Stonecutter - Softcover

Watts, Leander

3.24

54 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0618605770 ISBN 13: 9780618605774

Publisher: Graphia, 2006

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In 1835 in rural New York State, apprentice stonecutter Albion Straight relates his experiences when he is hired by the strangely menacing John Good to carve a statue of his daughter. Reprint.

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About the Author:

Leander Watts is an author of adult nonfiction and a college English professor. His historical novels provide a welcome antidote to contemporary young adult fiction. He lives in the Genesee Valley in western New York, where he writes and teaches English literature.

Review:

In this nuanced debut novel, Watts (Easter Mice!) relates the story of 14-year-old Albion Straight, apprentice stonecutter in 1835 in the Genesee valley in rural New York State. Journal entries describe Albion's work carving gravestones ("Our tools are cold and hard but they can make a softness, if our skills prevail, out of sandstone and marble and slate") and life with his kindly master's family, including Little Watty, a peculiar, fey child who sees portents and signs everywhere, from Halley's Comet to his vision-plagued dreams. The author slowly and effectively builds a sense of dread as Albion's skills attract the attention of a strange visitor, who hires him to work at Goodspell, an eerie, half-finished mansion comprised of "huge beams jutted this way and that like the bones of a dead giant." As Albion's true mission unfolds, his work designing a memorial for his employer's late wife becomes entangled with the yearnings of his employer's daughter, a beautiful, lonely young woman and the spitting image of her mother. The manor's hidden passageways and disquieting sounds inspire some of the author's most memorable writing, which stirs a sense of foreboding ... la Jane Eyre. Despite the vivid imagery, however, the plot sputters to a rather predictable climax. Still, it's an intriguing tale, and the ominous, claustrophobic tone that Watts sustains marks this writer as one to watch. Ages 10-14. (Publishers Weekly )

Grade 6-9-In a novel told in journal form, Albion Straight recounts his strange journey into the wilderness in 1835 America. An apprentice stonecutter in a small town in western New York, he lives with the family of his master, Mr. Bonness. Soon Albion is offered a chance to work for a rich and mysterious man named John Good. Accepting the job with some trepidation, he is led deep into the wilderness where he finds a magnificent mansion being built. There he discovers that he has been hired to sculpt the tomb of the man's dead wife, located in a huge cave; and he's expected to use as a model Good's daughter, Michal, who looks exactly like her mother and is kept as a prisoner by her father. Obviously, all the elements are here for a classic gothic novel, and the story delivers the goods. The creepy atmosphere and sense of horror build throughout and although the character of Michal remains rather flat, the effective historical details and strong plot make this an excellent choice for many readers. Todd Morning, Schaumburg Township Public Library, IL (School Library Journal )

"A haunting story to discuss and savor." (Horn Book )

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