Explain why you think this novel is considered a good/bad novel. Make sure to state and explain specific reasons for this conclusion. Please include your alias at the top of your entry.
I think the book Stones is a good book. I think that it is a good book because the author makes the book interesting. The author starts the book off with a teenage boy telling us about his past life. The author here foreshadows that Garnet is different from everyone else and that something odd is going to happen in the book. I also like how the character development works in this book. For instance, the author gives you a character, in this case Garnet, and the author starts you off by knowing that Garnet doesn’t like school. The author then develops this by making Garnet not want to go to school anymore because he doesn’t like it. I also like how the author developed Raphaella because at first Raphaella won’t even talk to Garnet, but then over time she begins to kind of trust him more and they become friends. I also like it how you learn more and more about Raphaella’s talent over the book. You at first know there is something strange about her, but then you slowly start to realize what it is. I also really like it how the author then allows you to learn more about Raphaella at the end of the book. You learn why her mom doesn’t want her to date Garnet, and you learn about her father. I find that this part especially kind of sums up why she acts the way she does. I liked the author’s writing style in this book also because he makes you want to keep reading, like at the part when Garnet goes to sleep in his bed at the trailer thinking that he isn’t going to sleep but he then falls asleep, the author ends the chapter off saying, “ This is what I saw” (Bell 196). Just this one sentence keeps you wanting to read more of the book because you want to know what he saw in his dream. You want to know, what was it about? Did he hear the voices again? Did he see the people who were making the noises? It really just keeps the reader entranced to read more and find out. So this is basically why I think the book Stones is a good book to read.
I gave this novel a rating of 3/5 stars since it was a good book, but didn’t hold my attention for long enough as to not want to put it down. This book had some good features about it, but also made the reader want to fall asleep sometimes. For example, near the beginning of the novel, (around chapters 5, 8 and 9), there wasn’t any real “action” happening to move the plot forward. Also, the reader every now and then feels bored while reading this novel since there are sometimes too many conflicts occurring at the same time. This is an example of when there are conflicts between the spirit, Hannah, and Garnet; and Raphella and her mom. At this time in the novel the conflicts between two different sets of characters are over bearing. Even though there was a lot of uninteresting features to this novel, there were also many highlights. For example it had a calming ending that put the reader at ease and left them with positive feelings to reflect on. This was when Raphella and Garnet had just finished giving Hannah a proper burial, when Raphella says “You are a good man, Garnet Havelock.” (Bell 261). This creates a positive ending and leaves pleasant thoughts to ponder on. Overall, the novel Stones is recommended if you don’t mind reading through tedious chapters here and there, but wanting a pleasing ending that leaves you with a satisfying closing.
I think "Stones" is a well written novel. I enjoyed the way the author developed the characters throughout the story. At the beginning, William Bell describes Garnet as being quiet, shy and very inexperienced with love. Garnet keeps to himself and doesn't have much of a social life. However when the author introduces a new character, Raphaella, his personality begins to change. Garnet becomes more comfortable around people, especially girls. I found it interesting how the author developed instant chemistry between Garnet and Raphaella. "Raphaella stood up , her dark eyes sparkling in the lamplight. I figured I had about 5 seconds to persuade her to talk to me or she'd brush me off again. But I still couldn't think of what to say. I opened my mouth to speak. But instead of talking I stepped towards her, took her in my arms and kissed her." (Bell 89-91) The author explained that Raphaella didn’t stop him. By doing this William Bell made the two have an instant connection with each other. This is unusual because in most stories, and real life, people get ot know each other before dating. I also liked how the author combined two stories in one. Garnet's mom went on a business trip to Indonesia. While she was on her trip Garnet and Raphaella were learning about Hannah - the spirit, and her horrible past. One night Garnet and his dad receive a phone call saying that Garnet's mom needed to be picked up because of an incident that happened in Indonesia. Hannah and Annie (Garnets mom) had similar things happen. They were treated differently because of what they did. Annie was punished because of what she was wearing, and Hannah was punished for what she believed in. I found it interesting how the author connected the two stories.
This is a good novel because it maintains a certain eerie atmosphere throughout the story. This keeps the reader interested and eager for the outcome. The characters are engaging and mysterious, which adds to the sometimes sluggish storyline. The plot slows down in a few sections of the story and quickens in others. The plot is slow- moving but eventually leads up to a quick and exciting climax, finishing off with a fulfilling denouement and conclusion. Overall, this is a good novel with an interesting, adrenaline- spiking and suspenseful story.
The novel Stones, written by William Bell, is a book that really grabs the attention of a reader and allows them to easily imagine themselves in the plot. As a result this is truly considered to be an extremely well written novel. A reason why this is so is because it created a great story for people that enjoyed reading romantic and mystery genres. Due to the fact that the author incorporated both, creating a fantastic and original twist. Many authors these day’s may also combined genera’s such as this one ,yet this novel put the mystery and romance in both the real and supernatural world. This romantic aroma was created by situations such as Garnet and Raphella’s relationship and the great love the Hannah a desisted women has for her beloved husband. And as for the mysteries, the character Raphaella is an excellent example because, from beginning to the very end of the book, she is seen as a person that is unusual or different. This is because she happened to be a new girl at school that was very much closed off, who was also able to sense and know things before anyone else. Yet by the end of the novel she did admit “She could feel things, as if she were a string on a musical instrument” (Bell 266) insinuating that she was psychic. In addition the character development had also been a specific reason for this conclusion. This element allowed its readers too easily relate their personal life to the event’s that took place in the plot, in result creating a strong understanding of what happened as the novel continues. The character development being built to and the novel continued was what answer many of the question’s that were left untouched after curtain events such as the climax. Therefore Stones covers all the necessary requirements such as plot development that is needed in a well written novel. However author William Bell went beyond these necessities, creating a unique and incredible novel.
