<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<GoodreadsResponse>
	<Request>
		<authentication>false</authentication>
		    <method><![CDATA[]]></method>
	</Request>
	
<book>
  <id>92558</id>
  <title><![CDATA[The Gift of Stones]]></title>
  <isbn><![CDATA[014101234X]]></isbn>
  <isbn13><![CDATA[9780141012346]]></isbn13>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181m/92558.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181s/92558.jpg</small_image_url>
  <description><![CDATA[<p>Set before the advent of the Bronze Age, <em>The Gift of Stones</em> centers around a community of stoneworkers who live in a village near the sea. Wealthy and complacent, they survive by the trade of their unrivaled skills, secure in the supremacy of their craftsmenship. A small boy, outcast by misfortune, ventures from the confines of the enclave to explore the unknown. He returns with enchanting tales of ships and the seashore, of new vistas and horizons, that beguile and disturb the villagers. In spite of his words and intuitive wisodm, the stoneworkers remain oblivious to the winds of change beginning to blow in the outside world. Until, that is, the storyteller brings back to the village a strange and angry woman whose presence foretells the coming of metal, the end of stone, and the demise of their way of life.</p>]]></description>
  <work>
  <best_book_id type="integer">92558</best_book_id>
  <books_count type="integer">9</books_count>
  <desc_user_id type="integer" nil="true"></desc_user_id>
  <id type="integer">2619409</id>
  <media_type nil="true"></media_type>
  <original_language_id type="integer" nil="true"></original_language_id>
  <original_publication_day type="integer" nil="true"></original_publication_day>
  <original_publication_month type="integer" nil="true"></original_publication_month>
  <original_publication_year type="integer">1988</original_publication_year>
  <original_title>The Gift of Stones</original_title>
  <rating_dist>total:103|5:26|4:37|3:29|2:10|1:1|</rating_dist>
  <ratings_count type="integer">103</ratings_count>
  <ratings_sum type="integer">386</ratings_sum>
  <reviews_count type="integer">158</reviews_count>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">18</text_reviews_count>
</work>

  <average_rating><![CDATA[3.75]]></average_rating>
  <ratings_count><![CDATA[86]]></ratings_count>
  <text_reviews_count><![CDATA[15]]></text_reviews_count>
  
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92558.The_Gift_of_Stones]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92558.The_Gift_of_Stones]]></link>
  <authors>
    <author>
    <id>13843</id>
        <name><![CDATA[Jim Crace]]></name>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-M-200x266.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-M-50x66.jpg]]></small_image_url>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13843.Jim_Crace]]></link>
    <average_rating>3.57</average_rating>
    <ratings_count>2348</ratings_count>
    <text_reviews_count>421</text_reviews_count>
  </author>
  </authors>
    <reviews start="1" end="20" total="158">
      <review>
  <id>78984753</id>
    <user>
    <id>6896</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Peter]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Deerfield, MA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6896-peter]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1176778349p3/6896.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1176778349p2/6896.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">503131</id>
  <isbn>0880014504</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780880014502</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">2</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Gift Of Stones]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175298040m/503131.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175298040s/503131.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/503131.The_Gift_Of_Stones</link>
  <average_rating>3.46</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>13</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>Set before the advent of the Bronze Age, <em>The Gift of Stones</em> centers around a community of stoneworkers who live in a village near the sea. Wealthy and complacent, they survive by the trade of their unrivaled skills, secure in the supremacy of their craftsmenship. A small boy, outcast by misfortune, ventures from the confines of the enclave to explore the unknown. He returns with enchanting tales of ships and the seashore, of new vistas and horizons, that beguile and disturb the villagers. In spite of his words and intuitive wisodm, the stoneworkers remain oblivious to the winds of change beginning to blow in the outside world. Until, that is, the storyteller brings back to the village a strange and angry woman whose presence foretells the coming of metal, the end of stone, and the demise of their way of life.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1988</published>
</book>

    <rating>0</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Nov 25 14:26:53 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Dec 05 08:12:57 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A friend once told me that really good poems operate on three levels.  The first is the literal level.  (What happens?)  The second is the figurative level.  (Abstracted, what does that mean?)  And the third is the poetic level.  (What if this poem were actually about poetry?)  <br/><br/><em>The Gift ...</em><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78984753">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78984753]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78984753]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>41476122</id>
    <user>
    <id>928893</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Matthew]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United Kingdom]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/928893-matthew-phillips]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-M-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-M-50x66.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">92558</id>
  <isbn>014101234X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780141012346</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">15</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Gift of Stones]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181m/92558.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181s/92558.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92558.The_Gift_of_Stones</link>
