Ancestor Stones - by Aminatta Forna (Paperback)

About the Book

Aminatta Forna, whose moving and gorgeously written memoir garnered international attention, has seamlessly turned her hand to fiction in "Ancestor Stones" a powerful, sensuous novel that beautifully captures Africa's past century and her present, and the legacy that her daughters take with them wherever they live. Abie returns home from England to West Africa to visit her family after years of civil war, and to reclaim the family plantation, Kholifa Estates, formerly owned by her grandfather. There to meet her are her aunts: Asana, Mariama, Hawa, and Serah, and so begins her gathering of the family and the country's history through the tales of her aunts. Asana, lost twin and head wife's daughter. Hawa, motherless child and manipulator of her own misfortune. Mariama, who sees what lies beyond. And Serah, follower of a Western made dream. Set against the backdrop of a nation's descent into chaos, it is the take a family and four women's attempts to alter the course of their own destiny. A wonderful achievement recalling "The God of Small Things" and "The Joy Luck Club," it establishes Aminatta Forna as a gifted novelist.

Book Synopsis

Aminatta Forna, whose moving and gorgeously written memoir garnered international attention, has seamlessly turned her hand to fiction in Ancestor Stones a powerful, sensuous novel that beautifully captures Africa's past century and her present, and the legacy that her daughters take with them wherever they live. Abie returns home from England to West Africa to visit her family after years of civil war, and to reclaim the family plantation, Kholifa Estates, formerly owned by her grandfather. There to meet her are her aunts: Asana, Mariama, Hawa, and Serah, and so begins her gathering of the family and the country's history through the tales of her aunts. Asana, lost twin and head wife's daughter. Hawa, motherless child and manipulator of her own misfortune. Mariama, who sees what lies beyond. And Serah, follower of a Western made dream. Set against the backdrop of a nation's descent into chaos, it is the take a family and four women's attempts to alter the course of their own destiny. A wonderful achievement recalling The God of Small Things and The Joy Luck Club, it establishes Aminatta Forna as a gifted novelist.

Review Quotes

Praise for Ancestor Stones

New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice

"A compelling drama and a thoughtful, sensual study of women's survival." -Entertainment Weekly

"Forna seems here more like Isabel Allende at the height of her early, inspired, politically testifying powers... Ancestor Stones is a marvelous novel, but it's also history--at once lush, despairing, hopeful, horrifying... [Forna] has given us a full family portrait of a set of glorious, funny, tenacious, incredibly resilient souls. It's a miracle in some ways. It seems humans can survive almost anything. That should give us all hope." --Carolyn See, The Washington Post

"Sweeping portrayal of the lives of five Sierra Leonean women... Forna's work sheds light on the history of a long-struggling nation." --Publishers Weekly

"A compelling drama and a thoughtful, sensual study of women's survival." --Debora Lidov, Entertainment Weekly

"Sweeping... Heartbreaking." --Tyrone Beason, The Seattle Times

"An intimate portrait of the evolution of one West African community... Highly recommended." --Rebecca Stuhr, Library Journal

"Strong, memorable, and original." --Maud Newton, Newsday

"Forna's prose, reminiscent of consummate stylists such as Jean Rhys, becomes condensed and palpitating, each word doing triple duty." --Maxine Swain, Bookforum

"A literary diamond, a bloody ruby, leaving the reader elbow-deep in a treasure trove and heady with guilty delight at what has been discovered... Staggering first novel... This is a work of literature that reached as deeply into the being of a white male Anglo-Saxon card-carrying bloke as, I dare say, it would touch the heart of any woman, any African, Inuit, bond trader or raving banshee... Lovingly honed stories... Forna is destined for the shortlist of all the literary prizes--on offer with this beautiful book, not because she has revitalised the fading art of story-telling but because, for me at least, she has rekindled the dying embers of a much more precious art; that of listening." --Sam Kiley, Evening Standard (UK)

"Vivid, graceful prose... Tender, haunting novel." --Jane Shilling, Sunday Telegraph (UK)

"A dazzling storyteller, Aminatta Forna vividly evokes the daily lives of African women and their brave attempts to alter their destiny." --Anne Poole, Books Quarterly (UK)

"Extraordinary... Vibrant with sadness and joy... Forna beautifully describes the chafing confines and glorious freedoms of lives whose rich continuity is being gradually rent asunder, as Africa's political situation becomes increasingly fraught." --Eithne Farry, Daily Mail (UK)

"A wonderfully ambitious novel written from the inside, opening up a particular society and delving deeply into the hearts, histories and minds of women... Inspired storytelling and beautifully crafted prose." --Bernadine Evaristo, The Guardian (UK)

"A writer of startling talent... sumptuous prose which makes it a delight to read. Virtually every page contains breathtaking descriptions of the natural world... The writing is luminous... Every word rings true... The book leaves an impression of immense joyfulness, a sense of delight and wonder. Conveying the human spirit's irrepressible love of life is the triumph of this magical boo