"A River of Stones is a very touchingly honest story of Samantha's struggle to understand her parents divorce. This is a girl I can relate to, her questions are ones we all struggle with. Kathryn Jones is a perceptive author who puts wonderful characters on the page and provides insight kids and parents alike can learn from."
Michelle Anderson, author of "Shelby's Plan," published by Avalon Books and Author's Choice Press.
"The characters come to life on every page. The challenges are real -- and at the same time, surprising. Best of all, the voice is authentic and rings true, and the rendering of the story is sincere and compelling. Samantha is a real person that every reader will want to know, and will hope to read about again."
Carolyn Campbell, author of the books, "Love Lost and Found: True Stories of Long Lost Loves Reunited At Last" and "Reunited: True Stories of Long Lost Siblings Who Find Each Other Again" Penguin - Putnam
Talented, Kathryn Jones brings to life in the clear simple voice of a troubled young girl feeling unloved and learning that people are not always as they first appear, a story that could be real for many of us. Beautifully written, A River of Stones is fascinating reading with a deep penetrating message, a choice book for every young person as well as parents. It has been said "and a little child shall lead them." In reviewing this book, I felt as if I were being lead by a child and it was a very refreshing experience.
Erlene Johnson, author of, "Tillie's Tale"
A River of Stones is a nicely written middle grade book about Samantha, a young lady who is emotionally torn apart by the abandonment by her father, her parents' divorce, and her mother's subsequent remarriage, which brings an unwelcomed step-brother. We follow her angst as she works through the challenges God sets in her way. This unhappy little girl finally rises above her inwardly focused displeasures to empathize with the feelings of her family and friends…The author has developed an excellent story, based on an all too common scenario these days. She really gets inside Samantha's head in a very realistic way.
Bob Spear
Heartland Reviews
bobspear@lvnworth.com
http://www.heartlandreviews.com
As this story unfolds, we see the currents in life that pull Samantha through confusing experiences. Readers will understand their own challenges better as they watch her struggles and discoveries. Kathryn offers answers to life-long questions being asked by people of all ages.
Jen Solorzano, English Instructor, Salt Lake Community College
"A stunning debut with characters so touching they move effortlessly from the page into your heart."
Kerry Blair, author of, "The Heart Has its Reasons", "The Heart Only Knows", "The Heart Has Forever", and her latest, "Closing In", published by Covenant Communications, Inc.
Searing honesty -- Highly recommended
When their father moves out, Samantha feels confused and hurt. Her father left unannounced, and she questions if he loves her and her brother Luke anymore. Times are hard without their father; sometimes there is not a lot to eat. Then her mother meets Carl, who brings a smile to her mother's face and food to the kitchen. Shortly after her mother marries Carl, he adopts Samantha and Luke. That was the last day she saw her biological father for a long time.
My own life story echoes this young heroine, from my mother's divorce when I was young to the adoption by a stepparent. Consequently, I can't help but be impressed with author Kathryn Jones' skill at capturing a child's struggles with such weighty issues, particularly the struggle with one's feelings regarding the birth parent. There is a tone of searing honesty that underlies the text, making it both poignant and touching. In addition, while I did not expect proselytizing in a young adult novel, A RIVER OF STONES carries it off quite successfully. Readers of all ages will find their hearts captured by Samantha's family struggles, as well as her interactions with friends and neighbors. A RIVER OF STONES comes highly recommended.
Cindy Penn, WordWeaving.com
Samantha finds her world turned upside down in one brief moment when her father leaves with no explanation. She feels that he has abandoned her. The pain of losing her father and the subsequent divorce is very difficult for Sam to deal with, and is only eclipsed by the addition of a new stepfather and a stepbrother. Her stepfather is a good man, but it just isn't the same as having her own father there. Why doesn't he contact her? The feeling of rejection is poignant and profoundly distressing.
Samantha seeks solace in her two best friends, Bruce and June. Over the next two years, as she approaches adolescence, lonely young Sam searches for answers that no one is willing to give her. Nothing is what it seems, and Samantha discovers a world that holds pain and bitterness, as well as love. She attends a friend's baptism, which gives her new ideas to think about. An old man gives her "The Book of Mormon" that was a gift from his late wife. The book introduces Samantha to religion and changes the way she looks at life and the people she knows.
Kathryn Jones is a sensitive, insightful, author with a great gift of expressing emotion very well. This book will have you laughing and crying and wishing there was more. It is exciting and fast-paced, with wonderful characters, and would be therapeutic for any child who is going through the personal trauma of divorce, and just an exciting read for everyone else.
