I had not read "The Stone Dairies" in at least twenty years. So, when a friend offered me her used copy on a visit, I took it, deciding it was time I reread it.
Am I glad I did. The book holds up even better on a second reading, and the use of stones, stone cutting, and all things related thereof as metaphors, is brilliant.
Carol Goodwill Flett and her family are folks you must get to know. This family saga, covering the early Twentieth Century, up through the Nineties, is filled with memorable characters, tragic incidents, fortuitous circumstances, and all the mysteries of life. And each chapter reflects a different stage of life. And there are more than Shakespeare's seven, according to Miss Shields.
"The Stone Diaries," which won the Pulitzer Prize For Fiction in 1995, reads like a lyrical memoir. With mysterious accompanying photos, I am not sure if this is thinly disguised autobiography, or brilliant craftsmanship.
If you have not read Shields novel, I urge you to. If you have, a second reading is a MUST.
Though Carol Shields wrote many works, this is still what she is best known for.
With her quality of writing, that absolutely amazes me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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