The Fallen Stones: Chasing Blue Butterflies, Mayan Secrets, and Happily Ever After in Belize
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- Create Date：2022-03-03 10:19:39
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Diana Marcum
- ISBN：1542022835
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Summary
A Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author of the national bestseller The Tenth Island finds hope and personal metamorphosis on a butterfly farm in the Maya Mountains。
Atop a hill in the rainforest of Belize， next to the ruins of a fallen civilization， a butterfly farm raises the brilliant blue morpho。
What starts out as the worst vacation ever turns into a quest to learn more about the first-of-its-kind farm when journalist Diana Marcum inadvertently discovers this wildlife sanctuary， which is supported by an international live-butterfly trade。
She quickly becomes acquainted with Clive， the whimsical British millionaire whose childhood passion created an industry， and Sebastian， the Maya farm manager whose stern expression belies a soft heart。 Before long Diana and her partner， Jack Moody—new to being a couple—have moved into a long-empty jungle house， cohabitating with bats， scorpions， toucans， iguanas， and the vulnerable but resilient butterflies。 She comes to be obsessed with the array of iridescent creatures。
Just ahead， although they don’t know it， are a hurricane and a global pandemic。
This warm， funny tale of finding a way forward when the world seems to be falling apart is filled with the beauty of the natural world and a heartfelt cry to protect it—beginning with butterflies。
Atop a hill in the rainforest of Belize， next to the ruins of a fallen civilization， a butterfly farm raises the brilliant blue morpho。
What starts out as the worst vacation ever turns into a quest to learn more about the first-of-its-kind farm when journalist Diana Marcum inadvertently discovers this wildlife sanctuary， which is supported by an international live-butterfly trade。
She quickly becomes acquainted with Clive， the whimsical British millionaire whose childhood passion created an industry， and Sebastian， the Maya farm manager whose stern expression belies a soft heart。 Before long Diana and her partner， Jack Moody—new to being a couple—have moved into a long-empty jungle house， cohabitating with bats， scorpions， toucans， iguanas， and the vulnerable but resilient butterflies。 She comes to be obsessed with the array of iridescent creatures。
Just ahead， although they don’t know it， are a hurricane and a global pandemic。
This warm， funny tale of finding a way forward when the world seems to be falling apart is filled with the beauty of the natural world and a heartfelt cry to protect it—beginning with butterflies。
Reviews
theliterateleprechaun
，
“What if I had stumbled upon the true purpose of butterflies？ Of course， there was the role of pollinator - key to the entire ecosystem and their deep， cultural meanings。 But what if they were also like， well， cosmic Post-it Notes？ Don’t forget: be amazed。 To-do: be thankful。 Maybe they were eye-catching reminders that， yes， there are powerful dark forces and heart-wrenching loss， but there is also beauty and color。”Are you feeling stressed about world events right now？ Why not take an armchair “What if I had stumbled upon the true purpose of butterflies？ Of course， there was the role of pollinator - key to the entire ecosystem and their deep， cultural meanings。 But what if they were also like， well， cosmic Post-it Notes？ Don’t forget: be amazed。 To-do: be thankful。 Maybe they were eye-catching reminders that， yes， there are powerful dark forces and heart-wrenching loss， but there is also beauty and color。”Are you feeling stressed about world events right now？ Why not take an armchair travel with Diana Marcum to a butterfly farm in the most biodiverse region in the world， the rainforest of Belize？ Her memoir is about finding a way forward when everything around you is falling apart and she’ll leave you with a plea to protect our environment， starting with butterflies。 Diana， a journalist， and her partner， Jack Moody， take a leave of absence from work and move into a jungle house atop a hill in the rainforest in Belize。 The property， Fallen Stones Butterfly Farm， is owned by British billionaire， Clive Farrell， who is a philanthropist， an environmentalist and a lepidopterist。 He’s also the owner of Stratford-Upon-Avon Butterfly Farm。 Diana gives readers a background to the challenges Clive Farrell had in setting up the butterfly breeding farm - challenges that flattened all his hard work， several times over， yet he rebuilt and maintained his focus of saving the butterflies。 You’ll be amazed reading about Hurricane Iris that swept through the rainforest and didn’t leave one single leaf for the caterpillars to feed on and your heart will skip a beat when you read about a farm worker’s ingenuity that saved 600 pupae。 This single act of foresight is responsible for the butterflies today; every one of them traces back to the ones Sebastien saved。 