I think this book was well written. I would give it a 6 out of 10 stars because it was somtimes interesting to read but sometimes it got a little boring. The parts that I thought were good were realy good and the parts I thought were bad were really bad. the author did a good job developing the character Garnet. As I was reading some parts of the book, I almost fell asleep. But the author added small parts that would catch my attention and wake me up. I think the idea behind the book is good and original but not very exicting. It was sometimes hard for me to understand what is going on.
The book Stones by William Bell is a very well written book and easy to read. This novel grabs the reader’s attention and allows them to relate to the main character, without pretense. The atmosphere of the book is somewhat eriee and spooky but yet romantic and mysterious. The romantic aroma is created between Garnet and Raphaella and Hannah and her husband Jubal. The errie and spooky feeling of the novel is most felt when Garnet continuosly hears the crys and weeps of Hannah every night followed by the screams of men. Raphaella is responsible for the mysterious undertone of the novel. Throughout the whole book she kept to herself. She didn’t tell Garnet anything about her life or about her father. Raphaella being the new girl was labelled as strange, unusual and very sercretive. But yet by the end of the book she had released her secrects to Garnet. While the novel is considered to be mysterious and suspensful it also can be seen as a love story with an important underlying message.
Stones in my opinion was a sub par book. I thought the writing was tolerable but William Bells habit of making an overly complex tightly compacted and under structured plot really came through in this book. This story put way too much into a mere 278-page book. I literally felt like I was reading at least three stories on top of each other that did not even relate to each other. I mean sure the writer did make one or two connections between the whole “spiritual world” and real life but it still felt a bit desperate. In addition, William Bell seemed not to have planned anything. One minute the protagonist is falling in love the next he has a group of ghost throwing rocks at him, which did not really help the overly complex story either. Even in this huge disarray of a plot, the writer could not even keep my attention. I mean what kind of a writer would make a book about a senior who has an ambition to make cabinets his whole life. Then suddenly falls in love- at first sight- with a girl who will not even talk to him, and all the while is being haunted by a group of ghost who killed a presumed witch a hundred years ago. Talk about contrived. I found this book to be mediocre at best and it did not compare to any other William Bell books.
Overall the novel Stones was an interesting novel. This is because even though some of the parts were boring there was an interesting plot. There was a lot of background information given about the significance of the events that took place and there was enough foreshadowing to make the novel suspenseful. As the story was told Garnet and Raphaella discovered the reasons behind Hannah haunting the forest and why she behaved the way she did. “Hannah had been killed and buried in her own cabin.” (Bell 202) This made the plot more intriguing because it made you wonder why she was killed the way she was and what would happen to Garnet and Raphaella while they were in the woods. The novel Stones was an overall thrilling book.
The novel “Stones” is considered a good novel. This is because it has gone far beyond the typical ‘unrealistic’ adventure, to pursue a realistic take on historic events. It makes a connection between the past and present, involving characters from both time periods, to resolve a common issue within our society – persecution. Even though this issue is not very common to the current generation, many people can still relate to occasions when they have witnessed, or have tried to stop an act of discrimination, thus are able to understand the emotions and actions of the main characters, as they pursued their adventure: astonishment, fearful, unfamiliar to our traditions. They were able to undergo a transformation into round characters during the timeline of the novel, from boring and mediocre characters, to adventurous and curious ones. This kept the novel’s narration interesting, as their thoughts and actions became more spontaneous and full of life. “Both of us were energized by the discovery. Not being an archeologist, I wasn’t sure what the best procedure would be. We had to make sure we got everything; we couldn’t leave a foot bone or a finger end behind. The job had to be complete (Bell 249).” In addition, the descriptions of what the main character was able to absorb from his surroundings, (from his perspective) were very well communicated, helping the reader to see a clear picture of what was portrayed. There was never any confusion about was happening in the novel. “We approached the monument. It was a dull day, muggy and warm, with an overcast sky. The grass was green and damp, and the heavy odor of lilacs hung in the air (Bell 169).” The character development, writing style and very descriptive content made the novel “Stones” a well written novel.
Overall, I think “Stones” is considered a bad novel because of the character development, the theme/message and the plot development. I think the character development for Garnet could’ve been shortened, since the main plot of the book was about Hannah, the reader wouldn’t need that much of character information about Garnet. But on the other hand, the character development of Raphaella was very well organized; her character was easy and quick for the reader to understand. The author’s theme/message is confusing because readers may have mistaken the sub plot (love component) of the story as the main plot (Hannah being murdered). I often found the sub plot of the novel more engaging than the main plot, and continued reading the novel wanting to find out more about the sub plot rather than to find the resolution to the main plot. This created a big confusion for me trying to figure out the theme/message, because I found the love component more interesting, but the story was more surrounded about Hannah. Altogether, I think “Stones” is considered a bad novel because of the poor choice of character development, the confusion of the author’s theme/message, and the main/sub plot.
