Rating: 
Summary: Amazing Book
Review: This one knocked me off my feet. I was new to the work of Carold Shields and was SO pleasantly surprised by her charm and talent. This is a wonderful story that makes you realize that great fiction really does exsist. I recomend this one to all my friends who are looking for a deep, powerful and great story that has substance. It's a wonderful time and you'll be happy with your accomplishment. Happy Reading!
Rating:
Summary: couldn't-put-it-down book
Review: I just finished this book at noon today. It is my first Carol Shields book and I'll definitely read others. I was enthralled from the first to the last. I am stumped by other readers who found it boring or with under-developed characters. Never did I find it even close to that. I am 61 and my mother is 85 and in good health. As I neared the end, I began to see my mother in a different light. I think she probably has thoughts, as Daisy did, that possibly her life was very limited. To this day, she has never lived outside the town in California where she was born. I see her from a new perspective now; I'll be more patient with her repetitive comments,her obsessive interest in herself. I'm off to find another Shields book!
Rating:
Summary: A winner for me
Review: I just love Carol Shields, and this one did not disapppoint. It is a part of the world I know little of. I just loved the semi autobiographical tone, enhanced by the photos (even though I know it's fiction).The birth scene was wonderful, and reminded me of stories I imagine of my own ancestors in the Australian bush. Shields is a terrific writer, for those who like "good literature" but need an eclectic diet.
Rating: 
Summary: wonderful insights into the human condition
Review: I bought this book after browsing the first page.Its writing style immediately appealed to me.Her use of language carries you forward on a crest with frequent dips of shattering insight.I loved the book's depiction of an individual's whole life and the choices she makes.Its a searingly honest portrait of one womans life and for me most telling of all were the final chapters on old age when the character's lack of self development becomes crushingly clear to her.
Rating: 
Summary: Could Be Better
Review: This is a well-written novel with great imagery and intersting characters. However, the technique that Shields used to abolish characters was instant and unprofessional. All of the characters killed during the novel experienced their demise instantly as if Shields was desperate to discontinue them in the story line.
Rating:
Summary: Defining a life lived...
Review: How can one define a life lived? If we had a chance to have our life story written, and then told through the eyes of those who were closest to us, what would they say about us, and more interestingly, how accurate would they be in truly understanding the inner nuances that make each of us tick? In "The Stone Diaries," Carol Shields attempts to chronicle the life of Daisy Goodwill. It is a life first told through the eyes of Daisy, and then through the eyes of those who presumably knew her best: her friends, children and relatives. What is extraordinary about this book, is that one can look at a life lived in so many ways. Was Daisy Goodwill's life uneventful, lacking the excitement and freedom of her more worldly friends? Or was it a full, rich life? Only the reader can make this determination. But what is fascinating about "The Stone Diaries" is how the determination of the value of Daisy's life is so different, depending on the perspective that is taken. How much do we really know those people who we love the most? How well do we really know each other? I found this book to be a fascinating read, particularly for women who are living their life in full; however unfascinating and uneventful that may seem.
Rating:
Summary: Superb Writing
Review: I so loved this book that I am reading it for, I think, the third time! Carol Shields has an unbelievable style of writing, which is gripping and smooth and easy to read, but intellectually stimulating and thought provoking. Most lives don't have amazing things happen in them, but wouldn't it be terribly sad if our lives weren't interesting in the ordinary, everyday things that happen to us? Daisy is an example of how an ordinary life can be extraordinary in its simpleness, and I can't wait to read the rest of Carol Shield's books.
Rating: 
Summary: BORING!
Review: What on earth were the Pulitzer prize folks thinking? There surely were better books written in 1995! Our book club had a tough time getting through this one - in fact some did not finish it. This is an incredibly mundane book about a bunch of dull, humdrum nobodys! I get the "honor" of writing our book review each month and usually have no difficulty finding the right words to describe the experience. However, I find I am too much of a lady to say those words for this book experience on a public website! THE END!
Rating:
Summary: Really good, fascinating sctructure
Review: This book was so well written. I thought the method of organizing it around important events in Daisy's life was ingenious. I never found it to be boring.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect combination of art and readability; highly enjoyable
Review: This book is one of the few that I have read that manages to combine the art of writing a great piece of literature while still producing a book that is both exciting and enjoyable to read. From an academic standpoint the book is fascinating in that it is rich in technique and layers of meaning, but more importantly from a bookworm's point of view it's a book that you want to run home and read at the end of the day. Definatlely worth your while.
| 
