Love of Stones: A Novel - Softcover

Hill, Tobias

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0312311311 ISBN 13: 9780312311315

Publisher: Picador, 2003

Synopsis

Burrowing through the goldsmiths' quarters and hidden archives of London, Tokyo, and Istanbul, Katharine Sterne is on the trail of a ruby, diamond, and pearl brooch once worn by Queen Elizabeth I. Interwoven with the tale of her hunt is that of a pair of Iraqi Jewish brothers who traveled to London two hundred years earlier with fortunes made from an unearthed jar of priceless stones. Spanning two continents and six centuries, Tobias Hill's The Love of Stones follows three very different people, each consumed by the same desire-possession of the legendary jewel-which binds their stories together in an irresistible quest.

About this title

Review:

"The lives of stones are the lives of the dead; which always lead back, never ahead." So says Katherine Sterne, a woman whose life is devoted to searching for a single jewel. "The Three Brethren", a brooch fashioned from rubies, diamonds and pearls has been in existence since the 15th century, passing through the hands of Europe's monarchs and, in spite of its exquisite beauty, leaving a trail of bloodshed and ruin in its wake. Captivated by the jewel's dark history, Katherine finds herself on an increasingly perilous quest to discover its current whereabouts. Searching the hidden quarters of modern-day London, Istanbul and Tokyo, she enters a world steeped in greed and ambition, a world where men are prepared to kill to safeguard the Brethren's secrets.

Two hundred years earlier, in 1833, a pair of Iraqi Jewish brothers leave Babylon, possessing only the clothes on their backs, and a hoard of precious stones. Arriving in London, they become jewellers to the new Queen, Victoria, and discover that friendship and loyalty are the most precious commodities of all.

Part love story, part historical thriller, The Love of Stones is a compelling excursion into the enduring qualities of human obsession. There is always a danger that novels so meticulously researched can become too heavy on the detail, neglecting the need to entertain in favour of lecturing the reader. But Hill's narrative is constructed with craftsman-like care, balancing the treasure-trove of fact with a story rich in insight and, ultimately, hope. --Matthew Baylis

Review:

"Equal parts mystery-thriller, literary novel and history lesson...an intriguing high-tension novel." --Los Angeles Times

"If there is such a thing as a poet's thriller, Tobias Hill's new novel, The Love of Stones, is that." --The New York Times Book Review

"Absorbing...compelling...[with] the urgent readability of a detective novel." --The Washington Post Book World

"Rendered with lush poetic detail...Its intrigue, its precision and its intellectual sophistication make it a glittering production and a carefully honed, delicious quest." --The Dallas Morning News

About this edition

• Publisher: Picador
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0312311311
• ISBN 13: 9780312311315
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 404