The Stone Diaries

I'm sorry for the lack of posts. I'm currently entrenched in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which, in my honest opinion should count as three different books. And by entrenched, it means that I'm reading when I get a chance. Unfortunately, I also have one additional book that I'm in the middle of, and have been since before I started this journey. I'm trying to finish that before I really get started. Yes, it puts me slightly behind, but, oh well. I hope to finish it this weekend on my trip to Philly to visit with a dear friend.

Anyways, The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields. I, for one, loved it....see, I can like books. Although I can understand that many people might not like it, and I'll explain why, there was something about it that just spoke to me. It's the story, from her harsh birth, to her death, of an average woman. Her story isn't necessarily the most exciting story in the world. It's just a story.

This is where I think it can get boring for other people. It doesn't necessarily have a super strong plot line running through it. It does, however, have fantastic character development. The characters are so beautifully created and drawn on the paper that, in my honest opinion, it makes up for the plot.

This is not to say that it doesn't have a plot. It does. As much as any of us have a plot in our lives. She doesn't have some great destiny to fulfill. She isn't chasing after the Holy Grail or the bloodline of Christ. She doesn't have a lightening scar on her forehead. Nothing like that. She's just a normal person.

Probably my favorite part of the entire novel is the sharp, dark and dry humor that runs through the book. There were so many parts that just had me laughing out loud. The strongest instance that I can remember was during the introduction of her mother. As it turns out her mother was a very large woman. The constant metaphors, similes and allusions to her mother's weight were funny. Dark and sad, but funny, none the less.

To be honest, I was a little surprised when I saw that this book was included in the list, only because it wasn't the most exciting story. It wasn't a "I couldn't put it down" novel, but than, neither was Frankenstein. While I enjoyed the book, would I have included it on the list? I don't think that it would be one of the first novels that came into my mind to include. But it was enjoyable, with a nice edge of humor.

Moral Of The Story: It doesn't take a lightening scar, Holy Grail, magic ring or great destiny to make an interesting story or life. Sometimes it's the most simple people that have the greatest lessons to teach.