In the last pages of this book， Diana shares the struggle of keeping the farm going during Covid when staff were at home in lockdown。 The writing is phenomenal。 She’ll have you hearing butterfly wings and feeling the wisp of a breeze on your face as they pass by。 She’ll have you watching the Blue Morpho ‘eclosion’ （ butterfly emerging from its chrysalis） and you’ll see it all vividly as the butterfly emerges from the cocoon。 She’ll have you hearing the cicadas and howler monkeys， anticipating the scorpions and jaguars， and in awe of the blue bees。 I almost felt like I was sitting on the veranda， high up in the treetops， sipping on cold sweet tea as the butterflies danced past me。 Diana doesn’t just tell you about her experience and adventure of the past couple of years， she teaches readers。 I was in awe reading about the butterfly-ant symbiosis， the relative age of this delicately winged creature， and the ruins of Lubaantun on the property。 The meaning behind the title？ Well， you’ll just have to read to find out！ This is a must-read if you like learning about one of the most vulnerable organisms to climate change， if you are drawn to stories about protecting them， or if you are looking for a visceral read that will allow you to escape for a few hours。 I was gifted this copy by Diana Marcum， Little A， and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review。 。。。more
Janice Carico
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Interesting story of the author's time learning about butterflies and spending time on a butterfly farm Interesting story of the author's time learning about butterflies and spending time on a butterfly farm 。。。more
Alli Merritt
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Having gone to Belize several times， I really liked this book。 The people the author met there are exactly like the people we met - so lovely， talented， hard-working， and gracious。 I can't wait to go back and see the butterfly farm。 （Now I'm just a bit more scared of the jungle dangers！） Having gone to Belize several times， I really liked this book。 The people the author met there are exactly like the people we met - so lovely， talented， hard-working， and gracious。 I can't wait to go back and see the butterfly farm。 （Now I'm just a bit more scared of the jungle dangers！） 。。。more
Monica Bushoven
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What a fascinating read！！Did I expect to love a book about butterflies so much？ No， but Diana Marcum writes in such a beautifully simple way that I can’t help but love it。 Her writing is so casual， yet you can hear her passion and excitement so well through the simple vocabulary。At times， I found myself so fascinated by the lessons she learned。 I learned things about nature and butterflies without feeling like I was learning， it wasn’t like reading a textbook because she is a beautiful story-wea What a fascinating read！！Did I expect to love a book about butterflies so much？ No， but Diana Marcum writes in such a beautifully simple way that I can’t help but love it。 Her writing is so casual， yet you can hear her passion and excitement so well through the simple vocabulary。At times， I found myself so fascinated by the lessons she learned。 I learned things about nature and butterflies without feeling like I was learning， it wasn’t like reading a textbook because she is a beautiful story-weaver。This story is inspiring as she shares her pursuit of her dreams and aspirations and how she uses her life experiences to help pave the way for her future。 。。。more
Diane Holmes
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Wonderful memoire and so very well written！ Anyone interested in butterflies or great adventures will love this story。
Karin Bell
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Total surpriseNever imagined a book about butterflies would be this fascinating and absorbing。 Well written in a delightful flowing style that kept me turning the pages。 And I learned a lot too！On to a butterfly garden of my own this spring 。
Betsy the Quilter
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Fascinating tale of living among the butterflies in BelizeWhat I loved about this book was all the small tales of life on a butterfly farm in Belize， stories about the flora， the fauna， the butterflies but especially the people。 I identified with the author's reactions to the non-butterfly insects！ I found the narrative a bit disjointed but each individual story evoked an image and provided insight to a much different way of life。 So glad I read this one。 Fascinating tale of living among the butterflies in BelizeWhat I loved about this book was all the small tales of life on a butterfly farm in Belize， stories about the flora， the fauna， the butterflies but especially the people。 I identified with the author's reactions to the non-butterfly insects！ I found the narrative a bit disjointed but each individual story evoked an image and provided insight to a much different way of life。 So glad I read this one。 。。。more
Jerry A Galasso
