•8:24 PM
"Hey ... look at me!"
That is the job of the title, isn't it? To grab your attention, to intrigue you. The title is the equivalent of men's shoes. What am I talking about? It's kinda weird, but one of the first things I notice about a man, is his shoes. Because you can tell a lot about someone by looking at their shoes, don't you think? Which is very odd for me to say, since the last thing I consider are my own shoes. Are they stylish? Or, would you have worn them twenty years ago? Is he wearing work boots? Or, wing-tips? Loafers? Try it ... you'll see what I mean.
I just finished The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields. The title intrigues me ... because the plural form of diary indicates that there is more than one. The Stone Diaries is the fictional autobiography of Daisy Goodwill Flett. And, it is so good that it is almost delicious. Wait ... I don't want to tell you that yet. I just want to consider the title.
The beginning is written in the first person, spoken by Daisy. She has written her story in sections ... each one dealing with an important time in her life - Birth, Childhood, Marriage, Love, Motherhood, Work, Sorrow, Ease, Illness and Decline, Death. The Table of Contents could provide the outline for almost any woman; and then, you fill in your own details. I am nearing the end of the "Stay-at-Home" portion of Motherhood Section, in my life; ' cause once you are one, can you stop being a mother? I am anxious to find out how the Work Section will read in my story. Perhaps that is why the author used the plural form of diary - each section is a small journal.
As the story moves along, it moves into a third person narrative. So, it seems as though someone else is telling the story of Daisy. I have never read anything like it and, at first, I couldn't tell if someone else was "guest-writing" Daisy's autobiography, or if she had taken a different approach to her own story. Daisy accounts for this shift by explaining that sometimes she feels like she is an observer of her own life.
"You might like to believe that Daisy has no gaiety left in her, but this is not true, since she lives outside her story as well as inside."
It is a really unique way to tell the story of you; by alternating from first to third person. Because sometimes it is easier to comment on yourself, if it is thought/said in someone else's voice.
Jill did get all the cleaning done today, however it may not have been the most thorough of cleaning jobs. For instance, she did not vacuum upstairs. But who ever goes up there, she thought. This is how she justifies her being unable to get all the housecleaning done in one day. So, you see, she is not really a failure, but a good manager of time.
See? It even makes me feel better to read it that way.
Stones are a theme throughout the story. Stone is Daisy's mother's maiden name. So, The Stone Diaries could just indicate the subject of the autobiography.
Daisy's father is a very successful stone cutter. His name is Cuyler Goodwill - don't you just love that name? Cuyler. He is enthralled with stones and dedicates his life to them.
"The miracle of stone," he says ... "is that a rigid, inert mass can be lifted out of the ground and given wings."
He uses stones as a metaphor when speaking to a group of women at their graduation ceremony ...
"... as you go out into the world, think of this miraculous freestone material as the substance of your lives. You are the stone carver. The tools of intelligence are in your hand. You can make of your lives one thing or the other. You can be sweetness or bitterness, lightness or darkness ... You can fail tragically or soar brilliantly. The choice, young citizens of the world, is yours."
Stones can be carved and shaped; and when left alone, they eventually disintegrate into sand, and dust. Which exemplifies our lives, doesn't it?
Yes, if you like books full of symbolism and open to interpretation, you will love this book.
There is a theme of loss and death throughout the book. Four characters lose their parents as youngsters. This is something I have written about before. Losing a parent, at any time, is difficult but never more so than as a child. Fear of abandonment follows you throughout your life. Daisy's mother dies in childbirth, and so for Daisy, her feelings of abandonment must be coupled with some feelings of guilt. Daisy's mother lost her life so Daisy could have hers.
"... and yet a kind of rancor underlies her existence still: the recognition that she belongs to no one. Even her dreams release potent fumes of absence."
As I noted earlier, Daisy describes herself an observer in her own life. This is how she protects herself from being hurt. She never has the opportunity to know the woman who gave her life; but a neighbour woman, Clarentine, steps in and loves Daisy as if she is her own child. But luck is not on her side, because Clarentine is accidentally killed in an accident when Daisy is eleven years old. Essentially she loses two mothers before she is a teenager. And so, psychologically, it makes sense that she would separate herself from others emotionally. She probably does it unconsciously; but she does it none the less. She must protect herself from feeling abandoned again. And in doing so, she is able to step outside her self and observe what is happening around her.
I bet you think I was crying a lot, don't you? Nope. Daisy presents the information in a matter-of-fact way ... part of the separation, I think. But she did make me laugh (out loud) a few times. The story begins in 1905, and ends in the 1990s. So, Daisy is not of modern times. She has some discussions about s-e-x with her friends, and later with her children, that are hysterical. There is also a scene where Daisy's future mother-in-law has a little talk with her before Daisy marries her son. She wants to ensure that her son will be cared for properly ... that he gets a particular cereal in order to ensure regular bowel movements and that his brushes and combs are cleaned regularly with a specific cleaning solution. Honestly, I was laughing out loud. Imagine my mother-in-law teaching me about the cereals that will make Jonesy happy and how to iron his shirts properly. Ha! Actually, I think Jonesy would have been more appalled than me. When I got married, I don't remember anyone giving me instructions on how to be a good wife. Although, my Mom did tell me that my home would be with my husband after we got married ... no matter where that took us in the world - something I have never forgotten.
In the last chapter, Daisy attempts to write her own obituary. I wonder if people do that as they age ...
"Don't forget to mention my years as an avid curler and my volunteering with the Liberal party," someone may mention to their spouse. This is what life becomes at the end; perhaps, to ensure they are remembered in the "right" way - which is to say, the way they want to be remembered.
I did love this book. I hugged it. Honestly, I did. When I was forced to put it down, I would it draw close to my chest before placing it on the counter. Until after supper was made or little girls were tucked in ...
