Do not dismiss this novel because the narrator is a six-year--old boy living in post WWII Mexico. Pira/Peter is not just any boy. He is kind, thoughtful, creative and observant. Pira needs to be all of that and more because his situation is a bit different. He lives with Bruno (a stepfather) who fled Germany and is seeking to make a living as a writer. There is also Pira’s mother, an accomplished violinist who plays string quartets with other ex-pats. His biological Dad, who is still in his life, is also a musician but in NYC.

Pira’s world is filled with his imagination and the wonders of being in Mexico. He absorbs, observes and loves the lives of those around him: his parents, the maid and her boyfriend, and his young friends. He learns to read, write and paint, drawing inspiration from the natural world around him. What begins to puzzle him are the adults. Why do they become angry? What do they enjoy? Then there are bigger issues that intrude: politics both in Mexico and abroad, war, religion, love – so many questions to fit into his worldview! Can he be part of this world and still be himself?

The exquisite writing is like an elegy/memoir that may reflect some of the experiences of the author’s life. Descriptions are beautiful, thoughtful and precious. Leave this world and enter the lovely garden with Pira for a time of wonder. Highly, highly recommended.

I received an electronic ARC from Melville House Publishing through NetGalley.
A slow paced relaxing look at life from a six year old's perspective. Wrapped around Pira's life in Mexico, readers see the intensity of the adult experiences. His stepdad escaped from Hitler's Germany; his mom is from America. They've formed a family unit with friends from a variety of countries and discuss politics and the world crises. Piro continues to process what he hears and share typical six-year old problems and joys. The ending is a bit abrupt but fits with where the characters are going.
Agee captures the times following World War II. Characters represent a wide variety of world views. They are not caricatures though some don't have much depth. However, the scenery descriptions fully capture the beauty of that portion of Mexico.

The Stone World is one of those quiet titles that aren't driven by an overarching narrative, but are instead made of the details of daily life. In this case, the daily life is Pira's. He lives in 1940s Mexico with a violinist mother originally from New York and her second husband, a writer who fled from Germany to Mexico when Hitler rose to power. Both parents treat Pira with a seriousness and dignity that recognizes his developing sense of ethics.

Pira spends much of his time surrounded by adults talking politics. Their conversations can be heated, and Pira listens carefully, drawing his own conclusions about the meaning of their interactions. He knows there are two kinds of "parties": those that involve festivity and those that the adults seem so focused on.

Pira has two best friends: one the only son of a working class mother, the other the only son of a wealthy and unscrupulous businessman. He spends time with them, singly and together, and ponders their realities and views of the world.

Pira also enjoys lying on the patio in his family's yard, holding a favorite blue marble, one ear pressed to the tiles, letting himself sink into and listen to the earth itself.

Spending time with Pira and sharing his perceptions of the world and individuals around him is an absolute gift—one for which I deeply thank Joel Agee. His ability to show us how everything happens as nothing much happens is remarkable.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher; the opinions are my own.

Very much a slice of life novel about Pira, a six year old boy living in Post WWII Mexico with his mother, his mother's partner,, and their maid. There are things afoot with the adults that he doesn't; understand (nor would one expect him to.) I'm not sure how to categorize this. There are adult concepts but it's not really about the adults rather about Pira's view of them. Autobiographical novels are tricky things, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, For fans of literary fiction.

Wonderful coming of age story about Pira and his family living in Mexico. The way Pira feels time, lives in the present, sees all that surrounds him. The way he interacts with his parents and friends fills your heart. He is so real. Readers will fall in love with the characters and Pira will stay with me for a long time.

What an absolutely wonderful book. I wasn’t sure that a 6 year old narrator would work but it might be exactly why it worked. Well written and good characters, this was an enjoyable read

I’m delighted to be the first person to rate and review this book on GR, though wish it would have had more readership by now.
I’ve been going through a lot of speculative fiction and wanted to slow things down with a proper literary novel and this one certainly did the trick. And though I am an avowed agist, Stone World worked surprisingly well despite having a six-year-old for narrator, in fact, it probably what made the novel work so well.
Pira, as his name is colloquially pronounced, is a young American boy living in Mexico with his violinist mother, the writer she married (whom he considers his second father) and their maid. By all accounts it’s a nice life, he has friends, pets, adventures, even his first love, and, this being the last summer before starting school, is looking forward to attending first grade.
But there are things going on all around him, adult things, things his communist father, determined to get back to his fatherland now that the war is over, might be involved in, things that might change their entire lives.
This novel works on two levels. First, as just a lovely, vividly rendered account of a summer in a distant (unless you’re in Mexico) land in a distant (unless you’re a time-traveler) time. And second, as an excellent depiction of a socially and politically tumultuous post WWII era in both North America and Europe.
There’s a scene in the book where Pira uses a mirror to walk around with and see things from different angles, noting how different life looks from unexpected perspectives. That’s pretty much exactly the trick the author uses for this book, by giving us such a young (albeit smart, emotional intelligent and precocious) narrator he shifts the perspective to allow the readers a different view at the characters (real life and imagined), their actions and the world they inhabit. It’s very clever and I enjoyed it.
In fact, the entire book was very enjoyable and had an undeniable charm. And then it sort of just ended. Much like a summer does. And I, with my recent steady diet of speculative fiction that thrives on twists and variously amplified endings, kind of wanted more. But that’s neither here nor there, really, because the novel did exactly what it wanted and told exactly the story it had in mind. A story I liked reading. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.