Synopses & Reviews
David Champlin is a black man born into poverty in Depression-era New Orleans who achieves great success and then sacrifices everything to lead his people in the difficult, day-by-day struggle of the civil rights movement. Sara Kent is the beloved and vital white girl who loved David from the moment she first saw him, but they struggled over David's belief that a marriage for them would not be right in the violent world he had to confront. Likening the struggle of black Americans to the “five smooth stones” the biblical David carried against Goliath in lieu of arms, this novels range encompasses decades and continentsbut that range is insignificant compared with the intimate picture of its heros irresistible warmth and inner conflicts. First published in 1966, this epic has become one of the most loved American bestsellers.
Review
"A courageous novel . . . David is a marvelously well-done character." Library Journal
Review
A long and richly realized novel . . . Ann Fairbairn renders her scenes so skillfully and reveals her hero so fully that [his] qualities are transformed from desirable abstractions to a memorable identity. . . The numerous people characterized so clearly in this novel are mortal humans. That is rare enough in any fiction dealing with one of the bone-deep issues of our time.” The New York Times Book Review
Review
"No matter how large Ann Fairbairns audience is, it wont be large enough . . . Technically Miss Fairbairn is flawless . . . David Champlin is a great tragic hero in a memorable story." Denver Post
Review
Every so often along comes the big book that defies categorization . . . It has real size, stature . . . Above all, it rings true . . . You may put it down, but you cant forget it. You have to come back. Such is the case with Five Smooth Stones.” Springfield Daily News
Synopsis
This gripping bestseller, first published in 1966, has continued to captivate readers with its wide-ranging yet intimate portrait of an America sundered by racial conflict. David Champlin is a black man born into poverty in Depression-era New Orleans who makes his way up the ladder of success, only to sacrifice everything to lead his people in the civil rights movement. Sara Kent is the white girl who loves David from the moment she first sees him, and who struggles against his belief that a marriage for them would be wrong in the violent world he has to confront. And the five smooth stones” are those the biblical David carried against Goliath. By the time this novel comes to its climax of horror, bloodshed, and hope, readers will be convinced that its enduring popularity is fully justified.
About the Author
Ann Fairbairn is the pseudonym of Dorothy Tait, who was the author of Call Him George and That Man Cartwright.