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    Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone
    Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone
    Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone
    Audiobook8 hours

    Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone

    Written by Phaedra Patrick

    Narrated by James Langton

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Now a Hallmark Original Movie!

    “A perfect read for lovers of Antoine Laurain's The Red Notebook, Gabrielle Zevin's The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, and Fredrik Backman's A Man Called Ove.” —Library Journal, starred review

    “Phaedra Patrick understands the soul.” —Nina George, New York Times bestselling author of The Little Paris Bookshop

    A delightful gem of a novel about family, forgiveness and finding your way from the bestselling author of The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

    Benedict Stone has settled into a complacent and predictable routine. Business at his jewelry shop has dried up; his marriage is on the rocks. His life is in desperate need of a jump start—and then a surprise arrives at his door in the form of his audacious teenage niece, Gemma. Reckless and stubborn, she invites herself into Benedict’s world and turns his orderly life upside down. But she might just be exactly what he needs to get his life back on track.

    Filled with colorful characters and irresistible charm, Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone is a luminous reminder of the unbreakable bonds of family, and shows that having someone to embrace life with is always better than standing on your own.

    Don’t miss Phaedra Patrick’s uplifting new novel, The Little Italian Hotel!

    Check out these other heartwarming stories from Phaedra Patrick:
    • The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
    • The Library of Lost and Found
    • The Secrets of Love Story Bridge
    • The Messy Lives of Book People
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarlequin Audio
    Release dateMay 16, 2017
    ISBN9781488202957
    Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone
    Author

    Phaedra Patrick

    Phaedra Patrick is the bestselling author of five previous books. Her debut, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper, has been translated into twenty-five languages worldwide and her second novel, Rise and Shine Benedict Stone, was made into a Hallmark movie. An award-winning short story writer, she previously studied art and marketing and has worked as a stained glass artist, film festival organizer and communications manager. Phaedra lives in Saddleworth, UK, with her family.

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    Reviews for Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone

