Marrying Stone

I would be hard put to remember when I enjoyed a book so much. I have read some of her newer, more contemporary novels, and while I enjoyed them, I have to say that "Marrying Stone" was in a completely different league. This is historical fiction at it's finest. Although this story started off slowly, a realistic cast of characters and a tightly woven plot soon had me fascinated, and turning the pages as quickly as I could. Set in the Ozarks, at the turn of the century, Mr. J. Monroe Farley is on a fact-finding mission - he has come to this backwards country to find old European ballads - hopefully, because of the isolated nature of this community, transmitted intact over the years. Although he does find what he is looking for, he also learns a lot more than he ever bargained for. Learning that can never be taught in universities - how to farm the simple way, for instance, or how to live on this simple, substinance level adequately, but especially, Roe learns something unexpected - this university educated, yet love starved boy finally learns about himself.... And something about love. Meggie is a backwards country girl, but she is the *smartest* backwoods country girl for miles around. Book learning is something she is good at, but if they had to live on her cooking everyone would starve - so it's no wonder she dreams about a magic prince - and leaving for a place where she would be better suited.... Both Monroe and Meggie have a lot to learn, and learn it they do, through 300 + pages of bittersweet story. Meggie and her father and her brother (Simple Jess) agree to help Monroe find his ballads through the countryside, but in return, Monroe has to earn his keep - and Monroe learns about farming, but mostly, he learns about the simple community - in a pocket of the mountains where time stood still... While this story is set at the turn of the century, in many ways it seemed to me sort of like the Middle Ages, and it's possible that that is exactly how old this village is. But the story itself was well done, with multi-layered characters realistically portrayed. There is of course Meggie and Monroe, but there is also Meggie's father, her brother who was hit on the head as a baby and is therefore known as "Simple Jess", and I especially loved the old Granny - she certainly lent a certain spic- and some authenticity - to the story. This was an extra-ordinary blend of well-researched history, sweet and well-fleshed characters, and an excellent, really excellent plot where everything about this novel is tied together with a flourish and a bow, this is a book that is head and shoulders above the rest. It was obvious that this book was a labor of love. A pity that it's out of print.

Meggie Best is looking for her "fanciful" prince to come resuce her from her mountain abode.Yet her "reality" will not let her abandon her father and her tall, blonde giant of a brother, Simple Jesse."Roe" Farley stumbles onto the Ozark mountain known as Marrying Stone, for the large piece of quartz plunked down there. He is interested in the folklore that abounds in them thar hills, especially the music.He soon learns that mountain farming is hard, satisfying work and that his friendship with Simple Jesse is most rewarding.This is 1902 remember, and when he catches Meggie in the all together, desire is soon sparked.Soon Roe is taken for Gid Weston's son - what a character.[Chuckle] When friendship leads Jesse to ask Roe for a telling of the mating of a man and a woman, Roe struggles to find the right words to enlighten the young man.And Oh, the mix-up when Roe and Meggie jump hand in hand off the Marrying Stone to the people believing them to be married sure leads to more fibs and storytelling. The Marrying Stone has an ancient and common legend for marriage.Neither of our two characters seems to be able to recognize love and therefore causes themselves some heartache.Learning the stories of the rest of the characters makes this a fascinating book to read. And very hard to put down. Now onto the follow-up book titled "Simple Jess", Meggie's brother finally finds himself a woman.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED -- Add this to your library.

This is a wonderful story of an unlikely romance in the Ozark Mountains, a place that time has passed by and forgotten traditions are still commonplace. You will find yourself or someone that you know in the simple goodness of early rural America.