Stones by William Bell is an amazing book for a wide range of readers due to the excellent description and use of literary devices. In this novel, the author is very detailed and careful while he describes the plot and physical attributes of the characters. “She stood quietly, completely at ease, and waited. Normally, a new kid gives off vibes like a high tension wire-fear, embarrassment, a pathetic desire to be accepted. Not this one. Wearing a long navy blue dress over a black t-shirt, a silver-coloured ankh hanging from a leather thong around her neck, she appeared calm-accept for her bitten down fingernails-and completely indifferent to us. She was slender, a bit taller than me, with glossy black hair that fell almost to her waist. A plum-coloured birthmark stained her neck and half her right cheek.”(Bell, 24) This is an example of how well the author uses description in this story. One of the literary devices that William uses very well in Stones is metaphors. An example of this is when the protagonist, Garnet, describes that when he is around the girl he likes his stomach feels like it is in a knot, and his nerves jangle like keys. He explains in great detail what is going on in the story by using metaphors so that the emotions and the plot in the story seem more realistic to the reader. In general, Stones is a book well written.
Stones written by William Bell, is a book that I thought was beautifully written, enjoyable and stimulating to explore as a reader. In this case I strongly disagree with James’s opinion because, I thought this novel continuously arouse curiosity, held and attracted attention and provoked thought. Within James explanation, I did not support the point stating that there were section’s that “were really bad”, yet I do agree that there were areas, where it became factual or “boring.” However these slower, less exciting parts, where used as linking chains or rising action tools, that were incorporated in the plot to help connect and sum idea’s, or led to following events. These linking sections or phrases such as, “I prefer them to corporation logos.”(Bell 76), also greatly impacted the plot because without the background information provided to readers in this raising action, there would be many question and misunderstandings when major events occurred. In addition I can see that the romance overall, may not appeal to many young man that had chosen the novel for the supernatural phenomenon, or were assigned the novel without chose. I think regardless of the very interesting paranormal events and the fact that it is being told by a male, that the novel greatly revolves around many feelings, and relationships between lovers and enemies that maybe more relating to women. This is because many young girls, myself included find it very interesting and educational when the aspect of love is coming from a male’s perspective. It is also due to the fact; women usually enjoy romantic fiction or non-fiction over most males today. In result I understand the boredom created in some romantic scenes, but I do not think that the less exciting sections of the book was enough to call the novel “bad”.
I think that Stones, written by William Bell, was overall a decent book but had some minor flaws. I found that the novel started off very slow and took quite a while to grab my attention. I found Garnet and Raphaella’s build up of a relationship to be boring and very typical, i found myself predicting what was going to happen before i read it. I think that each character’s personality was explained very clearly, i found myself learning new things about each character as i kept reading. I felt that the author was able to maintain an eerie atmosphere throughout most of the book, which i believe kept the readers on edge. The plot development was slow at times but i enjoyed the travel through time to Hannah and Jubal’s story, i personally would have made a few changes to the ending though. Overall i enjoyed reading stones, i found it to be an easy read and easy to understand. Although i enjoyed the book i don’t think id recommend the mystery love story to anyone.
The teen novel written by William Bell, called Stones, takes the title of the best romantic ghost story I’ve ever read. The book really captures your attention with its tremendously thrilling, mystifying, and exciting plot, characters and setting. It keeps you on your feet wanting more until the last few pages. The plot develops interesting characters that are very well described and can easily be drawn into. The major characters, Garnet Havelock and his true love, Raphaella Skye, are both characters that stir emotion to the plot with their personalities. Garnets nature to be very negative and insecure had quickly twisted after meeting the eerie and spiritual Raphaella. The pressure from Garnets parents about his future, keeps the characters authentic and interesting. The way William Bell described the ghost character, Hannah, was very effective and realistic. Overall, the part that made me first the notice how well the characters were grippingly described would be when Raphaella is first introduced to the plot. (Bell, 24-25) Another reason why I found the novel was a very good read was the suspenseful plot. The story line uses various events that contain issues that I believe many teens can relate to. The plot also helped carry out the initial theme of the gory and romantic story. I personally enjoyed all the elements of the plot, but I especially enjoyed the climax. The climax was convincingly dramatic written and was an excellent way to show how Garnet and Raphaella unravelled the history behind the black community. The setting in Stones was also very captivating. The places in which the story was set at defiantly helped convey the main theme and helped give off the mood trying to be made in each event of the story. At one point of the novel I felt that it showed a great description of the setting; “The cabin-or whatever it was- had one room, about ten by twelve, with a dozen benches in the middle, most of them arranged in two banks with an aisle up the middle, a few overturned. Some kind of meeting house, I figured. The still, frigid air, the inky black at the edge of the pool of light cast by the flashlight, the shadows that stretched away from me across the floor and up the walls combined to create an eerie atmosphere.” (Bell, 49) In conclusion, I thought it was a very interesting read, and I liked how it cooperated some Canadian history. The title picked for the novel suited the book's story plot and characters. I would recommend the book to teen readers, especially for teens looking for a good romantic, ghost novel.
