Stone Yard Devotional
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Stone Yard Devotional
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Narrated by:
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Ailsa Piper
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By:
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Charlotte Wood
About this listen
A woman abandons her city life and marriage to return to the place she grew up, finding solace in a small religious community hidden away on the stark plains of the Monaro.
She does not believe in God, doesn't know what prayer is, and finds herself living this strange, reclusive life almost by accident. As she gradually adjusts to the rhythms of monastic life, she ruminates on her childhood in the nearby town. She finds herself turning again and again to thoughts of her mother, whose early death she can't forget.
Disquiet interrupts this secluded life with three visitations. First comes a terrible mouse plague, each day signalling a new battle against the rising infestation.
Second is the return of the skeletal remains of a sister who left the community decades before to minister to deprived women in Thailand - then disappeared, presumed murdered.
Finally, a troubling visitor to the monastery pulls the narrator further back into her past.
With each of these disturbing arrivals, the woman faces some deep questions. Can a person be truly good? What is forgiveness? Is loss of hope a moral failure? And can the business of grief ever really be finished?
A meditative and deeply moving novel from the Stella Prize-winning author of The Natural Way of Things and The Weekend.
©2023 Charlotte Wood (P)2023 Allen and UnwinWhat listeners say about Stone Yard Devotional
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- D.M.S.
- 27-10-2023
An instant Australian classic
Loved this book, which feels like a gift, and the performance from Ailsa Piper is just perfect. For those in need of space and solace.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mary Comino
- 29-01-2024
beautifully written
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It made mw wish the author was my friend. I found it to be an intimate narrative, gripping but subtle.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 20-09-2024
Beautiful
This is a beautifully written, excellently read and sparsely observed narrative of the life of a nun in a closed order and her life before seclusion. She entered the nunnery in a slough of despair and her self imposed incarceration and separation from the world becomes like the biblical parable of Jesus in the wilderness. Like Jesus she encounters three challenges - the return of remains of a murdered nun, her re-encounter with someone she had wronged in her youth and an horrific plague of mice. All of this told in meticulous delicacy that had me thinking of Thomas Mann’s Magic Mountain. A beautiful book shortlisted for the Booker. I haven’t read the others yet, but at this stage I want this book to win
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Peter Leonard
- 18-11-2024
Elegantly written but ultimately unsatisfying.
This novel was suggested by a friend when I requested a well written recommendation having just listened to something very inelegant. It is very beautifully written but not much happens and there is no character development to speak of. A bit too meditative for me at the moment..
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 27-10-2024
An exceptional story
Stone Yard Devotional is remarkable. As stark and dry as the landscape in which it is set, the exceptional use of language in this book evoked imagery which was full of love and compassion. To me it is a heartfelt reflection on the sweet and sad realities of life. The narration of the story by Ailsa Piper was wonderful; it was so well done I felt like I was sitting beside her while she told me the story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- michele taylor
- 27-03-2024
Gentle musings with a Gimlet eye
A reflective gentle read, with pitch perfect narration. The author skilfully weaves a string of childhood memories into a series of biting & cruel reveals. Beautiful writing.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 05-04-2024
Beautiful journey
I just loved this book. So different from the Authors previous books which I also enjoyed.
Don’t expect an uplifting’ experience. It is deeply personal and moving, A Quiet, meandering, introspective. Reflecting on childhood memories and characters. A lot about grief - resolved and unresolved conflicts. A giving up and a giving in…
A woman’s unraveling of sorts
I loved the imagery and colour the narrator provides. So deeply moving and heartfelt.
Highly recommended.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Brigette's Books
- 21-09-2024
Descriptive and beautiful.
Connecting reflections of life, grief, natural events and the Australian landscape. An insightful series of life's observations from a narrator in midst of change.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Christine Torbey
- 19-06-2024
Fascinating Confessional
Beautifully written and read. Compelling. Should hit a mark with mature readers who have navigated the death of a loved one.
A refreshing change from current literature. Loved it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 10-10-2024
Compelling and sparse
A compelling take with bare bones text. The sparseness gives space for your own epiphanies to come about alongside our protagonist. It’s human but not profound. A good read and very enjoyable confident style from the author.
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