  <average_rating>3.78</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>86</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>Set before the advent of the Bronze Age, <em>The Gift of Stones</em> centers around a community of stoneworkers who live in a village near the sea. Wealthy and complacent, they survive by the trade of their unrivaled skills, secure in the supremacy of their craftsmenship. A small boy, outcast by misfortune, ventures from the confines of the enclave to explore the unknown. He returns with enchanting tales of ships and the seashore, of new vistas and horizons, that beguile and disturb the villagers. In spite of his words and intuitive wisodm, the stoneworkers remain oblivious to the winds of change beginning to blow in the outside world. Until, that is, the storyteller brings back to the village a strange and angry woman whose presence foretells the coming of metal, the end of stone, and the demise of their way of life.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1988</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue Dec 30 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Jan 01 04:46:21 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Jan 01 06:09:33 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count>1</read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I really enjoyed this book. Although the story is simple and uncomplicated it is nonetheless very thought provoking. The author successfully brings to life a world at the very beginnings of human history. It vividly describes an environment rich with different varieties of wildlife; where food liter...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/41476122">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/41476122]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/41476122]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>60636099</id>
    <user>
    <id>216258</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Sean]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Washington, DC]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/216258-sean]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1185308303p3/216258.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1185308303p2/216258.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">92558</id>
  <isbn>014101234X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780141012346</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">15</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Gift of Stones]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181m/92558.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181s/92558.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92558.The_Gift_of_Stones</link>
  <average_rating>3.75</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>103</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>Set before the advent of the Bronze Age, <em>The Gift of Stones</em> centers around a community of stoneworkers who live in a village near the sea. Wealthy and complacent, they survive by the trade of their unrivaled skills, secure in the supremacy of their craftsmenship. A small boy, outcast by misfortune, ventures from the confines of the enclave to explore the unknown. He returns with enchanting tales of ships and the seashore, of new vistas and horizons, that beguile and disturb the villagers. In spite of his words and intuitive wisodm, the stoneworkers remain oblivious to the winds of change beginning to blow in the outside world. Until, that is, the storyteller brings back to the village a strange and angry woman whose presence foretells the coming of metal, the end of stone, and the demise of their way of life.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1988</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Jun 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Jun 22 09:14:12 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Jun 26 06:40:06 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[a poetic, lyrical investigation of the nature of truth and the nature of story, set in a neolithic village on the verge of encountering bronze age technology.<br/><br/>OR<br/><br/>the story of a horny one-armed inverterate liar, a semi-starved prostitute with a love of goose-flesh, a village ful...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/60636099">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/60636099]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/60636099]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>72464892</id>
    <user>
    <id>1652316</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Michael]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Okatie, SC]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1652316-michael]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1224982337p3/1652316.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1224982337p2/1652316.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">92558</id>
  <isbn>014101234X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780141012346</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">15</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Gift of Stones]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181m/92558.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181s/92558.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92558.The_Gift_of_Stones</link>
  <average_rating>3.75</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>103</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>Set before the advent of the Bronze Age, <em>The Gift of Stones</em> centers around a community of stoneworkers who live in a village near the sea. Wealthy and complacent, they survive by the trade of their unrivaled skills, secure in the supremacy of their craftsmenship. A small boy, outcast by misfortune, ventures from the confines of the enclave to explore the unknown. He returns with enchanting tales of ships and the seashore, of new vistas and horizons, that beguile and disturb the villagers. In spite of his words and intuitive wisodm, the stoneworkers remain oblivious to the winds of change beginning to blow in the outside world. Until, that is, the storyteller brings back to the village a strange and angry woman whose presence foretells the coming of metal, the end of stone, and the demise of their way of life.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1988</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1999</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Sep 25 11:35:02 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Sep 25 11:35:24 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A very interesting text set in a mythos somewhere at the end of the Age of Flint. Well written and evocative (not smarmy like Jean Auel). This author is very good and I see several other interesting titles I'll be trying. Perhaps he is taking over for William Golding as England's most imaginative no...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72464892">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72464892]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72464892]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>67682552</id>
    <user>
    <id>317544</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Kendra]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Ithaca, NY]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/317544-kendra]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1219239749p3/317544.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1219239749p2/317544.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">92558</id>
  <isbn>014101234X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780141012346</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">15</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Gift of Stones]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181m/92558.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181s/92558.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92558.The_Gift_of_Stones</link>
