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The Ice Chorus: A Novel
Falling in love unexpectedly during an archaeological dig in Mexico, Lisanne enters into a brief extramarital affair and subsequently travels to Ireland, where she explores devastating secrets that she has discovered about her beloved late father.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published February 23, 2005
21 people are currently reading
391 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Stonich
16 books245 followersThe author of internationally acclaimed and award-winning novels "Laurentian Divide" and "Vacationland", the first two volumes in her Northern trilogy. Her earlier novels, "These Granite Islands" and "The Ice Chorus", left their marks on readers around the world, having been translated into eleven languages - most recently into Czech. Visit her web site for reviews and info. Sarah's memoir, 'Shelter: Off The Grid In The Mostly Magnetic North', winner of the NE MN Book Award is now available in paperback.
Her feminist fiction Fishing with RayAnne trilogy debuted with "Fishing!" and will be followed next year by "Reeling". Sarah writes and lives in Minnesota with her husband, Jon. For more visit sarahstonich.com and like her FB page: Sarah Stonich Bookshelf
Her feminist fiction Fishing with RayAnne trilogy debuted with "Fishing!" and will be followed next year by "Reeling". Sarah writes and lives in Minnesota with her husband, Jon. For more visit sarahstonich.com and like her FB page: Sarah Stonich Bookshelf
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
May 3, 2013
This one didn't touch me quite like These Granite Islands because I couldn't warm up to some of the characters. BUT---when I read the epilogue I found myself snorking and snuffling and wiping the tears from my cheeks, wondering how Sarah Stonich managed to do that to me again.
It was the Irish characters that got to my heart. The love and loyalty between Remy and Maggie Conner is enviable, and was so sweetly portrayed. And you can't help loving their granddaughter Siobhan for her sass and spunky determination.
The book alternates between the past in Mexico and the present in Ireland, with a little bit of Toronto tossed in between the two.
We first meet Lise as she arrives on the Irish coast to start a new life. Her marriage to Stephen has dissolved, and she is estranged from her teenaged son Adam. She meets the locals, begins to settle in, and then flashes back on the affair she had in Mexico with a Welsh painter named Charlie Lowan.
I never really connected with Charlie's character, and I'm not sure I even liked him. But by the end of the book I could appreciate what he had done for Lise. In his desire to know her--all of her--he teaches her about true intimacy, which she never experienced in 18 years of marriage. Charlie's questions force her to confront the truth about her marriage, herself, and her father's early death.
I thought Lise made a real hash of it when she realized she had to drastically change her life. Her behavior was foolish, and unfair to her husband and son. I liked her a lot better, though, as she relaxed into her new life in Ireland. It seemed like she was softening up and blossoming as she allowed her new friends to see her authentic self. They open up to her as she films them telling their stories, and in turn she feels safe enough to share her own secrets.
Once again, gorgeous writing with an artist's eye for detail, just as in Stonich's first novel.
It was the Irish characters that got to my heart. The love and loyalty between Remy and Maggie Conner is enviable, and was so sweetly portrayed. And you can't help loving their granddaughter Siobhan for her sass and spunky determination.
The book alternates between the past in Mexico and the present in Ireland, with a little bit of Toronto tossed in between the two.
We first meet Lise as she arrives on the Irish coast to start a new life. Her marriage to Stephen has dissolved, and she is estranged from her teenaged son Adam. She meets the locals, begins to settle in, and then flashes back on the affair she had in Mexico with a Welsh painter named Charlie Lowan.
I never really connected with Charlie's character, and I'm not sure I even liked him. But by the end of the book I could appreciate what he had done for Lise. In his desire to know her--all of her--he teaches her about true intimacy, which she never experienced in 18 years of marriage. Charlie's questions force her to confront the truth about her marriage, herself, and her father's early death.
I thought Lise made a real hash of it when she realized she had to drastically change her life. Her behavior was foolish, and unfair to her husband and son. I liked her a lot better, though, as she relaxed into her new life in Ireland. It seemed like she was softening up and blossoming as she allowed her new friends to see her authentic self. They open up to her as she films them telling their stories, and in turn she feels safe enough to share her own secrets.
Once again, gorgeous writing with an artist's eye for detail, just as in Stonich's first novel.
October 10, 2014
As fragile as spun glass, as soothing as a poem; that is how I would describe The Ice Chorus by Sarah Stonich. I went into this blind, not having heard about the author or the book. The cover picture of a lady wrapped in a red blanket walking on the sea shore, with her unruly hair flying in the wind, is what drew me to this book. Of course the title too had a strange attraction.The story outwardly seems simple and oft told. A dying relationship, a new attraction and life at the cross roads. But as the narrative unfolds, each layer reveals something deeper and touching. Sarah Stonich has not taken the direct route from the point A to B. The journey takes tiny detours into unknown territory which adds a new depth and beauty to the tale.
