Synopses & Reviews
From the #1 internationally bestselling author comes a sweeping epic that chronicles the history of the world through the destiny of a mysterious blue stone . . .
"Sweeping epic about the history of humanity . . . Wood crafts vivid sketches of ordinary women who triumph over a prescribed destiny . . . packs them with historical details that should keep readers interested." --Publishers Weekly
"Ambitious . . . both thoughtful and playful . . . intelligent and entertaining."
--San Jose Mercury News
"In each era, Wood creates genuine, engaging characters whose stories are fascinating."
--Library Journal
Millions of years ago, a meteorite fell to earth and a beautiful blue stone shattered from it. One hundred thousand years ago, a girl named Tall One found the crystal on the African plain---and it formed her destiny, as well as the destiny of generations to come. From ancient Israel to imperial Rome, medieval England, fifteenth-century Germany, the eighteenth-century Caribbean, and the nineteenth-century American West, the destiny of the stone and the history of the world unfold. Each story is full of the betrayals and obsessions of the human heart, and the quests of the human spirit. In The Blessing Stone, Barbara Wood has both told the intimate details of her characters' lives and created a sense of the epic sweep of human history.
Review
"All in all, an absorbing adventure tale." --
Booklist on
The Blessing Stone
Review
"All in all, an absorbing adventure tale." --
Booklist on
The Blessing StoneReview
1. What do you think of the time periods the author chose to write about in The Blessing Stone? Were there any you liked more than others? Were there any you would have liked to see? Which came the most alive for you?
2. In Tall Ones story, there is no actual dialogue. Did you notice this? Were the characters motivations and intentions still clearly delineated?
3. What aspects of the ancient Middle Eastern section do you think still have resonance today?
4. Have your ideas about fate and destiny changed after reading this book? If so, how? If not, why?
5. What do you think the author is trying to say about superstitions and the power we give objects?
6. Did any historical fact or idea in The Blessing Stone surprise you? If so, how?
7. Which character in The Blessing Stone did you find the most heroic? The most villainous?
8. The author compresses time in the “interludes.” How did the use of compressed time work for you in the story?
9. How did the book make you think about the history of seemingly ordinary objects?
"All in all, an absorbing adventure tale." Booklist on The Blessing Stone
Synopsis
Millions of years ago, a meteorite fell to earth and a beautiful blue stone shattered from it. One hundred thousand years ago, a girl named Tall One found the crystal on the African plain---and it formed her destiny, as well as the destiny of generations to come. From ancient Israel to imperial Rome, medieval England, fifteenth-century Germany, the eighteenth-century Caribbean, and the nineteenth-century American West, the destiny of the stone and the history of the world unfold. Each story is full of the betrayals and obsessions of the human heart, and the quests of the human spirit. In
The Blessing Stone, Barbara Wood has both told the intimate details of her characters' lives and created a sense of the epic sweep of human history.
About the Author
Barbara Wood is the internationally bestselling author of eighteen novels. She lives in Riverside, California.