The Stone Necklace

I came about this book through the museum gift shop I work at. This author will be at the museum doing a talk and book signing this Friday. <br />I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I like the way the author writes, entwined the lives of the characters ... I will be reading more of her books.

"She wore her sins like a stone necklace." This one of the first descriptions of Lena Hastings as the novel starts. Lena has just survived breast cancer and reconciled with her husband as the story opens. She has had the bad luck in her life and she feels that now is the time for life to be good. However, that day, her husband is in a horrific car crash that takes his life. This is the story of how the family and other interconnected characters deal with life without Mitch to hold it together for them. There are a lot of characters but they are all touched by Mitch's death -- there is his widow, Lena who is an artist unable to paint since her cancer scare, her sons Sims and Elliot, her daughter Becca who is trying to control her life by self-harming and then three other main characters who play a large role in the novel but are not part of the family - Sandy, the nurse in ICU who is on probation for using drugs and Joe, the homeless man who lives in the cemetery and has been helped out by Mitch over the years and Tonya who was injured in the car crash with Mitch along with her small son. It sounds like a lot of characters but there is no confusion and they are all part of the central theme of the novel - that no matter what happens in our past, there is hope for the future by showing compassion to others - both within our families and to the other people whose lives are intertwined with our own.<br /><br />I enjoyed this book and getting to know these characters. I loved the way that the author managed to interweave their lives and make it all so believable. The author has a background in social work and it's very apparent that she has a great understanding of life for homeless people based on her story line about Joe, the homeless man whose story line is so important to the novel.<br /><br />One more comment -- I usually don't pay a lot of attention to who publishes a book but I have read three books this year published by Story River Books, a publisher of fiction based at the University of South Carolina, and all of them have been excellent. I plan to look for the books that they publish in the future because they publish books that I enjoy and that need to be read!<br /><br />I definitely enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to all of my reader friends.<br /><br />

Carla Damron is the contemporary author from my homes state and town, Columbia, South Carolina. She writes about a family and the different personalities of 4 characters. Mitch dies in a car crash and turmoil ensues on the family especially his teen aged daughter with an eating disorder. His wife, Lena, a breast cancer survivor must bring the family together amidst tensions. We meet the driver who was in the wreck with Mitch and the ICU nurse, recently released from drug rehabilitation who cared for Mitch before his death. Other characters involved with the accident are of interest especially the homeless man, Joe Booker who sleeps in a graveyard and loses his benefactor so he must now care for himself and the young mother whose child is injured in the wreck.<br /><br />The characters were moving and felt authentic in unexpected acts of compassion, healing and redemption. The intersection of the grieving widow, struggling nurse, young mother and troubled homeless man weave together and intersect through tragedy in an interesting read.

This book gave an in depth view into several forms of grief and a few of the ways people deal or avoid dealing with it. While it wasn't a light, summertime read, it was a well developed story with characters of value and depth. It also was sympathetic and thoughtful. I am glad I read it and will look for her other books as I enjoyed her writing style and perspective.

Nothing special but it held my interest.

I have a copy of this book that I bought directly from Carla at an Arts Festival near Columbia, SC; however, I listened to the audiobook instead of reading the physical words. First, let me say that Vicky Saye Henderson was by far the best person for reading this book through Audible. I swear, she is exactly how I imagine Lena Hastings would really sound. The story plus her reading was a natural fit. <br /><br />Now, lets get into the review. This story is really about five people. Lena Hastings, Becca Hastings, Joe Booker, Sandy Albright, and Tonya Ladson. <br /><br />Lena is the main character. Her husbad has a heart attack while driving and ends up dying in the accident. Lena is left alone to deal with her daughter, Becca. Becca has an eating disorder and anxiety, but she also has a very deep seeded anger because of an affair Lena had. Becca lost the only parent she trusted. This is the most realistic relationship I've ever read in my life. The anger and emotion show up so perfectly. <br /><br />Joe Booker is a homeless man who may be suffering from schizophrenia. He's a kind and caring soul who believes in doing the Lord's work, but has demons of his own. Joe's demons are never fully fleshed out (I believe that could be an entire novel in and of itself) but from subtext we understand that his demons have a lot to do with vilence. He will go above and beyond for people who show him kindness though. <br /><br />Sandy is a nurse/drug addict. She got caught stealing Oxy from a drug cart in the hospital where she works. But she's also dealing with her own unbareable situations. A miscarriage, almost killing someone else's child, and trying to figure out if her boyfriend is actually her boyfriend. I believe Sandy hardcore represents the denile section of the grief chart.<br /><br />And last but not least we have Tonya. She is the mother of a beautiful toddler and the wife of a man who for a lack of a better term is a complete asshole. Who doesn't even bother to help take care of his own kid? Sorry I'm still a little bothered by a scene where John walks in and tells Tonya (while she's getting ready for work) to go and clean up after her son. He's your son too John! And Tonya's struggle to press the insurance company for more money after she discovered that Mitch was dead was a hard and final decision. I think Tonya might have been the character who made the most growth in the novel. As in the beginning she was letting John make her decisions and at the end she had her own game plan and it was his decision as to whether or not he stayed in her life. I think that was bold and beautiful. <br /><br /><br />Okay so without giving away too much more of the ending, I think this book was very insightful. Each character went through their own individual stages of grief and trying to find control in their chaotic lives. This books is about EVERY DAY, but it is also about so much more. This is about humanity and how we communicated and react. This book is a fictional study of human nature. and Carla couldn't have done a better job writing it. Beautifully done.

In spite of the many characters' many troubles, this was a slow, gentle, complex read. Let life throw at us what it will, Southerners will (usually) persevere.<br />At times, the author-voice got between me and the characters--especially Tonya. There's a strong thread of women-judging-women: female characters criticize one another for clothes, weight, eating habits, breast size, career choices, etc, and women too often come up short under that judgment. An interesting juxtaposition with Becca's eating disorder being such a strong plot thread.<br />The resolution to the widow's dire financial straits felt a bit deus ex machina which could have been easily avoided with some brief foreshadowing.<br />A tidy, hopeful (if not necessarily happy) ending for all concerned.<br />

I loved this book. In The Stone Necklace, Carla Damron dropped breadcrumbs that kept me reading to find out what happens to four people connected to each other because of one fatal car crash. Her characters are deep, flawed, and so very real, even the secondary characters and their relationships. Not only did I enjoy this story immensely, I learned to see the problems of others through a new lens. As humans, we often focus inward, worrying about our to-do lists and our obstacles. Yet, our lives intersect and intertwine with other people in ways we don’t realize and never find out about. I will be more thoughtful in my interactions, and therefore be a better person for having read this book. I give my thanks to Carla Damron.

Just finished The Stone Necklace by Carla Damron and loved it! <br />Every day our lives brush against others and we never know the impact of those connections. In The Stone Necklace, a fatal car accident causes the collision of 4 strangers who must examine their lives and the damage they've done to themselves and those they love. Carla Damron weaves a beautiful tale of healing and redemption. She presents the very real experiences of homelessness, addiction, mental illness, and abuse with depth and compassion in this beautifully written novel.

The four main characters are well-developed, though perhaps the ending is a little too neat. I enjoyed reading each of their stories and how they connect. Joe, the homeless man, is a character who tugged on my heart. Tonya is young, but has more strength and ambition than she realizes. Lena has made some mistakes with her marriage and now has to cope with the after effects and Sandy has to deal with the demon of drug addiction.