Stone's Fall

I do not give a book five stars lightly. A book has to be not only a good read, but one that covers so complex a story in ways that are not only readable and understandable, but in ways that connect to what is happening today. The book has to be able to teach me something that I was convinced I'd never understand, in a way that moved me by the end. This book is one of those. I know little about high finance and the markets, but I do know enough about how people work, and how governments work, to be able to get this story. His characters are complex, and you care about what happens to them, even when they are not exactly exemplary human beings. I was especially pulled in by Elizabeth, Cort and Stone: once you understand their motivations, right from wrong is suddenly turned on its head. There are also enough twists in this book,enough things that are not as you thought them to be, to please the most ardent mystery reader. Pears also brings the times and places alive, whether pre WWI London, 1890 Paris, or 1867 Venice, they are real places with real history. Finally, he turns his attentions to things that still concern us, and to questions we still ask, about progress and war. Those put off the length (and I do agree with other reviewers that some editing would have been helpful) might want to read the book as three short stories, interconnected by a few people over time. Personally I found it paced so well that time really did seem to fly by when I read it. In fact, I want to reread this; one read just isn't enough (for me anyway!) For those who have read his other books: I have read Dream of Scipio and Instances of the Fingerpost. Not sure which one I am liking the best. I can say that this one has much in common with the other two in terms of structure and theme. This book certainly rises to the level of those two.

The book begins with a mystery--how and why did John Stone, captain of industry, die? In order to provide the answer, Pears gives us three interlocking narratives, each with its own central mystery. In the first, set in London in 1909, reporter Matthew Braddock is hired by Stone's widow, Elizabeth, to find a missing heir named in Stone's will, and ends up investigating Stone's business dealings to discover what the magnate had been up to before he died. In the second, set in Paris some twenty years earlier, Henry Cort (who appears briefly in part one) tells how he became covert intelligence agent for the British, met and helped the young Elizabeth, and helped to prevent a meltdown of the worldwide financial system (sound familiar?) In the third, Stone himself relates how. in 1867, he started on his path to financial success, and how he was influenced by various characters we have already met in parts one and two. In each part, the narrator has a distinctive voice and point of view that colors his view of events. Braddock is the naive young reporter suddenly thrown into the world of the great and powerful. Cort is the gruff spy who finds out that despite an instinctive grasp of intelligence matters, he too can be manipulated. And Stone, the ultimate pragmatist as portrayed by both previous narrator, discovers that despite his devotion to rationality, he is as susceptible as any to the pull of his emotions. Each adds his own piece to the puzzle, but does so in the course of telling an interesting story. Although some of these stories seem to venture far afield, they are all worth the effort required to follow them. For those who balk at the ending as being too unexpected or unbelievable, all I can say is that I saw it coming halfway through the book. The author gives plenty of clues throughout, and I, for one, would have been more shocked and disappointed if the author, having hinted at one ending, had delivered a different one.