Liselle Dupree, our heroine, is in her forties and has left her husband Stephen. The story begins with her shift to a tiny cottage on a wind-swept cliff by the sea. It is a remote village on the west coast of Ireland. She’s taken the decision to move away from Toronto and her eighteen year old marriage. A chance encounter with Charlie, a painter, had shaken Liselle’s comfortable but colorless existence with her husband. It made her take stock of her life and how she has just gone along with the flow, submerging her own identity.
In the womb like comfort of her isolated cottage Liselle grapples with coming to terms with her decision and the direction she wants her life to take. It’s a time of healing and discovery for her. The narrative is interspersed with flash backs. Each interlude to the past, takes us one step closer to understanding Liselle. It’s like looking at a painting shrouded with dust. There are vague outlines of figures, which gives an idea of the actual picture. However, as it is cleaned, each swipe of the cloth reveals minute details that give a whole new dimension to the image. The locals in the village are not overtly friendly but they quietly welcome her into their midst as if they know how broken she is and her need to nurse her wounds in private. The elderly couple Remy and Margaret and their granddaughter Siobhan are the anchors Liselle’s new life. They accept her as she is with no expectations or recriminations.
The Ice Chorus is a book to own. There are bits and pieces which can be re-read a thousand times. The wildness of the sea and the fierceness of the wind are almost soothing to a troubled mind. Turn off your phone, close your door and curl up in a chair with The Ice Chorus. It will work its magic on you. It’s a book which cannot be rushed. It should be allowed to gently seep into your mind, spreading like warm honey, soothing old wounds and smoothing over scars which you never knew needed healing.
Liselle Dupree, our heroine, is in her forties and has left her husband Stephen. The story begins with her shift to a tiny cottage on a wind-swept cliff by the sea. It is a remote village on the west coast of Ireland. She’s taken the decision to move away from Toronto and her eighteen year old marriage. A chance encounter with Charlie, a painter, had shaken Liselle’s comfortable but colorless existence with her husband. It made her take stock of her life and how she has just gone along with the flow, submerging her own identity.
In the womb like comfort of her isolated cottage Liselle grapples with coming to terms with her decision and the direction she wants her life to take. It’s a time of healing and discovery for her. The narrative is interspersed with flash backs. Each interlude to the past, takes us one step closer to understanding Liselle. It’s like looking at a painting shrouded with dust. There are vague outlines of figures, which gives an idea of the actual picture. However, as it is cleaned, each swipe of the cloth reveals minute details that give a whole new dimension to the image. The locals in the village are not overtly friendly but they quietly welcome her into their midst as if they know how broken she is and her need to nurse her wounds in private. The elderly couple Remy and Margaret and their granddaughter Siobhan are the anchors Liselle’s new life. They accept her as she is with no expectations or recriminations.
The Ice Chorus is a book to own. There are bits and pieces which can be re-read a thousand times. The wildness of the sea and the fierceness of the wind are almost soothing to a troubled mind. Turn off your phone, close your door and curl up in a chair with The Ice Chorus. It will work its magic on you. It’s a book which cannot be rushed. It should be allowed to gently seep into your mind, spreading like warm honey, soothing old wounds and smoothing over scars which you never knew needed healing.
April 2, 2012
Stars: 4.0
The Ice Chorus by Sarah Stonich is the picturesque, perceptive and contemporary tale of Liselle (Lise) Dupre, an amateur documentary filmmaker from Toronto who is torn between the men in her life: her self-absorbed, archaeologist husband Stephen, 17-year-old son Adam, once womanizing and now dead father Hart, and the lover she met on a Mexican vacation – Welsh painter Charles Lowan – who makes her feel like she has never felt before.
Exquisitely written with as much consideration of light and fluidity as the loving and precise brushstrokes of the story’s artist, Stonich reinforces the fact that nothing ever turns out the way we think it will. Their mature and deeply romantic love story is recalled in vivid, powerful flashbacks in which we feel Lise’s agony every bit as her ecstasy and are completely empathetic to her dilemma.
Author Nuala O’Faolain declared that, “Any woman who ever had her heart cracked open by a man should read The Ice Chorus.” And she’s right. I was hauntingly reminded of my most meaningful, romantic epiphany that occurred in Ireland seven years ago, and was attracted to the book’s synopsis for this reason.
After an intense affair with Charlie while on holiday in the Yucatán, Lise uncovers the real reason why she has avoided intimacy and allowed her marriage to simply happen to her. She had consented to a life that didn’t make her happy and only in Charlie’s arms did she discover the colours of love and how it feels to be genuinely understood.
