House Of Stone
by Anthony Shadid
- Percentage of approved critics who have given this book a positive review.
Critic Rating
81%
Critic Reviews: 28
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- User rating from iDreamBooks & iTunes
Reader Rating
84%
Reader Ratings: 135
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Synopsis
A compelling saga of redemption and renewal from two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Anthony Shadid tells the story of rebuilding his family's ancestral home in Lebanon amid political strife, and his eventual understanding of the emotions behind the turbulence in the Middle East. "Evocative and beautifully written, House of Stone . . . should be read by anyone who wishes to understand the agonies and hopes of the Middle East." - Kai Bird, Pulitzer Prize-winning... more
About Anthony Shadid
Published: February 28, 2012 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Genre: Biographies & Memoirs. Non-fiction. 336 pages
- All Critics: 28
- Positive: 23
- Negative: 5
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The New York Times | 9 Mar 2012
The book would be easier to read if it had a more chronological format and was less a mosaic of barely connected episodes.
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Los Angeles Times | 19 Mar 2012
Knowing that Shadid lost his life shortly before this book was published makes each piece of tile he polished, each plant he nurtured, feel all the more significant.
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The Globe and Mail | 10 Apr 2012
. . .Shadid offers a carefully observed meditation not only on Lebanese village life, but on what it is like to try and build a sense of home in the midst of a war zone.
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Washingtonian | 4 Apr 2012
On display is the ear for dialogue, eye for telling detail, and nose for big ideas expected from Shadid's Middle East dispatches.
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The Washington Post | 2 Mar 2012
. . .one of the finest memoirs I've read.
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Boston.com | 4 Mar 2012
It is a masterpiece, and a terrible reminder of what an empathic guide to the Middle East we lost last month with Shadid’s passing.
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The National | 24 Feb 2012
The story of his family's journey to the US is too disjointed to hold the reader's attention and distracts from Shadid's reportage.
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Wichita Eagle | 18 Mar 2012
Sadly, the book remains messy in print, at times disorganized, poorly written and confusing.
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Kirkus Reviews | 15 Jan 2012
A complicated, elegiac, beautiful attempt to reconcile the physical bayt (home) and the spiritual.
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | 9 May 2012
Despite its seriousness, it would be a mistake to ignore that "House of Stone" is also very funny.
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The New York Times | 26 Feb 2012
At the heart of the book, Mr. Shadid’s third, lies the strong, open voice of its author.
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World Literature Today (The University of Oklahoma)
. . .a setting evoked in the small details noticeable only to a world-class reporter’s eye.
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Star Tribune | 3 Mar 2012
The flashbacks to his family's past can sometimes seem haphazard and forced.
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The Saturday Evening Post
These sections about his family are the true gems of the book.
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Seattle Times | 4 Mar 2012
. . .Shadid's longing is so genuine, and his identification of home so definite, that "House of Stone" builds emotionally, reaching depths that surprise.
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Ocala.com | 8 Apr 2012
He skillfully reveals himself to us without a hint of romanticism, with only breathtaking prose — a fitting and unintentional elegy.
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New York Magazine | 1 Mar 2012
. . .a strange and often lovely hybrid — one-third memoir, one-third Middle Eastern history, one-third. . .the Contractor Nightmare Narrative.
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Book Reporter | 15 Mar 2012
As might be expected from a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, Shadid laces his memoir with telling details. . .But the author’s personal voice is also abundant. . .
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Macleans | 22 Mar 2012
. . .the fragile but very real note of hope that ends House of Stone is heartbreaking.
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NY Daily News | 2 Mar 2012
Shadid’s generous sense of humor shines as he describes the often difficult characters he employs in the sparsely populated village.
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The Express Tribune | 1 Apr 2012
. . .an evocative tale that makes one marvel at Shadid’s storytelling skills. . .
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Salon | 17 Feb 2012
This is the last testament of a superb reporter and citizen of the world who had the wisdom to find his bayt.
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Journal Sentinel | 25 Feb 2012
There are empathetic sketches, characteristic of Shadid's best journalism, describing his Marjayoun friends - often living reminders of a gentler time.
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Tulsa World | 18 Mar 2012
. . .the strongest parts of "House of Stone" are those in which Shadid recounts his own life and career.
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The Globe and Mail | 10 Apr 2012
As I read his moving memoir, I could picture him in action, using all the gumption he had acquired after years spent in war zones, to make the seemingly impossible repair and restoration of his ancestral home a reality.
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The New York Times | 9 Mar 2012
The book would be easier to read if it had a more chronological format and was less a mosaic of barely connected episodes.
Full ReviewHouse Of Stone