The Love of Stones - Softcover

Hill, Tobias

3.54

433 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0571194540 ISBN 13: 9780571194544

Publisher: Faber & Faber, 2001

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

Precious stones pass through the hands of many people, hands that leave no apparent trace. But traces are there all the same - impressions, like the atoms of hydrogen drawn to the surface of a diamond. This story charts three lives linked by one such jewel.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of 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"
“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"
"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"

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""

"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 title" may belong to another edition of this title.