“Sitting back, she framed Charlie in half shade, her gaze climbing to the hard line of his jaw, his deep temple and too-broad forehead. He would be considered plain by most.
“You choose what you see, I suppose.”
He considered her a long moment before touching her arm. “You should, you know.”
The nails of his fingers were rimmed in ochre, the same colour pressed into the fabric of his shirt. The weight of them on her skin was light, acute.
“I should what?”
“Do what that journalist suggested. Make a film of yourself.”
When he pulled his hand away, she felt marked.
“Elle?”
She froze. No one had called her that for a very long time. It took a moment for her to reply without her voice cracking. “Yes?”
Lise struggles with how to find the right time to end her marriage to Stephen, realizing that she’s bound to lose Adam in the split. Confiding in no one but her best friend Leonard, who is gay, Lise is soon forced to make a decision when Charlie’s art is exhibited in Toronto and everyone in the gallery is witness to seven remarkably intimate portraits of his “Elle”.
After many months of angst-ridden contemplation, Lise decides to start over again in rural Ireland where she builds her new life and waits for Charlie’s return. It is here that the novel begins.
While in Eire, Lise gradually forms a new familial bond with Remy (the local shanachie and hardware store owner) & Margaret Conner (an elegant cake maker with a deep, dark secret) and their prickly granddaughter Siobhan, characters that are as richly envisioned and fulfilled as the Irish seascape in Lowan’s painting; the catalyst for Lise’s decision. She rents a plain house in a remote village near the sea and embarks on a new journey of her own design. Lise slowly integrates into the lives of the villagers, who warm to her when she films them revealing how they met the love of their lives, and in the process exposes herself.
Sarah Stonich authentically depicts bucolic Ireland while smoothly weaving between the past and present and creates a “subtle, lovely evocation of the transforming power of love, forgiveness, midlife renewal and the power of art to transform life.” Her prose reminds me of the work of Maggie O’Farrell, Candida Clark and Lisa Carey, all of whom I love, and as she credits some of my favourite Irish writers (Edna O’Brien, Jamie O’Neill, Colum McCann) with inspiring her, I would not hesitate to read more of Stonich’s books.
The only complaint I have about The Ice Chorus is the way in which Stonich described Charlie’s return to Ireland which was all too brief and evasive for my liking. However, it did have a satisfying, albeit contemplative ending and was the perfect book to read as the year comes to an end and I reflect on my own journey of love and memory.
The Ice Chorus by Sarah Stonich is the picturesque, perceptive and contemporary tale of Liselle (Lise) Dupre, an amateur documentary filmmaker from Toronto who is torn between the men in her life: her self-absorbed, archaeologist husband Stephen, 17-year-old son Adam, once womanizing and now dead father Hart, and the lover she met on a Mexican vacation – Welsh painter Charles Lowan – who makes her feel like she has never felt before.
Exquisitely written with as much consideration of light and fluidity as the loving and precise brushstrokes of the story’s artist, Stonich reinforces the fact that nothing ever turns out the way we think it will. Their mature and deeply romantic love story is recalled in vivid, powerful flashbacks in which we feel Lise’s agony every bit as her ecstasy and are completely empathetic to her dilemma.
Author Nuala O’Faolain declared that, “Any woman who ever had her heart cracked open by a man should read The Ice Chorus.” And she’s right. I was hauntingly reminded of my most meaningful, romantic epiphany that occurred in Ireland seven years ago, and was attracted to the book’s synopsis for this reason.
After an intense affair with Charlie while on holiday in the Yucatán, Lise uncovers the real reason why she has avoided intimacy and allowed her marriage to simply happen to her. She had consented to a life that didn’t make her happy and only in Charlie’s arms did she discover the colours of love and how it feels to be genuinely understood.
“Sitting back, she framed Charlie in half shade, her gaze climbing to the hard line of his jaw, his deep temple and too-broad forehead. He would be considered plain by most.
“You choose what you see, I suppose.”
He considered her a long moment before touching her arm. “You should, you know.”
The nails of his fingers were rimmed in ochre, the same colour pressed into the fabric of his shirt. The weight of them on her skin was light, acute.
“I should what?”
“Do what that journalist suggested. Make a film of yourself.”
When he pulled his hand away, she felt marked.
“Elle?”
She froze. No one had called her that for a very long time. It took a moment for her to reply without her voice cracking. “Yes?”
Lise struggles with how to find the right time to end her marriage to Stephen, realizing that she’s bound to lose Adam in the split. Confiding in no one but her best friend Leonard, who is gay, Lise is soon forced to make a decision when Charlie’s art is exhibited in Toronto and everyone in the gallery is witness to seven remarkably intimate portraits of his “Elle”.
