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Summary and Reviews of These Granite Islands by Sarah Stonich

These Granite Islands by Sarah Stonich

These Granite Islands

by Sarah Stonich
  • Critics' Consensus (3):
  • Readers' Rating (3):
  • First Published:
  • Mar 1, 2001, 320 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Mar 2002, 336 pages
  • Rate this book

About This Book

Book Summary

An intimate story of friendship, a portrait of marriage, and a glimpse into the depths of loss - set in 1930's USA.

On her deathbed, Isobel—mother, wife, and hat maker—recalls the haunting and fateful summer of 1936 when her world was transformed. After her husband Victor takes their sons away for the summer to a remote island, Isobel meets Cathryn, a woman who will forever change the way she looks at life. An intimate story of friendship, a portrait of marriage, and a glimpse into the depths of loss, the events of this summer become the prism that refracts the essence of Isobel's life.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

Library Journal
Reminiscent of Anita Shreve's works in its lyrical blend of past and present, this first novel by an award-winning writer opens with a dying Isobel--her grasp on reality fading away--recalling a pivotal time in her past to her son.... Stonich perfectly captures the essence of a woman facing her death, and her portrait of Isobel's family is touching and honest. A wonderful read.

Kirkus Reviews
A carefully crafted first novel about doomed lovers in 1930s Minnesota.,.... Old-fashioned and earnest, with a gentle touch that's appealing.

Publishers Weekly
Stonich's rich debut is a romance in the best sense of the word it's a tale of love and adventure set in a remote time..... Storich is a talented writer whose affecting novel is bound to create conversation--and to appeal to readers of serious women's fiction.

Author Blurb Colum McCann, author of This Side of Brightness and Everything in This Country Must
One of the joys of reading is coming across a book in which language is perfectly wedded to story. These Granite Islands is a marvelous first novel, confronting with humor, bravery, and pathos the manner in which we construct or destroy our various loves.

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Read-Alikes

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  • The Last Time They Met jacket

    The Last Time They Met

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