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Five Smooth Stones - Ann Fairbairn - 5 Stars and a Favorite

Five Smooth Stones starts out in New Orleans in 1933. Times are hard, money is scarce, and the acceptance of Jim Crow separates black people from white. Li’l Joe Champlin and his wife, Geneva, have suffered hardship and the unwritten laws of blatant discrimination. When their son dies, and then his wife dies in childbirth, they decide to raise their grandson, David, and promise to give him the best education possible. Li’l Joe is befriended by Bjarne Knudsen, who becomes David’s mentor and surrogate father through high school, college, and law school. David, a brilliant scholar, falls in love with Sara, a white artist. Sara sees their love without a color barrier. David knows what their future holds and doesn't think she would be able to bear it, especially when David makes the decision to lead a fight for civil rights.

This is a huge novel, over 900 pages, but I was completely spellbound. The characters are so vivid and realistic. The author did a wonderful job of detailing their personalities and takes you into the minds of both black and white characters. It's a love story combined with an in-depth description of life and the civil rights struggles in the South during the 1950s and 1960s. At first I thought the beginning was a little slow, but later realized it was building the foundation for everything that happens later. The love story of David and Sara is one of the most beautiful I've ever read.

Ann Fairbairn wrote this in 1966 and the story must have been very progressive at the time. The Civil Rights Act had just been passed and vicious, horrible things were happening all across America. I can remember my mother telling me this was one of her favorite books and encouraging me to read it. Even though she's been gone for 35 years, I hope she knows I finally read it, loved it and will recommend it to everyone. Five Smooth Stones is an intense, heartbreaking and emotional story that shouldn't be overlooked.

I've never heard of this book. I skimmed a lot of the GR reviews and star ratings and it seems almost universally loved. The only complaints are about it's length! There's a kindle version, so I'll keep it in mind.

Thanks!

I remember when this came out - I was just out of high school. If I remember correctly it was a bit controversial. I think I had a copy of it but I was getting into the workforce and thought I was in love! Books weren't playing as big a part of my life as they had previously. I've put this back on my list now with your review.