Clawing chest pains and a fiery car crash take one life and change the destiny of four others. The Stone Necklace braids together the stories of a grieving widow, a struggling nurse, a young mother, and a troubled homeless man, reminding us of the empowering and surprising ways our lives touch one another and how, together, we can recover from even the greatest of losses.
Carla Damron weaves the stories of four people in Columbia, South Carolina, whose seemingly disparate existences intersect through tragedies realized and tragedies averted. Lena Hastings survived breast cancer and marital infidelity but now faces an uncertain future and crises with her teenaged daughter Becca without the support of the one person she has always counted on. Intensive care nurse Sandy Albright, newly released from drug rehab, confronts temptations from her past and false accusations threatening her career, leaving her to wonder if a drug-free life is really living. Tonya Ladson, a mother whose child is injured in the wreck, must decide if her domineering husband is right and a lawsuit will solve their financial problems. Joe Booker, a homeless man who sleeps in a graveyard, loses his gentle benefactor and must either succumb to the real and imagined evils of his world or find the heretofore-untapped courage to care for himself and for others as a stranger once cared for him. Weighted down by their respective pasts, the characters must make life-altering choices that reverberate into the fates of the others, ultimately bringing them together in unexpected but healing acts of compassion, forgiveness, and redemption.
The Stone Necklace includes a foreword from novelist Patti Callahan Henry.
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. 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.
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.
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!
I definitely enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to all of my reader friends.
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.
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.
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.
Now, lets get into the review. This story is really about five people. Lena Hastings, Becca Hastings, Joe Booker, Sandy Albright, and Tonya Ladson.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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. 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. 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. A tidy, hopeful (if not necessarily happy) ending for all concerned.
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! 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.
Probably more like 3.5 stars. A good southern story (my fave) and very SC based with lots of local references that felt very right. Multiple threads that wind together over the course of the book - Lena is a cancer survivor who loses her husband, Becca her daughter who is struggling with an eating disorder, Tonya a young mother trying to do more, Sandy the nurse just out of rehab and Joe the homeless man. It's an odd combination for sure, but the paths cross it all works.
I've had "The Stone Necklace" on my wish list and TBR list for a long time. Finally, I decided to buy it, and I'm glad I did! So many lives tangled together fighting homelessness, grief, illness, death, turmoil, and more. This book is about real life and the intersection of people helping people when they are struggling. An uplifting and great book!
Our library book club pick of the month! It was neat reading this book from a local author and setting. The book held my interest as each character is intertwined in some way. The author did a great job making these characters “realistic”. A good read.
Set in Columbia,SC the book tackles a death, anorexia and a multitude of demons which haunt each character. Felt very cursory- leaving me wanting more depth of each character. Overall a predictable good story.
What a beautiful portrayal of a slice of life from characters set in Columbia South Carolina. I loved the message of hope in spite of life’s difficulties.
Mitch Hastings is a braided cord that ties this cast of wonderful characters together--each with their own demons, but potential to live a fuller life. Great read!
Carla Damron is a talented writer. 'The Stone Necklace' starts with a horrific crash that changes the life of his widow, Lena and his children, Becca, Sims, and Elliot. The loss of this one man causes an avalanche of actions that touches the mother who was driving the other car, one of the nurses who cares for him, and the homeless man who he tried to help when he could. The story weaves us through the aftermath and the emotions of all involved and we wonder how are they going to be connected. Until Carla, very deftly, entangles them all. I couldn't put this book down until I knew the whole story. Five Stars!
My sole reason for reading this book was that it takes place in Columbia, SC and that the author is a USC graduate. All very familiar territory to me. It is a novel about a two families one homeless man, and one nurse in transition. We all make mistakes in our life and sometimes we make it through the clouds and find the rainbow
“Remember that first project you did in my class? You let so much out that day. You need to paint. It’s how you express yourself best.”
It always fascinates me when a line from a novel causes transformation in my own life. Carla Damron’s The Stone Necklace provides many such moments, bringing a deeper understanding of homelessness, eating disorders, the fight involved in taking on cancer or substance abuse, and dysfunctional families. But for me, struggling to find myself as a creative person, Carla’s words gave me the courage to engage in a twelve step program to embrace visibility as an artist and a writer and a film-maker and a however else I chose to express myself-er.
