Carol Shields (1935–2003) was born in the United States, and emigrated to Canada when she was twenty-two. She is acclaimed for her empathetic and witty, yet penetrating insights into human nature. Her most famous novel The Stone Diaries was awarded with The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, along with the Governor General’s Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Happenstance was praised as her tour de force, masterly combining two novels in one. The international bestseller Mary Swann was awarded with the Arthur Ellis Award for best Canadian mystery, while The Republic of Love was chosen as the first runner-up for the Guardian Newspaper Fiction Prize. In 2020, the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, a North American literary award dedicated to writing by women, was set up in her honor. Her work has been published in over thirty languages.

‘The Stone Diaries reminds us again why literature matters.’ —The New York Times Book Review; ‘It is wonderful. A treat.’ —JOANNA TROLLOPE; ‘A triumphant and important book. I can think of few novels containing so much that is resonant and unforgettable, or that invite the reader to participate so fully and rewardingly.’ —Sunday Telegraph; ‘Her glory book.’ —MARGARET ATWOOD; ‘Carol Shields has explored the mysteries of life with abandon, taking unusual risks along the way. The Stone Diaries reminds us again why literature matters.’ —New York Times Book Review; ‘Rapturous, sensitive and funny.’ —The Guardian; ‘A kind of family album made into a work of art.’—New York Wednesday