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Amazon.co.uk Review
Two hundred years earlier, in 1833, a pair of Iraqi Jewish brothers leave Babylon, possessing only the clothes on their backs, and a hoard of precious stones. Arriving in London, they become jewellers to the new Queen, Victoria, and discover that friendship and loyalty are the most precious commodities of all.
Part love story, part historical thriller, The Love of Stones is a compelling excursion into the enduring qualities of human obsession. There is always a danger that novels so meticulously researched can become too heavy on the detail, neglecting the need to entertain in favour of lecturing the reader. But Hill's narrative is constructed with craftsman-like care, balancing the treasure-trove of fact with a story rich in insight and, ultimately, hope. --Matthew Baylis --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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In reviews from The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, as well as the Amazon.com site, the only flaw in this gem of a novel seems to be the inclusion (to use gemological terminology) of its protagonist, Katherine Sterne. If Sterne is not a lovable character, at least she is an interesting one. As I turned the book's well-written pages I kept asking myself, "Since when must we like the protagonist?" At first I'd wanted to be cheering for Katherine, but before long I was following her quest in fascination. Kate Sterne is not as mad as the collector of John Fowles' eponymous novel, but total self absorption, toughness and sang-froid can be traits of a collector's obsessive personality gone awry. The author, in describing the diamond might very well be describing his Kate--obviously the cold, driven character he intended her to be. In this way Hill keeps Sterne's quest from becoming yet another "sentimental journey."
"On the Moh scale of hardness the diamond is ten...but this is deceptive. For one thing diamond is the only gem which will combust, burning with a clear, quick white flame. It is as if the crystal were somehow organic...like skin and bone. And diamond is brittle as bone. There is hardness but no flexibility, and brittleness is an unforgiving quality."
But Katherine is enthralled with rubies. Rubies are a warm stone, implying heart, feeling, passion, the rubedo of alchemy, the philosopher's stone. Unfortunately Katherine does not go through the step by step alchemical process to deservedly earn the rubedo. We see her transformation at book's end, when Katherine's character all too hurriedly, all too unconvincingly reaches a degree of wholeness. It is at this point in the narrative that I find a small inclusion, but not enough of one to warrant giving The Love of Stones less than the five stars it deserves.
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For those lured to the lore and arcana of gemstones, this rich, evocative and literate novel can be read and re-read. Like her or not, Katherine Sterne has remained with me. She will be included in my roster of memorable, if not lovable women characters, along with Lawrence Durrell's Justine and Edith Wharton's Lily Bart.
A fabullous read!
To those reviewers below, if you want to read about the Koh-i-Noor, i can recommend Chasing the Mountain of Light by kevin Rushby - a terrific travel book, which touches on some aspects of its history.
The lives of a nineteenth century Mesopotamian jeweller and a twentieth century jewel hunter intersect, as Katherine Stern travels back in time to the origins of an intriguing crown jewel, only to track it forwards, coming ever closer to the meaning of her own loneliness.
This novel has something for everyone: there's whole worlds of detail, atmosphere and character ranging from medieval Europe to postwar Japan; the exquisite writing typical of all Hill's stories (and this one is as different to the others as always) and a shifting sense of visceral human need and values that constantly prompts the reader to question their own viewpoint; and yet all held together by an unlikely personal journey and, finally, the prospect of real love.
The complex plot, moving between nineteenth and twentieth centuries, orient and occident, empire and metropolis, demands attention - not one to put down lightly, though you're not likely to want to - but, while constantly challenging, like all good books it's about the journey not the conclusion.
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