Beverly J. Rowe, MyShelf.Com
A RIVER OF STONES is a touching story of a little girl and her parents. Young Samantha is having a hard time dealing and understanding her parents divorce. Her father is gone. Her hopes, and dreams…gone. Feeling that she has no one to turn to for answers and support, she finds comfort in her two best friends, Bruce and June.
After a while, confused Samantha finds herself dealing with all new disruptions when her mother finds a new love who has a son. As lonely Samantha grows older, she still finds daily living a struggle as heart ache and resentment are trapped within her. After attending a friend’s baptism, she finds some of the answers she is looking for in a book that is given to her from an older man—“The Book of Mormon”. Samantha is introduced to religion and is set for an eye-opening adventure. She is on her way to self-discovery.
Divorce is one of the hardest things children can deal with in their already challenging life. Kathryn Jones captures the reality of divorce, from experience, taking her readers on a heart-wrenching journey when a little girl feels unwanted, unneeded and has too many unanswered questions.
This book is insightful, emotional, sensitive, and therapeutic—perfect for children who are trying to deal with divorce. The characters are intriguing and well-thought out. The dialogue is realistic, the story powerful. Readers will enjoy the fast-paced, exciting story of young Samantha.
Kathryn Jones is talented. She is a multi-published, award-winning, author. When she isn’t writing, she’s reading. She is an avid reader of the scriptures and books of spiritual merit. Jones is a member of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She is a mother to three children and wife for 22 years. Jones writes articles for newspapers and magazines for teens and adults, A RIVER OF STONES is her first book.
This reviewer highly recommends A RIVER OF STONES by Kathryn Jones.
Jennifer LB Leese
Children's Book Review Columnist
Fiction Forum for Kids
Jennifer LB Leese Author Webpage: It's Only Ink!
Samantha Gregory is eleven-years-old when her mother tells her and her brother, Luke, their father has left and is never coming back. Like most children, Sam has a hard time understanding this and thinks her father left because he didn’t like her.
June and Bruce, Sam’s neighbors, are the only children willing to be her friends. Sam has feelings for Bruce she hopes will be returned, but she doesn’t see how they can be when her own father doesn’t love her.
June is heavy into hypnotism. She asks Sam if she can hypnotize her and Sam can only laugh. Sam’s unbelief in hypnotism causes such a rift that June refuses to speak to her. Sam loses yet another friend when she has so few, and the belief that she’s unlovable only grows stronger.
Sam’s mother remarries and her new father has a son named Joshua. Joshua is very fat, and as a result, he is shunned by people too. Sam and Josh form a friendship because both of them understand each other’s feelings of being unloved.
June makes friends with another girl named Tracey who is a devout Mormon. Tracey is always friendly and nice, and Sam hates her at first because she feels Tracey took June’s friendship away. But Tracey doesn’t give up. She continues reaching out to Sam and eventually, wins her friendship. Sam starts asking questions about Tracey’s religion and as a result she is given ‘The Book of Mormon.’
Sam’s mother is very upset when she sees this book and calls it the book of the devil, but Sam’s step-father is very understanding and allows Sam to keep the book.
As a result, Sam learns to pray and feel some peace and love.
A River of Stones is the first book by Kathryn Elizabeth Jones. It is written on a child’s level, and geared toward those who are suffering the loss of a parent from divorce. It deals effectively with the issues that a child might go through with this, unfortunately, too-common issue of finding acceptance and a personal religious course in the world.
By: Laura V. Hilton
Samantha was only nine years old in 1968 when her fairly peaceful world collapsed because her father left the family. "Didn't Dad love us anymore?" Samantha asked her mom. But her mom could only cry and offer her parental love. Life will never be the same for Samantha and her brother Luke.
Unhappiness, anguish and financial worries plague Samantha and her reorganized family. The emotional stress takes its toll on their lives. Once their mother remarried, Samantha and Luke gained a stepfather, Carl. Can this new husband for their mom replace their biological father?
As Samantha grows older, her social life takes precedence over her schoolwork. Growing into adolescence and accepting a stepfather and stepbrother just add to Samantha's emotional confusion. She does have some close friends but even these friendships carry passionate baggage.
Samantha says: "Why did I feel so scattered? Why the daily doubts and fears . . . ?"
Eventually, Samantha does find some peace in her agitated life.
River of Stones is a poignant novel presenting theemotional pitfalls and trials faced by children of divorce. Unfortunately, divorce, with its accompanying tearing of families ties, is an ever growing societal curse. Readers may not be able to slow down the divorce rate but through Jones' book, readers may come to understand the emotional strain, loss and guilt experienced by children of divorce.
