Stone Will Answer cover art

Stone Will Answer

A Journey Guided by Craft, Myth and Geology

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About this listen

A beautiful memoir, travelogue and meditation on stone by artist and stone mason Beatrice Searle.

At the age of twenty-six, artist and Cathedral stonemason Beatrice Searle crossed the North Sea and walked 500 miles along a medieval pilgrim path through Southern Norway, taking with her a 40-kilogram Orcadian stone.

Fascinated with the mysterious footprint stones of Northern Europe and the ancient Greco-Roman world, stones closely associated with travellers, saints and the inauguration of Kings, she follows in their footsteps as her stone becomes a talisman, a bedrock and an offering to those she meets along the way.

Stone Will Answer is an unusual adventure story of journeys practical, spiritual and geological, of weight and motion, and an insight into a beguiling craft.

©2023 Beatrice Searle (P)2024 Beatrice Searle Crafts & Hobbies Travel Writing & Commentary Women

Critic reviews

"Extraordinary."—Guardian

"A magnificent book."—Alex Woodcock

"Exceptional."—Kerri Andrews
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This is a gorgeous book, beautifully crafted. I love creative non-fiction and Beatrice Searle’s writing absolutely delivers, it is thoughtful, thought-provoking and intimate. This is a story about an ambitious young stonemason embarking on a foolhardy journey with a big ole stone, but it also serves as a fable about growing up, breaking up, belonging, and legacy. I loved it, can’t wait to read more from Beatrice!

a beautiful and thoughtful tale of adventure

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A bewitching and unusual book, it doesn’t fit into one genre but spans travel, memoir, history, myth and art, all held together beautifully by artist and stonemason Beatrice Searle’s wonderfully unique perspective. This book somehow balances the raw reality of her gruelling physical and mental journey as she drags an enormous rock from Orkney to Noway, with her irresistibly self-aware idealism. She sweeps the reader along with her through her journey, presenting personal memories, myths and stories along the way, persuading us to believe in an undertaking that from first appearances seems utterly mad! It is beautiful written and just as beautifully read by the author herself.

Astonishingly good

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Deeply touching, very poetic and also very informative journey! It is beautifully read by the author.

Exceptionally beautiful!

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I have had the privilege of meeting Beatrice. We worked together briefly at Lincoln Cathedral. She was leaving just as I arrived. There was something a bit magical about her, so much so that it made me feel shy. I heard talk of her plans but didn't know much. Having listened to this book, I feel like I now know her, partly because so much of what she described and expressed is in me too. Her descriptions of Lincoln Cathedral and the characters are in my memory too, the ongoing search for "home", the terror of boiling magma rage are both in me too, the indescribable (for me) connection to stone is exactly as she described. I've only ever taken very small stones on walks, but I understand the intrigue of them. The bond and the mystery of them. This book has refreshed and inspired me. I hope it will help me take a brave step forward in my stoney life. What a privilege it is to work with stone. It's the ultimate anchor. Thank you Beatrice for sharing this with us. I hope I won't be shy if we do ever cross paths again...

Where do I start?!

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A wonderful telling of an individual journey that belongs in some way or another to us all. Wildly descriptive and full of metaphor. A tale of a heart unraveling from the bounds it created to keep its self safe. A joy to read, especially for anyone with even a vague interest in stone. Highly recommend.

A painting of a journey

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