  <average_rating>3.75</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>103</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>Set before the advent of the Bronze Age, <em>The Gift of Stones</em> centers around a community of stoneworkers who live in a village near the sea. Wealthy and complacent, they survive by the trade of their unrivaled skills, secure in the supremacy of their craftsmenship. A small boy, outcast by misfortune, ventures from the confines of the enclave to explore the unknown. He returns with enchanting tales of ships and the seashore, of new vistas and horizons, that beguile and disturb the villagers. In spite of his words and intuitive wisodm, the stoneworkers remain oblivious to the winds of change beginning to blow in the outside world. Until, that is, the storyteller brings back to the village a strange and angry woman whose presence foretells the coming of metal, the end of stone, and the demise of their way of life.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1988</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Aug 16 20:16:00 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Aug 16 20:16:40 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I am on a Jim Crace bender at the moment.  Can't get enough.  This guy is a brilliant writer, lyrical and rich.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67682552]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67682552]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>74283265</id>
    <user>
    <id>2535939</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Liza]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2535939-liza]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1248121891p3/2535939.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1248121891p2/2535939.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">503131</id>
  <isbn>0880014504</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780880014502</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">2</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Gift Of Stones]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175298040m/503131.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175298040s/503131.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/503131.The_Gift_Of_Stones</link>
  <average_rating>3.75</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>103</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>Set before the advent of the Bronze Age, <em>The Gift of Stones</em> centers around a community of stoneworkers who live in a village near the sea. Wealthy and complacent, they survive by the trade of their unrivaled skills, secure in the supremacy of their craftsmenship. A small boy, outcast by misfortune, ventures from the confines of the enclave to explore the unknown. He returns with enchanting tales of ships and the seashore, of new vistas and horizons, that beguile and disturb the villagers. In spite of his words and intuitive wisodm, the stoneworkers remain oblivious to the winds of change beginning to blow in the outside world. Until, that is, the storyteller brings back to the village a strange and angry woman whose presence foretells the coming of metal, the end of stone, and the demise of their way of life.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1988</published>
</book>

    <rating>1</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Oct 12 10:43:35 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Oct 12 10:43:35 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[too artsily written to be enjoyable, for me.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74283265]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74283265]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>1538989</id>
    <user>
    <id>54365</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Yak]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Cambridge, MA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/54365-yak]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-U-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">92558</id>
  <isbn>014101234X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780141012346</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">15</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Gift of Stones]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181m/92558.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181s/92558.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92558.The_Gift_of_Stones</link>
  <average_rating>3.75</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>103</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>Set before the advent of the Bronze Age, <em>The Gift of Stones</em> centers around a community of stoneworkers who live in a village near the sea. Wealthy and complacent, they survive by the trade of their unrivaled skills, secure in the supremacy of their craftsmenship. A small boy, outcast by misfortune, ventures from the confines of the enclave to explore the unknown. He returns with enchanting tales of ships and the seashore, of new vistas and horizons, that beguile and disturb the villagers. In spite of his words and intuitive wisodm, the stoneworkers remain oblivious to the winds of change beginning to blow in the outside world. Until, that is, the storyteller brings back to the village a strange and angry woman whose presence foretells the coming of metal, the end of stone, and the demise of their way of life.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1988</published>
</book>

    <rating>0</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed May 30 08:03:14 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Dec 16 20:22:22 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Interesting little book set in the Stone Age, full of allegory and poetical prose. It seems to be impossible to set a novel in prehistoric times without plenty of symbolism and reference to modern issues -- or maybe it's just me. I'm reminded of one of Jack London's more obscure novels, &quot;Before...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1538989">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1538989]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1538989]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>10303968</id>
    <user>
    <id>431964</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Seangpin]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Singapore]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/431964-seangpin]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-U-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">92558</id>
  <isbn>014101234X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780141012346</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">15</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Gift of Stones]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181m/92558.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181s/92558.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92558.The_Gift_of_Stones</link>
