"Harry is the elder of two brothers of well-to-do parents living in New York. He is a concert pianist and is used to travelling. He is meeting his parents and brother at a hotel in Paris. His is a very close family, and Harry usually looks forward to these family vacations. But this time he is anxious because he feels he must confront his mother with the fact that he intends to remain in his homosexual relationship with Bernard. His mother has always been upset about it and won't accept it. But instead of this planned conversation, Harry learns that his mother has cancer and is dying.
Harry and his mother have this very intense, complicated relationship, which is illuminated in her illness. Now he must do his concerts, deal with his mother's dying, maintain his relationship with Bernard, and it's all too overwhelming for him.
The relationship with Bernard breaks down, and he really questions his sexual identity. He has a series of affairs, one even with a woman, Helen, a long-time supportive friend. This relationship doesn't last either, but Helen is the one who tells Harry it's like he's travelling in a boat made of diamonds, but it's a stone boat, and very hard to sail. "
Tena Van't Foort, Resident Scholar
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Review Analysis of A Stone Boat
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- thoughtful
Time/era of story
- 1980's-1999
Family, struggle with
Yes
Struggle with:
- Mother (or standin)
Internal struggle/realization?
Yes
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Coping with loss of loved one(s)
Yes
Loss of...
- mother
Love problems?
- gay guy urges
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- musician
Age:
- 20's-30's
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- society
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an average amount
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 4 (a fair amount)
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Europe
Yes
European country:
- France
City?
Yes
City:
- New York
- Paris
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
