About this title: In his most dazzling novel since the groundbreaking "New York Times" bestseller "An Instance of the Fingerpost," Pears tells the story of John Stone, a man so wealthy that in the years before World War I, he was able to manipulate world markets.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780385522847ISBN:0385522843
Description: Good. Used item may show library stamps, stickers and marks. Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Description: Acceptable. Former Library book. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Edition: First Edition Advance Reading Copy (ARC)
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2009.
ISBN-13:9780385522847ISBN:0385522843
Description: CONDITION: Near Very Good condition (Fine is our highest grade, then Very Good). Advance Reading Copy ("Firster than a First Edition"). Light bumping in several places. Historical mystery. read more
Edition: First US Edition; First Printing
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau, New York
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780385522847ISBN:0385522843
Description: New in New dust jacket. 9780385522847. Unmarked book, no remainder marks; 1.6 x 9.3 x 6.4 Inches; 608 pages. read more
Binding: Hardback
Publisher: VINTAGE Country = UNITED KINGDOM
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780224081795ISBN:0224081799
Description: BRAND NEW HARDBACK. 608 pages. Presents the story of john stone, financier and armaments manufacturer, a man so wealthy that in the years before world war one he was able to manipulate markets, industries and indeed whole countries and continents. this novel discusses a quest to discover how and why john stone dies, falling out of a window at his london home. (Hardback) read more
Binding: Hardback
Publisher: Random House Inc
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780385522847ISBN:0385522843
Description: In his most dazzling novel since the groundbreaking "New York Times" bestseller "An Instance of the Fingerpost, " Pears tells the story of John Stone, a man so wealthy that in the years before World War I, he was able to manipulate world markets. read more
Description: Satisfaction Guaranteed. Shipped quickly. 2009. Hardcover. Lrg Ed. Used, very good. Very good overall with light to moderate wear. No dust jacket. read more
Edition: Audio Book
Publisher: BonT, Westminster, MD
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9781415962916ISBN:141596291X
Description: New. Audio Book This is an audio book. 19 cds, 24 hours, 9 minutes. Unabridged. Read by Roy Dotrice, John Lee and Simon Vance. In a thick plastic case. read more
Description: New. Please note that deliveries to addresses in the UK and Europe will be in 4-14 business days. Other countries should refer to Alibris standard times. ISBN10: 0224084372. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Date Published: 2009-05-05
ISBN-13:9780385522847ISBN:0385522843
Description: NEW. Hardcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780385522847. read more
Binding: First American edition, Hardcover, New in dust jacket,
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau, New York
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780385522847ISBN:0385522843
Description: New. The story of John Stone, a man so wealthy and influential during the years before WWI that he was able to manipulate markets, industries and even countries to suit his purposes. Said to be simultaneously a mystery, love story, history lesson and quest. From the immensely popular author of AN INSTANCE OF THE FINGERPOST. 100, 000 initial printing. read more
"With The Instance of the Fingerpost, Pears created a new kind of masterwork-a historical novel constructed intricately to work like clockwork, which glides sequentially from one subjective narrator to another, so that each section unveils new explanations that upend the previous narrator's picture of the characters' motivations and actions . Moreover, this novel draws the reader deep into a historical era's skullduggery and political and geopolitical machinations. A subsequent novel, The Dream of Scipio, presented three stories, spanning 15 centuries. Continuously inter-cutting from one story to another, that book intertwined the three human dramas as it depicted the political and ideological backdrop of each story and era.
Pears' latest novel, Stone's Fall, is as ambitious as An Instance of the Fingerpost. Three sequential sections, each with a different narrator, piece together a story that continues from 1867 until 1910 (the sections are in reverse chronological order). The mystery to be explored (as introduced years later in the early 1950's) is why British titan of industry John Stone plummeted from the window of his town home 1909. Was it an accident? Suicide? Was he pushed? Stone's alluring and mysterious widow hires a crime reporter from a London newspaper not to solve this mystery, but rather to tie up a serious loose end that is critical for unblocking the disposition of Stone's estate. The reporter is seriously mesmerized by the widow (leading me to wonder at times if the book was going to turn out to be a remake of The French Lieutenant's Woman), but the twists and turns of their relationship merely set off the labyrinthine plot.