  <average_rating>3.75</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>103</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>Set before the advent of the Bronze Age, <em>The Gift of Stones</em> centers around a community of stoneworkers who live in a village near the sea. Wealthy and complacent, they survive by the trade of their unrivaled skills, secure in the supremacy of their craftsmenship. A small boy, outcast by misfortune, ventures from the confines of the enclave to explore the unknown. He returns with enchanting tales of ships and the seashore, of new vistas and horizons, that beguile and disturb the villagers. In spite of his words and intuitive wisodm, the stoneworkers remain oblivious to the winds of change beginning to blow in the outside world. Until, that is, the storyteller brings back to the village a strange and angry woman whose presence foretells the coming of metal, the end of stone, and the demise of their way of life.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1988</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Dec 11 21:36:42 -0800 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Dec 24 05:18:09 -0800 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A great book.  Short but powerful.  Who could have thought that a story set in the late Stone Age could feel so alive and be so lively.  The Gift of Stones is more than a journey into time (fascinating though that is).  It's about the power of story-telling.  And is an examination into human nature ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10303968">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10303968]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10303968]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>1489479</id>
    <user>
    <id>96796</id>
    <name><![CDATA[summer61]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Boston, MA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/96796-summer61]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-50x66.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">92558</id>
  <isbn>014101234X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780141012346</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">15</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Gift of Stones]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181m/92558.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181s/92558.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92558.The_Gift_of_Stones</link>
  <average_rating>3.75</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>103</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>Set before the advent of the Bronze Age, <em>The Gift of Stones</em> centers around a community of stoneworkers who live in a village near the sea. Wealthy and complacent, they survive by the trade of their unrivaled skills, secure in the supremacy of their craftsmenship. A small boy, outcast by misfortune, ventures from the confines of the enclave to explore the unknown. He returns with enchanting tales of ships and the seashore, of new vistas and horizons, that beguile and disturb the villagers. In spite of his words and intuitive wisodm, the stoneworkers remain oblivious to the winds of change beginning to blow in the outside world. Until, that is, the storyteller brings back to the village a strange and angry woman whose presence foretells the coming of metal, the end of stone, and the demise of their way of life.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1988</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon May 28 05:57:23 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Dec 16 20:13:52 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[The author says a whole lot with spare, elegant prose. The story of civilizations and change is encompassed in a small stone-age village of knappers -- craftsmen who make tools from stone -- and a couple of misfits, including a storyteller who delights in teasing you to decide whether he's lying or ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1489479">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1489479]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1489479]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>43611261</id>
    <user>
    <id>1037</id>
    <name><![CDATA[krin]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1037-krin]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-U-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">2400264</id>
  <isbn>0330306014</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780330306010</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">1</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Gift of Stones (Picador Books)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2400264.The_Gift_of_Stones</link>
  <average_rating>4.00</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>1</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>Set before the advent of the Bronze Age, <em>The Gift of Stones</em> centers around a community of stoneworkers who live in a village near the sea. Wealthy and complacent, they survive by the trade of their unrivaled skills, secure in the supremacy of their craftsmenship. A small boy, outcast by misfortune, ventures from the confines of the enclave to explore the unknown. He returns with enchanting tales of ships and the seashore, of new vistas and horizons, that beguile and disturb the villagers. In spite of his words and intuitive wisodm, the stoneworkers remain oblivious to the winds of change beginning to blow in the outside world. Until, that is, the storyteller brings back to the village a strange and angry woman whose presence foretells the coming of metal, the end of stone, and the demise of their way of life.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1988</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
            <shelf name="fiction" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Mar 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Jan 19 13:47:24 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun May 17 09:50:57 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This was a beautifully written book about storytelling, imagination, change and people's resistance to change. I liked the interaction between the narrator's father and the village members. I also liked how the narrator told the audience how sometimes telling stories can backfire when one wants to t...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/43611261">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/43611261]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/43611261]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>25429451</id>
    <user>
    <id>1227508</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Susan]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1227508-susan]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-50x66.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">92558</id>
  <isbn>014101234X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780141012346</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">15</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Gift of Stones]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181m/92558.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181s/92558.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92558.The_Gift_of_Stones</link>
