The Blessing Stone (Paperback)

by Barbara Wood (Author) "The huntress crouched low in the grass, ears flattened back, her body tense and ready to spring..." (more)
Key Phrases: gazelle antlers, blessing stone, caravan encampment, Tall One, Old Mother, Miss Fitzsimmons (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Wood (Perfect Harmony) pulls off an unlikely feat with this sweeping epic about the history of humanity, from the first Homo sapiens to 20th-century Californians. At the novel's center is a blue crystal, a fragment from a meteorite that fell to earth some three million years ago. The crystal is first discovered by a girl on the African plain 100,000 years ago; when the "water stone" seems to save her mother from illness, the girl's stature in her community changes and so does the fate of her descendants. As the crystal is passed down through the generations, Wood crafts vivid sketches of ordinary women who triumph over a prescribed destiny. A Roman noblewoman disobeys her husband and finds her own salvation; an 11th-century English prioress struggles against an abbot to save her monastery; a girl from a 16th-century German hamlet heads to the Near East to find her father and becomes part of the sultan's harem; a plantation wife in 18th-century Martinique saves her estate from marauding pirates. At last sighting, the blue stone is "in a place called Woodstock, wired into the handle of a marijuana roach clip owned by a hippy [sic] named Argyle." Some stories are predictable, but Wood packs them with historical details that should keep readers interested ("When her brothers came to visit, they greeted her, as all Roman male relatives greeted their kinswoman, by kissing her on both cheeks. This was not a gesture of affection, but rather a covert way to detect wine on a woman's breath").
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
In her latest book, Wood, who is well known in Europe for her epic novels (The Prophetess), chronicles human development by following the passage of a precious stone throughout history. The stone, a striking blue meteorite that fell to Earth three million years ago, is first found by early humans in Africa when they are just learning to plan for the future. They attribute this new understanding to the discovery of the stone. Thus begins the legend of the stone as it passes through history from ancient Israel, to Imperial Rome, to medieval England, to the colonial Caribbean and finally the American West. In each episode, the individuals who come into contact with the stone are captivated by its beauty, influenced by the powers instilled in it, and often involved in significant human cultural developments. In each era, Wood creates genuine, engaging characters whose stories are fascinating although a bit uneven in the later episodes. This novel should earn Wood the larger audience in the United States that she deserves. Recommended for all public libraries.
Karen T. Bilton, Somerset Cty. Lib., Bridgewater, NJ
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (January 17, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312320248
• ISBN-13: 978-0312320249
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #249,999 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fine historical collection, September 30, 2003

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Blessing Stone (Hardcover)

Three million years ago, a meteorite journeyed through the atmosphere of the third orb around the sun. The remnants of the meteorite crash on the planet leaving as its survivor a blue crystal. 100,000 years ago in Africa, The Tall One finds the crystal that somehow saves the life of her ailing Old Mother. Over the millenniums, the gem is passed from one generation to another, ultimately crossing the Mediterranean to Europe, eventually to the Middle East, and finally the Atlantic during the California Gold Rush to America. A hundred plus years later in an upstate New York hamlet the jewel resurfaces on the handle of a hippy's roach clip.

THE BLESSING STONE is actually an anthology consisting of eight solid tales that are tied together by the blue stone. The stories are well written though a few are obvious as to what will happen. The three BC "books" are incredible while the Roman and Dark Ages tales are terrific. Though the remaining trio is well done, they feel too "modern" (even with one in the sixteenth century) to focus on the mystical jewel until that 1969 farm with a half of million strong. Still Barbara Wood provides an engaging history of the world.

Harriet Klausner

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars There's no such thing as too many stories!, March 29, 2003

By	"phlicker" (Coconut Creek, Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Blessing Stone (Hardcover)

Barbara Wood has too many stories to tell. For some authors, that could be a problem. For the redoubtable Ms. Wood, it is a challenge, and with "The Blessing Stone" she rises to that challenge superbly. The mysterious blue stone of the title connects the stories as it moves from hand to hand throughout the ages.

We begin at the dawn of, er... Woman, with an early human woman named Tall One who finds the stone and with its guidance (or at least it inspiration) leads her people to water and safety. The tale progresses to pre-Biblical times where we visit with some people who might be the ancestors of the Hebrews. (Was it the Reed sea or the Red sea? Hmmm...) The story pulses with the charm of a well-told folk tale as we learn the (unlikely?) origins of wine and beer. Ms. Wood's eye for the interesting detail is ever sharp, and her sense of humor holds sway even during the most dramatic episodes. On through ancient Rome to an England under siege by Vikings, we visit a Turkish harem, the island of Martinique (beware of pirates) and take an arduous journey through the American west along the Oregon trail.

If all of this sounds like too much, then heed the words of Bono when he sings "too much is not enough," because the author leaves us happily wanting more.

In her latest book, Barbara Wood touches on some familiar themes and visits some familiar settings, but what's most familiar here is her deft control of the narrative thread as she weaves this enchanting tapestry. Some of the episodes are quite short, others nearly novelette length, but all are perfectly constructed to bring home Ms. Wood's overiding statement that, in any age, sisterhood is powerful and women are indispensable.

Yes, "The Blessing Stone" is a gem.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a terrific journey!, January 22, 2003

By	Debra F. Gilbert (Alton Bay, NH United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Blessing Stone (Hardcover)

From 3,000,000,000 years ago, to the "wild" west, this stone has seen it all...

Everyone of the stories captured something wonderful, survival, love, hate, passion, faith, hero's and heroine's, villians and nature.

I enjoyed the stories all by themselves, but it was so cool to read the history of the world through the travels of the "Blessing Stone", and to see it come full circle and back out again to enchant someone else's life.
I really enjoyed every story and every character, I think most people will...so read on!

Enjoy,

Debbi :)