As if A Tale of Two Cities was insufficient, Pears gives us three-London, Paris, and Venice--plus side visits to the provinces. The book is a rich brew that includes not only the characters' personal dramas, but also crises in the British and European financial system (in this respect, the book is a sequel to Levenson's Newton and the Counterfeiters), industrial and technological history of the late 19th and early 20th century military industrial complex (a la Richard Powers), geopolitical machinations, scandal, skullduggery, and many other ingredients that convey a sense of time and place. At times, the characters go into overdrive in order to advance the intricacies of the plot, and the book offers an improbable ending that left me disappointed, but Stone's Fall is an absorbing and rewarding read nonetheless."
"There is a genre of fiction, represented by authors such as Robert Ludlum and Tom Clancy, that involve intricately woven plots leading to thrilling, unforeseen conclusions. I always enjoy and admire the plot twists of these books, but get somewhat turned off by their superhero machoism. Stone's Fall shares the intricacy of plot twists but lacks the feel of being a republican 12 year old's day dream.
Stone's fall begins in 1953 Paris with an elderly and well respected reporter, Matthew Braddock, going to a former acquaintance's funeral somewhat by accident. The funeral is for Lady Elizabeth Ravenscliff, an elderly widow who has used up most of her substantial fortune on good deeds. At the funeral he runs into a lawyer who has a substantial package for Braddock that had been left with the lawyer's firm with instructions that it was to go to Braddock after Lady Ravenscliff's death. The package contains the memoirs of Henry Cort and John Stone, characters Braddock ran into much earlier in his life.
After this the book is divided into three parts. The first part involves Braddock's reminiscences of 1909 London as a young and not terribly motivated Braddock is hired by the then middle aged Elizabeth (Lady Ravenscliff) to investigate some unusual stipulations in the will of her recently deceased husband John Stone. A series of events then occurs which leaves Braddock slightly broken and in love with Elizabeth. These events also lead to Braddock finding himself and eventually becoming a well known journalist.
Part two of the book takes place in 1890 Paris and is made up of the memoirs of Henry Cort, a shadowy figure Braddock met in part one. Cort is the person who left the the package to Braddock. Part two is told from Cort's perspective and sheds light not only on Cort, but also on Elizabeth's past and motivations.
Cort had originally been given Stone's memoirs when Stone died, and part three involves Stone's memoirs of Venice in 1863. Part three eventually ties together the many disparate characters and events from throughout the three parts. It explains how Stone's fortune began as well as shedding light on almost everything that has occurred so far in the book. Not surprisingly, this all comes together in a fairly shocking conclusion.
I really enjoyed Stone's Fall. As mentioned above the plot is deliciously intricate and surprising. However, the characters are also well written, complex, and believable. I have two young children, and so an 800 page book takes me a while to read. Because of this I lost track of some of the details from the beginning of the book that were supposed to matter in the end. Nevertheless, it was always an entertaining book to pick up and read, regardless of how tired I was."
"Through the first third of this book, I was very disappointed. The story seemed weak and silly. Rest of the book was excellent, especially once the anarchists were introduced. The biggest weak point, other than the beginning, was the ending. Things could have been tied together slightly better and in a less slip shod manner... I guess it wasn't such a bad ending now that I think about it, it just felt rushed to me. Plus, this was a very intricate plot, weaving together multiple narratives and a complex cast of characters, so putting together a solid ending for this book must've been a monumental task.
Anyhow, the journey to the end was awesome, with a cast of characters that included psychotic people (literally), people on drugs, malevolent clairvoyants, arms dealers, arms dealers, sneaky bankers, twisted French aristocrats, spies, corrupt sleazy politicians... you get the point. Lots of awesome people.
And the writing, and pacing of the book were good.
This author is new to me, I'm curious to see what his other books are like."
"I loved An Instance of the Fingerpost. I liked Stone's Fall. This book is similar in approach to the earlier one; i.e., narrated from different characters' points of view. Still, it's not as challenging, and in fact the reverse chronology seemed to me to be a distraction, requiring frequent returns to pages previously read in order to refresh recollections. (Glad I wasn't reading it on Kindle.) The main plot line is interesting, and Pears's evocation of 19th century Venice I found particularly persuasive. Pears does a better job than most authors with presenting a credible business scenario as part of the plot, although it creaked at times. Elizabeth, the central character, was glamorous and enough of a chameleon to engage one's interest, but in the final analysis it was hard to believe that anyone could be as dominating as she was presented to be. Still, these are quibbles, I guess. The story moves smartly along. I just wish he hadn't told it backwards."
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