The Blessing Stone (Paperback)

~ (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 the Hardcover edition.

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 the Hardcover edition.

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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 (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #527,762 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 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

9 of 10 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 :)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wood has masterfully written what is sure to be a bestseller, February 10, 2003

By	Bookreporter.com (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Blessing Stone (Hardcover)

Early in our world's life, a meteor crashed into the Earth's surface leaving mass destruction in its wake. Buried among the mastodon and mammoth fossils was an enchanting stone that would be uncovered only after centuries of wind and rain. Possessed by dozens of women throughout time, the stone embodied a unique power for each of its guardians. Some believed it to give them extrasensory abilities, others imagined it contained the soul of their religious icon.

Considered responsible for the successes and failures of whoever held it, the stone was involved in many of the turning points in history. One of the most captivating aspects of THE BLESSING STONE is the accuracy of the depictions of these events. Barbara Wood has done an admirable job of telling this inconceivable tale in a believable way. From her stunning descriptions of an ancient city with unlimited wealth to her agonizing portrayal of a starving nomadic clan in Africa, Wood inundates the reader with tremendous imagery.

The story of the blessing stone is more than just a tale about a precious gem. It is also the story of the development of civilization, the changes in organized religion and the evolution of women's roles in society. Through each character's tragedies and triumphs, the story of the blessing stone unfolds and a new chapter in history is written.

As the stone is passed from hand to hand and travels from country to country, Wood masterfully weaves a legend destined to make THE BLESSING STONE a bestseller. Rarely does an author manage to combine so many vignettes into one book of such excellence.

--- Reviewed by Melissa Brown