Water, Stone, Heart by Will North © 2009 Random House ISBN: 0-307-45161-3 Hardcover 288 pages $24.00 (U.S.)
This review is a unique experience for me. It is the first time I have reviewed a book I first encountered in a Reader’s Digest abridgment. After finishing the short version and being impressed by the way Mr. North wove a story which swept me long with the raging flood waters, I decided to write to him and offer my compliments. He wrote back to thank me for my nice remarks, but to chide me for reading the “short version” (less than half the length of the original novel). I wrote back and teasingly suggested that he contact his publicist about getting me the full length version – AND HE DID!
Despite the fact that I knew the highpoints of the novel, it felt just as immediate and new as when I read the condensed version, and that is saying something as the editors at Reader’s Digest are really good at retaining the more vital elements while excising non-important parts.
This is a novel set in the recent past (2004) and concerns the event which was much talked about in the Wiccan/Craft community – the flood in Boscastle, Cornwall, England which severely damaged the Museum of Witchcraft located therein. This is not a story about Witchcraft, but it touches upon it and incorporates it with consideration and understanding, which is rare in a mainstream book.
Several of the characters are learning their way through their early involvement with Witchcraft, which is portrayed as a gentle faith, with roots connecting to ancient places and beliefs (although there are no claims of direct knowledge). The local people, while they may not be believers in the Craft, know that it is part of their community. They have to know, since the Museum of Witchcraft is a prominent part of the landscape. Even the local “C of E” vicar acknowledges that there are some things Witches are better at handling.
There are no magical battles, no use of magic to avert natural disasters, no boring lectures in this excellent book. What there is a well-told story of life and love, knowing and healing, and life as we all know it.
If you are looking for an enjoyable book to read, with no agenda or axe to grind, I certainly recommend this one.
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Water, Stone, Heart (Novel) (Reviewed 2009)
Posted - 11/05/2009 : 13:40:05
