The Stone Lion (edition 2013)

This book was not I expected when I requested it. It took a little while to get into it but once I did it was an enjoyable book. Being a small business owner myself going through many of the trials of Mr. Lowell but at a much younger age I could relate with his challenges and the pressure of owning a legacy not just working for a company. ( )

Many corporations in America faced challenges in the latter part of the twentieth century,from foreign competitors, they hadn’t had to worry about in the past. This caused financial stress that wasn’t always dealt with competently. Layoffs, Union strife, wages, cost of materials and manufacturing, shipping jobs overseas, selling off pieces of the company were all strategies tried by many companies to stay profitable. Some succeeded while others became a shell of themselves, went bankrupt or were bought by corporate raiders.
George Breal is downsized after 22 years with United Electric. After months of struggling he warily accepts a job in Massachusetts at Electronic Technologies (ETI), which may also be a sinking ship. The owner, CEO and micromanager John Lowell hires Breal to help turnaround the flailing company but seems unwilling to give up control or agree with decisions that may positively change their future.
Told from the point of view of four characters, George Breal, John Lowell, Edna (Lowell’s housekeeper) and Catherine Lowell (John’s estranged daughter), the story weaves its’ way through the history of ETI, family and personal issues. Eisner brings the characters to life and, love them or despise them, readers will be riveted. The Stone Lion is a fictional story, but one that most people will readily agree has aspects that ring true for corporate America over the last twenty-five years. ( )

In middle-age, George Breal finds that he must re-invent himself and his career. In his late 70s, founder and CEO John Lowell's company Electronic Technologies (ETI) is failing. He needs someone to turn his company around. Fortuitously, these two find each other, and Lowell hires Breal. In parallel, Lowell's estranged , middle-aged, daughter loses her job in women's retail, and must turn her own life around.

Eisner deftly weaves together the stories of these three people as they struggle through the changes and challenges they face. Often eligaic, The Stone Lion is shot through with realism, and the story feels like it is being told by someone who has experienced those same changes and challenges. It feels real.

Overall, the novel is a fascinating look into the lives of wonderfully three-dimensional characters, each with their own flaws, foibles, and triumphs.

I received an Advance Readers' copy of this book.

John Lowell founded ETI, an electronics company that is struggling in the market against a new competitor, a German company called Muhlmann. He hires George Breal to manage the restructuring of the company to better compete with Muhlmann. Lowell is also trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter, Catherine. This reconnection angers Lowell's longtime mistress, Edna. The story is well-told and describes an aging entrepreneur, a hard-working and principled manager, a complicated daughter, and a threatened mistress.

William Eisner's description of the challenges in manufacturing, especially under management that is behind the times and blinded by pride, is something that a lot of workers can relate to. This story is realistic and I cared a lot about the characters. ( )

The Stone Lion is an interesting story of snap judgements, lucky breaks, regrets, betrayal, love and the power of money in the realm of business relationships and familial relationships. It likens one to the other and shows how the lines are so often blurred. Our personal relationships often can turn into business arrangements and our business deals become highly personal. As someone who works in the corporate world, this resonated with me strongly.

However the book overall was a little slow in pacing and the happy ending was too neat and frankly unbelievable in comparison to the rest of the story. ( )