The Ninth Stone

By Kylie Fitzpatrick

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0753826399
• ISBN13: 9780753826393
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: Phoenix (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )
• Weight: 0.53 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.8" x 0.9" x 5.1"

Customer Reviews

Gems, superstitions and ghosts in a wonderfully written book.

First Sentence: On principle, Lord Herbert was content to leave the governing of everyday affairs to his wife. Sarah O'Reilly disguises herself, not very successfully, as a boy to work setting type for ads at a newspaper in order to support herself and her younger, rather fey, sister and keep them off the streets. She is befriended by Lily Korchnya, writer of a column on "exceptional women" and widow of an artist. Lily has been asked by Lady Cynthia Herbert, whose husband was murdered in India, to catalogue her magnificent collection of jewels. Among them are large colored diamonds she has promised to have set in an unusual pendant for the Maharajah of Benares. But it seems the gems bring death and other murders occur and the gems disappear. The trail, after several years, leads back to India and the vengeful goddess Kali. The opening chapter is a wonderful mix of metaphor and murder. Fitzpatrick is an amazingly descriptive writer whether the setting is the slums, workplaces or mansions of London or the streets, temples and palaces of India. Her sense of time and place are so strong and writing so visual I felt part of the scene rather than viewing it. The dialogue is very well done with just the right feel of the period. I also very much appreciate an author who understands the value of well-done chapter headings. All the characters were wonderful and very well developed. I had a real sense for who they were and liked the inclusion of the letters as it did make the story seem very personal. The story is not a mystery in the traditional sense, although certainly there are murders and there is resolution in the end. The story incorporated myths, superstition, philosophies, and spirits which all add to the richness of the story. This book has been sitting on my shelf for several years. In that time, I've picked it up, read the fly leaf and put it back thinking I wouldn't enjoy it. I am delighted to say I was very wrong. It was a beautifully written book and a wonderful read. THE NINTH STONE (Hist Mys-Sarah O'Reilly-London/India-1864/Victorian) - VG Fitzpatrick, Kylie - Standalone Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2007, UK Hardcover - ISBN: 9780297852766

Diamonds for Kali

This is a most unusual book in that it encompasses life in the London slums in 1864 and ten years later, life in a Maharajah's harem in Benares, India. Sarah O'Reilly and her younger sister Ellen have been orphaned and left to care for themselves. Sarah shows great initiative in dressing as a boy and working at a newspaper as a messenger. There, they are befriended by Lily, a female columnist and widow of an artist who recognises Sarah's potential and encourages her to write. Lily has been helping Lady Cynthia Herbert to catalogue her jewellery collection and is shown nine magnificent coloured diamonds which have been entrusted to her care by the Maharajah in order for them to be set into a talismanic pendant, a job which can be done only in London. At this point, a series of gruesome murders takes place which is attributed to the caste of Thugees, an Indian caste of stranglers, who are devotees of the Goddess Kali. It's a colourful and interesting read and enough out of the ordinary pages of a book to hold the reader's interest to the end.