The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields (Viking Press, 1993) ***

This Pulitzer winning novel tells the story of a woman's entire life, from
birth to death. It is told with a series of anecdotes and letters from Daisy
Goodwill, her friends and her family. There's a mix of tragedy and humor
which make an otherwise ordinary woman a character you become interested in
and sympathetic with and want to know more about as the novel progresses.
Because of the unusual writing style with lots of changes in the point of
view I found the first part of the novel required some patience, but it all
comes together soon, and by the end of the book I looked back on a reading
experience that I'd recommend to anyone interested in the 'human condition'.