    4/5

    159 ratings14 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This was a SWEET story … The characters were endearing, and I enjoyed the development of each person‘s personality and story, as well as their relations with each other.
    • 5/5
      I found this book to be just charming. Enjoyed very much.
    • 5/5
      Sweet story. Loved hearing about the qualities of the gem stones.
    • 3/5
      A nice story of forgiveness, redemption, and hope. The book was made into a Hallmark movie, which sort of fits its theme. It was a nice diversion and a story that every now and then is comforting to read. I imagine book clubs would be drawn to “Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone.”
    • 3/5
      a generous 3, just because it is totally innocuous -- somewhat charming, pleasant enough but nothing earth-shattering. I couldn't even recall the name correctly when I went to type it in. Benedict Stone is stuck in a rut. He is a jeweler in a small English town, running the family business, eating too much, and pining after his wife after she recently left him for a trial separation. He is stagnant, and she is determined to forge a new path in their middle years as it seems they will not have children. Then Benedict's unknown teenage niece from America, Gemma Stone (get it?) shows up on his doorstep unannounced and is a catalyst for change. She inspires him to get creative in his jewelry business, pursue his wife Estelle and mend the rift with Gemma's father Charlie. Gemma herself has issues and secrets -- she is running away from something and has a heap of falsehoods to cover her tracks. Things come to a climax and everything gets sorted in a satisfactory way. Some nice incorporation of the gem/jewelry motif and really likable characters. If you need a feel-good read that doesn't ask anything of you, this is it.
    • 4/5
      Phaedra Patrick plots always seem manufactured, rather than flowing like something than might happen naturally in the real world, yet that is not to say her novels do not provide pleasurable reading. So it is with her 2017 book “Rise & Shine Benedict Stone.”Benedict Stone, 44 years old, operates a village jewelry shop in England and doesn't seem to mind that he has few customers. It just gives him more time to mope about the departure of Estelle, his wife of 10 years, who has left him and moved in with a friend.Then a vaguely familiar teenage girl shows up at his door. She is Gemma, 16-year-old daughter of Benedict's estranged brother, who moved to America years before. If Benedict thinks he has problems, Gemma's are worse. Feeling unloved after her mother left and her father diverted all his attention to a new woman, the girl has run away to England and the only relative she knows about.Benedict, whose endless pining for a child is one reason Estelle left him, finds in Gemma the child he has yearned for. In her uncle, Gemma finds a loving father figure. Together they set about solving each other's problems. She turns out to have a gift for knowing the perfect gemstone for customers at that particular point of their lives, and she awakens Benedict's creativity in making jewelry. She also takes over Benedict's campaign to win back Estelle.Meanwhile her uncle takes steps to reunite Gemma with her father, made difficult because that means reuniting with his brother himself. And that means facing up to the act that caused his brother to break contact with him so many years before.So yes, this does seem as fake as costume jewelry, all a little too neat, but as with “The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper” and “The Library of Lost and Found,” the novel is a joy to read.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book even more than The Curious of Arthur Pepper because I could identify with Benedict Stone. Like the jeweler, I had a falling out with a relative. Benedict's parents died in an accidemt and he being the older son had to care for and raise his younger brother. He did his best, was father and mother Charlie. Charlie accepted everything that his older brother gave him and was to it and did not appreciate the great sacrifice that Benedict made for him.Benedict courted his wife and loved her with all his heart but he hid a secret about why there was a deep rife between him and Charlie. Benedict began to desire children. But it was not to be and it hurt her deeply when as the years unrolled, they knew that they could not have children. Estelle started to live separately efrom Charlie and this made him very depressed. It looked like life would never get better.Then his niece, Gemma pops into the story. Benedict had no idea that she was coming. Mystery of why is she there starts to build. I have left out the book that Benedict's father wrote about the different qualities of gems. That stirred up my curiosty. I have a huge coffee table sized book about gemI loved this book even more than The Curious of Arthur Pepper because I could identify with Benedict Stone. Like the jeweler, I had a falling out with a relative. Benedict's parents died in an accidemt and he being the older son had to care for and raise his younger brother. He did his best, was father and mother Charlie. Charlie accepted everything that his older brother gave him and was to it and did not appreciate the great sacrifice that Benedict made for him.Benedict courted his wife and loved her with all his heart but he hid a secret about why there was a deep rife between the brothers and began to desire children. But it was not to be and it hurt her deeply when as the years unrolled, they knew that they could not have children. Estelle started to live separately efrom Charlie and this made him very depressed. It looked like life would never get better.Then his niece, Gemma pops into the story. Benedict had no idea that she was coming. Mystery of why is she there starts to build. I have left out that Benedict's father wrote about the different qualities of gems. That stirred up my curiosty. I have a huge coffee table sized book that I have always fascinated. You can sit for hours reading about gems while the hands of the clock whir and whir quickly forward.I regret that my relative has not forgiven what I said and she remains quiet and shut off from me even I have begged her to forgive me. But I really get the sadness and poor Benedict was going through -I have experienced it! And for gems, they can be comfort and a fascination both. Please read or listen to the audio book. I think that audio book is better because of the different characters performed by James Langton. that I have always fascinated. You can sit for hours reading about gems while the hands of the clock whir and whir quickly forward.I regret that my relative has not forgiven what I said and she remains quiet and shut off from me even I have begged her to forgive me. But I really get the sadness and poor Benedict was going through -I have experienced it! And for gems, they can be comfort and a fascination both. Please read or listen to the audio book. I think that audio book is better because of the different characters performed by James Langton.
