Rating: 
Summary: Quick but not Light Read
Review: Many Stones by Carolyn Coman is a story about a teenage girl, Berry, who travels to South Africa with her estranged father to attend a memorial for her brutally slain sister. Just describing the plot makes for a long sentence yet somehow the book comes in at a slim 158 pages. This is my main criticism of the novel. It's hard to get into such a deep story about family tragedy so quickly. The reader kind of jumps right into the troubled lives of Berry and her family with little back story until a few chapters in. Short as it may be, the book stll has several touching moments and may very well be a welcome change for someone looking for a quick read but is tired of the fluff that usually entails.
Rating: 
Summary: Deft Writing and Characterizations
Review: Many Stones by Carolyn Coman is another outstanding addition to the field of young adult literature. It certainly deserved every award and every bit of praise that it received. It is rare to find a novel of any genre with as much insight into a human's life. The novel is of Berry, a "normal" American teenager, who has a number of problems. The main two are that she hasn't yet been able to cope with the death of her sister, Laura (who was murdered in South Africa), and she has a terrible relationship with her father who left her family years before. The novel is told by Berry as she and her father undergo a trip to South Africa for the unveiling of a memorial to Laura's memory. Along the way, Coman explores Berry. She reveals the way Berry has reacted to the murder of her sister. She also gives insight into the relationship between Berry and her father, especially in the light of their shared loss. coman also uses the setting of South Africa to great effect. She portays the parallels of the country trying to forgive and reconsile after decades of apartheid with the way Berry feels about the murder and about the attackers. Coman definitely gives the reader a lot to think about and to chew on. She really knows the teenage mind well, and she is one of the very few with enough talent to translate that knowledge into story. Many Stones is another magnificant young adult novel my Coman and another by British and American novelists.
Rating:
Summary: A book about forgiveness
Review: Many Stones is a multi-layered tale about forgiveness, a process that needs to occur at both the political and personal levels in this incredibly well-told book. Berry is angry, most especially at her father, who has moved 3000 miles away from his family. Now the two of them are on their way to South Africa, ostensibly to participate in a memorial service for Berry's sister, Laura, who went to South Africa to do charity work but who wound up the victim of random violence. When she was alive, Laura was the "favorite" daughter, the daughter that Berry always felt second fiddle to whenever she was in the company of her father and Laura. Berry's father wants to use the trip as an opportunity for him and Berry to make amends, to forgive one another for the wounds they've each inflicted. But, Berry is resistant to doing so. She's just too angry. But, as any student of current events knows, South Africa provides a tremendous example of the power of forgiveness. Berry is over there during the meetings of the Truth Commission, and speaks to a number of people who explain to her that knowing the truth is more valuable than punishing wrong-doers. Thus, the families of victims have chosen to trade forgiveness for knowledge, not revenge. Berry's father obviously hopes his daughter will be so moved to provide the same to him, but as you can imagine, a teenaged girl, who is in pain from a variety of hurts, is not going to be easy to convince. The language of this book is sparse and beautiful. I'm pleased that it was nominated for a National Book Award--deservedly so for taking on such a complex topic and handling it so brilliantly. One last note: There is not a lot of fiction out there that deals with the relationships between fathers and daughters. This is an especially good look at the complexities of those bonds.
Rating:
Summary: A some-what interesting book
Review: The novel Many stones deserves a three star award. I
believe this because the book isn't stupendous, however it isn't
terrible. The novel is about Berry, a self-absorbed teenager,
who has to deal with the death of her older sisters Laura, and
her parents divorce. Her sister dies a disturbing death. While teaching children in South Africa, two men smash her head into pieces with a bat. To deal with this, she places stones on her chest as a relief method. There was a memorial service and a reception in honor of Laura but, Her father, 'The Perfectionist", wants to have another memorial service, which will be held in Africa, at the school in which laura taught. (Berry doesn't like her father because he picked favorites with his daughters, and who do you think he picked? Laura, of course.)To precede with the service they need they need money and what better way, so berrys father thinks than to have a swimathon at berrys school. They raise enough money to continue with the idea. Berrys father invites her to come along to the service and she excepts(even though she doesn't what to.) On their trip, they have many arguments, and they even meet a "real live racist" as berry calls her. But, I'm not going to give it away, you're going to have to read it yourself! I suggest this book for people 13 and older. But if you don't like books that have tragety and comedy mixed don't get this book!
Rating:
Summary: Many Stones
Review: The story is narrated by a high school-age girl, named Berry Morgan. The reader gets to know Berry on a very intense and intimate level as she reveals her emotional pain from her parents divorce, and from the subsequent murder of her older sister, Laura, who had been working at a church-run school for very poor children in Soweto, South Africa. Most of the story takes place on a trip Berry and her father make to South Africa to attend a commemorative service to be held there for Laura a year and a half after her killing. The father is a hard-driving Washington lobbyist who had coached his daughters toward being high achievers in school, sports, and careers, but who had placed their emotional needs second to his own. The story interweaves two themes: the passage of Berry from her emotional pain of loss toward acceptance and future growth, and the parallel passage of South African people who are willing to forgive the injustices and horrors of their apartheid era so that they can get on with building a new life of hope. Berry has to learn from some of the people she encounters that one cannot accept being mired down in past tragedies if one is to grow. The story is so intensely Berry's interior life, and she is so bitter at the beginning, that it might have been too much of a closeup if the writing wasn't so good. Coman's writing unerringly maintains the emotion of Berry's feelings and dialogue with her father throughout the story. There are memorable lines, and the tension of wondering whether Berry will work it all out is unwavering. She strikes out verbally at her father every chance she gets, so that at times we hate her for it, but then she reveals her vulnerability and we forgive her and hope she's at least making progress on her journey of healing. Back-story is revealed only as necessary as we move along in the plot, and this makes the reading very fluid. The ending has a feeling of completeness and hope, and is well-earned.
Rating: 
Summary: AMAZING
Review: This book is incredible because it is so well written and has a lot of great topics that it explores. What I love about it is that the ending doesn't try to fix it all up and make a wonderfully happy ending, it does what it would do in real life. Things don't get fixed up right away, healing takes time, and the ending, not to give it away, but you leave satisfied. Overall, the book was written very well, and is a great representation of the post-apartheid era in South Africa. Well worth the read. Another bonus is that the book is purse size!
Rating:
Summary: AMAZING
Review: This book is incredible because it is so well written and has a lot of great topics that it explores. What I love about it is that the ending doesn't try to fix it all up and make a wonderfully happy ending, it does what it would do in real life. Things don't get fixed up right away, healing takes time, and the ending, not to give it away, but you leave satisfied. Overall, the book was written very well, and is a great representation of the post-apartheid era in South Africa. Well worth the read. Another bonus is that the book is purse size!
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