Christa Polkinhorn

Love of a Stonemason – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat and Think With Your Taste Buds Dessert

‘She saw the car just as she stepped into the crosswalk. An old beat-up Fiat screeched to a stop within a few inches away from her. Karla jumped back and dropped her portfolio, spilling its content onto the pavement. Her heart thudded and she took deep breaths, trying to calm the queasy feeling in her stomach. That smell. Burnt rubber. A young man got out of the car and stared at her, stunned. “Are you all right?” Karla still dazed, nodded. She bent down and began to pick up her drawings. A few pedestrians stopped but when they realized that nothing major had happened they walked on. The driver’s dark voice rose to an angry pitch. “Jesus Christ. What’s the matter with you? You practically threw yourself in front of my car. I could’ve killed you. Are you suicidal or something?” “I’m sorry, I wasn’t watching.” Karla slid the papers back into her portfolio. “Yeah, well, that’s obvious. Wake up, for heaven’s sake.”

Meet the characters:

Karla Bocelli is an artist whose first exhibition opens the following Friday. The gallery belongs to a friend of hers who devotes time and money to help fledging artists showcase their work. Karla’s mother and grandmother were both killed in a car accident when she was still a child, leaving her to be raised by an aunt. Her father Arturo and her mother had never married and there was never a real father/daughter relationship between he and Karla. He now lived in Peru with his wife and family. The few times they had seen each other, the feelings were strained. Then Karla finds not just one but two men of extreme importance stepping into her life. Andreas O’Reilly and her art instructor Jean Philippe.

Andreas O’Reilly is a stonemason. He not only makes head stones for the cemeteries but he also does sculptures. His childhood, in ways, was like Karla’s. His mother Emilia had married his father Robert but at an early age in his life they had divorced, he and his mother moved in with her brother and his father moved back to the United States. His relationship with his mother is also strained. He blames her for the nightmares he lived through as a child. His chance meeting with Karla has brought life back into his existence. But not without problems that must be dealt with for both of them.

Through Love of a Stonemason I have traveled to Peru, Florence, Switzerland and many other countries in-between. I’ve experienced not just the beauty of these places but also took a history lesson in the arts. Through the author’s description, I feel as if I’ve just returned from a journey that I’ll never be able to take in person.

As for the story, it’s been a long time since I’ve read a love story as beautiful as Love of a Stonemason. When you combine the mistakes, the forgiveness and the love filling the pages of this book you can’t help but have a truly inspiring book. It makes you realize that there are always two sides to each story and unless you listen to both, you’ll never be able to expel the resentment you might be feeling. Great book!

Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com Stir, Laugh, Repeat… (plus d'informations)

This book is lovely and full of grace. Set mostly in Switzerland, with detours to Italy and Peru, LOVE OF A STONEMASON is about the relationship between Karla, a painter, and Andreas, a stonemason. After a chance encounter that seems at first like a "meet cute" device (though it isn't; it introduces a theme that weaves throughout the novel), they live together, fight, commit mutual infidelity, get back together, marry, have two children, and grow as artists and people. Christa Polkinhorn is insightful about the nuances of this relationship and gives you a sense of how it deepens. Unlike some fictional couples, Karla and Andreas conduct their relationship in an ongoing crowd of family and friends. (This is one reason the book is long; there is so much LIFE in it.) Karla and Andreas are people you root for. I found myself thinking I would like to spend an evening with them, drinking wine and talking. They are good. Not perfect or saintly or always right, but good at heart.Do you want to see love triumph? Read this book snd be grateful you found it.… (plus d'informations)