Alex January 2003
Come visit Alex's book review site at:
Alex's Book Nook
Samantha is a tender 9 years old when her mother tells her that her father has left them. Confused by his betrayal, she wonders why he doesn’t love them anymore. Was it something she did or didn’t do?
Her mother’s life is hard, and there are times when Samantha barely has enough to eat – and then, just when Samantha is beginning to accept the drastic changes a few months can bring, her mother meets another man – a man she marries after a very brief courtship. This new man’s name is Carl, and he eventually adopts Samantha and her brother. Added to the new family is a stepbrother, forcing Samantha not only to deal with the new father, but the new brother as well. And therein begins a journey for Samantha; a journey filled with questions and confusion. She deals with a myriad of emotions that ultimately lead to acceptance and understanding.
Written for young adults, A River of Stones is a well-conceived tale of pre-teen-angst, coupled with the grief and uncertainty following a parent’s divorce. This tale is especially well written and sympathetic, Samantha’s view of the story is offered through a young girl’s eyes, though wrought with a young woman’s pain. Ms. Jones has put her finger on the pulse point of an issue many youngsters are forced to deal with and does so with compassionate honesty.
Denise M. Clark
Denise’s Pieces Author Site & Book Reviews
Once in awhile a book comes along which demands attention. “A River of Stones” is such a book. It tells how a young girl copes with the divorce of her parents, from her viewpoint.
When adults divorce it can be a bitter experience. Those who are not directly involved in the proceedings can often get a distorted view of why the divorce occurred. Adults trying to protect their children from being hurt will often withhold certain facts about the divorce from them.
Children are the innocent bystanders in an adult world that can be harsh and cruel. They have not yet acquired the tools that would help them understand complex social situations. All too often they blame themselves for what has occurred.
Samantha is one such bystander, caught up in the turmoil of divorce. She fails to understand why her father, whom she dearly loves, would suddenly abandon her. It left her feeling hurt and confused inside, as if he tore a part of her heart from her body.
When troubled and having the need to be by herself, Samantha’s refuge was the swing in the school playground. There she could confront her fears and doubts by asking God for his guidance. He never failed to comfort her in her time of need.
Her mother claimed she did believe in him but did not need to go to church with what she called, the fake people, to worship him. Every night Samantha prayed to God that she would wake up taller and more mature. She felt that if this occurred it would enable her to help her mother.
Life can often present a challenge to both adults and children when they least expect it. So it was with Samantha when told she had a stepbrother named Joshua, after her mother married Carl. Her immediate reaction was that of anger; by keeping such a fact from her she felt betrayed by her mother and her stepfather.
Luke was not disappointed in finding out he had a brother. He now would have a comrade in arms with which to seek adventure. Samantha decided not to love Joshua at all, as he now had Luke’s total attention and he was fat.
Kathryn Elizabeth Jones has written a warm and wonderful tale about divorce and growing up from a young girl’s point of view. Her writing takes the reader back to a time most have forgot, as Samantha reacts to the ever-changing structure of her world. It is a tale that will attract readers of all ages back to it again and again.
“A River of Stones” is the product of a gifted writer. One who shows an uncanny perception about the development of what makes all of us unique, which is our soul.
It is a book that I highly recommend.
Warren Thurston – Author of children’s book “Gladiss and the Alien”
http://www.sunnypub.com/gladissinfo.shtml
A River of Stones approaches the painful topic of divorce and emotional longing for a father’s love with great depth of understanding and honesty. Kathryn Jones poignantly portrays the story of Samantha, a young girl struggling to understand her parent’s divorce and her mother’s subsequent re-marriage, without much outside help. As the years pass she grows to understand why it happened and where the healing and peace can come from. Most importantly she begins to understand where love has a place in her life and in her heart. I recommend this inspiring novel for anyone who wants to understand the impact divorce and abandonment has on children and young teenagers. Samantha is a character that every young person can relate to in some way. Read it and be nurtured.
Mary Siever
Lethbridge, AB
KZION - LDS Internet Radio
Samantha was only nine years old in 1968 when her fairly peaceful world collapsed because her father left the family. "Didn't Dad love us anymore?" Samantha asked her mom. But her mom could only cry and offer her parental love. Life will never be the same for Samantha and her brother Luke. Unhappiness, anguish and financial worries plague Samantha and her reorganized family. The emotional stress takes its toll on their lives. Once their mother remarried, Samantha and Luke gained a stepfather, Carl. Can this new husband for their mom replace their biological father? As Samantha grows older, her social life takes precedence over her schoolwork. Growing into adolescence and accepting a stepfather and stepbrother just add to Samantha's emotional confusion. She does have some close friends but even these friendships carry passionate baggage. Samantha says: "Why did I feel so scattered? Why the daily doubts and fears . . . ?" Eventually, Samantha does find some peace in her agitated life.
