The Stone Lion, William Eisner
The Stone Lion, William Eisner
List: $22.95 | Sale: $16.07
Club: $11.47

The Stone Lion

Author: William Eisner

Narrator: Alan Sklar

Unabridged: 26 hr 54 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/15/2013

Categories: Fiction


Synopsis

After twenty-two years with the same company, George Breal is out of work for the first time in his life. He must confront the unpleasant task of reinventing his career at an age when many are winding down their ambitions and looking forward to retirement. A skilled manager, he finally finds work at the slowly failing Electronic Technologies (ETI), which has come face-to-face with a modern German competitor. ETI is owned by the cantankerous, obsessive, and dictatorial entrepreneur John Lowell, who is starting to realize, as he closes out his seventies, that his shortcomings are a direct result of his misguided actions from the past. George Breal, Edna Graham, and Catherine Lowell are three people who had never met but have one thing in common: they are key components in Lowells life. Edna is his lover, Catherine his estranged daughter, and George the man who is trying to save his company. Telling the story through the eyes of Edna, George, Lowell, and Catherine, Eisner transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary in this riveting and winning tale, filled with surprises and diverse, intriguing characters, all showcased by a writer who combines a touch of the poet with a dispassionate view of corporate America at its worst and best.

About William Eisner

William Eisner has had three careers: engineer, businessman, and author. His first novel, The Sévigné Letters, was considered “one of the best novels of the year” by the Roanoke Times and “an elegant tale of suspense” by the Los Angeles Times. The book was adapted for the stage and played at the Lobero Theater in Santa Barbara, California. He has published two other novels: Athena, and Fault Line. Eisner ran substantial businesses for twenty years and understands the world of the entrepreneurs and how vulnerable a man and his company can be.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Sheila on January 16, 2013

A young man translates Dante while a daughter tries to translate her father’s silence. An honest worker translates his unemployment into eagerness to find a job, then puts his all into making the next job work. His wife translates despair into honest preparation. And all the unspoken words behind th......more

Goodreads review by Charles on January 15, 2013

The time is 1980. Driving past the solitary stone lion that guards the front door of his headquarters, Dr. John Lowell has an ominous feeling of impending disaster; his photoelectric control business is beginning to crumble. Sales are falling because a better controller from Germany is being aggress......more

Goodreads review by Rhi on February 21, 2013

3.5 I received this book in a goodreads giveaway. John Lowell started an electronics company called ETI that is struggling in the market against a new competitor, a company called Muhlmann. Lowell hires George Breal to manage his company to better compete with Muhlmann. Lowell is also trying to reconn......more

Goodreads review by Terri on March 24, 2013

The story of an aging businessman and the people around him. His estranged daughter and grandsons have made a successful life away from him but now ,due to financial circumstances are thinking of a reunion. A former friend of the daughter is now his long time mistress and threatened by the reunion.......more

Goodreads review by Stacy on March 21, 2013

I won this book as a FirstRead. John Lowell founded ETI about 50 years ago, but now it is struggling to keep up with the times. George Breal, having lost his job of 22 years, agreed to come on board to help Lowell save his company. Edna has been Lowell's mistress for years and fears that she will los......more