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Summary: Surprising First Novel
Review: I picked up this book on impulse, because I like the title and cover shot, and never could put it down after that. This a true gift of a book to anyone who has experienced the decline in health and hospital stay of someone close, particulary an aged parent. It puts their life in perspective and teaches a beautiful lesson. The style Sarah Stonich employees (going back and forth between memories and present moment) held my attention fully. It's a beautiful story about different types of love and how different moments in life are interpreted from a perspective unique to the age of the viewer, and how that perspective changes. It's a very spiritual book. Great summer reading!
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Summary: these granite islands
Review: I wondered when a really great novel would surface this summer. This book makes me believe that publishers still care about quality of writing. This is a marvelous debut novel but at the same time could stand toe to toe with more seasoned writer's work. Ms. Stonich is a breath of fresh air and a much needed voice at a time when quality work is at an all time low. I look forward to seeing more of her work. Her characters are believable and the story is sentimental and yet full of life. Ms. Stonich where have you been?
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Summary: Fabulous relationship drama
Review: Not quite a century old, Isobel Howard lies dying in a hospital room. Unable to mentally remain or perhaps refusing to stay in the present, Isobel reflects back to the pivotal point in her life, the summer of '36. She relates the drama of that year to her only surviving son who patiently awaits his mother's death. That summer in Cypress, Minnesota, with her two sons away with their father on his island folly, Isobel and her daughter meets Chicago heiress Cathryn Malley. Cathryn's husband is also away on engineering business. On the bright side, Cathryn provides meaning and identity to Isobel's life beyond that of mother and wife by introducing her to the fine arts. On the other hand, Cathryn begins an affair with Jack Reese in which Isobel plays a reluctant, guilt-ridden middleman. Isobel hides what she knows from Cathryn's spouse who suspects his wife is cheating. Then one day, the lovers vanish as Jack's cabin burns to the ground haunting Isobel till her dying day. THE GRANITE ISLANDS is a fabulous romantic relationship drama that seems like a well-written throw back to a time when romanticism meant something different. The story line starts a bit choppy, but once the flashbacks to 1936 get into gear, the plot is smooth sailing and worth the time. Fans of powerful emotional women's mainstream fiction with a historical bent will fully enjoy a strong character-based romantic tale that will make debut author Sarah Stonich a household name rather quickly. Harrriet Klausner
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Summary: Confronted with humour, bravery, and pathos.
Review: Sarah Stonich has written a family story, a relationships story, a 'women's' story in "These Granite Islands," some would say of loyalties, desires and emotional renewal, but handled with intelligence and restraint that elevate it beyond a romantic tale. Drifting off to death, the elderly Isobel recalls one summer in 1936 when a newcomer to her small town in Minnesota changes life forever, offering a glimpse of love's possibilities as well as its dangers. Massaging the space between past and present so that memory's most tender spots are poked, Isobel now sees Cathryn's friendship as a two-edged sword, slicing through her emotional guard, but also releasing self-destructive urges for them both. Others are doomed to play out Isobel's greatest fears as well as her desires in a plot full of ironies, while a teasing mystery regarding various deaths ensures a suspenseful narrative drama. A well written debut novel.
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Summary: Like going home,back in time... the voices of my grandma's
Review: Sarah Stonich has written a magnificent book, taking your hand by the 2nd page and your heart throughout... her words are a cadence on the pages that were my youth and childhood. Touching, thoughtful and organized in a spendid way..... she tells you what you want to know in the order of your heart rather than chronilogically.... a talented tale!
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Summary: Portraits of Relationships
Review: Sarah Stonich writes with sensitivity and poise of the reflections of a dying woman on her life and relationships. She examines the theme of fidelity in marriage and the strength of friendship. As the book progresses windows of insight are opened into the world of the narrator, which keep you turning the pages till the very end. I found this book fascinating, well written and thought provoking. I hope this first novel is not the last we hear from Sarah Stonich.
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Summary: These Granite Islands
Review: Stonich's "These Granite Islands" carried me to a time when the independence I take for granted was only a dream for women. Her gift of beautiful descriptive pose would have delighted Hemingway! This is a beautiful book of the friendship shared between two women. It contains delightful historical references. I may just start it all over again when I finish it.
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Summary: A friend in need
Review: Stonich's novel is a touching story of the way people invest in each other, the things we are willing to put into a relationship and what we get out of it. The story is told in non-linear fashion, drifting from past moment to past moment, framed by the present at Isobel's death bed, while maintaining the central story of Isobel and Katherine's friendship. The attitudes and conflicts of the period are present in the characters actions and dialogue, whithout ever being forced or heavy handed--in that way, Stonich put us in the period with authentic characters. Stonich's prose flows easily and quite often I found myself pausing to appreciate a particularly nice turn of phrase, beautiful metaphor, or stunning image. This is a book I will easily and readily recommend.
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Summary: Moving and powerful prose
Review: Stonich's novel is a touching story of the way people invest in each other, the things we are willing to put into a relationship and what we get out of it. The story is told in non-linear fashion, drifting from past moment to past moment, framed by the present at Isobel's death bed, while maintaining the central story of Isobel and Katherine's friendship. The attitudes and conflicts of the period are present in the characters actions and dialogue, whithout ever being forced or heavy handed--in that way, Stonich put us in the period with authentic characters. Stonich's prose flows easily and quite often I found myself pausing to appreciate a particularly nice turn of phrase, beautiful metaphor, or stunning image. This is a book I will easily and readily recommend.
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Summary: An Eloquent Life
Review: These Granite Islands is an eloquent and revealing portrait of a woman who has lived and rejoiced and suffered, and, perhaps most importantly, has learned ninety-nine years worth of life's lessons. As Isobel lay dying at the end of the century she has lived, she muses over one long-ago summer that changed her outlook and awakened her compassion and intelligance held in check. A poem buried in Isobel's subconcious (TS Eliot's "Marina")is slowly revealed to the reader, and to Isobel herself. The inclusion of this elegant poem parallels events in Isobel's life, defines them, and pays homage to the poet, reminding us that writers are by nature readers, living amongst a great wealth of words. The novel is a character study wrapped in a mystery and a heart-wrenching series of personal tragedies. This first novel by a talented new writer will surely succeed, assuring Ms. Stonich's place in contemporary fiction. This author's careful and precise use of language reminds me of earlier writers of similar tales; Virginia Wolff, Katherine Mansfield, and Edna Ferber (to whom the author respectfully nods, mentioning a similar story of fate versus free will). While this book will doubtless become a film, I say grab it read it well before that eventuality, for the emotional depth of this story cannot be portrayed on a screen in a few brief hours. If a few minor bits of the plot of These Granite Islands seem laid on rather thickly, the character development and very real dialoge redeem Stonich's lovely, memorable story. This is one to recommend.
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