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Belize with ButterfliesWhat can be better than that combination？ For someone who has been to Ambergris Caye too many times to admit， it's refreshing to read about other areas of this beautiful country。 Ms。 Marcum writes a beautiful book about beautiful people from a beautiful country。 It's a delightful read。 Belize with ButterfliesWhat can be better than that combination？ For someone who has been to Ambergris Caye too many times to admit， it's refreshing to read about other areas of this beautiful country。 Ms。 Marcum writes a beautiful book about beautiful people from a beautiful country。 It's a delightful read。 。。。more
Niki
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Really 3 1/2 stars。 I enjoyed learning about the butterflies and Belize and I was charmed by the workers at the farm。 This was an interesting read。
Shanyn
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I read this in one day。 Wonder and wander。 I didn't realize how starved I was for these two things until I read this book。 Like many of you， I'm tired，scared， and sad。 Our beautiful land and non human inhabitants are imperiled。 Humans are dying from the pandemic and now we are watching Eukraine fight for its life。 If I ever needed some hope， a glimmer of wonder， a reminder of good it is now。 This book gave me that respite and it is with a deep breath that I push forward feeling just e rough rene I read this in one day。 Wonder and wander。 I didn't realize how starved I was for these two things until I read this book。 Like many of you， I'm tired，scared， and sad。 Our beautiful land and non human inhabitants are imperiled。 Humans are dying from the pandemic and now we are watching Eukraine fight for its life。 If I ever needed some hope， a glimmer of wonder， a reminder of good it is now。 This book gave me that respite and it is with a deep breath that I push forward feeling just e rough renewal to find magic in my mundane。 Tomorrow， we leave on a spur of the moment trip to see if we can see some butterflies in Pacific Grove before they leave。 I'm also planning to create a butterfly garden。 Read this and laugh。 It's honest and lovely。 What more do we need？Note: she’s a great writer。 Her transitions are smooth and her descriptions are perfect。 I could see and smell and imagine myself there。 I laughed and I cried and there are some characters that I will never forget and would love to meet and ask for directions to find the love and empathy they embody through their days。 。。。more
Priscilla
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Wonder and hope in a changing worldThere is nothing I did not like about this book。 I loved the way Diana Marcum wrote about people， experiences， the natural world and most especially the stealthy addition of a little philosophy。 The timing was perfect as we emerge from a full pandemic and learn how to live in a changed world。 It is a dangerous world as humanities poor choices come home to roost。 But one where wonder still exists and where the quiet ones still have a voice though our gardens and Wonder and hope in a changing worldThere is nothing I did not like about this book。 I loved the way Diana Marcum wrote about people， experiences， the natural world and most especially the stealthy addition of a little philosophy。 The timing was perfect as we emerge from a full pandemic and learn how to live in a changed world。 It is a dangerous world as humanities poor choices come home to roost。 But one where wonder still exists and where the quiet ones still have a voice though our gardens and planters。 Hooray for butterflies！ 。。。more
Becca
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What if you decided to write a travel memoir involving butterfly farms， and you were hit with travel restrictions， climate change and a world wide pandemic？ I don't think you'll find another travel book quite like it。 What if you decided to write a travel memoir involving butterfly farms， and you were hit with travel restrictions， climate change and a world wide pandemic？ I don't think you'll find another travel book quite like it。 。。。more
Rae
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dnf。 This book is so boring。 Unless the true history of this real butterfly farm is of interest to you， I can't recommend this book dnf。 This book is so boring。 Unless the true history of this real butterfly farm is of interest to you， I can't recommend this book 。。。more
Maria Balsamo
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I thought I would enjoy this book， but I didn’t。 I found myself reading it impatiently just wanting to。 be done with it。 I didn’t warm up to the characters。 The details about the jungle， butteries， scorpions， toucans， jaguars and Mayan cutlure were the highlight of the book。
Susan oleneack
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What a story！I was fascinated by this narrative of life in Belize raising butterflies。 But the hope and resilience of the people is the main story。 Very well written， I couldn't stop reading till it was done。 What a story！I was fascinated by this narrative of life in Belize raising butterflies。 But the hope and resilience of the people is the main story。 Very well written， I couldn't stop reading till it was done。 。。。more
