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Patience Can Cook a Stone

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"The perfect conclusion to a beautiful, heart-wrenching, and powerful series." --Sarah Angleton, author of Gentleman of Misfortune and Smoke Rose to Heaven

No one is safe in the lawless backcountry of 1780 South Carolina. The colonial government is in shambles, and battle lines have been drawn. Once Mr. Tom dies, his sons, Carlton and Alden, clash over loyalty, patriotism, and the very definition of freedom.Free servants Nan and Joe Dillon wish only to raise their family in peace, but can they avoid being ripped apart?Experience the fierce fighting along the Savannah River during America’s Revolution. Discover whether the evil lurking on Kilkenny Plantation can be lifted or if everyone from the slaves to the master will pay the price.Based on the real-life memoir of Revolutionary War Patriot, Tarlton Brown, you'll love the compelling conclusion to this award-winning series. Buy today!

Finalist in the 2020 Wishing Shelf Book AwardsSemi-Finalist in the 2020 Kindle Book Awards for Literary Fiction

399 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 26, 2019

32 people are currently reading
14 people want to read

About the author

M.B. Gibson

5 books28 followers
Mary Beth Gibson is the author of the award-winning Duncullen Saga, historical novels set in eighteenth-century Tipperary, Ireland, and Revolutionary War-era South Carolina.

Her newest release, Pryor Knowledge, explores everyday life in the early 19th century amidst the immensely popular world of horse racing.

M. B. Gibson is active in the Aiken Chapter of the South Carolina Writers Association and the Authors Club of Augusta. After teaching adolescents for over thirty years and raising three headstrong daughters, she now lives the quiet life with her husband in Blackville, South Carolina.

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5 stars
70 (67%)
4 stars
20 (19%)
3 stars
10 (9%)
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
Profile Image for Billy Buttons.
Author 19 books192 followers
October 10, 2021
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Patience Can Cook a Stone
Author: M B Gibson

Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 22
Stats
Editing: 9/10
Writing Style: 10/10
Content: 9/10
Cover: 9/10
Of the 22 readers:
22 would read another book by this author.
20 thought the cover was good or excellent.
21 felt it was easy to follow.
22 would recommend this book to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 8 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 7 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
Of all the readers, 7 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
19 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
22 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.

Readers’ Comments
“If you enjoy historical novels, you’ll probably enjoy this. It’s a complex family drama with elements of the civil war and slavery. It’s a little difficult to keep on top of who is who but if you read the books in order it helps a lot. If you have an interest in the American South, this has a lot to offer. It felt well-researched, and the writing is exemplary.” Female reader, aged 49
“With the backdrop of a revolutionary war, this is a compelling and often gritty read. There are a lot of elements to this story including family loyalty, slavery and feuds. The author’s historical knowledge of the time and place is strong, providing an excellent backdrop to this saga.” Female reader, aged 50
“A novel full of charasmatic characters set in a vibrantly described South Carolina. There is a focus on family and whether war will rip it apart. Personally, I thought this was a fascinating read based around a time and place I know little about. It sparked my interest; so much so, I will be looking out for more books by this talented author.” Female reader, aged 47

To Sum It Up:
‘A powerful ending to this superbly plotted historical drama. A FINALIST and highly recommended!’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Profile Image for Candace Carter.
Author 1 book6 followers
January 29, 2020
A great ending to the Duncullen Saga! Set in South Carolina with a backdrop of the Revolutionary War, Nan and Joe Dillon try to stay out of the conflict. Will the war rip the family apart? A great story, painstakingly researched, with great characters. Highly recommended.

I received this book as a beta reader in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
303 reviews3 followers
October 18, 2022
Third book in series but now the setting is America. More themes are brought into the family saga, including slavery and the battle for America's independence (how it turned friends and family into foes). These conditions made life very difficult and tenuous.

Would read more by this author but not sure there ARE more !!
Amazing if these 3 books are the author's first.
45 reviews
November 29, 2021
Amazing!

This is the third book in the Duncan saga trilogy. It is a story of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual anguish; All laced with deep love and feelings of hope. M.B. Gibson Is a master at developing in-depth characters and an amazing trilogy!
Profile Image for Sandy Spivey.
5 reviews2 followers
August 11, 2025
great historical fiction

Fantastic series. As someone who enjoys genealogy and history, this series of books was wonderful to read. Since I also reside in South Carolina, reading of the roles of South Carolinians during the Revolution was quite interesting.
180 reviews1 follower
March 21, 2021
Another spell binder!

Brilliant accounting of the late 1700's with well researched data, and talented vision writing! One feels as if the characters were real!
Profile Image for Judith Lauder Byrnes .
221 reviews
October 8, 2025
Just ok. Another book reminding me of the heinous acts taken by (mostly) white males is not one I’d recommend. I lost track of all the characters but got the gist. It did move along and had a good bit of balance between tragedy and triumph.
Profile Image for Sarah.
Author 6 books54 followers
January 15, 2020
The perfect conclusion to a beautiful, heart-wrenching, and powerful series. Nan, illegitimate daughter of Irish maid Eveleen and the mad Sir Richard Lynche of Duncullen, is building a life with her family on Kilkenny Plantation in South Carolina with the blessing and aid of her natural father's cousin, the kindhearted Tom. When his sudden death leads to a change in fortunes for those on the plantation—masters, slaves, and freemen alike—all are swept up in a struggle with madness, set against the backdrop of a world embroiled in the conflict between Loyalist and Patriot, a world in which it’s difficult to know whom to trust.
Profile Image for Candace Carter.
Author 1 book6 followers
January 27, 2020
A great ending to the Duncullen Saga! Set in South Carolina with a backdrop of the Revolutionary War, Nan and Joe Dillon try to stay out of the conflict. Will the war rip the family apart? A great story, painstakingly researched, with great characters. Highly recommended.

I received this book as a beta reader in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Profile Image for Aileen.
92 reviews9 followers
April 23, 2020
Sorry to see the Duncullen saga end. I thoroughly enjoyed all three books of this series. The characters were brought to life and I felt I knew them. The story takes you places you have never been before in a time you were not privy to be in. But it felt like I was there and that is a good thing! Enjoy the books! They are a definite must read.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews

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