|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
|
Product Description
Amazon.ca
Books in Canada
When we think of the past, we tend to assume that people were simpler in their functions, and shaped by forces that were primary and irreducible .... But none of this is true. Those who went before us were every bit as wayward and unaccountable and unsteady in their longings as people are today.
Whether this proposition is being advanced by the book's nominal protagonist, Daisy Goodwill Flett, or by the omniscient narrator who is only sometimes Daisy, or by the author herself, is not clear. However, it seems safe to say that anyone who has delved 90 pages deep into Carol Shields's new novel, in which she undertakes an imaginative "autobiography" of a woman, starting with her birth in 1905 and ending with her death in the 1980s, will not care to dispute it. Shields has audaciously created a heroine who is "crowded out of her own life" by forebears, relations, and friends who are generally more interesting than she, and produced a book that is richly detailed, engrossing, unsentimental, and wise.
Her narrative method is undeniably wayward: though she begins the novel with Daisy's uncompromising "My...," the first person singular soon vanishes, to reappear only sporadically from then on. When it does, the heroine's "I" may become "she" within a single paragraph, or other 'I's may make their own thoughts -though not always their identities - known.
Shifting from present to past tense and back again, Shields combines eloquent literary prose with letters, invitations, grocery lists -whatever serves - to evoke specific times and places. Her method works wonderfully well. In fact, it's probably the only way to express what Daisy on her deathbed calls "the adding up of what has been off-handedly revealed, those tiny allotted increments of knowledge" that make up the story of a life.
The book inevitably addresses, but mercifully does not belabour, the hoary question of whether, and how much, art (or memory, always artful) can intersect with objective reality: "The recounting of a life is a cheat, of course ... even our own stories are obscenely distorted" says Daisy (?) at one point. But Shields prefers to explore the issue more obliquely, by engaging in some playful genre-bending. She garnishes her (auto-)biographical novel with the features of a factual biography: a few pages of photographs (some of whose subjects - or do I only imagine this? - seem to bear a family resemblance to the author) I and an extensive genealogical chart. But these connect only glancingly with the text, and Shields also fearlessly endows her heroine's life with more than enough melodrama for any best-selling dynastic pot-boiler. Rendered motherless by her birth, widowed intacta on her honeymoon, and remarried to her much older adopted "brother," Daisy somehow still manages to emerge as a kind of Everywoman for "this mean old sentimental century." By her testament she reminds us just how singular life (and art) can turn out to be. Anne Denoon(Books in Canada) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Lot's of Gossip but Moments of Great Prose,
By
This review is from: The Stone Diaries (Audio CD)
This is a book about generations of women. It follows the story of Daisy Goodwill for her birth in 1905 to her death sometime in the 1980's. This is true chick lit, at least to me, full of gossip and hear say. It's not normally a book I would like, but I read it with a book club. I found this book a worthwhile read; it had moments of great prose, but got bogged down by the gossip.
I listened to the audio CD, narrated by Sara Botsford. She was the perfect narrator for this book. She has a great range that really brought the characters to life.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of my favourites,
By Melanie (Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Stone Diaries (School & Library Binding)
This book a masterpiece, as it is successful on every level. On an emotional level, the character of Daisy Goodwill is so real and easy for readers to relate to that you will find yourself wishing you could meet her. Shields' skill as a writer is seen in the way she gives an in-depth look into Daisy's personality and plight, but enough mystery is left that you are left always wanting more. Shields builds on the story gradually, and weaves the historical aspects of the novel to build on the plot. This novel is refreshingly different and no doubt destined to be a classic.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally!,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Stone Diaries (Paperback)
So many times I scan reviews and the newspapers for winners of prizes (Pulitzer, NBA, etc) and then rush to buy whatever has won, only to be extremely disappointed. Finally, someone who deserves to win! Carol Shields is a treasure and her writing deserves more attention than it's gotten so far. This is a fictional autobiography of one Daisy Goodwill, who takes us into her confidences and shows us what life is all about. If you liked Jackson McCrae's THE BARK OF THE DOGWOOD or THREE JUNES, you'll love this book.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
|