Cindy Gibson
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I highly recommend this interesting look at butterfly "farming"， climate change， communities in Belize and the world of writing。 I highly recommend this interesting look at butterfly "farming"， climate change， communities in Belize and the world of writing。 。。。more
Leanne
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This book kept my interest even though the author is kind of all over the place with time and space and descriptions。
Sharon
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This is about more than butterflies; it’s about travel and about hope and a little bit about the pandemic and environmental changes。 It gets a little slow midway through for a bit when she talks more about the logistics of growing and shipping butterflies， but stick it out。 The overall book is so good！
Jackie
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Wow， 2022 is already a good reading year for me。 I found this book serendipitously （free on Amazon I think）， just as the author found a butterfly farm attached to her hotel on a vacation to Belize。 She moved in to write about the butterflies （I now have several pictures of butterflies on my screensaver--look up Blue Morpho and glasswing）， the people who work on the farm， the rain forest， the country， how the experience changed her， and in the end--COVID-19， and how to hold on to hope。 What a bea Wow， 2022 is already a good reading year for me。 I found this book serendipitously （free on Amazon I think）， just as the author found a butterfly farm attached to her hotel on a vacation to Belize。 She moved in to write about the butterflies （I now have several pictures of butterflies on my screensaver--look up Blue Morpho and glasswing）， the people who work on the farm， the rain forest， the country， how the experience changed her， and in the end--COVID-19， and how to hold on to hope。 What a beautiful surprise of a book。 。。。more
Stephanie Durel
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Butterflies， insect bites， and rainforest Interesting account of butterfly farming in Belize : check Horrible insect encounters and difficult living conditions : checkWit : nominalWokeness : abundantThankfully this one was free。
Linda Villalobos
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Very enjoyableI was intrigued by the author's daring- to go live in a bug-infested jungle takes courage！ I liked the balance between learning about butterflies and the people who raise them， as well as Diana's personal insights。 My family has already converted our yard to a pollinator- friendly space that we enjoy very much。 Very enjoyableI was intrigued by the author's daring- to go live in a bug-infested jungle takes courage！ I liked the balance between learning about butterflies and the people who raise them， as well as Diana's personal insights。 My family has already converted our yard to a pollinator- friendly space that we enjoy very much。 。。。more
Helen Ahern
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This is a lovely book。 It’s the story of a butterfly farm in Belize and so much more。 Diana Marcum tells her story and inspires to take a proper look at the world around us。 I didn’t know what actually happened in a chrysalis。 The caterpillar turns into a primordial soup and emerges as an amazing butterfly how awesome is that。 Reading this book you get such a sense of the magical nature of the rainforest in Belize and the struggle to make a business work while at the same time protecting a small This is a lovely book。 It’s the story of a butterfly farm in Belize and so much more。 Diana Marcum tells her story and inspires to take a proper look at the world around us。 I didn’t know what actually happened in a chrysalis。 The caterpillar turns into a primordial soup and emerges as an amazing butterfly how awesome is that。 Reading this book you get such a sense of the magical nature of the rainforest in Belize and the struggle to make a business work while at the same time protecting a small patch of the earth。 It’s certainly not all sunshine and roses and covering up from the dreaded mosquitos is a must。 Not to mention the snakes and scorpions。 Throw in a hurricane and now a global pandemic。 。。。more
Jeanne