  <average_rating>3.75</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>103</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>Set before the advent of the Bronze Age, <em>The Gift of Stones</em> centers around a community of stoneworkers who live in a village near the sea. Wealthy and complacent, they survive by the trade of their unrivaled skills, secure in the supremacy of their craftsmenship. A small boy, outcast by misfortune, ventures from the confines of the enclave to explore the unknown. He returns with enchanting tales of ships and the seashore, of new vistas and horizons, that beguile and disturb the villagers. In spite of his words and intuitive wisodm, the stoneworkers remain oblivious to the winds of change beginning to blow in the outside world. Until, that is, the storyteller brings back to the village a strange and angry woman whose presence foretells the coming of metal, the end of stone, and the demise of their way of life.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1988</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon May 26 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Jun 25 10:23:18 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Jul 19 08:02:44 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Jim Crace is an amazing writer. In The Gift of Stones he creates a vivid world at the end of the Stone Age. There are larger social comments being made in this story, as well as the wonderful story of the individuals. The writing is spare but Crace is very skilled at forging connections. Brilliant.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/25429451]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/25429451]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>4263776</id>
    <user>
    <id>263653</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Terren]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Chicago, IL]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/263653-terren]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1188310305p3/263653.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1188310305p2/263653.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">92558</id>
  <isbn>014101234X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780141012346</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">15</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Gift of Stones]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181m/92558.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181s/92558.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92558.The_Gift_of_Stones</link>
  <average_rating>3.75</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>103</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>Set before the advent of the Bronze Age, <em>The Gift of Stones</em> centers around a community of stoneworkers who live in a village near the sea. Wealthy and complacent, they survive by the trade of their unrivaled skills, secure in the supremacy of their craftsmenship. A small boy, outcast by misfortune, ventures from the confines of the enclave to explore the unknown. He returns with enchanting tales of ships and the seashore, of new vistas and horizons, that beguile and disturb the villagers. In spite of his words and intuitive wisodm, the stoneworkers remain oblivious to the winds of change beginning to blow in the outside world. Until, that is, the storyteller brings back to the village a strange and angry woman whose presence foretells the coming of metal, the end of stone, and the demise of their way of life.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1988</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Aug 08 10:41:06 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Aug 28 07:03:24 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Loved it, but the poetic cadence of the writing was almost unbearable at times.  I'm sensitive to that; it might not bother other readers.  Loved the setting, the premise, the descriptive passages.  Sad, poignant.  Hopeful.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4263776]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4263776]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>32202925</id>
    <user>
    <id>318224</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Joshua]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/318224-joshua]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-M-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-M-50x66.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">92558</id>
  <isbn>014101234X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780141012346</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">15</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Gift of Stones]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181m/92558.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181s/92558.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92558.The_Gift_of_Stones</link>
  <average_rating>3.75</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>103</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>Set before the advent of the Bronze Age, <em>The Gift of Stones</em> centers around a community of stoneworkers who live in a village near the sea. Wealthy and complacent, they survive by the trade of their unrivaled skills, secure in the supremacy of their craftsmenship. A small boy, outcast by misfortune, ventures from the confines of the enclave to explore the unknown. He returns with enchanting tales of ships and the seashore, of new vistas and horizons, that beguile and disturb the villagers. In spite of his words and intuitive wisodm, the stoneworkers remain oblivious to the winds of change beginning to blow in the outside world. Until, that is, the storyteller brings back to the village a strange and angry woman whose presence foretells the coming of metal, the end of stone, and the demise of their way of life.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1988</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Sep 06 16:00:47 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Sep 06 16:04:53 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[What I learned from this book: How to chip an arrowhead.  Jim Crace composes prose like a string quartet: every note in place.  Draws the Stone Age back into the light of day.  Light on plot, long on storytelling.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32202925]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32202925]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>5194928</id>
    <user>
    <id>216284</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Mark]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Pittsburgh, PA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/216284-mark]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1254348059p3/216284.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1254348059p2/216284.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">92558</id>
  <isbn>014101234X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780141012346</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">15</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Gift of Stones]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181m/92558.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181s/92558.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92558.The_Gift_of_Stones</link>
  <average_rating>3.75</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>103</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>Set before the advent of the Bronze Age, <em>The Gift of Stones</em> centers around a community of stoneworkers who live in a village near the sea. Wealthy and complacent, they survive by the trade of their unrivaled skills, secure in the supremacy of their craftsmenship. A small boy, outcast by misfortune, ventures from the confines of the enclave to explore the unknown. He returns with enchanting tales of ships and the seashore, of new vistas and horizons, that beguile and disturb the villagers. In spite of his words and intuitive wisodm, the stoneworkers remain oblivious to the winds of change beginning to blow in the outside world. Until, that is, the storyteller brings back to the village a strange and angry woman whose presence foretells the coming of metal, the end of stone, and the demise of their way of life.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1988</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
