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Ann Fairbairn

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Five Smooth Stones Mass Market Paperback – January 1, 1980

by Ann Fairbairn (Author)

4.6 1,011 ratings

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This gripping bestseller, first published in 1966, has continued to captivate readers with its wide-ranging yet intimate portrait of an America sundered by racial conflict.

David Champlin is a black man born into poverty in Depression-era New Orleans who makes his way up the ladder of success, only to sacrifice everything to lead his people in the civil rights movement. Sara Kent is the white girl who loves David from the moment she first sees him, and who struggles against his belief that a marriage for them would be wrong in the violent world he has to confront. And the “five smooth stones” are those the biblical David carried against Goliath.

By the time this novel comes to its climax of horror, bloodshed, and hope, readers will be convinced that its enduring popularity is fully justified.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bantam; 38th printing edition (January 1, 1980)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 933 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0553142151
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0553142150
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.6 ounces

Best Sellers Rank: #5,926,796 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #70,146 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4.6 1,011 ratings

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4.6 out of 5

1,011 global ratings

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Maureen79

Even repeated, it's five stars!

Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2010

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I first read this book at the age of twenty two or so. It is actually somewhat of a family saga. What I loved about it is Ms. Fairbairn captured the nuances of black life from the 30s thru the 60s. She wrote of things that Caucasians would never think to write about, like mothers having to teach their male children to never look a white woman in the face. She briefly explores a world in which the black female is fair sexual game for any caucasian male. She exposes the hypocrisy of the Jim Crow South, and the quiet yet pervasive prejudices of the North. This book significantly shaped my ideas of Caucasian and black interaction. Because I read "Five Smooth Stones" I flew in the face of the prejudiced white community in which I was reared, (but with the support of my parents who were also rejected by our community) and became familiar with black people, welcoming them into my home and spending time in their homes. Eventually I came to live in a racially diverse community. The Caucasian community of my upbringing is still as prejudiced as it was when I was growing up there. My daughter, whose children are biracial, had to move out of it after only six months. No children were permitted by their parents to visit my daughter's home and her children were not invited to visit even one other child's home. "Five Smooth Stones" was a great read with action, romance and impartation of knowledge not found in other novels, especially of that time.

2 people found this helpful

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Brenda Thompson

A Great Read

Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2015

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I originally read this book in 1968. At that time I found it to be a very good story with believable characters. A few months ago, my sister and I were participating in a Facebook question about the 10 most favorite books you had ever read. I really didn't give it much thought and I just quickly typed the names of 10 books that I had read recently. My sister asked me about Five Smooth Stones in a comment on that question. She had read it at the same time I did all those years ago. I couldn't find it in the library. My sister told me that she had found it on Amazon and had bought it for her Kindle. Well, I couldn't wait to get it for myself. I had received a Kindle for Christmas but I hadn't yet registered it and bought any books for it. Five Smooth Stones was the first novel I bought. I just finished it about a week and it was even more spectacular that I remembered it! What a great novel, a tender love story filled with racial unrest and pitfalls based in the 1960's!! I loved it.

2 people found this helpful

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Sevster

POWERFUL !! A TRULY GREAT GREAT BOOK !!

Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2021

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It’s so disturbing that this book was written in 1966 and today we’re “STILL” reliving the voting impediments / restrictions being placed on African Americans “ As many prior reviewers have stated, “this book should be required reading for youth today”! This is one of, if not, the best books I’ve EVER read. It is too sad that my local libraries don’t carry this book. It’s also sad that I found this book by chance and at a higher price than most new or used books are selling at on Amazon. I hope that upon review, you, kind reader, will take the opportunity to find a way to read this wonderfully written book!!

6 people found this helpful

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Francesca

Time does tell, but still has power

Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2012

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This book has not aged as well as one might wish, but I am glad to see it in Kindle version. I discovered this book in 1969, when I was soon to go off to college. As a northern small town girl who cared about social justice, but with little understanding of the issues, I found the book moving and enlightening. I also credit it with creating the opening that allowed me to fall in love with and marry a Black man only a few years later. We don't always know about what's possible unless something opens our eyes to possibility. Reading the book today (and I still own a tattered paperback version), I can see the flaws. It is preachy and long winded- the author trying to get in every possible lesson about racism. Another reviewer has complained that it is homophobic. I actually think that the author was trying to be understanding about something she clearly didn't understand, and were she writing today, she'd take a different tack. For that matter, the women, even Sara, are not the independent and powerful people we'd expect to see if the book was written today. And yes, there's a fairly important character who is the "tragic mulatto", as well as a less tragic one but refreshingly they don't come to a bad end. Still, I find the book touching and enjoyable, and in historical context I admire the writer for her effort to open the eyes of her readers. David is a great and memorable character, as is his grandfather. So is Chuck, and so is Sara, though I think I'd like the post-feminist Sara better. I give it four stars because I think it has power, is a lovely love story, and tells a compelling tale. Minus one star for the dense and preachy writing. No stars off for it being an artifact of its time. Not available for Kindle but also good, and timely, is "That Man Cartwright", about migrant workers in California.

11 people found this helpful

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bankski

Kim Banks

Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2013

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I first read this book in paperback over 30 years ago. As a young African American woman from the north newly out on my own, I could not fully absorb the violence and hatred this book spoke of. I could not finish the story. Every so often as years past, I looked for the book again but was never able to find it. I've even told others of the book in hopes someone had an old copy. When it showed up on AMAZON, I couldn't purchase it fast enough. This time, I was determined to finish it. To read through the chapters of abject hate and disgust that was shown my forefathers because of their skin color. To read through the chapters of love and understanding those same forefathers had for this country and their longing to just be treated fairly. To read through and understand the whites that were in the fight along with them. I could not put this book down! It brought back memories of stories told by my grandparents and memories of my own racial experiences. Just the right amount of fiction mixed with the truth of hate and struggle of the that time.

9 people found this helpful

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Jeannie Chaney

Excellent

Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2023

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An excellent view of our culture and history. All peoples should read this book so they may understand the bigotry and racism that unfortunately is still part of our culture.

6 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Renee

It made me realize many things and I loved that book

Reviewed in Canada on March 24, 2016

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I had read this book many years ago and at that time it had awakened in me the thirst to know more about the civil rights movement in the USA since I knew almost nothing about it at that time. It made me realize many things and I loved that book. I reread it and loved it this time even more than the first time since I now know a lot more about life and the issues contained in the book. Well worth the read.

2 people found this helpful

Victoria

I had it for forty years and enjoyed meeting the characters again

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 6, 2016

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Lost my copy from 1974!!!! I had it for forty years and enjoyed meeting the characters again. At the time it wasn't allowed in places in America I was told. The characters and plot is very real and I think still applicable today. Very moving and readable.

One person found this helpful

Louise Guinand Kirby

Timely and timeless

Reviewed in Canada on February 1, 2021

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I first read this book about 40 years ago. It hit a nerve than and even more strongly now

One person found this helpful

DWag

One of my all time favourite books, first read in my late teens it ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 16, 2015

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One of my all time favourite books, first read in my late teens it was wonderful to discover it is back in print. A close up of what we thought was a changing America.but was it really changing?

One person found this helpful

Lucie Baillargeon

Awesome book!

Reviewed in Canada on February 7, 2021

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This is an excellent book & very hard to find these days - a powerful story.

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