Priscilla, I agree with you about the different plot lines. It was rather confusing to determine which plot was dominant, because they both seemed to be relevant to the story. The way I determined the leading plot was by analyzing the cover. Similar to “To Kill A Mockingbird”, I was able to determine the focus of the story through the images and title displayed on the cover. In “Stones”, the image displays an old cabin, two figures and a pile of stones. By inferring, I was able to determine that the cabin was actually the African Methodist Church, by the description Garnet gave, “At the edge of the clearing, by a rail fence, I had an unrestricted view of green grass, a stone monument, and the African Methodist Church, lit by the slanting rays of morning sunlight… The ruin decayed logs and mossy stones had fallen down long ago, but the surrounding forest had not reclaimed the open land. Not so much as a sapling grew there (Bell 128-129).” The two figures would have probably been Garnet and Raphaella, because they were the only two living people that would visit it. Also, the title and the picture of stones beneath it would most likely symbolize the method used for persecution. With that, it would have lessened the confusion of which plot was dominate, because unless Garnet and Raphaella threw stones at each other (which they didn’t), it would have to be the action plot, not the love plot. I agree that the author seemed to express his story more through pictures, than through text, which was not a very good decision. :)
Over all, I believe that Stones was a good book and the story flowed with effectively well-written characters and mood. Which brings me to state that I disagree with Jason Swail’s opinion. The novel is a romantic ghost story therefore William Bell included both situations that brought love and fear to the plot. William expressed in the story the development of Raphaella and Garnets love for one another and the development of Garnets maturity and change in life through out the book. Also Bell prevailed a lot of horror to the plot with his eerie ghost part of the novel. Although I do agree with most, that the plot at times was hard to follow. It did jump from story to story through out the book but I found it very entertaining and gripping.
Stones is considered to be a fairly good book. The plot provided not one, but two plot lines thoroughly: romance and action. It explained in detail the atmosphere of each scene, causing the reader visual images in their mind. This novel also created an engrossed feeling towards the reader by being mysterious until the plot was driven to the end. One of the reasons that elucidate why Stones was a considerably good book was because it held the romance and action plot. Most stories have a focal point on one theme at a time, conversely this novel was different. Everyone likes a little change sometimes, and if all books were the same, one would get uninterested of it. With romance, one is understood about the concept between the relationship of Garnet and Raphaealla. It`s important because love is a gift that we can all somewhat relate to, as well as the action. With connection, it is a strategy to understand more about the story. Another strategy was how the author wrote the book. He used clear words that caused no confusion. His book was directed to a teenage group. At often times, students have trouble understanding how the plot goes on because the authors tend to throw a lot of information one at a time. Never the less, William Bell was developed a good choice of words that gave readers the aid that they need. Another point is the detailed descriptions the author provided us with. Bell conducted visual images in our mind so that one can picture it. A good author makes one comprehend all that is occurring. Even the blind uses visuals. Everyone has pi cured happenings in their mind without even noticing it. It’s an important thing in life. For the reasons of clarity, imagery and interest, Stones is considered to be a fairly good novel.
Jackie, I agree that the beginning of Stones gave the impression that it was moving slowly. However, the exposition is meant to be slow, due to the fact that one is recieving the vague information on the characters' feelings and actions. If the author threw too much information at us in the beginning it might cause confusion to the reader. Most books have a slow beginning, but as the plot drives forward, it slowly increases on interest and excitement until it has reached the climax.
I agree with Jackie that the book Stones had minor flaws. I also found it to be very slow and predictable and it didn't really keep you guessing. On the other hand, the author did a very good job of keeping the atmosphere and mood of the book interesting and surprising. The ending of the book was also very surprising, yet good. It kept you guessing and on your toes. I disagree with Sarah though because I found that the book didn't really grab my attention and when it did, it was at the end and it didn't hold it for very long. I thought the book was also very childish too. Overall, I disagree with the fact that the book was very well written, I would say it was just okay but that is my opinion.
I thought that the book Stones was one of the worst pieces of literature I have ever read. This brings me to disagree with Taylor. Not once did I feel any suspense or excitement towards the outcome. I definitely thought that entire slow then fast moving plot made the book confusing, harder to read, and a lot less engaging. I also disagree with Eggshopper because I don't think Garnet and Raphaella's relationship occurred over a matter of time or slowly gain his trust. Garnet thinks about her for a few days, calls her, then walks up and starts kissing her at random. I liked how the writer wrote this but the over all idea of this relationship is absurd. I did not enjoy this novel which made me disagree with Eggshopper and Taylor.
I thought the book stones was a very good book which leads me to disagree with Swail. I think it had a lot of excitement and suspense at times. I also agree with Jackie because it did have a slow pace at first but then got interesting towards the end. The characters were very well explained and the book was easy to understand. I agree with Georgia I too found that some parts of the book were unreal and childish. Overall it was a good book I would recommend to my friends because I enjoy reading love stories.
29 comments:
I think the book Stones is a good book. I think that it is a good book because the author makes the book interesting. The author starts the book off with a teenage boy telling us about his past life. The author here foreshadows that Garnet is different from everyone else and that something odd is going to happen in the book. I also like how the character development works in this book. For instance, the author gives you a character, in this case Garnet, and the author starts you off by knowing that Garnet doesn’t like school. The author then develops this by making Garnet not want to go to school anymore because he doesn’t like it. I also like how the author developed Raphaella because at first Raphaella won’t even talk to Garnet, but then over time she begins to kind of trust him more and they become friends. I also like it how you learn more and more about Raphaella’s talent over the book. You at first know there is something strange about her, but then you slowly start to realize what it is. I also really like it how the author then allows you to learn more about Raphaella at the end of the book. You learn why her mom doesn’t want her to date Garnet, and you learn about her father. I find that this part especially kind of sums up why she acts the way she does. I liked the author’s writing style in this book also because he makes you want to keep reading, like at the part when Garnet goes to sleep in his bed at the trailer thinking that he isn’t going to sleep but he then falls asleep, the author ends the chapter off saying, “ This is what I saw” (Bell 196). Just this one sentence keeps you wanting to read more of the book because you want to know what he saw in his dream. You want to know, what was it about? Did he hear the voices again? Did he see the people who were making the noises? It really just keeps the reader entranced to read more and find out. So this is basically why I think the book Stones is a good book to read.