            <shelf name="historical-fiction" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1996</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Aug 27 17:31:30 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Dec 17 07:19:56 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This was a vividly imagined evocation of a Stone Age tribe that is secure in its superior flinting skills, but is about to encounter a more advanced culture. ]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5194928]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5194928]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>31993981</id>
    <user>
    <id>1490788</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Toby]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1490788-toby]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-U-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">92558</id>
  <isbn>014101234X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780141012346</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">15</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Gift of Stones]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181m/92558.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181s/92558.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92558.The_Gift_of_Stones</link>
  <average_rating>3.75</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>103</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>Set before the advent of the Bronze Age, <em>The Gift of Stones</em> centers around a community of stoneworkers who live in a village near the sea. Wealthy and complacent, they survive by the trade of their unrivaled skills, secure in the supremacy of their craftsmenship. A small boy, outcast by misfortune, ventures from the confines of the enclave to explore the unknown. He returns with enchanting tales of ships and the seashore, of new vistas and horizons, that beguile and disturb the villagers. In spite of his words and intuitive wisodm, the stoneworkers remain oblivious to the winds of change beginning to blow in the outside world. Until, that is, the storyteller brings back to the village a strange and angry woman whose presence foretells the coming of metal, the end of stone, and the demise of their way of life.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1988</published>
</book>

    <rating>0</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Sep 04 08:58:08 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Sep 04 09:00:10 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A parable about technological change, set in the Stone Age. Not as good at evoking the time and place as &quot;Quarantine.&quot;]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31993981]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31993981]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>14494472</id>
    <user>
    <id>727790</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Plug]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United Arab Emirates]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/727790-plug]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-U-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">92558</id>
  <isbn>014101234X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780141012346</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">15</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Gift of Stones]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181m/92558.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181s/92558.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92558.The_Gift_of_Stones</link>
  <average_rating>3.75</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>103</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>Set before the advent of the Bronze Age, <em>The Gift of Stones</em> centers around a community of stoneworkers who live in a village near the sea. Wealthy and complacent, they survive by the trade of their unrivaled skills, secure in the supremacy of their craftsmenship. A small boy, outcast by misfortune, ventures from the confines of the enclave to explore the unknown. He returns with enchanting tales of ships and the seashore, of new vistas and horizons, that beguile and disturb the villagers. In spite of his words and intuitive wisodm, the stoneworkers remain oblivious to the winds of change beginning to blow in the outside world. Until, that is, the storyteller brings back to the village a strange and angry woman whose presence foretells the coming of metal, the end of stone, and the demise of their way of life.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1988</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Feb 03 21:11:17 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Feb 03 21:13:00 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[BB says 'poetic prose' is an oxymoron....but you know what I mean. Jim Crace being Jim Crace.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/14494472]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/14494472]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>7742268</id>
    <user>
    <id>335159</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Ruth]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[San Clemente, CA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/335159-ruth]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1207950279p3/335159.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1207950279p2/335159.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">92558</id>
  <isbn>014101234X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780141012346</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">15</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Gift of Stones]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181m/92558.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181s/92558.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92558.The_Gift_of_Stones</link>
  <average_rating>3.75</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>103</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>Set before the advent of the Bronze Age, <em>The Gift of Stones</em> centers around a community of stoneworkers who live in a village near the sea. Wealthy and complacent, they survive by the trade of their unrivaled skills, secure in the supremacy of their craftsmenship. A small boy, outcast by misfortune, ventures from the confines of the enclave to explore the unknown. He returns with enchanting tales of ships and the seashore, of new vistas and horizons, that beguile and disturb the villagers. In spite of his words and intuitive wisodm, the stoneworkers remain oblivious to the winds of change beginning to blow in the outside world. Until, that is, the storyteller brings back to the village a strange and angry woman whose presence foretells the coming of metal, the end of stone, and the demise of their way of life.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1988</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Oct 15 07:54:58 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Nov 04 16:45:23 -0800 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Jim Crace almost always amazes me. The gift of language, the gift of creating a world.<br/><br/>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7742268]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7742268]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>3083842</id>
