Customer Reviews

Stone's Fall

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Stone's Fall by Iain Pears No spoilers, I promise. This one is way too enjoyable to spoil.

What a ride this book was. Thoroughly engaging; just when I was sure I knew where we were going, it changed direction, which I love.

The story is written in three parts, each in a different time and setting and from a different viewpoint. I don't like to know too much about the plot before I read a book and if you are of a similar viewpoint, I'd suggest you don't read too many details in reviews. Part of the fun of Stone's Fall is how things unroll and run away, dragging you along peeking through the curtains. The settings are 1909 London, 1890 Paris, and 1867 Venice, with characters so interconnected that you won't know who or how until the very last page. Delicious.

The second part stunned me for its prescience about our current financial crises, and though it is set in 1890 or so, it helped me understand how interconnected and easily manipulated global financial markets can be. Sound dry? Not at all! It's a well-paced, well-plotted, and peopled with fascinating characters, as is the rest of the book.

I read Instance of the Fingerpost and liked it a lot, but this one may be even better. Pears has a way of making the reader feel included somehow, without any fancy dancing or gimmicks. Even though the story winds through a full 800 pages, almost none of them are wasted, and that is a true feat. Just when I thought the book might get bogged down in part 3, Pears introduced Venice c. 1867 and treated it as a character with facets I hadn't read about before; disturbing and haunting.

Stone's Fall has a bit for everyone: mystery, lovers, history, financial markets, the stories behind the news of the day, emotions, madness, and the desperate acts of people under all kinds of pressure. You'll really want to read this one and be glad you did I think. One of the best of the year for me, and I'm not a pushover.

Iain Pears' novel Stone's Fall is incredibly complex. It is told from the perspective of three narrators, during three time periods, and in three separate settings. It also travels backwards through time. Pears' pieced together a historical mystery that simply broaches espionage, international finance, and military arms production. And this novel also has the heft of a decent sized phone book. Such an ambitious undertaking in the hands of a lesser author could have easily been confusing or tedious, but Stone's Fall is a masterwork of literary achievement.

The mysteries of the story are artfully unfolded in an intricate plotline. The story opens in London in 1953 where a retired reporter, Matthew Braddock recalls London in 1909 during the time he was hired to investigate the whereabouts of an heir to John Stone, a major player in international finance and military arms production. The more he probes into the life of John Stone the more questions he has. The next segment of the book opens in Paris 1890, and told by the up and coming British spy Henry Cort. Through Henry we get more insight into the life of John Stone, as we learn of the rise of his wife and the power he commanded in global finance. Finally we are treated to the perspective of Mr. Stone in Venice 1867, as we discover the origins of his business and finally all the loose ends are tied together to the delight of the reader.

The characters are slowly rendered, layer by layer, choice by choice. They come and go in each time period revealing more about themselves and the relationships they share with each other. Pears' constantly reinvents his subjects, so that their motivations only become clear after all sides of the story are told. By the end, we are left with wholly flawed but intensely vibrant people.

Stone's Fall is easily one of my favorite books of the year. Pears' gives us a novel that thrills a patient reader--it pays off better than expected. Be resigned to devote your entire weekend to devouring this book. However if you enjoy a big thick novel, I couldn't recommend a better choice.

Iain Pears's "Stone's Fall" opens in France in 1953 with the burial of Madame Robillard, who passed away in her eighties. The first part of the book is narrated by Matthew Braddock who had met Robillard (then known as Elizabeth, Lady Ravenscliff) when she was in her forties. The year was 1909, and twenty-five year old Matthew was a crime reporter for a London newspaper. Elizabeth summons Matthew a fortnight after the death of her husband, John Stone, Lord Ravenscliff, who died after he fell or was pushed out of an open window in his study. She offers Matthew a great deal of money to look into her husband's professional and personal affairs. There are a number of questions that she wants answered: Was Stone's death accidental or a result of foul play? Why did he leave a huge bequest to a child, whom, he states in his will, "I have never previously acknowledged?" Why did Stone grant a legacy to Mrs. Esther Vincotti of Italy? After examining her husband's papers carefully, Elizabeth finds nothing to shed light on these matters. She tells Matthew that, even after twenty years of marriage, she and her husband were very much in love and that he had not been in the habit of keeping secrets from her. That is why she is willing to pay Matthew handsomely to dig deeper and give her the information that she craves for her peace of mind.

Thus begins a lengthy narrative that moves backwards in time. Pears takes us to London in 1909, Paris in 1890, and finally, to Venice in 1867. Part Two is narrated by Henry Cort, a shadowy figure who crossed paths with John Stone and Elizabeth and knows a great many of their secrets. Part Three is narrated by Stone himself. The first part is not that compelling and some will be tempted to put the book down after the first hundred pages. Initially, it is difficult to care about the deceased and his wife, about whom we know little, or about Matthew, who barely makes a living as a journalist. Matthew eagerly accepts Elizabeth's generous stipend, hoping to improve his lowly financial position. However, when he starts investigating and finds anomalies in Stone's business dealings, his curiosity gets the better of him. What he learns shocks and alarms him, and his continued involvement in the Stone case will put him in grave danger.

