The Stone Flower

by Alan Scholefield

The exciting, multifaceted world of the diamond trade comes to life in the panoramic story of a magnificent diamond and the two men whose lives it dominates

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

479 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Alan Scholefield was born in 1931 in Cape Town, South Africa. After leaving university he became a journalist and travelled widely in southern and central Africa, Europe, and America. He now lives in Hampshire with his wife and has three daughters. Most famous for his Macrae and Silver series, Scholefield has also written other novels, including Venom, which was made into a film in 1981.

Reviews

[Raelop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book – very decent historical fiction
Set in the period of the South African diamond rush. Jack and David are two very different young men come to seek their fortunes in Kimberly. They face struggles and hard times and poverty. This book was gripping and 3/4 way through things really began to get dramatic. Then the book turns another corner and things simmer down for the last third. David and Jack are rich and David and Lily begin an affair. The Anglo- Boer war starts and eventually everything makes a full circle back to Kimberly with David searching through the rubble.

Africa in the 1800s- things were very precarious, you could go from rags to riches overnight…or the grave… it was all in the hands of fate and luck.

“In Africa the past meant little; everything was new, untried; a whole, pristine world beckoned. You could not go through life looking over your shoulder at the past. In this new life there was the opportunity to be someone.”

-I was rather confused with all the characters in the first half but eventually I got a handle on everyone.

Characters
Everyone is extremely resilient and has a tough backstory.
Frans and Susan— tough, hardworking and good, sensible people with the most abysmal offspring.
Marie- Frans and Susan’s daughter who is such a little shit! The way she went was fitting and deserved.
Jack- is a realistic character but mean and stupid and really not a hero. He gets things done but is unpleasant and grows progressively more unpleasant. He is pathetic and what he did to Susan is unforgivable! He too deserved to go like he did.
David: is smart and lucky and finds purpose in life to carry on.
Lily: is pretty cool but feels less like a character in her own right and more like a prop for other characters to use to showcase their personalities. Things were always going to end like that with her.
Micheal and Jewel: Their characters are used for the idealistic and poetic coming together of the two old partners, now enemies. They love Africa and one another and are happy and complete and will never understand what their parents and grandparents went through.

It’s easy to have fun and romantisise these “pioneers” and “fortune seekers” but the sexism, racism and discrimination of those times should not be forgotten. They also lived in a harsh and cut-throat environment and many South Africans died in the war of the 1890s, in the concentration camps and of disease and starvation. Others were hurt and scarred in different ways by their circumstances. Not many people were as lucky as David and Jack.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really engrossing and exciting story. Having been to South Africa and visited Kimberley it was fascinating to read a well researched story based around places I have visited. Well rounded characters who were neither bad or good but a compelling combination.

[Lula Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historical Journey

Wonderful history related down through the years. Diamonds were a disease that could not be cured nor controlled and did not bring happiness to anyone involved, but what an interesting story !

[Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scholefield is a wonderful yarn spinner, but more importantly, a great writer of historical fiction. The reader becomes immersed in both the lives of the characters, but also in the
weaving of the plot. A great read that will hook you into reading more of this author.

[Wade Burgess · Rating 5 out of 5]

A second reading of this was just as enjoyable as the first. I was interested the entire time. I had forgotten nearly all of the story, and am glad I re-read this great novel. I found the sequel, FIRE IN THE ICE , and am reading it now.