    <user>
    <id>142699</id>
    <name><![CDATA[GC]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Ladys Island, SC]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/142699-gc]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1182372552p3/142699.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1182372552p2/142699.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">92558</id>
  <isbn>014101234X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780141012346</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">15</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Gift of Stones]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181m/92558.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181s/92558.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92558.The_Gift_of_Stones</link>
  <average_rating>3.75</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>103</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>Set before the advent of the Bronze Age, <em>The Gift of Stones</em> centers around a community of stoneworkers who live in a village near the sea. Wealthy and complacent, they survive by the trade of their unrivaled skills, secure in the supremacy of their craftsmenship. A small boy, outcast by misfortune, ventures from the confines of the enclave to explore the unknown. He returns with enchanting tales of ships and the seashore, of new vistas and horizons, that beguile and disturb the villagers. In spite of his words and intuitive wisodm, the stoneworkers remain oblivious to the winds of change beginning to blow in the outside world. Until, that is, the storyteller brings back to the village a strange and angry woman whose presence foretells the coming of metal, the end of stone, and the demise of their way of life.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1988</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[Lovers of literature]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Jul 14 18:58:51 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Dec 17 00:39:09 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Fascinating story, simple and profound.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3083842]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3083842]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>81128277</id>
    <user>
    <id>3046603</id>
    <name><![CDATA[John]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3046603-john]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1260917327p3/3046603.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1260917327p2/3046603.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">503131</id>
  <isbn>0880014504</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780880014502</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">2</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Gift Of Stones]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175298040m/503131.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175298040s/503131.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/503131.The_Gift_Of_Stones</link>
  <average_rating>3.75</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>103</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>Set before the advent of the Bronze Age, <em>The Gift of Stones</em> centers around a community of stoneworkers who live in a village near the sea. Wealthy and complacent, they survive by the trade of their unrivaled skills, secure in the supremacy of their craftsmenship. A small boy, outcast by misfortune, ventures from the confines of the enclave to explore the unknown. He returns with enchanting tales of ships and the seashore, of new vistas and horizons, that beguile and disturb the villagers. In spite of his words and intuitive wisodm, the stoneworkers remain oblivious to the winds of change beginning to blow in the outside world. Until, that is, the storyteller brings back to the village a strange and angry woman whose presence foretells the coming of metal, the end of stone, and the demise of their way of life.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1988</published>
</book>

    <rating>0</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Dec 15 15:49:31 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Dec 15 15:49:31 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81128277]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81128277]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>76580882</id>
    <user>
    <id>2413724</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Albie]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Pretoria, 06, South Africa]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2413724-albie]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-U-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">92558</id>
  <isbn>014101234X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780141012346</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">15</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Gift of Stones]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181m/92558.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171249181s/92558.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92558.The_Gift_of_Stones</link>
  <average_rating>3.75</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>103</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>Set before the advent of the Bronze Age, <em>The Gift of Stones</em> centers around a community of stoneworkers who live in a village near the sea. Wealthy and complacent, they survive by the trade of their unrivaled skills, secure in the supremacy of their craftsmenship. A small boy, outcast by misfortune, ventures from the confines of the enclave to explore the unknown. He returns with enchanting tales of ships and the seashore, of new vistas and horizons, that beguile and disturb the villagers. In spite of his words and intuitive wisodm, the stoneworkers remain oblivious to the winds of change beginning to blow in the outside world. Until, that is, the storyteller brings back to the village a strange and angry woman whose presence foretells the coming of metal, the end of stone, and the demise of their way of life.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1988</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Nov 03 08:15:00 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Nov 03 08:15:00 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76580882]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76580882]]></link>
</review>
    </reviews>
  <popular_shelves>
          <shelf name="to-read" />
          <shelf name="fiction" />
          <shelf name="historical-fiction" />
          <shelf name="to-read-novels-etc" />
          <shelf name="united-kingdom" />
          <shelf name="author-male" />
          <shelf name="read-fiction" />
          <shelf name="currently-reading" />
          <shelf name="wish-list" />
          <shelf name="bought-it--need-to-read-it-" />
      </popular_shelves>
  <book_links>
    <book_link>
  <id>8</id>
  <name><![CDATA[WorldCat]]></name>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=92558</link>
</book_link>
  </book_links>
</book>
</GoodreadsResponse>