Pears takes a huge gamble, expecting the reader to keep track of dozens of characters, some of whom are not what they seem to be, and an incredibly convoluted plot. The author assumes that readers will be willing to stick with a narrative that moves in many different directions, and that hinges, to a large extent, on arcane details of banking and politics; not everyone will find this subject matter particularly compelling or comprehensible. Does Pears's gamble pay off? Yes and no. Until part three, "Stone's Fall" is a tough slog. There is a great deal going on but, for quite some time, the point of it all is elusive. It is only in the third section of the book that the tale at last comes to brilliant life. We get to know Stone intimately, discover how he becomes a captain of industry, and watch him commit grievous errors for which he will pay dearly. At last, this cipher becomes human and the final pages are riveting. Many hitherto undisclosed facts are revealed, finally enabling us to make sense of what has occurred in the previous sections. The ending of "Stone's Fall," although not completely believable, is deeply poignant. Pears explores a number of themes: Men who are familiar with the intricacies of making money and the inner workings of government wield enormous power (a timely topic in our troubled times). Without love, wealth and social status provide scant satisfaction. A person is revered after his death not for his power and influence, but for his good works, compassion, and personal honor. Although determined readers will diligently plow through this dense novel, "Stone's Fall" will, alas, bring less hardy souls to their knees long before they reach the final page. Still, the magnificent part three almost makes the whole task worthwhile.

I have been a loyal reader of Ian Pear's from his earliest novels and approached Stone's Fall with the eagerness I would normally reserve for a new Le Carre. I am over four hundred pages into this cliched, overwrought and simply unbelievable plot and I find that each consecutive page becomes heavier than the last. My suspension of disbelief was broken by the 50th page. Why do I go on? Because I am a genuine Pear's fan who I thought after reading An Instance of the Fingerpost had entered into the rarified ranks of a major novelist. In short: predictable, overused plot devices, shallow characterizations, preposterous solutions for the tortured conflicts proposed by the writer to any one acquainted with the history of the period. I will still buy the next Pear's novel but hope the good reviews he received for this one do not make him think this was a worthy effort.

"An Instance of the Fingerpost" was a stunner. Now, after the disappointment of "Dream of Scipio" and the forgettable "The Portrait," Pears is back on form with a humdinger that's in the "Fingerpost" league.

Like "Fingerpost," it has three parts and three narrators and Pears' trademark fascination with the many ways in which observed reality never quite lets us see what's really happening.

The settings are less exotic than "Fingerpost," but the thesis that global politics runs on finance, rather than military might or the force of personality of state actors is fascinating and surprisingly prescient given today's headlines.

In short, if you liked "Fingerpost," you'll enjoy "Stone's Fall."

Mr. Pears' recent novels treat a common theme of struggle against moral failure; however, none confront the issue so directly as does Stone's Fall. The story of a businessman that literally has the world in his grasp, Stone's Fall is so richly symbolic that this is the rare work of fiction that will leave a mark upon its reader.

Told in a reverse chronological fashion, it is the unfolding judgment of private behaviors and is a not so subtle indictment of our current and fashionable rush to judgment on anything and everything. Pears argues not that judgment is wrong, but that judgment must be measured and deliberate, with every reservation made for information not possessed and with every benefit given to the power of love.

We are treated to a fantastically complex and intricate web of human relationships spanning decades. The book is a fascinating read on many levels and illustrates the wisdom of Santayana's famous observation that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. This book is that rare and compelling story that will cause serious reflection; one can safely say that this book has a timely message that morality is not so old-fashioned nor irrelevant as it has become fashionable to imply.

As unpleasant as it may be to some modern readers, Mr. Pears makes moral judgments; he demonstrates that happiness is found in the unselfish and principled application of virtue to one's thoughts and deeds. As in any good and worthwhile literature, as we gradually gain an understanding of the situation we come to realize that private behaviors have profoundly public impacts. That which we do in secret will result in consequences beyond our ability to presently comprehend.

Highly Recommended.

The other reviewers give an excellent synopsis of the book so I needn't bother. When the book arrived my first thought was, "How am I going to get through 800 pages?" Very easily as it turns out. The plot moved quickly. The description of the financial market turned out to be anything but dry and boring. Twists, turns, and tangled webs. I highly recommend Stone's Fall.

Iain Pears's latest novel is three books in one. Each of the parts aims to unveil a different layer of the story. While Pears used this device amazingly well in his Fingerpost novel, I thought that in this case, he was trying too hard to follow the winning formula of his previous book and the result was gimicky and pieced together not very well.

The novel starts with the suicide of a financial genius. What drives the mistery is a provision in his will that speculates that he has a child that no one else knew about. By the end of the book, the mystery is solved, with all the seemingly unrelated twists and turns tied neatly together. Unexpected outcome, a few surprises, good read.

What troubled me most about the book was the fact that Pears did a lousy job describing why some characters acted a certain way. Each part of the book has that--in the first one, the journalist is like a puppet being driven around by behind-the-scenes masters. Money kind of explains why he gets involved, but his attraction to Elizabeth seems like an afterthought that was thrown in to avoid more in depth "analysis." And then we have quite a few moments, where you feel like you are reading about everything AND the kitchen sink....