After many months of angst-ridden contemplation, Lise decides to start over again in rural Ireland where she builds her new life and waits for Charlie’s return. It is here that the novel begins.
While in Eire, Lise gradually forms a new familial bond with Remy (the local shanachie and hardware store owner) & Margaret Conner (an elegant cake maker with a deep, dark secret) and their prickly granddaughter Siobhan, characters that are as richly envisioned and fulfilled as the Irish seascape in Lowan’s painting; the catalyst for Lise’s decision. She rents a plain house in a remote village near the sea and embarks on a new journey of her own design. Lise slowly integrates into the lives of the villagers, who warm to her when she films them revealing how they met the love of their lives, and in the process exposes herself.
Sarah Stonich authentically depicts bucolic Ireland while smoothly weaving between the past and present and creates a “subtle, lovely evocation of the transforming power of love, forgiveness, midlife renewal and the power of art to transform life.” Her prose reminds me of the work of Maggie O’Farrell, Candida Clark and Lisa Carey, all of whom I love, and as she credits some of my favourite Irish writers (Edna O’Brien, Jamie O’Neill, Colum McCann) with inspiring her, I would not hesitate to read more of Stonich’s books.
The only complaint I have about The Ice Chorus is the way in which Stonich described Charlie’s return to Ireland which was all too brief and evasive for my liking. However, it did have a satisfying, albeit contemplative ending and was the perfect book to read as the year comes to an end and I reflect on my own journey of love and memory.
May 7, 2010
At its most basic, The Ice Chorus is a story about a woman named Liselle who had an affair, and has travelled to Ireland to get away from her life. She’s just gotten divorced from her husband, and her teenage son won’t speak to her for more than a minute. The story unfolds moving from the present through flashbacks to show Liselle’s life and how she met the man she loves, and how her relationship with her family changes, and how she ends up in the middle of nowhere on the Irish coast, asking other people how they fell in love, and documenting it all on film. That’s a brief description of the plot. A very brief description, because The Ice Chorus is quite obviously more than just the plot. The cover of the book has a quote which says: “Any woman who ever had her heart cracked open by a man should read The Ice Chorus.” But I completely disagree. I don’t think having had your heart cracked is a requirement. I think every woman in general should read it (and men too). Yes it deals with love, and loss, and heartbreak; but it deals with more than just those emotions. It shows the fragility of women and the raw hurt of loss, but it also shows the immense strength all women possess, and the unexplainable bond of love. I can’t rave enough about Sarah Stonich and her writing; it’s just that amazing. The characters are real, and the emotions are heartbreaking and true. She captures these stories and people in a beautifully unique and impossibly artistic way. 4 stars. Read it. And read her first book, These Granite Islands (5 stars), too.
January 2, 2014
Within the genre of romance novel, I'd give this more stars. It's pleasant. A good read for people who read for escape or to linger in fantasy-land. It's not meaty or intellectual enough for my taste. The writing is probably far more sophisticated than the average romance novel — or what I would assume is the average, since I don't read genre romance — but is a bit saccharine. Everything is warm and fuzzy, glowing, lovely. The main characters and their love affair so sweet and idyllic — someone's fantasy of what a love affair should be. The characters are all so darn likable. But they are such clichés, caricatures. And the whole story is predictable. Everyone gets what they deserve, because they are all such good people, with the exception of Stephen, who doesn't get to do much but fume.
April 11, 2011
From the opening line of this book, Stonich gets it right.."An ocean-hued piece of silk rests over her hand like a landed butterfly." The excellent writing continues and it's some of my favorites. Stonich is from Minnesota, another bonus. It's the story of a woman's rediscovery after her marriage has fallen apart. The scenery is Ireland, Toronto and Mexico.
March 1, 2012
This is really a lovely book. Wonderfully written. About believing in yourself and following your heart Very interesting characters and also has a lot of history in it. Great read.
May 28, 2019
I loved it. A nice story about love and Ireland some of its people. I like this writer a lot. Interesting take on story of marriage and love. Her descriptions were right on and her characters were more than good exxccept maybe Stephen.
ReviewsFalling in love unexpectedly during an archaeological dig in Mexico, Lisanne enters into a brief extramarital affair and subsequently travels to Ireland, where she explores secrets that she has discovered about her late fatherSkip to main content
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Sarah Stonich has quite a way with words--the way she describes colors and light and people's emotions had me feeling like I was there on the Irish coast/Mexico. I also thought she very accurately captured the emotions of everyone involved in an affair and divorce. I found the story very engaging and I liked how the flashbacks were interspersed with the present day. I will say that I although I enjoyed the ending, it would have been interesting (and perhaps more realistic?) if Charlie had made a different decision. That's all I can say without spoiling it! I really enjoyed Stonich's style and look forward to reading more of her work.
ould relate to the characters not just because I am an artist married to an archaeologist but because Sarah was able to bring the characters to life in a way that gave you plenty of opportunity to get to know them throughout time. I LOVED how the story was told through time and different countries. It was like going on an adventure. It was a great read, I didn't put it down until I was done!
