm not saying you shouldn't read this if you're interested in the inner world of figure skating. It gave me some interesting insights, and yes, it did make me angry, and I own that anger.I'm glad she finally got well, and I hope she can stay well.

It is Lucinda herself that offers complete self-disclosure early on in this incredible and complex memoir. If you are seeking another fluffy light autobiography from a skating luminary who tells you which jump they did here, or what competition they medaled at there, this is not it. Lucinda Ruh is a fully dimensional human being that is not afraid of self-analysis or of asking questions of the universe. Frankly, I was blown away by her candor and her willingness to look inward. Her journey was not without a purpose, no matter how joyous and painful it concurrently seemed to be. Don't worry skating fans, there is enough "in" narrative that you will be satisfied with getting your fix from the sport of figure skating. But you will also be given the gift of an intelligent woman who goes far beyond the introspection of any skater I've ever seen, heard, or read about. Lucinda is a citizen of the world who is willing to accept all the pain and lessons that life can possibly offer. As a writer, she is so deft and effortless. Her words travel so beautifully across the page it's almost like watching her on the ice. But it isn't always pretty - and she makes no apology for opening her gut as much as her heart in telling the truth about her career. And there are many lessons in this book that go far beyond the world of figure skating. Pay attention as she shares them, and perhaps we'll all be a little bit better off. Frankly, she's brilliant.

I can't say this book is very well written, but I still enjoyed it. It does start talking about things that didn't happen yet as others have said ("we didn't know that yet"). I thought it was interesting - all her travels - and at the same time horrifying - her mother's abuse, her coaches, nationals, training conditions, her illnesses and injuries. I don't like the way she continually says she had the best parents in the world. I understand why her father was absent, but her mother beat her well into her 20's. That woman should have been in prison for child abuse and neglect. She also implies towards the end that her father knew about the abuse. I kept wanting to read on to find out what happened next and hope that things improved for her. Hope she's doing well now.

This is a beautifully written memoir by one of my favorite skaters. It's full of thoughtful insight and wisdom about growing up in the world of competitive skating and all the dangers and privileges associated with it. Ruh has clearly learned from her struggles and has a lot of wisdom to impart, but I find myself agreeing with another reviewer that she also seems to cling to the illusion that to forgive means to forgo anger. She describes the pain and betrayal she feels from the many people who wronged her (including her mother), but never really gives herself permission to vent her anger. Although she has clearly taken the time to reflect on her experiences and learn from them, I have to wonder if she's still somewhat in denial.That being said, this book is a must-read for serious skating fans and especially for fans of Ruh. There's much more here than just a description of a competitive career. I would also highly recommend this to all young female athletes, not just as a cautionary tale, but as a lesson to listen to your body and yourself first.

A very interesting read and very useful for any figure skating parent. Easy to read, it gives an insight into the figure skating world. I will definitely recommend it.