I gave this novel a rating of 3/5 stars since it was a good book, but didn’t hold my attention for long enough as to not want to put it down. This book had some good features about it, but also made the reader want to fall asleep sometimes. For example, near the beginning of the novel, (around chapters 5, 8 and 9), there wasn’t any real “action” happening to move the plot forward. Also, the reader every now and then feels bored while reading this novel since there are sometimes too many conflicts occurring at the same time. This is an example of when there are conflicts between the spirit, Hannah, and Garnet; and Raphella and her mom. At this time in the novel the conflicts between two different sets of characters are over bearing. Even though there was a lot of uninteresting features to this novel, there were also many highlights. For example it had a calming ending that put the reader at ease and left them with positive feelings to reflect on. This was when Raphella and Garnet had just finished giving Hannah a proper burial, when Raphella says “You are a good man, Garnet Havelock.” (Bell 261). This creates a positive ending and leaves pleasant thoughts to ponder on. Overall, the novel Stones is recommended if you don’t mind reading through tedious chapters here and there, but wanting a pleasing ending that leaves you with a satisfying closing.
I think "Stones" is a well written novel. I enjoyed the way the author developed the characters throughout the story. At the beginning, William Bell describes Garnet as being quiet, shy and very inexperienced with love. Garnet keeps to himself and doesn't have much of a social life. However when the author introduces a new character, Raphaella, his personality begins to change. Garnet becomes more comfortable around people, especially girls. I found it interesting how the author developed instant chemistry between Garnet and Raphaella. "Raphaella stood up , her dark eyes sparkling in the lamplight. I figured I had about 5 seconds to persuade her to talk to me or she'd brush me off again. But I still couldn't think of what to say. I opened my mouth to speak. But instead of talking I stepped towards her, took her in my arms and kissed her." (Bell 89-91) The author explained that Raphaella didn’t stop him. By doing this William Bell made the two have an instant connection with each other. This is unusual because in most stories, and real life, people get ot know each other before dating. I also liked how the author combined two stories in one. Garnet's mom went on a business trip to Indonesia. While she was on her trip Garnet and Raphaella were learning about Hannah - the spirit, and her horrible past. One night Garnet and his dad receive a phone call saying that Garnet's mom needed to be picked up because of an incident that happened in Indonesia. Hannah and Annie (Garnets mom) had similar things happen. They were treated differently because of what they did. Annie was punished because of what she was wearing, and Hannah was punished for what she believed in. I found it interesting how the author connected the two stories.
This is a good novel because it maintains a certain eerie atmosphere throughout
the story. This keeps the reader interested and eager for the outcome. The characters
are engaging and mysterious, which adds to the sometimes sluggish storyline. The plot
slows down in a few sections of the story and quickens in others. The plot is slow-
moving but eventually leads up to a quick and exciting climax, finishing off with a
fulfilling denouement and conclusion. Overall, this is a good novel with an interesting,
adrenaline- spiking and suspenseful story.
The novel Stones, written by William Bell, is a book that really grabs the attention of a
reader and allows them to easily imagine themselves in the plot. As a result this is truly
considered to be an extremely well written novel. A reason why this is so is because it created a
great story for people that enjoyed reading romantic and mystery genres. Due to the fact that
the author incorporated both, creating a fantastic and original twist. Many authors
these day’s may also combined genera’s such as this one ,yet this novel put the mystery and
romance in both the real and supernatural world. This romantic aroma was created by
situations such as Garnet and Raphella’s relationship and the great love the Hannah a desisted
women has for her beloved husband. And as for the mysteries, the character Raphaella is an
excellent example because, from beginning to the very end of the book, she is seen as a person
that is unusual or different. This is because she happened to be a new girl at school that was
very much closed off, who was also able to sense and know things before anyone else. Yet by
the end of the novel she did admit “She could feel things, as if she were a string on a musical
instrument” (Bell 266) insinuating that she was psychic. In addition the character development
had also been a specific reason for this conclusion. This element allowed its readers too easily
relate their personal life to the event’s that took place in the plot, in result creating a strong
understanding of what happened as the novel continues. The character development being
built to and the novel continued was what answer many of the question’s that were left
untouched after curtain events such as the climax. Therefore Stones covers all the necessary
requirements such as plot development that is needed in a well written novel. However author
William Bell went beyond these necessities, creating a unique and incredible novel.
I think this book was well written. I would give it a 6 out of 10 stars because it was somtimes interesting to read but sometimes it got a little boring. The parts that I thought were good were realy good and the parts I thought were bad were really bad. the author did a good job developing the character Garnet. As I was reading some parts of the book, I almost fell asleep. But the author added small parts that would catch my attention and wake me up. I think the idea behind the book is good and original but not very exicting. It was sometimes hard for me to understand what is going on.