Back when I was a member of the Inkplots writing group, it was my privilege to witness Carla’s dedication in developing her craft while she wrote The Stone Necklace. When I reviewed her final draft in 2014, I knew she had found the power to connect readers with uncomfortable realities. She had used her training and experience as a social worker to bring compassion to many times unlovable characters. The Stone Necklace is a book of redemption for all of us who feel broken by life and want to reclaim wholeness.
I have to admit that I read this book for a couple of reasons. First, the author and I were freshman year roommates at our undergraduate university and second, I have read three other of her novels. They were all very well written and kept me involved in them for the entire story. But with The Stone Necklace, Carla has written a story about the human experience as seen through the eyes of some folks with very different backgrounds.
I found myself gulping this book down which means I will go back and read it more thoroughly with an eye for the incredible detail and storytelling ability the author demonstrates. From the first words all the way through to the last, I was immersed in the lives of the author's characters. Strong writing without too much wordiness made this book a delight for me to read. It tugged on emotions, pulled me into the lives of the characters and in several instances left me breathless.
From our year together as room mates I know Carla Damron to be exceptionally bright, positively clever and very willing to see and live way outside the box. These things have been a strong set of assests for her and she deftly uses them in the creation of this book. I highly recommend it.
I can't rate this one. It's just too close to home. It was wonderful reading about these characters driving down the same streets I travel. The writing was consistent and interesting and I find myself still thinking about it - which I think is the mark of a good book, really. I was surprised by the ending. I would not have given the preacher's "God has a plan" that much weight - although in SC it does get that much weight. The book is a written exercise in rebuilt lives. Whether there is meaning to suffering is a subject for brighter minds than me. I do agree that broken lives can still be formed to beautiful wholes and I can't fault anyone for embracing that hope.
The plotline was clear, not confusing at all, but I don't think it was necessary to flip around in time quite so much. I suppose if I reread it I might see the structural issues that the author worked through by putting so many flashback chapters toward the end. Really it was fine, the writing style was very stable through the work so the time shifts weren't too jarring and I still felt oriented in that story world.
I really enjoyed this book, mostly because I enjoy simultaneous, separate plot lines that intertwine as the characters touch each others lives in sometimes subtle and not-so-subtle ways. The writing was very good: vivid descriptions of settings (lots of color references), well-developed characters that seem real and authentic, and realistic character dialog. The story was engaging, and you'll end up rooting for all the main characters as they tackle and overcome their struggles (addiction, eating disorders, grief, homelessness, and emotional abuse).
Our book club added this to our reading list after it was selected for the 2016 One Book, One Community program here in Columbia, SC. The author is a Columbia native, so the story is set here as well, which helped us local readers more easily relate to the settings and characters. Ms. Damron is also a social worker, and you can tell her work experiences have helped shaped some of the characters. I'm looking forward to meeting her in person when she joins our book club meeting in June!
Overall, The Stone Necklace was a good, quick, enjoyable read!
The Stone Necklace by Carla Damron The necklace brings together many from different tragedies. Starts out with Leena: cancer, surgery, chemo. Mitch, the husband tries to keep it all together. Joe the homeless man who does chores for them. He had left a stone and it appears in Mitchs briefcase every morning. Follows Tonya in a car that gets in an accident-her son Bryon is ok, she blames herself for texting..... Mitch had run a red light and crashed into her car due to his medical emergency. Story also follows Becca, Sims and older brother who all gather at the hospital for their father. Also Sandy who's a recovering addict hat is a nurse in the hospital. Confusing at times as everybody has so much going on. Like this book because it is about a lot of different people, different ages, different careers and they have one thing in common... I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
I really enjoyed this book. It had more story lines than I would normally enjoy but Carla Damron did a very good job of connecting the people and stories. At the center of this book is a car accident, that leaves one man dead and a young mother finally ready to make the changes in her life that she has been needing to do for a long time. We follow her journey as well as the progress of the family that lost a loving husband and father as they make the difficult decisions needed to move forward in pursuing a good life. Also is the journey of the nurse who takes care of the man the last couple days of his life in the hospital, as well as the homeless man, who was helped and loved by the good man, who did not survive the accident. Carla Damron brought all of these storys to a path of hope and future. For me it said, in part, that the good life and the love we give now, will live on after we are gone. I would recommend this book.