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That’s one of the bonus costs of poverty on top of its more insidious hardships—even if you do climb out， it can leave you a little nearsighted， not privy to all that is out there and with a stunted view of your ability to partake。 （p。 115）My sight has been stunted recently。 I still find joy – and frequently – but there is also more dark than I would like to admit to。 Fallen Stones has been a partial antidote。In short， Diana Marcum went to Belize on vacation， fought with her boyfriend， made up w That’s one of the bonus costs of poverty on top of its more insidious hardships—even if you do climb out， it can leave you a little nearsighted， not privy to all that is out there and with a stunted view of your ability to partake。 （p。 115）My sight has been stunted recently。 I still find joy – and frequently – but there is also more dark than I would like to admit to。 Fallen Stones has been a partial antidote。In short， Diana Marcum went to Belize on vacation， fought with her boyfriend， made up with him， fell in love with butterflies， and overcame fought her fears。 Fallen Stones is a feel-good story with enough grit that I didn't feel like I was sucking a lollipop or drinking saccharine。 Marcum did not sugarcoat her story。 （Really， I ate dinner！） She described being eaten alive by mosquitos and being afraid of the bats and scorpions living in her home in the rain forest – but going on anyway。 As she said:Maybe [butterflies] were eye-catching reminders that， yes， there are powerful dark forces and heart-wrenching loss， but there is also beauty and color。 There is life。 So， screw it， don’t keep your head down。 Soak in any warmth you can find， and then fly。 （p。 80）There is a nice essay on planting a butterfly garden， written by a friend of hers， at the end of Fallen Stones。 （She and Marcum began planting a butterfly garden together when she returned to the US， days before the COVID lockdown。） You'll want to plant one， even if， like me， you're reading Fallen Stones in February， between snowstorms。 。。。more
Carolyn Gaziano
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Light， easy read， funny。 I enjoyed learning about Belize and butterflies。 Loved the book until I got to chapter 20。 The political commentary around Covid was unnecessary and unfortunate。 Ruined the ending。
Cami Eslick
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Could not put this book down！！！ The author has a great sense of humor which shines through her adventure chasing butterflies in a business I never knew existed: butterfly farming。 Her experiences in Belize sound stunning。
Maryhelen
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Couldn't put it down！！！This was the first book I have ever read by Diana Marcum。 But I intend on reading more！！ The people and the places were so lifelike。 I found myself looking up each individual butterfly that she mentioned and am going to look into creating my own butterfly garden！！ Couldn't put it down！！！This was the first book I have ever read by Diana Marcum。 But I intend on reading more！！ The people and the places were so lifelike。 I found myself looking up each individual butterfly that she mentioned and am going to look into creating my own butterfly garden！！ 。。。more
Steve Schmitt
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I don't think I would ever pick a book about living with butterflies， yet here it was。 I liked this book。 It's a quick read about a reporter who is looking for something more and finds it in the jungles of Belize。 Her love and passion for the butterflies and the people that care for them are evident。 I love that she doesn't hold back on how her own relationships are impacted by the transformative bugs。 I'm not sure I have a deeper love for butterflies now， but I can appreciate their impact on ou I don't think I would ever pick a book about living with butterflies， yet here it was。 I liked this book。 It's a quick read about a reporter who is looking for something more and finds it in the jungles of Belize。 Her love and passion for the butterflies and the people that care for them are evident。 I love that she doesn't hold back on how her own relationships are impacted by the transformative bugs。 I'm not sure I have a deeper love for butterflies now， but I can appreciate their impact on our environment and how they need to be valued for that purpose。 。。。more
Vicki
，
Having visited Mayan ruins in Belize as part of a shore excursion during a cruise vacation， I was happily drawn to this delightful memoir。 The author's encounters with the Belizean people， vegetation， wild life， and of course， the butterflies were quite interesting。 Our connections to one another and the call to protect our environment were quite elegantly presented throughout this reading journey。 Great pick from Amazon Prime。 Having visited Mayan ruins in Belize as part of a shore excursion during a cruise vacation， I was happily drawn to this delightful memoir。 The author's encounters with the Belizean people， vegetation， wild life， and of course， the butterflies were quite interesting。 Our connections to one another and the call to protect our environment were quite elegantly presented throughout this reading journey。 Great pick from Amazon Prime。 。。。more
Paula
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An educational and interesting book。This is nonfiction。 It is well written and informative about butterflies。 In Belize they work hard to bring them to fruition and ship them around the world。 They are not only beautiful but important part of our ecosystem。 Written in time of covid beginning also。
Sandra Merlo
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