ReviewsFalling in love unexpectedly during an archaeological dig in Mexico, Lisanne enters into a brief extramarital affair and subsequently travels to Ireland, where she explores secrets that she has discovered about her late fatherSkip to main content
From The Community
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selle charlie ireland lise affair lives mexico woman artist emotions present secrets father flashbacks
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Sarah Stonich has quite a way with words--the way she describes colors and light and people's emotions had me feeling like I was there on the Irish coast/Mexico. I also thought she very accurately captured the emotions of everyone involved in an affair and divorce. I found the story very engaging and I liked how the flashbacks were interspersed with the present day. I will say that I although I enjoyed the ending, it would have been interesting (and perhaps more realistic?) if Charlie had made a different decision. That's all I can say without spoiling it! I really enjoyed Stonich's style and look forward to reading more of her work.
ould relate to the characters not just because I am an artist married to an archaeologist but because Sarah was able to bring the characters to life in a way that gave you plenty of opportunity to get to know them throughout time. I LOVED how the story was told through time and different countries. It was like going on an adventure. It was a great read, I didn't put it down until I was done!
September 23, 2009
What happens when you are in your life, filling out the shape of it, and suddenly you see someone and you hear a voice inside your soul say, "Now here's someone."
Love has no rules.
It makes no sense.
It finds you.
Sarah Stonich's The Ice Chorus is a profoundly moving story of love, betrayal, hope, redemption and healing. Lise's life has fallen apart. Her marriage of 18 years to archeologist Stephen has crumbled, and soaring above all the mess is a painter named Charlie. She met him while visiting Stephen on a dig in Mexico, and suddenly she heard it, that little but powerful voice inside her, "Now here's someone."
The story takes place in Ireland and, from her memory, in Mexico. Stonich paints vivid pictures of both places, and her writing is poetic without being too much so. It is not cliche, in my opinion, the characters are real and the dialogue is completely believable, as are the circumstances that surround the entire storyline.
If you like a good love story, then The Ice Chorus is for you. But it's so much more than that. It has layers of love. The layers you find in your own life. The love of a husband and wife, Mother and son, Father and daughter - friend. The love of Remy and Margaret, two new friends and allies in Lise's fight to heal herself from her own misery, is perhaps one of the most amazing of all. Remy, who is such a real character, has written "pages" to his wife every single day of there 40 plus year marriage. Poems, snippets of a song, words of love.
Hands gloved now in crepe of years,
Ease this rough brow
with silken care,
affix the buttons o'er my heart
One of my favourite scenes in the book is when Lise (a documentary film maker) decides to film people in the Irish village she is living in. She soon realizes that the story she is telling through her lens is simple - Love. As in "What is.." Remy encourages her to set up her camera in his hardware shop and record the various customers who wander in and out. Instead of just straight dialogue or 'he said' or "she said", Stonich bookends dialogue with mannerisms, and moments that, to the reader, bring the characters alive.
"Ah, bless you." Kenny faces the camera. "Now what's it you're after?"
Remy crosses his arms. "How you met your bride."
Kenny rubs his forehead. "Oh yeah, I should remember that, sure now. How I met Theresa... how I met..."
Lise looks to Remy, now leaning over the register. "Take your time, Kenny."
Kenny sits, crosses and uncrosses his legs three times. "A course I remember. The year, anyway. That was 'fifty-five, I think. Yup." He leans forward, temples clamped between fists as if he might squeeze out the memory. "Theresa. She was my mother's Saturday girl, for the laundry and what-not. She ironed a shirt for me to wear to a dance I was taking another girl to." He seems pleased to have remembered, but his smile fades quickly. "Theresa. We had forty good years. A great girl, yeah.. a great girl... Christ, Remy, have you a tissue on ya?"
Remy was my favourite character in that he was endearing and funny and a hopeless romantic beneath that rough irish exterior. A father figure to Lise, he was the anchor that held her fast as the seas of her choices raged about her.
By the end of the long day, word has swept the village and a few more people come around to offer their stories. Whether Remy's intended to or not Lise cannot know, but he's introduced her into the tight society of the village, person by person, story by story. Lise may be an outsider still, but perhaps less a stranger.
When he insists she sit down herself, Lise balks.
"How I met Stephen?"
"Nah, the other. The one."
