El mundo de piedra

by Joel Agee, Benito Gómez Ibáñez (Translator)

Un irresistible retrato de la infancia con el encanto y la belleza del México vibrante de los años cuarenta. «Es la infancia misma lo que Joel Agee devuelve al lector.» Siri Hustvedt
« El mundo de piedra es más que un gran logro es también un logro humano notable.» Paul Auster En una casa con un gran jardín en un pueblo mexicano sin nombre a finales de los años cuarenta, Peter, de seis años y medio, lee, sueña y juega con sus amigos. Es un explorador, artista, filósofo, místico y científico. Su mundo aún es nuevo, todavía no está contaminado por el conocimiento recibido.
   Y el mundo real que lo rodea es único en aquella é una comunidad de exiliados que han encontrado refugio en México de los regímenes fascistas de Europa, codeándose con sindicalistas mexicanos o artistas como Frida Kahlo. Pero los emigrados añoran su hogar, incluido el padrastro de Peter, que quiere regresar a su Alemania natal. Sin embargo, volver puede no ser seguro, lo que da lugar a angustiosas discusiones entre los padres de Peter y su pequeño grupo de amigos.
   Y poco a poco, Peter comienza a comprender que su mundo puede acabar patas arriba, que podría verse obligado a despedirse de todos los que conoce y su mejor amigo, Arón; el amigo de su padre, Sándor, que habla de revolución y hace trucos de magia; y Zita, la criada de la familia, que le ha enseñado los consoladores misterios de la oración.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published February 22, 2022

Reviews

[Sarah-Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Stone World is one of those quiet titles that aren't driven by an overarching narrative, but are instead made of the details of daily life. In this case, the daily life is Pira's. He lives in 1940s Mexico with a violinist mother originally from New York and her second husband, a writer who fled from Germany to Mexico when Hitler rose to power. Both parents treat Pira with a seriousness and dignity that recognizes his developing sense of ethics.

Pira spends much of his time surrounded by adults talking politics. Their conversations can be heated, and Pira listens carefully, drawing his own conclusions about the meaning of their interactions. He knows there are two kinds of "parties": those that involve festivity and those that the adults seem so focused on.

Pira has two best friends: one the only son of a working class mother, the other the only son of a wealthy and unscrupulous businessman. He spends time with them, singly and together, and ponders their realities and views of the world.

Pira also enjoys lying on the patio in his family's yard, holding a favorite blue marble, one ear pressed to the tiles, letting himself sink into and listen to the earth itself.

Spending time with Pira and sharing his perceptions of the world and individuals around him is an absolute gift—one for which I deeply thank Joel Agee. His ability to show us how everything happens as nothing much happens is remarkable.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher; the opinions are my own.

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m delighted to be the first person to rate and review this book, though wish it would have had more readership by now.
I’ve been going through a lot of speculative fiction and wanted to slow things down with a proper literary novel and this one certainly did the trick. And though I am an avowed agist, Stone World worked surprisingly well despite having a six-year-old for narrator, in fact, it probably what made the novel work so well.
Pira, as his name is colloquially pronounced, is a young American boy living in Mexico with his violinist mother, the writer she married (whom he considers his second father) and their maid. By all accounts it’s a nice life, he has friends, pets, adventures, even his first love, and, this being the last summer before starting school, is looking forward to attending first grade.
But there are things going on all around him, adult things, things his communist father, determined to get back to his fatherland now that the war is over, might be involved in, things that might change their entire lives.
This novel works on two levels. First, as just a lovely, vividly rendered account of a summer in a distant (unless you’re in Mexico) land in a distant (unless you’re a time-traveler) time. And second, as an excellent depiction of a socially and politically tumultuous post WWII era in both North America and Europe.
There’s a scene in the book where Pira uses a mirror to walk around with and see things from different angles, noting how different life looks from unexpected perspectives. That’s pretty much exactly the trick the author uses for this book, by giving us such a young (albeit smart, emotional intelligent and precocious) narrator he shifts the perspective to allow the readers a different view at the characters (real life and imagined), their actions and the world they inhabit. It’s very clever and I enjoyed it.
In fact, the entire book was very enjoyable and had an undeniable charm. And then it sort of just ended. Much like a summer does. And I, with my recent steady diet of speculative fiction that thrives on twists and variously amplified endings, kind of wanted more. But that’s neither here nor there, really, because the novel did exactly what it wanted and told exactly the story it had in mind. A story I liked reading. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful coming of age story about Pira and his family living in Mexico post WWII. Pira is a small boy who lives time in the present and experiences his adventures and friends in a magical way that will fill your heart.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The events of this novel unfold entirely from the point of view of Peter, a six-year-old boy. He inhabits a fraught world and only poorly understands many of the things he sees and hears. He lives in Mexico in the late 1940s, with his American violinist mother and German journalist stepfather. They’re communists who fled Europe before the war and are part of an artistic community of like-minded emigres (with Frida Kahlo making an appearance at a dinner party). Young Peter is intelligent and sensitive and very observant. This approach of writing about complex things through a child’s eyes invites comparison to James Agee’s (the author’s father) A Death in the Family, which did the same thing brilliantly. Beautifully and sensitively captures the way a child’s mind works, as young Peter makes his way through his days.

