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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: 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: Blech
Review: I had to read this book in high school and this book is a sure way to turn off students from so-called literature. It's just page after page of agonizing self-analysis and reflection. The more I read, the less I cared, and the more I cheered for Hagar to end the flow of pretentious garbage by killing herself, thus putting both of us out of our misery.
Rating: 
Summary: boring
Review: I had to read this in high school and when i read the first few pages i couldn't go on. It was incredibly boring how it started off talking about the stone angel in the graveyard and i honestly couldn't care less but i had to read it for the term paper. other than hagar's occasionally amusing use of sarcasm and her bitterness towards the world, it was one of the hardest books i've had to read. her sometimes funny sarcasm, bitterness and negativity towards the people around her still cannot make up for the rest of the incredibly boring novel.
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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: A book that is sorely lacking...
Review: I read this book in one of my classes in Teacher's College and I really disliked it. There are few books that I dislike, but this one ranks highly on that short list. It was one of the few books where I felt absolutely no emotional connection to any of the characters. I did not care what happened to the characters in the book. The author fails to hook the reader. Frankly, I would never choose this novel for high school students to read because they need books that make them want to continue reading. I also feel that most high school students would find it difficult to relate to the characters. I found that the plot was slow and ... well... the book was just boring. Some of the prose in the novel, however, was very poetic so the novel might be useful for studying "found poetry" but I really do not think that it would be the best choice for high school students to read for a novel study. If you are looking for a novel full of excitement and emotion, this is not the book for you.
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Summary: Loved it!
Review: I was made to read this book in high school as well, having said that, I loved it. Still do. In fact it inspired me to read more of Laurence's work. I have read EVERY Margaret Laurence book I could get my hands on. I was inspired to read all of her books because of the brilliant character developement she showed in the creation of Hagar. I mean I have never had such strong feelings about a fictional character in my life... Sometimes I was filled with sadness and pity, sometimes I laughed out loud, and sometimes, I just wanted to shake some sense into her! (None of Laurence's other characters brought out so much emotion in me.) In my mind that is what makes a book worth reading. I've made other people read this book too. They have all enjoyed it. Perhaps if you are looking for something "fluffy" or light to read you would be disapointed and maybe it is hard for a teenager to enjoy a book about a 90 year old... but I loved it!
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Summary: Representing Us All
Review: In Margaret Laurence's novel, The Stone Angel, we are thrown into the life of Hagar. Seen through the eyes of a ninety year old women, we experience her old age along side her and see how her independence is continuously being stolen. As a reader you feel pity for her, while at the same time recognizing and accepting Hagar's faults.
As in all of Laurence's writings, the reader is introduced to a character that is ordinary in many ways. What I have learned from Laurence's writings is that even the most ordinary of us have a thrilling story to tell. Hagar's life is arguably Laurence's best novel and everyone should read The Stone Angel at least once.
Through her life, Hagar deals with pride and the loss of her independence in a way that is not always admirable; and as a result she gains both humanity and the readers respect. Through flashbacks from her life we see where Hagar has been and understand why she is the way she is. From a father with high expectations to a hasty marriage and lifestyle change, Hagar's life is considerably altered. She finds herself wondering how so much went wrong.
I believe everyone will be able to relate to this novel in some way. It is a novel that is enjoyable to read, but also one that becomes a part of you. Everyone should own a copy and keep it close at hand to remind us about life, holding on, and sometimes letting go.
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Summary: Excellent Book!
Review: The first time I read The Stone Angel was in high school as part of the reading curriculum. Despite my English teacher's best efforts to ruin the book for us, I managed to enjoy it. I was surprised that a book with adult content (mild) had survived the censor's cut, but I was pleased it did.
A year ago I decided to reread the book and found it was even better than I my memory served me. Now that I have some life experience under my belt, I discovered the book to be far more moving and poignant. Margaret Lawrence brings out a true to life character in Hagar, the book's protagonist. Hagar could be your mother, your aunt, or your grandmother.
This is a beautiful, touching, compelling, and powerful book. Hagar's struggle with her own painful life memories as she tries to protect her independence and maintain her pride is quite heartrending. I found myself glued to page after page in this story.
The Stone Angel is the first book of the five-volume Manawaka series. Each book in the series stands alone quite well and is enjoyable on its own. I don't believe Lawrence had intended a series when she first wrote The Stone Angel, however, the books were there to be written, and write them she did.
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