The Blessing Stone

I had never read any of Barbara Wood's novels until a friend lent me The Blessing Stone. I thoroughly enjoyed the interesting premise of an ancient stone making its way through history and the effect it had on different people along the way. Some of the "vignettes" offered up by each stone holder were so intriguing I wanted to hear more, but I did enjoy Wood's use of "interims" used to clear up the loose ends, condense times and sequence into the next time period and next stone holder. I also liked the fact that Wood told her story through the voices of both men and women -- early on in the book I thought perhaps all the stone holders would be women. Overall, this was a delicous, enjoyable read, the kind in which you read the last chapter very slooooowly to savor every last bit.

I loved this book. It had something for everyone. It was part clan of the cave bear, part history novel, part romance, part fantasy and a really good read. The book is divided into several vignettes that follow a central character's journey. I worry I'll never find anything as good as this again.

I love Barbara Wood's books and this is the best one I've read in a long time, I hated to finish it!

Early in our world's life, a meteor crashed into the Earth's surface leaving mass destruction in its wake. Buried among the mastodon and mammoth fossils was an enchanting stone that would be uncovered only after centuries of wind and rain. Possessed by dozens of women throughout time, the stone embodied a unique power for each of its guardians. Some believed it to give them extrasensory abilities, others imagined it contained the soul of their religious icon.Considered responsible for the successes and failures of whoever held it, the stone was involved in many of the turning points in history. One of the most captivating aspects of THE BLESSING STONE is the accuracy of the depictions of these events. Barbara Wood has done an admirable job of telling this inconceivable tale in a believable way. From her stunning descriptions of an ancient city with unlimited wealth to her agonizing portrayal of a starving nomadic clan in Africa, Wood inundates the reader with tremendous imagery.The story of the blessing stone is more than just a tale about a precious gem. It is also the story of the development of civilization, the changes in organized religion and the evolution of women's roles in society. Through each character's tragedies and triumphs, the story of the blessing stone unfolds and a new chapter in history is written.As the stone is passed from hand to hand and travels from country to country, Wood masterfully weaves a legend destined to make THE BLESSING STONE a bestseller. Rarely does an author manage to combine so many vignettes into one book of such excellence. --- Reviewed by Melissa Brown

From 3,000,000,000 years ago, to the "wild" west, this stone has seen it all...Everyone of the stories captured something wonderful, survival, love, hate, passion, faith, hero's and heroine's, villians and nature.I enjoyed the stories all by themselves, but it was so cool to read the history of the world through the travels of the "Blessing Stone", and to see it come full circle and back out again to enchant someone else's life.I really enjoyed every story and every character, I think most people will...so read on!Enjoy,Debbi :)