[RMazin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do not dismiss this novel because the narrator is a six-year--old boy living in post WWII Mexico. Pira/Peter is not just any boy. He is kind, thoughtful, creative and observant. Pira needs to be all of that and more because his situation is a bit different. He lives with Bruno (a stepfather) who fled Germany and is seeking to make a living as a writer. There is also Pira’s mother, an accomplished violinist who plays string quartets with other ex-pats. His biological Dad, who is still in his life, is also a musician but in NYC.

Pira’s world is filled with his imagination and the wonders of being in Mexico. He absorbs, observes and loves the lives of those around him: his parents, the maid and her boyfriend, and his young friends. He learns to read, write and paint, drawing inspiration from the natural world around him. What begins to puzzle him are the adults. Why do they become angry? What do they enjoy? Then there are bigger issues that intrude: politics both in Mexico and abroad, war, religion, love – so many questions to fit into his worldview! Can he be part of this world and still be himself?

The exquisite writing is like an elegy/memoir that may reflect some of the experiences of the author’s life. Descriptions are beautiful, thoughtful and precious. Leave this world and enter the lovely garden with Pira for a time of wonder. Highly, highly recommended. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 through the eyes of a 6 year we learn about his l life in Mexico with his expat American mom and expat German stepdad in the 1940’s. Their circle of friends include communists and other revolutionary types. The child loves his world and is upset about the changes that are coming

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fast read. The point of view of an almost seven-year-old boy. The author never breaks from that point of view, trusting the reader to figure out the grown-up stuff that the boy doesn't observe himself or doesn't really understand (innuendos, divorces and affairs, Communist show trials).

I absolutely love this perspective in movies: Roma, Belfast, and my all-time favorite, The White Balloon. I haven't seen it pulled off this well in a book. You really get in the head of a sweet little kid as he tries to process the explanations adults give him, as he tries to sort out his own feelings. Kid logic and kid dreams.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful story told from the viewpoint of a sensitive child. The description of the book given above is a red herring designed to pull in a certain audience that might not be interested in the real story here which is what it is like to be a child....Don't miss this novel. It will transform the way you think about children as well as your own past...

[Cosanna Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great novel. It was so great to get a historical view with so many familiar tochstones, espcially Popocatepetl. The way he uses the thought process and questioning of the young child to advance the story is particularly endearing. Would recommend. I really enjoyed it.

[Sean Kinch]

My Chapter16 review:

https://chapter16.org/the-mirror-and-...

