The Stone Angel
Ratings9
Average rating4.3
15
Ratings9
Average rating4.3
The film adaptation of Margaret Laurence's The Stone Angel, starring acclaimed actresses Ellen Burstyn and Ellen Page, and introducing Christine Horne, opens in theatres May 9, 2008. This special fortieth-anniversary edition of Margaret Laurence’s most celebrated novel will introduce readers again to one of the most memorable characters in Canadian fiction. Hagar Shipley is stubborn, querulous, self-reliant, and, at ninety, with her life nearly behind her, she makes a bold last step towards freedom and independence. As her story unfolds, we are drawn into her past. We meet Hagar as a young girl growing up in a black prairie town; as the wife of a virile but unsuccessful farmer with whom her marriage was stormy; as a mother who dominates her younger son; and, finally, as an old woman isolated by an uncompromising pride and by the stern virtues she has inherited from her pioneer ancestors. Vivid, evocative, moving, The Stone Angel celebrates the triumph of the spirit, and reveals Margaret Laurence at the height of her powers as a writer of extraordinary craft and profound insight into the workings of the human heart.
Series
1 released bookManawaka Sequence is a 6-book series first released in 1964 with contributions by Margaret Laurence.
Reviews with the most likes.
A 4.5 star read! This book was a pleasure and joy to read. Lawrence is an effortlessly talented story writer. Hagar Shipley is a character that is deeply faulted and human yet honest and truthful. Hagar is deplorable at times as well as frustrating yet she adequately represents the women we have encountered in our youth and old age but also within ourselves. Mistakes we make as women. Regrets we have as women. Identity crises that occur within women over being wives, mothers and individual human beings. Lawrence's social commentary on the ageing process is beautifully written about within this novel as well. She makes this novel appear a simplistic novel about Hagar Shipley's life. Yet this book has been perfectly woven to include much richer content on women's experiences. A truly talented writer and her writing style is beautiful. I will re read this book happily and aim to read more of her works in the new year!
I never dreamed that this book would blow me away. Hagar Shipley is ninety-ish and at the end of her life. The book tells both stories of her last days as well as stories Hagar remembers about her life. What a tough bird she is, hard on her older son, indifferent to her husband. This is a book that feels very, very true. I recommend it highly and I'm adding it to my list of best reads ever. One question that nags at me: Is Hagar a relative? Can I blame it on her (and my) Scotch blood?