The book Stones by William Bell is a very well written book and easy to read. This novel grabs the reader’s attention and allows them to relate to the main character, without pretense. The atmosphere of the book is somewhat eriee and spooky but yet romantic and mysterious. The romantic aroma is created between Garnet and Raphaella and Hannah and her husband Jubal. The errie and spooky feeling of the novel is most felt when Garnet continuosly hears the crys and weeps of Hannah every night followed by the screams of men.
Raphaella is responsible for the mysterious undertone of the novel. Throughout the whole book she kept to herself. She didn’t tell Garnet anything about her life or about her father. Raphaella being the new girl was labelled as strange, unusual and very sercretive. But yet by the end of the book she had released her secrects to Garnet.
While the novel is considered to be mysterious and suspensful it also can be seen as a love story with an important underlying message.
Stones in my opinion was a sub par book. I thought the writing was tolerable but William Bells habit of making an overly complex tightly compacted and under structured plot really came through in this book. This story put way too much into a mere 278-page book. I literally felt like I was reading at least three stories on top of each other that did not even relate to each other. I mean sure the writer did make one or two connections between the whole “spiritual world” and real life but it still felt a bit desperate. In addition, William Bell seemed not to have planned anything. One minute the protagonist is falling in love the next he has a group of ghost throwing rocks at him, which did not really help the overly complex story either. Even in this huge disarray of a plot, the writer could not even keep my attention. I mean what kind of a writer would make a book about a senior who has an ambition to make cabinets his whole life. Then suddenly falls in love- at first sight- with a girl who will not even talk to him, and all the while is being haunted by a group of ghost who killed a presumed witch a hundred years ago. Talk about contrived. I found this book to be mediocre at best and it did not compare to any other William Bell books.
Overall the novel Stones was an interesting novel. This is because even though some of the parts were boring there was an interesting plot. There was a lot of background information given about the significance of the events that took place and there was enough foreshadowing to make the novel suspenseful. As the story was told Garnet and Raphaella discovered the reasons behind Hannah haunting the forest and why she behaved the way she did. “Hannah had been killed and buried in her own cabin.” (Bell 202) This made the plot more intriguing because it made you wonder why she was killed the way she was and what would happen to Garnet and Raphaella while they were in the woods. The novel Stones was an overall thrilling book.
The novel “Stones” is considered a good novel. This is because it has gone far beyond the typical ‘unrealistic’ adventure, to pursue a realistic take on historic events. It makes a connection between the past and present, involving characters from both time periods, to resolve a common issue within our society – persecution. Even though this issue is not very common to the current generation, many people can still relate to occasions when they have witnessed, or have tried to stop an act of discrimination, thus are able to understand the emotions and actions of the main characters, as they pursued their adventure: astonishment, fearful, unfamiliar to our traditions. They were able to undergo a transformation into round characters during the timeline of the novel, from boring and mediocre characters, to adventurous and curious ones. This kept the novel’s narration interesting, as their thoughts and actions became more spontaneous and full of life. “Both of us were energized by the discovery. Not being an archeologist, I wasn’t sure what the best procedure would be. We had to make sure we got everything; we couldn’t leave a foot bone or a finger end behind. The job had to be complete (Bell 249).” In addition, the descriptions of what the main character was able to absorb from his surroundings, (from his perspective) were very well communicated, helping the reader to see a clear picture of what was portrayed. There was never any confusion about was happening in the novel. “We approached the monument. It was a dull day, muggy and warm, with an overcast sky. The grass was green and damp, and the heavy odor of lilacs hung in the air (Bell 169).” The character development, writing style and very descriptive content made the novel “Stones” a well written novel.
Overall, I think “Stones” is considered a bad novel because of the character development, the theme/message and the plot development. I think the character development for Garnet could’ve been shortened, since the main plot of the book was about Hannah, the reader wouldn’t need that much of character information about Garnet. But on the other hand, the character development of Raphaella was very well organized; her character was easy and quick for the reader to understand. The author’s theme/message is confusing because readers may have mistaken the sub plot (love component) of the story as the main plot (Hannah being murdered). I often found the sub plot of the novel more engaging than the main plot, and continued reading the novel wanting to find out more about the sub plot rather than to find the resolution to the main plot. This created a big confusion for me trying to figure out the theme/message, because I found the love component more interesting, but the story was more surrounded about Hannah. Altogether, I think “Stones” is considered a bad novel because of the poor choice of character development, the confusion of the author’s theme/message, and the main/sub plot.
The book Stones, by William Bell, was a decent book and it was well written for the most part. The book seemed a little youthful for our grade and it seemed like it would better suit a class of grade 7’s or grade 8’s. William Bell’s writing style was confusing during some parts where many stories were overlapping and it was hard to keep up, but when he focused on one specific plot, the book became very enticing and exciting. On the other hand, William Bell’s portrayal and development of the characters was very good. At the beginning, he describes the protagonist, Garnet Havelock, as being quiet, shy, not very social, and inexperienced in love. However, as soon as the author introduces the other protagonist, Raphaella Skye, Garnet becomes more social, daring and outspoken as the story progresses. I found it interesting how the author developed the relationship and chemistry between Garnet and Raphaella. “Even before she had finished talking, I had fallen in love with her.” (Bell 28) I found this interesting because not many authors use the cliché of love-at-first-sight anymore, so it was interesting to read a story where that happened and the relationship worked out in the end. I also liked how the author incorporated the element of “spirits” and how Raphaella had psychic abilities. She could feel things, as if she were a string on a musical instrument” (Bell 266) The plot development in the book had its ups and downs. I liked how the author described an incident that happened in the past, Hannah and Jubal’s story, and an incident that was happening during the present, Annie’s (Garnet’s mother) business trip to Indonesia. It was a good idea because it gave the reader a sense that these issues were still happening in the present because Hannah was abused for having different beliefs, and Annie was abused for wearing different clothes. I didn’t like how sometimes during the book, Annie’s story would disappear for half the book and then come back at the end. This confused me and I wish the author hadn’t written it that way. The book was decent overall. It gave the reader a sense of suspense and surprise as well as a love story between two different characters.
