Stones for Ibarra

Rating:
Summary: wonderfully written
Review: A wonderfully written story of reconciling and coming to terms with love, hope, faith and fate as seen through the eyes of two cultures.

Rating:
Summary: A one dimensional story
Review: All the characters in this book are very one dimensional. You "see" what they do and "see" where they live, but you don't get much below their surfaces. The American couple is stereotypically unable, and unwilling, to assimilate with the "foreign" culture around them and the animosity between the cultures, in my opinion, never gets resolved. The wife's character develops as close-minded and neurotic instead of sympathetic. I felt the book was a visual essay that put me in the location, but wouldn't let me talk to anyone! I finished the book wishing I knew more about the lives and motivations of everyone in Ibarra.

Rating:
Summary: Lost Yuppies in the Desert
Review: Doerr's truncated prose is a real joy, and she's obviously talented. I guess I was let down overall because we never become too intimate with the Evertons beyond the surface, or grasp a sense of motivation as to why they move down to reopen the mine in the first place (is it nostalgia? an attempt to detract from Richard's illness?). I guess I was inclined to believe that _Stones_ was about searching for the meaning of life (mining/ ore/raw stone being the book's primary motif) judging by the opening chapters, but the story seemed more about cultural conflict along spiritual, social and economic lines, and by the fourth chapter, I wasn't sure who the book's central character was anymore, or if there was one. As a result, the Evertons come off as passive archetypes, and like us, remote observers of Ibarra's indigenous population. I enjoyed several chapters in the central section of the book (particularly the chapter about the thorn and the lamp, and the other one about fetching the doctor in the middle of the night), but I can't say I felt too involved in reading the story. Maybe this was the author's objective.

Rating:
Summary: One Of The Greatest, and Most Underrated Books of Our Time
Review: How could a person NOT love this book? By the novel's end we can almost feel, smell, and taste the isolated town of Ibarra. Intelligent and beautifully written, Doerr's tale is at times hysterical, enigmatic, poignant, heartbreaking, and beautiful. To read this story is a captivating experience, and when Sara Everton takes the final look at her empty home, one cannot help but join in her tearful plea: "Bring, stones!"

Rating:
Summary: Read it Again in 15 Years
Review: I bought this book when I was in my mid-30s, but it took until my late 40s to understand and appreciate it. Now I can only hang my head ask myself, "Was I really that stupid?"

Rating:
Summary: Read it Again in 15 Years
Review: I bought this book when I was in my mid-30s, but it took until my late 40s to understand and appreciate it. Now I can only hang my head ask myself, "Was I really that stupid?"

Rating:
Summary: Read it Again in 15 Years
Review: I bought this book when I was in my mid-30s, but it took until my late 40s to understand and appreciate it. Now I can only hang my head ask myself, "Was I really that stupid?"

Rating:
Summary: No Stones Thrown
Review: I came online to order this book for the book club I'm in in Grand Coulee, Washington (Quite a Motley Crew living along the Columbia River). I read Stones for Ibarra a year ago. It simply was one of those books that I couldn't put down. I have reflected on content in this book several times since that read. Thank goodness Harriet Doerr weaves her tale in a reasonable number of pages without submitting to the temptation to overtell or persuade. I wasn't bored and distracted like usual with many contemporary novels. This book is written beautifully. What I didn't understand intrigues me more about this book than what I did think I understood. This book merits discussion with the gals and guys of all races and creeds that read.

Rating:
Summary: No Stones Thrown
Review: I came online to order this book for the book club I'm in in Grand Coulee, Washington (Quite a Motley Crew living along the Columbia River). I read Stones for Ibarra a year ago. It simply was one of those books that I couldn't put down. I have reflected on content in this book several times since that read. Thank goodness Harriet Doerr weaves her tale in a reasonable number of pages without submitting to the temptation to overtell or persuade. I wasn't bored and distracted like usual with many contemporary novels. This book is written beautifully. What I didn't understand intrigues me more about this book than what I did think I understood. This book merits discussion with the gals and guys of all races and creeds that read.

Rating:
Summary: Deeply moving, expressive, and gorgeous
Review: I first read this book many years ago, but have read and reread it many times since. This story is one of those rare masterpieces that only grows in beauty with each reading. To this day I never fail to tear up just thinking about the story's heartbreaking end. I feel dreadfully sorry for those of you who could not enjoy this extremely rich and exquisite work of fiction. In my mind, this is one of the greatest American novels of the late twentieth century.