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remember what it was like as a child, the endless possibilities your imagination afforded you? The innocence in it? Yet an awakening into the reality of a grown-up world happens. The Stone World by Joel Agee beautiful evokes that time of innocence as it tells the contained story of a little boy living in Mexico post-WWII. Peter Vogelsang is six. His mother, Martha, a violinist, is American, and his stepfather, or second father, Bruno, a writer, is German. Except for a short stint living in New York, Mexico is Peter's home. Or should I say it's Pira, when said with a Mexican accent, like his housekeeper Zita says it. Pira is a thoughtful kid, prone to listening to adult conversation. He asks questions, and his parents always earnestly try to answer him honestly. But he is only six, and there is a lot he doesn't quite understand or get. In the summer leading up to him entering first grade, Pira plays with his friends, goes swimming, makes up poems, and listens to the stones in an upside-down world, all the while as the world recovers from the war, and Mexico sees a railway strike. He's confronted with classism and communism, among other things, all while being filtered through his six-year-old brain. But Agee never writes down. This filtering allows his young innocence to still be present but never diluting what is happening. Even from a six-year-old's perspective, it's never condescending as such. The world is a big place full of things to discover and learn, and it is treated as such.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Melville House Publishing through NetGalley.
A slow paced relaxing look at life from a six year old's perspective. Wrapped around Pira's life in Mexico, readers see the intensity of the adult experiences. His stepdad escaped from Hitler's Germany; his mom is from America. They've formed a family unit with friends from a variety of countries and discuss politics and the world crises. Piro continues to process what he hears and share typical six-year old problems and joys. The ending is a bit abrupt but fits with where the characters are going.
Agee captures the times following World War II. Characters represent a wide variety of world views. They are not caricatures though some don't have much depth. However, the scenery descriptions fully capture the beauty of that portion of Mexico.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across a review of this book in the Washington Post and am very glad that I tagged it for my "to be read" list. The author, Joel Agee, is the son of Pulitzer-winning author James Agee -- I am not familiar with James or Joel although I've now added their books to my list. The book is narrated by 6-year old Peter who lives in Mexico with his mother, Martha, and stepfather, Bruce. I was initially skeptical about a 6-year old narrator, although I was quickly caught up in Peter's observations and voice. He is a listener -- and pays attention to adult conversations around him although being just six, are difficult to understand. He picks up on tension in the home as Bruce, an emigre from Germany, longs to return to his native country now that the war is over. Beautifully written; a real treat.

[Marvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

For one summer we inhabit the mind of a precocious six-year-old child who lives in Mexico shortly after World War II with his parents–his American mother and his stepfather, a Communist refugee from Germany–who are loving, model parents. It’s a simple story, with no real plot, told in simple prose, as the boy learns about language and life. It took me quite a while to get into it, but it gradually grew on me as I came to appreciate the wisdom of this precocious child. Alas, my high school Spanish from 55 years ago was good enough to translate only about half of the untranslated Spanish phrases.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't remember how this book ended up on our bookshelves but am glad it did. The narrator is a 6-year old boy living in Mexico with his mother, a musician, and his step-father, a writer. Both lefties though step-father (a German man who fought in the Spanish Civil War) is a member of the Communist Party. Peter, the child, is both making sense of the world and his parents and their friends confusing conversations about politics. The book really does work as a story of a little boy - intelligent, well-loved by his family - trying to make sense of his world in which sto ries are told both in Spanish and English.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful novel told from the POV of a six year old boy, growing up in Mexico in the 1940s with his American mother and German stepfather, who is a communist sympathizer. Pira - or Peter in English - narrates his bi- and tri-cultural world, and his glimpses of death, friendship, God and gods, grown ups, animals, and home. A beautiful novel, based on Agee's real life growing up, before his parents moved him to East Germany. He wrote a memoir (not a novel) about that time in his life, which is now on my list.

[Mamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't really understand why it was called Stone World at all because very little of the story takes place there and nothing exceptional seems to come from visiting it. It didn't really play much of a role. If you want a slice of expat life in the 40s in Mexico, then I guess this is a book for you, but it didn't seem to have much direction or real purpose as a story.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an easy read.
The child's voice was authentic. Made me picture the house and situation in the movie, Roma.

It is semi-autobiographical, and I was interested in learning more about the author.

[Catharine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read, but gently-paced story that precisely captures the feeling of childhood without sentimentality.

[Katherine]

DNF I was only 30% done (felt like I was over halfway done) but there’s only so much childhood trauma I can take

[Shannon Marie]

No rating. Couldn’t get past p. 17 ..

[Mike Heenan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good depiction of the how some children interpret the world growing up.

[Mister Monkey Dance · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book about childhood and the problems a child faces , delicately and effectively written .