Opaline Duplessi, daughter of La Lune, the artist Sabine Duplessi who connected with the first and original mother of the La Lune line, was granted the gift of connecting to the dead through the stones she fashions to help grieving family connect with their dead. Opaline feels she must make amends to her lover who died in the war and fashions talismans for the grieving family left in the wake of the death and devastation of war.
She could have learned from her mother how to manage her gift, but she fears her mother's power and and where it might lead her. The only answer is to go to Paris and work at the Palais Russe. Many women took over the jobs men did when they went off to war, but having the man who apprenticed with Faberge welcome her to his store and craft jewelry for him was where Opaline deserved to be. So much for the trip to America. Opaline had work to do in Paris and the debt she felt she owed to the young man who died after she refused to lie to him about loving him and being willing to wait for him.
M. J. Rose offers us another view of Sabine's daughters and their gifts as daughters of La Lune. While The Secret Language of Stones does not explode from the pages, Rose is at her best when she shares the magic inside us and how many ways that magic can be manifested and put to use in service of others. Yes, there is regret in Opaline's life. Yes, there is redemption in Opaline's life. Yes, there are intrigue, secrets, and hope in Opaline's life. Yes, there is love and redemption in Opaline's life, but she will have to face it by not running and hiding from what she fears -- and hopes for -- the most.
Each of Rose's stories is more than a trip down the rabbit hole running from fear and each heroine hiding from herself. In the women's lives that begin with La Lune and emanate from Sabine all must face life and destiny head on. Opaline is no exception. What she finds is that her fears are not hers alone and being of service to others brings rewards she never dreamed possible.
Rose has matured so much with her evolving mastery of language, history, and possibilities. This latest continuation of La Lune's progeny is a far cry from Lip Service where Rose began writing so long ago and yet M. J. Rose has arrived with more magic and hope that comes from deep inside her as she takes history and weaves it with the magic of possibility into yet another magnificent and satisfying tale that continues to leave readers satisfied and their appetites whetted for new adventures and even more possibilities that rival even Alice Hoffman. 5 out of 5 stars. I can't wait to find out where the next inheritor of La Lune's magic will lead.
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