There are few things more exciting for a reader than discovering a new author. Not only do you have the good book you're reading at the moment, you have the promise of reading the author's previous books, you have the anticipation of new books. The only downside is that if the first book you read by the author is not only good but amazingly good, nay, great. It's a downside because you may find yourself comparing every other book by the author against that first, awesome book. Iain Pears operates in the shadow of this downside thanks to An Instance of the Fingerpost: A Novel, a historical mystery with multiple narrators, each of them concealing as well as revealing. Stone's Fall is also a historical mystery with multiple narrators, each of them, well, you get the idea. Pears is inviting comparison between these two books so let's just get it out of the way. No, this isn't as good as Instance. So what? Neither are the vast majority of historical mysteries published this year. It is, however, very good. Stone's Fall is the story of the mysterious death of a mysterious man, John Stone. His power was pervasive yet shadowy, the source of his power is difficult to explain and the goals he sought to advance through the use of that power is far from clear. His wife hires a reporter to locate John Stone's unknown and only recently discovered illegitimate child, a job for which she will pay him extravagantly. This sends the reporter down the proverbial rabbit hole as he tries to find the child, figure out why the missus hire him instead of an investigator and learn the ins and outs of finance so he can understand what it is Stone really owns. Few authors could explain the intricacies of a stock company and make it nearly entertaining; Pears is one of them. Of course, it doesn't matter how the stock company operates or who owns it. It's a Macguffin, a mere vehicle to transport the story. And what a story it is: sultry Hungarian countesses, shady Levantine salesmen, spies, terrorists, and more lunatics than you can shake a stick out. The first narrator is the most engaging and the most fleshed out. The second narrator is more opaque but still with moments of humor. The final narrator is surprisingly bloodless, surprising because of who it is (I'm not telling) and the story he or she has to tell. There are a few Pears' classic touches along the way: the minor character who is on to the whole thing and tells us but we readers don't believe him, the actual historical characters who have readers wracking their brains to remember what happened to them, and the link between human passions and the things we build that become bigger than us. If you're a Pears fan, this is a must read. It is a little longer than it needs to be, part two could lose about 100 pages, and as mentioned the last narrator isn't as good as it could be but overall it is very good. If you're new to Iain Pears, I wouldn't recommend starting with this book, for the reasons mentioned above. A

Mr. Pears' recent novels treat a common theme of struggle against moral failure; however, none confront the issue so directly as does Stone's Fall. The story of a businessman that literally has the world in his grasp, Stone's Fall is so richly symbolic that this is the rare work of fiction that will leave a mark upon its reader. Told in a reverse chronological fashion, it is the unfolding judgment of private behaviors and is a not so subtle indictment of our current and fashionable rush to judgment on anything and everything. Pears argues not that judgment is wrong, but that judgment must be measured and deliberate, with every reservation made for information not possessed and with every benefit given to the power of love. We are treated to a fantastically complex and intricate web of human relationships spanning decades. The book is a fascinating read on many levels and illustrates the wisdom of Santayana's famous observation that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. This book is that rare and compelling story that will cause serious reflection; one can safely say that this book has a timely message that morality is not so old-fashioned nor irrelevant as it has become fashionable to imply. As unpleasant as it may be to some modern readers, Mr. Pears makes moral judgments; he demonstrates that happiness is found in the unselfish and principled application of virtue to one's thoughts and deeds. As in any good and worthwhile literature, as we gradually gain an understanding of the situation we come to realize that private behaviors have profoundly public impacts. That which we do in secret will result in consequences beyond our ability to presently comprehend. Highly Recommended.

Iain Pears' novel Stone's Fall is incredibly complex. It is told from the perspective of three narrators, during three time periods, and in three separate settings. It also travels backwards through time. Pears' pieced together a historical mystery that simply broaches espionage, international finance, and military arms production. And this novel also has the heft of a decent sized phone book. Such an ambitious undertaking in the hands of a lesser author could have easily been confusing or tedious, but Stone's Fall is a masterwork of literary achievement. The mysteries of the story are artfully unfolded in an intricate plotline. The story opens in London in 1953 where a retired reporter, Matthew Braddock recalls London in 1909 during the time he was hired to investigate the whereabouts of an heir to John Stone, a major player in international finance and military arms production. The more he probes into the life of John Stone the more questions he has. The next segment of the book opens in Paris 1890, and told by the up and coming British spy Henry Cort. Through Henry we get more insight into the life of John Stone, as we learn of the rise of his wife and the power he commanded in global finance. Finally we are treated to the perspective of Mr. Stone in Venice 1867, as we discover the origins of his business and finally all the loose ends are tied together to the delight of the reader. The characters are slowly rendered, layer by layer, choice by choice. They come and go in each time period revealing more about themselves and the relationships they share with each other. Pears' constantly reinvents his subjects, so that their motivations only become clear after all sides of the story are told. By the end, we are left with wholly flawed but intensely vibrant people. Stone's Fall is easily one of my favorite books of the year. Pears' gives us a novel that thrills a patient reader--it pays off better than expected. Be resigned to devote your entire weekend to devouring this book. However if you enjoy a big thick novel, I couldn't recommend a better choice.