The second part was particularly annoying--we see young Cort, who turns from a business person to a spy quite reluctantly and cluelessly, yet suddenly he is really good. Similarly, Elizabeth's early years seem like a series of cliches pasted together--the person that pushes her to run away is never given more than a sentence. Similar weak spots in the third book as well.

I also found the business story somehwat artificially layered on top of the personal story of the characters. It almost seemed like Pears set out to write something else, but with the business climate today, decided to speed things up, add a not well thought out, but timely angle and publish fast.





M

Seldom, if ever, have I read a 594-page book that leaves me with so little to say about it. The problem is not that I dislike "Stone's Fall" or that I did not enjoy it because I did very much enjoy the book and I am rating it a very solid 4.0. No, the problem is that this is a very complicated story and it is told in a way that makes it difficult to describe the book without wandering into a minefield filled with "spoilers." So I am going to be very careful in what I say about "Stone's Fall," hoping that my enthusiasm about the book still comes through.

The story begins in 1953, at a funeral being attended by Matthew Braddock, a retired reporter who only coincidentally became aware that the woman whose funeral he is attending has died. Elizabeth Stone played a large role in Braddock's earlier life but he has had not contact with, or word about, her in decades. Braddock will not, however, just walk away from the funeral to resume his retirement and old age. Rather, after the funeral, he is provided with a packet containing detailed memoirs that will answer all the questions he had failed to answer more than forty years earlier.

London 1909 - Braddock is hired by Elizabeth Stone to find the illegitimate child mentioned in her late husband's will so that his estate can be settled in an orderly and timely manner. Elizabeth Stone, who claims to have been unaware of the existence of such a child before seeing her husband's will, tells Braddock that she is not overly concerned about the child's existence and that she simply wants the child found so that her husband's affairs can be finalized to the benefit of his heirs and creditors.

Braddock, though, being the suspicious reporter that he is, begins to look into Stone's business affairs and soon comes to question the way that John Stone supposedly met his death. Was the fall from a window that killed him an accident as is officially reported by the police? Was he pushed from the window? Did he jump? What does soon become apparent is that neither John Stone nor his widow, Elizabeth, are the people they seem to be.

"Stone's Fall" is told in three separate parts, each part taking place in a different city and in a different generation. Part I, London 1909, is the story of Matthew Braddock's investigation and what he learns about the Stones, both in the past and in the present. It ends at the point at which Braddock believes that he is forever done with the Stones and their confusing history.

Part II, Paris 1890, takes the story back a full generation and explains how Elizabeth came to be the woman she is and how she first encountered her husband. This section develops some of the minor characters from Part I and begins to hint at answers to the questions left open by the first segment of the book. One character, in particular, Henry Cort, takes center stage and the reader is given insight into how the man who appeared to be such a villain in Part I came to be that kind of person and what motivated him to do the things he did for his country.

Part III, Venice 1867, takes another step backward in time and allows John Stone himself to tell the story of his life, the story of a young man who discovers that he has a talent for making money and for rationalizing his behavior and code of ethics to his own satisfaction right into old age. It is in this part that the whole story and all of its rather complicated character relationships finally become clear. That does not happen until very near the last paragraph of the book in a revelation that will have most readers shaking their heads in admiration. Others might just find the ending to be a bit to coincidental to suit them (I was one of those and, thus, my rating of 4.0 rather than a higher one).

Ian Pears has created a book that is both beautifully constructed and beautifully written, a book in which his readers can totally immerse themselves into three very different worlds. It is a book that demands complete attention from its readers if they are to feel fully its intended impact. Its length, in conjunction with its complexity, means that it is not an easy book to read, but it is definitely a book that rewards those who give it the time and attention it deserves.

I do not give a book five stars lightly. A book has to be not only a good read, but one that covers so complex a story in ways that are not only readable and understandable, but in ways that connect to what is happening today. The book has to be able to teach me something that I was convinced I'd never understand, in a way that moved me by the end. This book is one of those.

I know little about high finance and the markets, but I do know enough about how people work, and how governments work, to be able to get this story. His characters are complex, and you care about what happens to them, even when they are not exactly exemplary human beings. I was especially pulled in by Elizabeth, Cort and Stone: once you understand their motivations, right from wrong is suddenly turned on its head. There are also enough twists in this book,enough things that are not as you thought them to be, to please the most ardent mystery reader. Pears also brings the times and places alive, whether pre WWI London, 1890 Paris, or 1867 Venice, they are real places with real history. Finally, he turns his attentions to things that still concern us, and to questions we still ask, about progress and war.

Those put off the length (and I do agree with other reviewers that some editing would have been helpful) might want to read the book as three short stories, interconnected by a few people over time. Personally I found it paced so well that time really did seem to fly by when I read it. In fact, I want to reread this; one read just isn't enough (for me anyway!)

For those who have read his other books: I have read Dream of Scipio and Instances of the Fingerpost. Not sure which one I am liking the best. I can say that this one has much in common with the other two in terms of structure and theme. This book certainly rises to the level of those two.