"Oh." She sits and looks at her knees. When she tilts her chin up, Remy nods
While in the store, after many quick answers to "how did you meet your mate?", an old couple sits down and here is the exchange:
A middle-aged farm couple peer shyly from the aisle, hoping to slip out unnoticed, but Remy fetches another chair and steers them both to sit. The wife speaks first.
"We met at a church supper."
"No, Katie, it was a church jumble sale."
"It was a supper, love."
"Sale."
"Supper."
"Randall, you've not remembered one birthday or anniversary without being reminded in twenty-seven years, so how in Christ would you remember how we met!" The woman goes shrill. "I'm telling you now, it was a bleeding supper!"
Randall's neck goes the colour of a beet as he faces the lens. "We met at a church supper."
It's this kind of thing that made Ice Chorus more than a love story. It made me think, "What would I say about my love?" It is also going to hit home to those of us of a "certain age" (cough), as in over 40. If you are married, have children, and are 40 ish and have put your own life on hold to raise your family, then this book will really resonate with you. Heck, you could be ANY age and relate to that! I think that it also may start some healthy debate about morals and fidelity, and what it really means to love someone.
The Ice Chorus is Sarah Stonich's second novel, her first being "These Granite Islands" and she will soon be releasing "Vacationland".
Stay tuned for my upcoming interview with Sarah, as well as a giveaway of her book! In support of this book I will actually be purchasing the book from Amazon and have the book directly shipped to the lucky winner!
Love has no rules.
It makes no sense.
It finds you.
Sarah Stonich's The Ice Chorus is a profoundly moving story of love, betrayal, hope, redemption and healing. Lise's life has fallen apart. Her marriage of 18 years to archeologist Stephen has crumbled, and soaring above all the mess is a painter named Charlie. She met him while visiting Stephen on a dig in Mexico, and suddenly she heard it, that little but powerful voice inside her, "Now here's someone."
The story takes place in Ireland and, from her memory, in Mexico. Stonich paints vivid pictures of both places, and her writing is poetic without being too much so. It is not cliche, in my opinion, the characters are real and the dialogue is completely believable, as are the circumstances that surround the entire storyline.
If you like a good love story, then The Ice Chorus is for you. But it's so much more than that. It has layers of love. The layers you find in your own life. The love of a husband and wife, Mother and son, Father and daughter - friend. The love of Remy and Margaret, two new friends and allies in Lise's fight to heal herself from her own misery, is perhaps one of the most amazing of all. Remy, who is such a real character, has written "pages" to his wife every single day of there 40 plus year marriage. Poems, snippets of a song, words of love.
Hands gloved now in crepe of years,
Ease this rough brow
with silken care,
affix the buttons o'er my heart
One of my favourite scenes in the book is when Lise (a documentary film maker) decides to film people in the Irish village she is living in. She soon realizes that the story she is telling through her lens is simple - Love. As in "What is.." Remy encourages her to set up her camera in his hardware shop and record the various customers who wander in and out. Instead of just straight dialogue or 'he said' or "she said", Stonich bookends dialogue with mannerisms, and moments that, to the reader, bring the characters alive.
"Ah, bless you." Kenny faces the camera. "Now what's it you're after?"
Remy crosses his arms. "How you met your bride."
Kenny rubs his forehead. "Oh yeah, I should remember that, sure now. How I met Theresa... how I met..."
Lise looks to Remy, now leaning over the register. "Take your time, Kenny."
Kenny sits, crosses and uncrosses his legs three times. "A course I remember. The year, anyway. That was 'fifty-five, I think. Yup." He leans forward, temples clamped between fists as if he might squeeze out the memory. "Theresa. She was my mother's Saturday girl, for the laundry and what-not. She ironed a shirt for me to wear to a dance I was taking another girl to." He seems pleased to have remembered, but his smile fades quickly. "Theresa. We had forty good years. A great girl, yeah.. a great girl... Christ, Remy, have you a tissue on ya?"
Remy was my favourite character in that he was endearing and funny and a hopeless romantic beneath that rough irish exterior. A father figure to Lise, he was the anchor that held her fast as the seas of her choices raged about her.
By the end of the long day, word has swept the village and a few more people come around to offer their stories. Whether Remy's intended to or not Lise cannot know, but he's introduced her into the tight society of the village, person by person, story by story. Lise may be an outsider still, but perhaps less a stranger.
When he insists she sit down herself, Lise balks.
"How I met Stephen?"
"Nah, the other. The one."
"Oh." She sits and looks at her knees. When she tilts her chin up, Remy nods
While in the store, after many quick answers to "how did you meet your mate?", an old couple sits down and here is the exchange:
A middle-aged farm couple peer shyly from the aisle, hoping to slip out unnoticed, but Remy fetches another chair and steers them both to sit. The wife speaks first.
"We met at a church supper."
"No, Katie, it was a church jumble sale."