Stones by William Bell is an amazing book for a wide range of readers due to the excellent description and use of literary devices. In this novel, the author is very detailed and careful while he describes the plot and physical attributes of the characters. “She stood quietly, completely at ease, and waited. Normally, a new kid gives off vibes like a high tension wire-fear, embarrassment, a pathetic desire to be accepted. Not this one. Wearing a long navy blue dress over a black t-shirt, a silver-coloured ankh hanging from a leather thong around her neck, she appeared calm-accept for her bitten down fingernails-and completely indifferent to us. She was slender, a bit taller than me, with glossy black hair that fell almost to her waist. A plum-coloured birthmark stained her neck and half her right cheek.”(Bell, 24) This is an example of how well the author uses description in this story. One of the literary devices that William uses very well in Stones is metaphors. An example of this is when the protagonist, Garnet, describes that when he is around the girl he likes his stomach feels like it is in a knot, and his nerves jangle like keys. He explains in great detail what is going on in the story by using metaphors so that the emotions and the plot in the story seem more realistic to the reader. In general, Stones is a book well written.
Stones written by William Bell, is a book that I thought was beautifully written, enjoyable and stimulating to explore as a reader. In this case I strongly disagree with James’s opinion because, I thought this novel continuously arouse curiosity, held and attracted attention and provoked thought. Within James explanation, I did not support the point stating that there were section’s that “were really bad”, yet I do agree that there were areas, where it became factual or “boring.” However these slower, less exciting parts, where used as linking chains or rising action tools, that were incorporated in the plot to help connect and sum idea’s, or led to following events. These linking sections or phrases such as, “I prefer them to corporation logos.”(Bell 76), also greatly impacted the plot because without the background information provided to readers in this raising action, there would be many question and
misunderstandings when major events occurred. In addition I can see that the romance overall,
may not appeal to many young man that had chosen the novel for the supernatural
phenomenon, or were assigned the novel without chose. I think regardless of the very
interesting paranormal events and the fact that it is being told by a male, that the novel greatly
revolves around many feelings, and relationships between lovers and enemies that maybe
more relating to women. This is because many young girls, myself included find it very
interesting and educational when the aspect of love is coming from a male’s perspective. It is
also due to the fact; women usually enjoy romantic fiction or non-fiction over most males
today. In result I understand the boredom created in some romantic scenes, but I do not think
that the less exciting sections of the book was enough to call the novel “bad”.
I think that Stones, written by William Bell, was overall a decent book but had some minor flaws. I found that the novel started off very slow and took quite a while to grab my attention. I found Garnet and Raphaella’s build up of a relationship to be boring and very typical, i found myself predicting what was going to happen before i read it. I think that each character’s personality was explained very clearly, i found myself learning new things about each character as i kept reading. I felt that the author was able to maintain an eerie atmosphere throughout most of the book, which i believe kept the readers on edge. The plot development was slow at times but i enjoyed the travel through time to Hannah and Jubal’s story, i personally would have made a few changes to the ending though. Overall i enjoyed reading stones, i found it to be an easy read and easy to understand. Although i enjoyed the book i don’t think id recommend the mystery love story to anyone.
The teen novel written by William Bell, called Stones, takes the title of the best romantic ghost story I’ve ever read. The book really captures your attention with its tremendously thrilling, mystifying, and exciting plot, characters and setting. It keeps you on your feet wanting more until the last few pages. The plot develops interesting characters that are very well described and can easily be drawn into. The major characters, Garnet Havelock and his true love, Raphaella Skye, are both characters that stir emotion to the plot with their personalities. Garnets nature to be very negative and insecure had quickly twisted after meeting the eerie and spiritual Raphaella. The pressure from Garnets parents about his future, keeps the characters authentic and interesting. The way William Bell described the ghost character, Hannah, was very effective and realistic. Overall, the part that made me first the notice how well the characters were grippingly described would be when Raphaella is first introduced to the plot. (Bell, 24-25) Another reason why I found the novel was a very good read was the suspenseful plot. The story line uses various events that contain issues that I believe many teens can relate to. The plot also helped carry out the initial theme of the gory and romantic story. I personally enjoyed all the elements of the plot, but I especially enjoyed the climax. The climax was convincingly dramatic written and was an excellent way to show how Garnet and Raphaella unravelled the history behind the black community. The setting in Stones was also very captivating. The places in which the story was set at defiantly helped convey the main theme and helped give off the mood trying to be made in each event of the story. At one point of the novel I felt that it showed a great description of the setting; “The cabin-or whatever it was- had one room, about ten by twelve, with a dozen benches in the middle, most of them arranged in two banks with an aisle up the middle, a few overturned. Some kind of meeting house, I figured. The still, frigid air, the inky black at the edge of the pool of light cast by the flashlight, the shadows that stretched away from me across the floor and up the walls combined to create an eerie atmosphere.” (Bell, 49) In conclusion, I thought it was a very interesting read, and I liked how it cooperated some Canadian history. The title picked for the novel suited the book's story plot and characters. I would recommend the book to teen readers, especially for teens looking for a good romantic, ghost novel.