    • 4/5
      Digital audiobook performed by James Langton.3.5*** Benedict Stone is a middle-aged man with problems. His jewelry shop in the village of Noon Sun is barely operational, his wife has left him, he hardly cleans his house, and in his rather depressed state he’s resorted to baked goods which have added on pounds. He’s stuck. And then a teen-aged niece he’s never met – the daughter of his estranged brother who lives in America – arrives unannounced at his door on a rainy night. Gemma says she’s on a visit and that she’s lost her phone and passport, so they can’t call her Dad, but “it’s Okay, he knows I’m here.”Thus, begins this delightful novel of one man’s awakening. Benedict is a good man, but consumed by his desire to have children, and by guilt for a long-past dispute that resulted in the break with his brother. Gemma, who wants details of her family lore, pushes him to recall and reconcile. She’s also the catalyst for Benedict’s change – improving his diet, insisting he exercise, suggesting new options for the shop, and providing some “romantic” advice on how to win back his wife. There are some wonderfully endearing hilarious scenes that result from Gemma’s romantic advice. But there’s quite a bit of serious drama as well. It seems that Benedict isn’t the only Stone family member who is good at running away from problems rather than facing them. And sprinkled throughout is a bit of the mythology and meaning of gemstones. Patrick has crafted a sort of modern-day fairy tale, with a cast of eccentric characters (and the village is practically a character in itself), and a happy ending. It was a charming, heart-warming read.The audiobook is performed by James Langton, who did a marvelous job. I really like the way he interpreted Benedict and Gemma.
    • 4/5
      A beautiful story about hope for a family and a community. Slightly predictable, but still a great read!
    • 5/5
      ***This book was reviewed for the Manhattan Book Review and for Harlequin/MIRA via Netgalley.Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone is a story of broken dreams, fractured family, and the power of belief. One lonely night, Benedict Stone is woken by banging on his door. On the other side is a young woman named Gemma, who claims to be his niece from America. Gemma is traveling alone, and says her purse with phone and passport were stolen at the airport. Grudgingly, Benedict lets Gemma stay with him, while he attempts to reach his estranged brother Charlie. He also digs out his father's gemstone journal so that Gemma can learn more of her English side of the family.As the days turn to first one week, then another, Benedict begins to change under Gemma's influence. He begins to eat healthier, exercise more, and do spontaneous things. She drags several of his earliest jewelry-crafting pieces to his jewelry shop, where he's long since settled into a boring routine of crafting plain jewelry on autopilot. As Gemma begins to recommend custom designed pieces to customers who come in, trying to find gemstones that will be most beneficial to them, Benedict begins designing and crafting again. In doing so, he wakens his dormant creative passion. Through all of this, Gemma also helps her uncle try to win his wife's heart back. For so long, Benedict has wanted children, though time and trying have proven he and Estelle cannot have natural children. He would be happy to adopt, but Estelle is dead set against it. Serious introspection helps Benedict figure out the underlying needs behind his desire for children, since it is his pushing for adoption that drove his wife away. A chance discovery that Gemma has been, in part, lying to him prompts Benedict to finally track down Charlie's number and let him know where Gemma is. It also leads to Benedict sharing with Estelle the reason the brothers are estranged, and to Charlie showing up in sleepy little Noon Sun. Gemma flees her father and it takes Benedict, Charlie, and Estelle working together to find her, setting into motion healing on all fronts. This was an amazing story, at times funny, and at others poignantly sad. Above all, it is relatable. Who doesn't have secrets in their families, or familial strife? Who wouldn't benefit from being shaken out of a rut in some aspect of their life? I love how the thread of magickal/emotional uses of gemstones is threaded all throughout the novel, especially with chapter headings. Gemma serves as a catalyst, jumpstarting Benedict’s personal and creative transformation, leading him to create beautiful pieces of magickal jewelry. As he frees from his lifelong ruts, beneficial change begins to overtake Benedict. As it does, his changes influence Gemma herself, allowing her to begin transforming in turn. This is a story of family, and the many ways 'family’ can be defined. Despite being estranged for nearly two decades, Benedict and Charlie are brought back together by a mutual love for Gemma. Benedict learns that he doesn't need children of his own to have a family. He and Estelle can become a great aunt and uncle instead of great parents. He even learns that Cecil and Puss are part of his family, and that the village of Noon Sun creates a unique version of family as well. ????? Highly recommended
    • 5/5
      Phaedra Patrick follows up her debut novel, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper, (which I also loved!) with Rise & Shine, Benedict Stone. It's funny how I tend to read similar type books in a group without actually planning it! But, I read this immediately after Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and they are definitely of the same sort. That being said, it did not stop me from loving this book just as much! Benedict Stone lives in the very small village of Noon Sun. He owns the local jewelry store where business is almost non-existent and his wife has moved out to work on her art and take a break from him. One night, his niece, Gemma, shows up on his doorstop to stay for a visit. They've never met since he and his brother stopped speaking to each other 18 years ago. As you can imagine, this American teenager will be turning both Benedict and the village upside down! My favorite parts were the descriptions of the gem stones and how they could help the individuals of Noon Son. My mother loved jewelry and worked in jewelry stores frequently and was always telling me about the gems that she loved and what they meant. I will be buying a copy of this book for that alone!