If The Stone Diaries were shoes, they would be stylish, in a traditional way. A modern ladies pump ... something comfortable, that would go with many different outfits -pants, skirts, dresses; but not something you would wear to the grocery store. You would want to wear them; I mean, you would be excited to wear them ... you should be excited to read this book. So pick it up sometime.
I just finished The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields. The title intrigues me ... because the plural form of diary indicates that there is more than one. The Stone Diaries is the fictional autobiography of Daisy Goodwill Flett. And, it is so good that it is almost delicious. Wait ... I don't want to tell you that yet. I just want to consider the title.
The beginning is written in the first person, spoken by Daisy. She has written her story in sections ... each one dealing with an important time in her life - Birth, Childhood, Marriage, Love, Motherhood, Work, Sorrow, Ease, Illness and Decline, Death. The Table of Contents could provide the outline for almost any woman; and then, you fill in your own details. I am nearing the end of the "Stay-at-Home" portion of Motherhood Section, in my life; ' cause once you are one, can you stop being a mother? I am anxious to find out how the Work Section will read in my story. Perhaps that is why the author used the plural form of diary - each section is a small journal.
As the story moves along, it moves into a third person narrative. So, it seems as though someone else is telling the story of Daisy. I have never read anything like it and, at first, I couldn't tell if someone else was "guest-writing" Daisy's autobiography, or if she had taken a different approach to her own story. Daisy accounts for this shift by explaining that sometimes she feels like she is an observer of her own life.
"You might like to believe that Daisy has no gaiety left in her, but this is not true, since she lives outside her story as well as inside."
It is a really unique way to tell the story of you; by alternating from first to third person. Because sometimes it is easier to comment on yourself, if it is thought/said in someone else's voice.
Jill did get all the cleaning done today, however it may not have been the most thorough of cleaning jobs. For instance, she did not vacuum upstairs. But who ever goes up there, she thought. This is how she justifies her being unable to get all the housecleaning done in one day. So, you see, she is not really a failure, but a good manager of time.
See? It even makes me feel better to read it that way.
Stones are a theme throughout the story. Stone is Daisy's mother's maiden name. So, The Stone Diaries could just indicate the subject of the autobiography.
Daisy's father is a very successful stone cutter. His name is Cuyler Goodwill - don't you just love that name? Cuyler. He is enthralled with stones and dedicates his life to them.
"The miracle of stone," he says ... "is that a rigid, inert mass can be lifted out of the ground and given wings."
He uses stones as a metaphor when speaking to a group of women at their graduation ceremony ...
"... as you go out into the world, think of this miraculous freestone material as the substance of your lives. You are the stone carver. The tools of intelligence are in your hand. You can make of your lives one thing or the other. You can be sweetness or bitterness, lightness or darkness ... You can fail tragically or soar brilliantly. The choice, young citizens of the world, is yours."
Stones can be carved and shaped; and when left alone, they eventually disintegrate into sand, and dust. Which exemplifies our lives, doesn't it?
Yes, if you like books full of symbolism and open to interpretation, you will love this book.
There is a theme of loss and death throughout the book. Four characters lose their parents as youngsters. This is something I have written about before. Losing a parent, at any time, is difficult but never more so than as a child. Fear of abandonment follows you throughout your life. Daisy's mother dies in childbirth, and so for Daisy, her feelings of abandonment must be coupled with some feelings of guilt. Daisy's mother lost her life so Daisy could have hers.
"... and yet a kind of rancor underlies her existence still: the recognition that she belongs to no one. Even her dreams release potent fumes of absence."
As I noted earlier, Daisy describes herself an observer in her own life. This is how she protects herself from being hurt. She never has the opportunity to know the woman who gave her life; but a neighbour woman, Clarentine, steps in and loves Daisy as if she is her own child. But luck is not on her side, because Clarentine is accidentally killed in an accident when Daisy is eleven years old. Essentially she loses two mothers before she is a teenager. And so, psychologically, it makes sense that she would separate herself from others emotionally. She probably does it unconsciously; but she does it none the less. She must protect herself from feeling abandoned again. And in doing so, she is able to step outside her self and observe what is happening around her.
I bet you think I was crying a lot, don't you? Nope. Daisy presents the information in a matter-of-fact way ... part of the separation, I think. But she did make me laugh (out loud) a few times. The story begins in 1905, and ends in the 1990s. So, Daisy is not of modern times. She has some discussions about s-e-x with her friends, and later with her children, that are hysterical. There is also a scene where Daisy's future mother-in-law has a little talk with her before Daisy marries her son. She wants to ensure that her son will be cared for properly ... that he gets a particular cereal in order to ensure regular bowel movements and that his brushes and combs are cleaned regularly with a specific cleaning solution. Honestly, I was laughing out loud. Imagine my mother-in-law teaching me about the cereals that will make Jonesy happy and how to iron his shirts properly. Ha! Actually, I think Jonesy would have been more appalled than me. When I got married, I don't remember anyone giving me instructions on how to be a good wife. Although, my Mom did tell me that my home would be with my husband after we got married ... no matter where that took us in the world - something I have never forgotten.
In the last chapter, Daisy attempts to write her own obituary. I wonder if people do that as they age ...
"Don't forget to mention my years as an avid curler and my volunteering with the Liberal party," someone may mention to their spouse. This is what life becomes at the end; perhaps, to ensure they are remembered in the "right" way - which is to say, the way they want to be remembered.
I did love this book. I hugged it. Honestly, I did. When I was forced to put it down, I would it draw close to my chest before placing it on the counter. Until after supper was made or little girls were tucked in ...
discussion,
family
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1 comments:
I definitely want to borrow this one. It sounds like a wonderful book.