The Stone Angel

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Summary: I found this to be a totally engrossing, believable tale
Review: As you can probably tell by some of the other reviews, this book will NOT be for everyone. If you're looking for a quick escape, lots of action or a strong romance, this is not the book you want. However, if you enjoy books that aren't your usual fare and are strong on psychological tension, this is an excellent choice. I absolutely loved this story of an elderly woman, a rather judgmental, cantankerous person. I like novels that show how a person grows and changes and I find slow change to be most believable and true to life, as it is in this book. Many readers may have found Hagar Shipley's life to be rather mundane, even dull. But I didn't - her marriage to a man she eventually saw as inferior and coarse, her relationship with her children, her desire to make a proper home and better herself - were all quite realistic to me. As she becomes increasingly frail and dependent on her son and daughter-in-law, she also comes to see her life in a different way. I won't reveal more but I do urge you to read this one and stick with it. Odds are, you'll want to read more by the gifted author, Margaret Laurence.

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Summary: Margaret Laurence
Review: I had not known of Margaret Laurence until I found this book in 500 Great Books By Women. Laurence's prose is wondrous. In The Stone Angel, through her description of the main character's thought process, Margaret Laurence captures the last weeks of an elderly woman's life in a way that speaks to all women. The Stone Angel compelled me to read as much of Margaret Laurence's work as I have been able to find. Another book of hers that I love and recommend is The Diviners.
Kathleen Atkinson

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Summary: a "novel" chronicle of geronition
Review: I read "The Stone Angel" back in high school as required reading for my senior year English class, so naturally I despised it. A Canadian novel about old age had nothing to do with me, a teenager in Tampa Bay; so apart from helping me earn an "A," I had no particularly good feelings toward the book. However, after revisiting it later as a student at the University of Florida, I had a change of opinion.

Margaret Laurence's independent voice and candid description of the physical and psychological battle of growing old deserve special attention. In Hagar Shipley, she has created a character worthy of contempt, pity, and eventually admiration. Though I wish she had done more with the book's other characters, Laurence's mastery of the protagonist and her ability to mold the reader's reactions to her stand out nonetheless. Before you reach ninety yourself, I recommend that you read this novel.

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Summary: The Beautiful Story of One Woman's Life
Review: The Stone Angel is a book that I felt compelled to read--it is one of the most prestigious titles in the CanLit canon. Unlike many of the "great works of literature" I've read lately, this one didn't disappoint.

The Stone Angel is the story of Hagar Shipley's life, told in her own voice. Hagar is a ninety year old woman living with her son and daughter-in-law. She is rampant with memory. Her struggles for independence are interspliced with vivid recollections of her past.

The narrative voice of The Stone Angel is astounding. Laurence is a master of the simile and provides the reader with beautiful descriptions on nearly every page. At the same time, the narration, from Hagar's lips, constantly provides insight into Hagar and the people that surround her. At times, Laurence is able to tell you more about characters by their grammar than many writers are able to tell you in entire novels. Laurence has a particularly keen sense of diction. Her dialogue reveals mountains of insight about generations gaps, economic divides, and the walls that pride builds.

Overall, this is technically one of the best books I've ever read, and one of the most pleasing.