The Stone Angel is a very well written and enjoyable book. I would truly recommend this book to anyone in Sr. High or older; even as a high school student I rather enjoyed reading the novel. I found it similar to movie The Notebook, in the fact that it was someone reflecting on the trial and tribulations of their life except that The Stone Angel doesn't include much romance. Rather it deals with the issues of day to day life, in every stage of life. Therefore the ideas discussed in this book could relate to anyone's life; as all of us deal with at least one of the issues Hager faces, whether it is the death of a loved one, or arguing with a family member. But by dealing with all these issues Hager faces more challenges than the average person has to in a life time. Hager deals with these challenges in a unique but understandable way; making the novel both intriguing and a great read. This novel has many unexpected twists as it deals with the life of a ninety year old. Her life is full of sorrow and challenges but her strong personality allows her to preserver through the difficulties she faces throughout her entire life.

The Stone Angel is a well written novel. Through Margaret Laurence's use of a first person point of view it really allows you to relate to Hager by the end of the novel. Also, Margaret Laurence does a great job of depicting what life is really like; she doesn't add fantasy or unrealistic perspectives. By placing the novel in a Canadian setting it allows Canadians like me to really relate to and understand the true setting.

I was required to read this book for a high school assignment and found it to be laborious read. I found Hagar's character to be so bitter, angry, and grouchy that it just put a damper on the whole thing. I adimt she (as well as the other characters) is well fleshed out but that just makes things worse.

There are several things you can pull out of this book but the most obvious one is the classic example of a person who is so proud and stubborn that s/he is unable to accept love or give of it. That's the character of Hagar and like her, this is a novel you'll want to avoid because it's a very dour thing to contend with.

Darkhorse86

This is essential CanLit 101.
Iconic!
For the longest time I have intended to read Margaret Laurence, and this is where I have started. I now know that I will continue on and read more of her work, especially the other Manawaka books in the series.
I think we are looking at some essential Canadian literature here, and yet, nearly every high school student from St John's to Victoria would rise up and say "What? Are you nuts?" As much as this book is inflicted upon the high-schoolers of Canada, it sure has not gained a welcome reception by that age group! For the Canadian teenager, seeing The Stone Angel on the English syllabus has become the equivalent of.... hmmm what would one say? Having a radio that is locked on the CBC station?
I believe this is because The Stone Angel is a book that is all about the "interior" and to truly love the book the reader must have an appreciation of the life processes involved in becoming an elderly person. From start to finish we are on the inside of this character Hagar Shipley. It is not the realm of the exciting pace and involved plotline. This book is rather a very somber, brooding, introspective look at a proud and uncompromising woman in her nineties. She is a woman who does not (in the slightest) want to succumb to the realities, adjustments, and inconveniences of aging and dying. As she faces the combined trauma of diminished health and loss of meaningful relationships, she has to come to terms with who she really is.
How far will her incessant pride and irritable crankiness get her in this last year of her life? How can she escape from those who try to make it all easier for her? Will she confess her unmitigated (and inevitable) need of others... of those who truly, and undauntingly, care for her well-being? Will she break down or remain haughty?
Laurence is simply brilliant in that she weaves a seamless web between the present and the past, between Hagar's current experience and her memories.
It is not easy, the transition[s] that we who will live on into old age will have to make if we are to succeed at being old. This book pulls no punches with how difficult the process can be, especially for the type "A" personality.
It is no accident that the book begins with the lines from Dylan Thomas:
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
It is a story about a woman who raged. And yet (in my opinion)there is not one real angry tirade in it! It is (I think) a different sort of "raging" that is being dealt with here in the story, as with the poem by Thomas. It is not the kind of raging that is with gritted teeth and defiance, [denial] it is the kind of raging that is mingled with profound sadness and regret... yes, anger too I suppose, but anger only because one has to leave behind so much of what one loves.
Here is the realistic journey of a woman who has to come to terms with the fact that "what's going to happen can't be delayed indefinitely."
I think the book is somewhat of a masterpiece. Voraciously, I read it.

I read this book in one of my classes in Teacher's College and I really disliked it. There are few books that I dislike, but this one ranks highly on that short list. It was one of the few books where I felt absolutely no emotional connection to any of the characters. I did not care what happened to the characters in the book. The author fails to hook the reader. Frankly, I would never choose this novel for high school students to read because they need books that make them want to continue reading. I also feel that most high school students would find it difficult to relate to the characters. I found that the plot was slow and ... well... the book was just boring. Some of the prose in the novel, however, was very poetic so the novel might be useful for studying "found poetry" but I really do not think that it would be the best choice for high school students to read for a novel study. If you are looking for a novel full of excitement and emotion, this is not the book for you.

The first time I read The Stone Angel was in high school as part of the reading curriculum. Despite my English teacher's best efforts to ruin the book for us, I managed to enjoy it. I was surprised that a book with adult content (mild) had survived the censor's cut, but I was pleased it did.

A year ago I decided to reread the book and found it was even better than I my memory served me. Now that I have some life experience under my belt, I discovered the book to be far more moving and poignant. Margaret Lawrence brings out a true to life character in Hagar, the book's protagonist. Hagar could be your mother, your aunt, or your grandmother.

This is a beautiful, touching, compelling, and powerful book. Hagar's struggle with her own painful life memories as she tries to protect her independence and maintain her pride is quite heartrending. I found myself glued to page after page in this story.

The Stone Angel is the first book of the five-volume Manawaka series. Each book in the series stands alone quite well and is enjoyable on its own. I don't believe Lawrence had intended a series when she first wrote The Stone Angel, however, the books were there to be written, and write them she did.