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I adored Arthur Pepper and imagined coming across him in my travels. Now I feel the same way about Benedict Stone! When Gemma, the teenaged daughter of his estranged brother, arrives unannounced from America and shows up on the doorstep of Benedict's home in a quiet English village, she shakes up his mundane life. He and his wife are separated, his jewelry shop business has declined, and Gemma provides the spark to get things moving again. It's a feel-good story about family relationships. Benedict wants to reconcile with his wife and find a way to move forward in his mundane life. His niece from America helps him in his quest by showing him how to update his gemstone shop as well as his way of thinking. Gemma has a gift for helping him as well as the townspeople come out of their comfort zones and grow, while using the mysterious properties of various gemstones to do so. Okay, so it's also a mystical kind of story, which I usually enjoy. Benedict Stone is a 44-year-old jeweler who lives in the small English village of Noon Sun. He is a bit overweight, his job is stagnating, and he is not happy for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that his wife, Estelle, just moved out because she needed some space. All in all, Benedict’s life is not going well. But a major shakeup is in the works.
As Benedict tries to sort things out, his niece Gemma arrives on his doorstep. Benedict is estranged from his brother so he doesn’t know anything about the young woman who walks into his life, but she’s on a mission to save his marriage and rekindle his romance. The gem stones are a major part of the story, literally and symbolically, as they help catalogue Benedict and Gemma's journeys. Each chapter is introduced by a different gem from Benedict's dad's journal with its properties and the significance attached to the gems. I spent a great deal of time curious about what was really going on with Gemma and what dreadful thing Benedict did to cause his brother to leave and cut him off. I suspected on both counts and I was mostly right. The author was not afraid to present a flawed hero, but I loved her Benedict and I was rooting hard for him to succeed on all counts. Benedict Stone (Tom Everett Scott) is breaking up with his wife (Mía Maestro). One rainy night, his niece Gemma Stone (Ella Ballentine) suddenly shows up. He's been estranged from his brother for 20 years and has never met his niece. She claims to have lost her phone and can't remember her dad's phone number.Gemma was a bit on the troublesome side, but she also was good for Benedict since the house was pretty lonely after Estelle left.
What a heart warming story this is. I have read the authors previous book, The Curious Charms Of Arthur Pepper and I enjoyed it so much that I could not wait to see what she had in store for us next and I have to say I was not disappointed. The chapters all have gem stones for names and a brief description of what the stone represents. The book is full of likeable characters and it's set in a quaint little village. This book is called Wishes Under The Willow Tree in the UK but it was previously published this year as Rise And Shine Benedict Stone. Much to his surprise, it wasn't Estelle, but Gemma who announced that she was his niece from America and she had lost her purse, her passport, and her phone. She wanted to stay with Uncle Ben. What else could he say but yes? Turquoise is my favorite gemstone. I’ve seen various meanings for it. Some include healing, friendship, tranquility, and protection. Acting is good. There is chemistry between Mía Maestro and Tom Everett Scott. Despite the separation, Gemma's line that they are hopelessly in love (or just hopeless) is accurate even from the beginning. Emilia's character has been too much taken for granted and she needed far more comfort from her husband through their failed efforts at conceiving a child. That's where Gemma comes in. All of this is laid out fairly early in the story.With promising characters and irresistible charm, 'Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone' is a reminder of the unbreakable bonds of family and shows that having someone to embrace life with is always better than standing on your own. The official synopsis says: "The story is about Benedict Stone and his wife Emilia who got separated after 10 years, when trying for a baby becomes unsuccessful". Cast The story of the film centers around Benedict Stone, who runs his family's business: A jewelry shop specializing in gemstones. The unexpected arrival of his niece Gemma turns his life around. Gemma is the daughter of his estranged brother. Will life ever be the same for Benedict?
Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone' will premiere on September 26, Sunday, at 9/8 c, on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. Spoilers As Fall Harvest 2021 plows along on Hallmark’s family of channels, an all-new movie starring Tom Everett Scott is drawing attention for its fresh new storytelling. Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone is coming to Hallmark Movies & Mysteries on Sunday, September 26, and it’s a feel-good movie that leaves you with a smile on your face. Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone synopsis Benedict owns a jewelry shop and turns out the same hum drum pieces despite there being virtually no demand and very few customers. Estelle is a painter with an upcoming exhibit of her artworks, which feature vibrant vistas of the local moors. Benedict, by contrast, is a study in grays when we first meet him, from his wardrobe to the walls of the shop to the metals he works with.I read The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by this author. It’s still my favorite. I plan to read her other books before her latest comes out. An amazingly intricate and ambitious first novel - ten years in the making - that puts an engrossing new spin on the traditional haunted-house tale.
Hallmark has covered broken marriages before, but I don’t think that there has ever been a Hallmark movie that covered a married couple who was separated because they disagreed on continuing to try to have children. The way the story and central conflict are set up in a way that makes both Benedict and Emilia sympathetic characters. With Hallmark’s history of demonizing women who don’t fit in a certain narrative, this was definitely refreshing to see. Then Gemma comes into his life. The daughter of his brother, the only living family members he has left. And, things begin to change. This poor, sad character, Benedict Stone. All he really cares about is his wife, Estelle, and having a family which even more sadly, is not going to happen. So Benedict eats and eats and eats. His life is mundane and sad, very sad. Then Estelle leaves him. Then he becomes really sad. Benedict is so sad that I almost did not want to continue reading this book. He is such a loser, but there is something about him that makes you want to read on. Mia Maestro (Emilia) has appeared in several projects including The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 & 2 and The Motorcycle Diaries, and she has appeared in a number of TV series including The Strain and Mayans M.C.There are so many good themes in this movie that I wish they were all explored a bit more. While Benedict and Emelia deciding that they are happy without children was a bit rushed, at least that storyline saw a fulfilling end. However, Gemma and Charlie’s respective storylines were a bit unfinished. I would have liked to see Charlie learn to be a bit more understanding of the difficult situation Benedict was in raising his little brother at 18. We come to learn that Benedict Stone has reached a crisis point in his life and must venture on a personal journey to recover something that has been lost. He has been a caregiver and a provider all his life. He knows nothing else. He had always wanted to have children and a family to carry on traditions. Because his parents died when he was young, he was responsible for the care of his brother and their business of running the family jewelry making shop. The interludes with Ella Ballentine narrating the properties of various stones is such a sweet editing touch to the movie. All of the details from the whimsical font to the pleasing (but not oversaturated) warm color palette make this movie seem less cookie-cutter than most other Hallmark movies. Speaking of Ella, she is so sweet and spirited in this role. Tom Everett Scott is equally as adorable in his role. I loved that the main relationship in this movie was that between uncle and niece. There are some wonderfully endearing hilarious scenes that result from Gemma’s romantic advice. But there’s quite a bit of serious drama as well. It seems that Benedict isn’t the only Stone family member who is good at running away from problems rather than facing them. And sprinkled throughout is a bit of the mythology and meaning of gemstones. Gemma was the one who was helping Benedict change even though Gemma was pretty closed mouth about why she appeared on his doorstep and didn't want to call her father to let him know where she was.