"It was a supper, love."
"Sale."
"Supper."
"Randall, you've not remembered one birthday or anniversary without being reminded in twenty-seven years, so how in Christ would you remember how we met!" The woman goes shrill. "I'm telling you now, it was a bleeding supper!"
Randall's neck goes the colour of a beet as he faces the lens. "We met at a church supper."
It's this kind of thing that made Ice Chorus more than a love story. It made me think, "What would I say about my love?" It is also going to hit home to those of us of a "certain age" (cough), as in over 40. If you are married, have children, and are 40 ish and have put your own life on hold to raise your family, then this book will really resonate with you. Heck, you could be ANY age and relate to that! I think that it also may start some healthy debate about morals and fidelity, and what it really means to love someone.
The Ice Chorus is Sarah Stonich's second novel, her first being "These Granite Islands" and she will soon be releasing "Vacationland".
Stay tuned for my upcoming interview with Sarah, as well as a giveaway of her book! In support of this book I will actually be purchasing the book from Amazon and have the book directly shipped to the lucky winner!
September 6, 2021
I’ll start by saying how much I love Sara Stonich. I’ve read some of her other work, and will continue to do so. But this one just didn’t work for me. At all. And it should have – parts take place in Ireland (which are the best parts of the book.) I think what’s lacking as character development for the main character. I just didn’t care if she stayed with her husband or ran off with her lover. I just wanted to shout – “make a damn decision and move on.” Blech.
July 25, 2023
I loved how the author used description to paint the scenes in this book (no pun intended). It was a feast to the senses. I enjoyed all of the characters, the plot, the settings. This was another book where one may have moral misgivings about the path the main character chooses, but I thought it was a beautiful love story anyways.
May 9, 2018
Beautifully written story about relationships. The novel goes back and forth between the past and the present and was a little hard to follow a few times. Stonich, however, is one of my favorites. This novel is set primarily in Ireland.
August 11, 2021
I really liked this book! The writing is beautiful, descriptive and poetic without seeming pretentious. I enjoyed the story and the way details from the characters lives were revealed slowly. Plus she’s a Minnesota writer, so that’s cool.
April 6, 2022
I think Sarah Stonich is a terrific writer and I've liked everything she's written ... except for this one. There has to be one, I suppose. So, while I did not like The Ice Chorus, I anxiously await her next release.
July 20, 2022
This was a random pick from the library. I really struggled to get into this for the first few pages, and then suddenly I was hooked. I'm not entirely sure if I really liked it but I liked the character building and some of thr storytelling aspects.
September 5, 2024
Meh. Woman marries too young and husband doesn't suit. Has affair, which of course is love of her life. Divorces, moves to Ireland, and works through her childhood demons, while bonding with her neighbors.
June 1, 2017
This book gently washes over you like the waves in Mexico, then suddenly grabs you like the crashing surf of Ireland. I loved the contrast of the two shores as it related to the story.
February 6, 2020
Good solid writing, I enjoyed what is ultimately a love story in which a woman finally discovers herself.
September 2, 2023
I really love this author’s work. This is a beautiful love story about the many ways a woman loves- as a daughter, mother, friend, lover and wife.
January 28, 2025
Much more moving than anticipated, given my general view on the subject matter.
May 18, 2011
This book is by the author of These Granite Islands, which is going on my best books ever list. This novel did not move me as much as These Granite Islands, but it was still a very wonderful, lyrical book.
While both books are about love, marriage and affairs, I believe the story of These Granite Islands was more powerful. Or, perhaps, because of my stage of life, it resonated more with me about how love can change, re-kindle and grow in a marriage after many years. The line that I still remember from the book was something like "I fell in love with Frank twice, and he only broke my heart once." I can't say what the once was....but it makes me tear up every time I think about it.
But, this is a review of The Ice Chorus. The Ice Chorus, I believe, focuses more on what happens when a marriage can't be saved and a woman falls in love with a man unexpectedly. Lise falls in love with a painter, Charlie, while she was in Mexico while her husband was on an archeological dig. However, what happened in Mexico and after are only slowly revealed in the book. The book starts with Lise in Ireland, meeting local villagers and trying to get her emotions and life in order. In Ireland, she becomes friends with an older gentlemen and his wife, Remy and Margaret. Married for years, Remy writes poetry for his wife every day. That is contrasted by Lise's broken marriage and her love for Charlie.
As with These Granite Islands, the writing is superb, the questions she raises through the story telling would be good for book club discussions, and her characters. I cried reading the epilogue dang it.
While both books are about love, marriage and affairs, I believe the story of These Granite Islands was more powerful. Or, perhaps, because of my stage of life, it resonated more with me about how love can change, re-kindle and grow in a marriage after many years. The line that I still remember from the book was something like "I fell in love with Frank twice, and he only broke my heart once." I can't say what the once was....but it makes me tear up every time I think about it.