Priscilla, I agree with you about the different plot lines. It was rather confusing to determine which plot was dominant, because they both seemed to be relevant to the story. The way I determined the leading plot was by analyzing the cover. Similar to “To Kill A Mockingbird”, I was able to determine the focus of the story through the images and title displayed on the cover. In “Stones”, the image displays an old cabin, two figures and a pile of stones. By inferring, I was able to determine that the cabin was actually the African Methodist Church, by the description Garnet gave, “At the edge of the clearing, by a rail fence, I had an unrestricted view of green grass, a stone monument, and the African Methodist Church, lit by the slanting rays of morning sunlight… The ruin decayed logs and mossy stones had fallen down long ago, but the surrounding forest had not reclaimed the open land. Not so much as a sapling grew there (Bell 128-129).” The two figures would have probably been Garnet and Raphaella, because they were the only two living people that would visit it. Also, the title and the picture of stones beneath it would most likely symbolize the method used for persecution. With that, it would have lessened the confusion of which plot was dominate, because unless Garnet and Raphaella threw stones at each other (which they didn’t), it would have to be the action plot, not the love plot. I agree that the author seemed to express his story more through pictures, than through text, which was not a very good decision. :)
Over all, I believe that Stones was a good book and the story flowed with effectively well-written characters and mood. Which brings me to state that I disagree with Jason Swail’s opinion. The novel is a romantic ghost story therefore William Bell included both situations that brought love and fear to the plot. William expressed in the story the development of Raphaella and Garnets love for one another and the development of Garnets maturity and change in life through out the book. Also Bell prevailed a lot of horror to the plot with his eerie ghost part of the novel. Although I do agree with most, that the plot at times was hard to follow. It did jump from story to story through out the book but I found it very entertaining and gripping.
Stones is considered to be a fairly good book. The plot provided not one, but two plot lines thoroughly: romance and action. It explained in detail the atmosphere of each scene, causing the reader visual images in their mind. This novel also created an engrossed feeling towards the reader by being mysterious until the plot was driven to the end. One of the reasons that elucidate why Stones was a considerably good book was because it held the romance and action plot. Most stories have a focal point on one theme at a time, conversely this novel was different. Everyone likes a little change sometimes, and if all books were the same, one would get uninterested of it. With romance, one is understood about the concept between the relationship of Garnet and Raphaealla. It`s important because love is a gift that we can all somewhat relate to, as well as the action. With connection, it is a strategy to understand more about the story. Another strategy was how the author wrote the book. He used clear words that caused no confusion. His book was directed to a teenage group. At often times, students have trouble understanding how the plot goes on because the authors tend to throw a lot of information one at a time. Never the less, William Bell was developed a good choice of words that gave readers the aid that they need. Another point is the detailed descriptions the author provided us with. Bell conducted visual images in our mind so that one can picture it. A good author makes one comprehend all that is occurring. Even the blind uses visuals. Everyone has pi cured happenings in their mind without even noticing it. It’s an important thing in life. For the reasons of clarity, imagery and interest, Stones is considered to be a fairly good novel.
Jackie, I agree that the beginning of Stones gave the impression that it was moving slowly. However, the exposition is meant to be slow, due to the fact that one is recieving the vague information on the characters' feelings and actions. If the author threw too much information at us in the beginning it might cause confusion to the reader. Most books have a slow beginning, but as the plot drives forward, it slowly increases on interest and excitement until it has reached the climax.
I agree with Jackie that the book Stones had minor flaws. I also found it to be very slow and predictable and it didn't really keep you guessing. On the other hand, the author did a very good job of keeping the atmosphere and mood of the book interesting and surprising. The ending of the book was also very surprising, yet good. It kept you guessing and on your toes. I disagree with Sarah though because I found that the book didn't really grab my attention and when it did, it was at the end and it didn't hold it for very long. I thought the book was also very childish too. Overall, I disagree with the fact that the book was very well written, I would say it was just okay but that is my opinion.
I thought that the book Stones was one of the worst pieces of literature I have ever read. This brings me to disagree with Taylor. Not once did I feel any suspense or excitement towards the outcome. I definitely thought that entire slow then fast moving plot made the book confusing, harder to read, and a lot less engaging. I also disagree with Eggshopper because I don't think Garnet and Raphaella's relationship occurred over a matter of time or slowly gain his trust. Garnet thinks about her for a few days, calls her, then walks up and starts kissing her at random. I liked how the writer wrote this but the over all idea of this relationship is absurd. I did not enjoy this novel which made me disagree with Eggshopper and Taylor.
I thought the book stones was a very good book which leads me to disagree with Swail. I think it had a lot of excitement and suspense at times. I also agree with Jackie because it did have a slow pace at first but then got interesting towards the end. The characters were very well explained and the book was easy to understand. I agree with Georgia I too found that some parts of the book were unreal and childish. Overall it was a good book I would recommend to my friends because I enjoy reading love stories.
Post a Comment