"River of Stones" is a poignant novel presenting the emotional pitfalls and trials faced by children of divorce. Unfortunately, divorce, with its accompanying tearing of families ties, is an ever growing societal curse. Readers may not be able to slow down the divorce rate but through Jones' book, readers may come to understand the emotional strain, loss and guilt experienced by children of divorce.
Alex Black
Provo, Utah
Reviewed at: Chris Heimerdinger Book and Movie Reviews
Ms. Jones presents a wonderful story of a nine year old Samantha trying to sort out her life without her dad. Not only do her parents divorce, the following year her mom remarries. Faced with a new daddy she wonders if her real daddy still loves her?
The story is excellently done and Ms. Jones' work on Samantha's character is nothing short of great. Each season we watch this girl grow into a young lady and wonder will she ever really see her dad again.
It is a must read for parents and should be on the reading list of every grade school.
Louise Riveiro-Mitchell author of Autumn Sky
Book Review Cafe
Regional Reads
Summer fare
"Brotherly Love," by Susan Law Corpany, and "A River of Stones," by Kathryn Elizabeth Jones.
If the summer heat is driving your teen-agers inside in search of new reading material, this month's featured titles may be what they are looking for. Kathryn Jones' "A River of Stone" will most likely appeal to preteens, while Susan Law Corpany's "Brotherly Love" will be of interest to older teens.
However, both books are the type that Mom might be interested in picking up for a quick afternoon's entertainment, as she too tries to escape the daily grind and the heat.
"A River of Stones" by Kathryn Elizabeth Jones (Bedside Books, $18)
Divorce. Unfortunately, this is a topic that many children have to deal with these days. In "A River of Stones," we see divorce through the eyes of 9-year-old Samantha, as she tries to understand the secrecy that surrounds the disappearance of her father and the death of her new stepbrother's mother. She is devastated by the loss of her father and angry that she is not privy to the secrets. The book deals with her efforts to cope with the secrets, her mother's new marriage, a new brother and, most of all, her father's abandonment.
Jones' characters are easy to relate to. There are no caricatures here -- these are real people, feeling real pain and experiencing the ups and downs of real life. Samantha's voice rings true and honest throughout the book. Along with her sidekicks, June and Bruce, she manages to get into a fair amount of trouble. Take, for instance, the "vampire" incident. Angry with her brother, Luke, she and her friends decide to punish him. Jones writes: "I was mad at Luke -- madder than I had ever been before. For two weeks I'd worked through the words that I would tell him. And I hadn't crossed out the swearwords."
Samantha's cohorts manage to tie Luke up and carry him kicking and struggling to the house of Mr. Grant, an elderly man who, through deductive reasoning, they have decided is a vampire. Forcing Luke down the outside stairs to the basement, they turn the knob, which "turned easily in my hand. Out through the open door came the musty smell of something that hadn't seen the light of day for a long time. I was suddenly scared ... Bruce nodded to the coffin. It was near the back wall, sitting white and steel-like in the corner ... The sound began as a quiet tapping on the basement steps leading up to the door -- the same door we'd entered only moments before. The sound continued as the door was opened slowly, as the little light left outside crept into the chilly basement of the vampire. Then a voice pierced the darkness. 'So children, you've been caught at last.' "
Jones is a first-time novelist who lives in West Valley City. "A River of Stones" deals with issues that are the reality of many young people's lives. Yet it is not a depressing book. It is highly entertaining and poignant in its honesty. Young people who have experienced or are experiencing divorce will find comfort in its pages. For those who have not experienced divorce, the book will give them insight into the lives of their friends who have. There is a light LDS theme at the end of the book, but that should not deter others from reading it. "A River of Stones" is available online at www.amazon.com, or you can preview sections of the book and order an autographed copy directly from the author at www.ariverofstones.com.
Book critic Charlene Hirschi has a master's degree in English from Utah State University, where she currently teaches writing and literature classes. She is among a number of freelance writers whose columns appear in The Herald Journal as part of an effort to expose readers to a variety of community voices. She is not an employee of the newspaper. Feedback at chirschi@msn.com.