But, this is a review of The Ice Chorus. The Ice Chorus, I believe, focuses more on what happens when a marriage can't be saved and a woman falls in love with a man unexpectedly. Lise falls in love with a painter, Charlie, while she was in Mexico while her husband was on an archeological dig. However, what happened in Mexico and after are only slowly revealed in the book. The book starts with Lise in Ireland, meeting local villagers and trying to get her emotions and life in order. In Ireland, she becomes friends with an older gentlemen and his wife, Remy and Margaret. Married for years, Remy writes poetry for his wife every day. That is contrasted by Lise's broken marriage and her love for Charlie.
As with These Granite Islands, the writing is superb, the questions she raises through the story telling would be good for book club discussions, and her characters. I cried reading the epilogue dang it.
Read
April 11, 2015Refreshing Look at Love
I enjoyed this reading for many reasons. The history, the culture, the setting near the ocean, and the complex look at love, to name a few. Liselle and Stephen have what would appear, for many, to be the perfect life. He's an anthropologist, she's a well respected teacher and film maker. Their son does well in school and is a respectable young man. Yet, what looks good from one side doesn't always present the same from the other side. Stephen's job often requires him to be away. His personality leaves much to be desired, from Liselle's perspective...then came Charlie. Life changed when Liselle's eyes were opened to a more simple, yet more fulfilling way of living. She was finally able to FEEL, and the tables turned.
There is MUCH, MUCH more to this book, and it's a very captivating story. I did find that, at times, it was difficult to determine when, and why, tense and setting switches happened. Other than that, this book is remarkable and definitely one I'd recommend.
I enjoyed this reading for many reasons. The history, the culture, the setting near the ocean, and the complex look at love, to name a few. Liselle and Stephen have what would appear, for many, to be the perfect life. He's an anthropologist, she's a well respected teacher and film maker. Their son does well in school and is a respectable young man. Yet, what looks good from one side doesn't always present the same from the other side. Stephen's job often requires him to be away. His personality leaves much to be desired, from Liselle's perspective...then came Charlie. Life changed when Liselle's eyes were opened to a more simple, yet more fulfilling way of living. She was finally able to FEEL, and the tables turned.
There is MUCH, MUCH more to this book, and it's a very captivating story. I did find that, at times, it was difficult to determine when, and why, tense and setting switches happened. Other than that, this book is remarkable and definitely one I'd recommend.
August 4, 2011
This book I suppose is really a fairly simple romance story with more sophistication. Liselle is the main character who accompanies her husband to an archaeological dig in Mexico. While he is digging she begin an intense relationship with Charlie. The affair is relayed to the reader months later when Liselle has moved to a remote location on the Irish coast which is the scene of one of Charlies paintings. This book provides wonderful imagery with Ireland, Mexico and Canada all beautifully described. Characters are full and dynamic and it is a page turner you really do want to keep reading. This is a good novel I would consider reading other books by this author.
September 19, 2009
Liselle has met the man of her dreams. The problem is, she is married to someone else. When she sees Charlie, a fire ignites and the passion she feels is something her husband has never given her. Liselle realizes that life is short and true love is a wonderful emotion. The affair begins.
Finally knowing what it feels like to really live, Liselle decides to document the lives of average, everyday people. Soon she finds out that in order to express the lives of others, she also needs to confess her own life story.
One word: riveting.
June 29, 2013
Read quickly by headlamp. Born in my town! Parts of this story were predictable and dull (her father's secret - Charlotte and Charlie, really?) But the setting reminded me of days spent on the beaches of the North Sea and precious, lovely memories. I will read more by Stonich. Although bits of the plot development faltered she tied it up so well at the end. And the language is beautiful: a favorite "Only my name, half-legible, and inside a page with a grey wash of ink and a spoonful of salt." Grey wash of ink and a spoonful of salt -- perfect.
October 20, 2013
I enjoyed this story. The main character Lise is likeable and you can empathize with how the current of life has swept her along for 20 years. She has an encounter while on vacation that changes things and she makes the bold decision to swim against that current. I like the characters she meets and setting she finds herself in. A solid B rating.
May 12, 2008
This book is very similar to another book I read by Susanna Kaysen. It's about a woman who moves to Ireland and makes a documentary and discovers family secrets while also examining her past. The book by Kaysen was in the Faroe Islands same theme. Its a relaxing read.
July 3, 2008
This book was so good from the beginning. The descriptions of the places were so real, I could picture them so easily. It made me wish I could go to Ireland, with the descriptions of it. It also portrayed real life circumstances, and made you look deep into your heart.
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