Thursday, March 19, 2009

The Gift of Stones by Jim Crace


First sentence:

"My father's right arm ended not in a hand but, at the elbow, in a bony swelling."

Description:

"Before the advent of bronze, a village of stoneworkers survive by the supremacy of their skills, unmoved by change in the world around them. But there is a storyteller among them who can deny their complacency. From the unknown he summons a woman whose deviant survival will threaten them all: and whose death will foretell the demise of their order -- the coming of metal and the end of stone. . ." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

This was a beautifully written book about storytelling, imagination, change and people's resistance to change. I liked the interaction between the narrator's father and the village members. I also liked how the narrator told the audience how sometimes telling stories can backfire when one wants to tell the truth.

Date read: 3/19/2009
Book #: 20
Challenges: Celebrate the Author Challenge 2009, Winter Reading Challenge 2008, 999 Challenge
Rating: 4*/5 = great
Genre: Fiction

ISBN-10: 0330306014
ISBN-13: 9780330306010
Publisher: Picador
Year: 1988
# of Pages: 170
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
LibraryThing Page

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