    • 4/5
      I had thoroughly enjoyed the author’s previous book, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper, so I was delighted to have the opportunity to read her new book, Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone. I enjoyed reading it, but in some ways I found it was something of a “knock-off” of The Language of Flowers, except using gems instead of flowers. I’m not a big fan of or believer in talismans, so I’m glad the author didn’t go overboard with them influencing people’s lives. I liked the characters in the book and the picture of village life. It was an interesting story with thought-provoking issues about marriage, weight loss, families and infertility.
    • 4/5
      Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone, Phaedra Patrick, author; James Langton, narratorI really enjoyed this book. It is a sweet, tender story about an up-tight, rather taciturn, 44 year old middle aged man, Benedict Stone, and his 16 year old niece Gemma Stone. Although uninvited, she arrives on his doorstep and moves into his home. Benedict Stone is a jeweler who has recently been rejected by his wife Estelle, an artist. They had once lived happily and quietly in what seemed to be a lovely English village called Noon Sun. Benedict dearly wanted to have children, but he and his wife were, so far, unable to start a family. She moved on, but he would not give up hope and it was straining their marriage. Gemma is the daughter of Benedict’s younger brother Charlie, a man he had not seen or heard from in 18 years. Benedict was 18 and Charlie was 10 when their parents were killed in a tsunami. Benedict devoted his life to raising his brother until the day Charlie left for America to live with his girlfriend Amelia’s family. Amelia was the woman who was to become his wife. Gemma now lives with her father on a farm in Maine. Her parents were divorced but her father and his new wife are expecting a child. Gemma feels utterly unwanted and rejected by all of these new developments in her life. Essentially, the absence of a child in one couple’s life and the presence of a coming child in another’s, is the seed of all of the problems.When Estelle left Benedict to move into her friend’s apartment to ostensibly pursue her art career and to think about their waning relationship, he lost his interest in most things. Without her, he went through his days automatically. He took his comfort in food and disregarded the condition of his home which was succumbing to his neglectful ways. When someone banged on his door in the middle of one rainy night, he was surprised to find, not his wife returning, but instead, a bedraggled, rather arrogant teenager was on his doorstep. She demanded to be let in after announcing that she was his brother’s daughter, a brother he had not had any contact with for 18 years, a brother who lived across the ocean in America! From here on in, this semi-stranger, his niece Gemma, helps to bring about many positive changes in the lives of all those she meets in the village. As long kept secrets are exposed, and new ones are suddenly discovered, revelations cause monumental changes in all of their lives. Together, the budding relationship between uncle and niece, which begins in fits and starts, teaches them both, and those with whom they interact, how to see things more clearly, how to open themselves up to challenge and face their fears, and it brings them all satisfaction and provides them with the confidence they need to make the necessary adjustments that will improve their lives. Fairytale like, this unconventional young girl brings joy into the lives of all she meets with her brutal honesty and sincerity. Sometimes, her analysis seems to be coming from the only adult in the room, defying the reality that she is the only child present. She enables many of the town’s residents, who are floundering, to find their way to happiness, although she has a hard time finding consistent joy for herself.It was a pleasure to read and learn about the meaning of each gemstone, it’s purpose, and the way in which it was used in the story to help a character achieve his/her goal. It was the magic of believing that seemed to pave the way, seemed to be the impetus for the achievement each character sought. The stones seemed to be the mechanism that united families, friends and lovers, that mended fences and romances, and that renewed hope in many. Although secrets destroyed relationships, revealing them sometimes led to more solid foundations and reconciliation.The names of the characters seemed to have been chosen tongue-in-cheek. Benedict Stone’s parents died on a business trip in search of gemstones. Benedict is a jeweler who works with stones. Gemma’s first name and their common surname Stone is an obvious combination of both words in gemstone. It is through the gemstones and their meanings that the book develops and the characters grow. They come in search of something nebulous, and Gemma and Benedict give them the tools they need to fulfill their dreams. As the “gem and the stone” discover each other, they provide what just might bring them all the happiness they seek.
    • 4/5
      This poor, sad character, Benedict Stone. All he really cares about is his wife, Estelle, and having a family which even more sadly, is not going to happen. So Benedict eats and eats and eats. His life is mundane and sad, very sad. Then Estelle leaves him. Then he becomes really sad. Benedict is so sad that I almost did not want to continue reading this book. He is such a loser, but there is something about him that makes you want to read on.Then Gemma comes into his life. The daughter of his brother, the only living family members he has left. And, things begin to change.The story then took a new twist with Gemma learning and teaching about the meaning of gemstones and handing them out to people with hopes to better their lives. Gemma is hiding a huge secret, but then so is Benedict. Even Estelle doesn't know Benedict's secret and she knows everything about him.When this story was all said and done, I was so sorry that I thought of Benedict as a loser. He's not a loser. He just needed a push, something to get him out of his misery and his sadness of not being able to have a family.A beautiful, entertaining and enjoyable read! Thanks to Harlequin and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.