Stone Will Answer
A Journey Guided by Craft, Myth and Geology
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Vintage Publishing
Published:8th Feb '24
Should be back in stock very soon
This paperback is available in another edition too:
- Hardback£18.99(9781787302556)
This memoir chronicles Beatrice Searle's 500-mile journey carrying a stone, exploring the intersection of travel, history, and personal reflection in Stone Will Answer.
In Stone Will Answer, artist and stonemason Beatrice Searle shares her remarkable journey across Southern Norway. At just twenty-six, she embarked on a 500-mile trek along a medieval pilgrim path, carrying a 40-kilogram Orcadian stone. This memoir intertwines her experiences with the rich history of stones, exploring their significance in the lives of travelers, saints, and kings. As she walks, her stone transforms into a talisman, symbolizing her connection to the land and the people she encounters.
Searle’s fascination with the mysterious footprint stones of Northern Europe and the ancient Greco-Roman world serves as a backdrop for her reflections on the weight of both stone and experience. Her journey becomes a meditation on the interplay of the physical and the spiritual, where each step taken is a conversation with the past. Through vivid descriptions, Searle invites readers to consider the stories stones can tell and the meanings they hold.
Stone Will Answer is more than just an adventure; it is a deep exploration of craft and connection. Searle’s insights into her work as a stonemason enrich her narrative, providing a unique perspective on the art of stone and its place in human history. This memoir is a celebration of the journey, both external and internal, that stones can inspire.
Extraordinary... Confessional, elemental and at times moving, this is a memorable and unique celebration of the power and beauty of stone. * Guardian *
Searle is an excellent storyteller... [and Stone Will Answer] make[s] for gripping reading...it's the human spirit that emerges triumphant in this sparky blend of memoir and travelogue... Above all, this is the story of a young woman's astonishing feat of endurance * Herald *
A gifted writer, capable of luminous description * Spectator *
Subtle and thought-provoking * TLS *
Illuminating... I was quickly taken in by Beatrice Searle's distinctive voice, and by the end I couldn't help but feel very differently about stones, rootedness, belonging, and indeed what walking might mean. Beatrice's story is exceptional, and she is an exceptional story teller. -- Kerri Andrews, author of Wandering: A History of Women Walking
A magnificent book. Written with the eye of a poet and the heart of an artist, Stone Will Answer is both a moving account of an unconventional journey and a testament to the power of stone in finding anchorage in an uncertain world -- Alex Woodcock, author of King of Dust
A story of dedication and tenacity that is deeply moving and utterly captivating. Stone Will Answer is a truly remarkable book, a beautifully crafted tale of an artist's extraordinary journey. Searle seamlessly contemplates the meaning of craft, ancient myths, the mutability of stone and the transformations within her own life. Its rare to read a story of such artistic integrity. I felt bereft when I finished but also buoyed by a new found fascination with stone and all its many meanings. -- Sally Huband, author of Sea Bean
An astonishing mission with huge integrity in the telling. -- Linda Cracknell, author of Writing Landscape
A story of determination and soul-searching... Compellingly narrated, entertaining and thought-provoking... treat yourself to a copy of this book and enjoy the journey * Natural Stone Specialist *
A moving testimony to the power of art, of finding the extraordinary in the everyday and acting upon your instinct. To walk with Searle in its pages is to experience stone within a new light... as a part-knowable, ever-shifting medium in the process of slow but perpetual change, one long work-in-progress. -- Alex Woodcock * Caught by the River *
ISBN: 9781529920499
Dimensions: 196mm x 128mm x 26mm
Weight: 280g
352 pages