Stone Work: Reflections on Serious Play and Other Aspects of Country Life [Paperback]

John Jerome (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1996

One man's attempt to find a more accurate alignment with the physical world through the purity of work.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In what PW judged "wry, often metaphysical musings on physics and physiology," Jerome describes a year's work building a boundary wall on his property in Massachusetts, discovering the elemental satisfactions of maneuvering tons of stone into a monumental yet simple form.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This is much more than a chronicle of a year spent living in the country. The author uses the slow, solitary work of building a stone wall on his property in the Massachusetts Berkshires as a backdrop to explore his relationship with the natural world. His preoccupation with mechanical competency and the "physics of things," be it athletic exertion or the hoisting of a car's engine, changes as he gains a new awareness of sensory life. ("Riches, riches, everywhere, just for the paying of attention.") His contemplation also leads to an understanding of feelings about his father and stepfather, both dead yet close at hand, as the author goes about gathering field stones and fitting them into place. Highly recommended, and likely to be as important as Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek ( LJ 5/1/) and Tracy Kidder's House ( LJ 8/85).
- Douglas G. Birdsall, North Dakota State Univ. Libs., Fargo
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: University Press of New England; 1st edition (April 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874517621
• ISBN-13: 978-0874517620
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,623,282 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book on the thinking man's rural life, October 27, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Stone Work: Reflections on Serious Play and Other Aspects of Country Life (Paperback)

John Jerome has created a masterpeice, any person who enjoys thinking about physical work will delight in. Stone Work lets us in to the joys and disappointments of his life, that is, for a while centered around building a stone wall for purely aescetic reasons on his New England property. My five year old copy is in tatters.

5.0 out of 5 stars Written in stone., May 21, 2010

By 

T. Fashoro (Upstate NY, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Stone Work: Reflections on Serious Play & Other Aspects of Country Life (Hardcover)

John Jerome is a compelling wordsmith. Though I've yet to read any of his other works, "Stone Work" is definitely the craft of a seasoned writer. He conveys his thoughts and feelings poetically, yet concisely; all ruminations have a drop of personal philosophy in them, yet are incredibly grounded in the day-to-day actions of laying a stone wall, living in the country, and being a writer. And therein lies the strength of the work - his ability to tell a story, paint a beautiful moving picture, and convince you of the veracity of his thoughts, as though you were there doing the work yourself. As an honest and beautiful portrait of a slower, more attentive life and the work to be done in it, this is a piece not to be missed.