Pink Granite
£12.99
Pink Granite: A Matriarchal Family Saga Set in Brinepoint | Carran Waterfield
Some truths are buried in stone — and passed down by women who guard them.
In the city of Brinepoint, sisters Redhair and Daffodil Friend have grown up under the watchful power of their formidable mam — and the silence surrounding their ancestry. When their search for answers leads them to a hidden vault, a forgotten cushion, and a precious ancient book, they discover not records, but prophecies, rituals, and the story of a lost time preserved by generations of women.
The book draws them into the world of Core Rock, a coastal village carved from pink granite, where quarrymen endure “the angry time” — a bitter strike against the fearsome Grand Old Lord Sea Stone. Guided by their mystical great-grandmother, Great Great Old Granny Pink, young Sarah and Ella One Ear inherit a sacred book of visions. When a traditional ceremony ends in tragedy at sea, the village is shattered, and the Lord offers a terrible bargain: their sons in exchange for his florins.
As past and present intertwine, Redhair and Daffodil begin to understand that the stories in Pink Granite are more than history. They are warnings — and mirrors. As their mother always said, some secrets are buried for a reason, and uncovering them may change everything. This is a saga of women, their wisdom, and the legacies they pass down across generations.
The Grand Old Duke had gashed his shin
And ripped his ear off
Marching up and down that hill.
Up up
Down down
Ten thousand of them quarrymen
In a dispute over health and safety.
Pink Granite is a richly imagined dystopian historical fantasy exploring ritual, coastal communities, labour struggle, and women’s magic. It can be read as either a prequel or sequel to Carran Waterfield’s Redhair and Daffodil Friend, praised by readers of all ages.
Exquisitely drawn illustrations are woven throughout the chapters, enhancing the prophetic poetry of Granny Pink’s sacred book. Like its predecessor, Pink Granite is presented as a high-quality gift book for lovers of myth, folklore, and beautifully crafted stories.
Description
Pink Granite: A Matriarchal Family Saga Set in Brinepoint | Carran Waterfield
Some truths are buried in stone — and passed down by women who guard them.
In the city of Brinepoint, sisters Redhair and Daffodil Friend have grown up under the watchful power of their formidable mam — and the silence surrounding their ancestry. When their search for answers leads them to a hidden vault, a forgotten cushion, and a precious ancient book, they discover not records, but prophecies, rituals, and the story of a lost time preserved by generations of women.
The book draws them into the world of Core Rock, a coastal village carved from pink granite, where quarrymen endure “the angry time” — a bitter strike against the fearsome Grand Old Lord Sea Stone. Guided by their mystical great-grandmother, Great Great Old Granny Pink, young Sarah and Ella One Ear inherit a sacred book of visions. When a traditional ceremony ends in tragedy at sea, the village is shattered, and the Lord offers a terrible bargain: their sons in exchange for his florins.
As past and present intertwine, Redhair and Daffodil begin to understand that the stories in Pink Granite are more than history. They are warnings — and mirrors. As their mother always said, some secrets are buried for a reason, and uncovering them may change everything. This is a saga of women, their wisdom, and the legacies they pass down across generations.
The Grand Old Duke had gashed his shin
And ripped his ear off
Marching up and down that hill.
Up up
Down down
Ten thousand of them quarrymen
In a dispute over health and safety.
Pink Granite is a richly imagined dystopian historical fantasy exploring ritual, coastal communities, labour struggle, and women’s magic. It can be read as either a prequel or sequel to Carran Waterfield’s Redhair and Daffodil Friend, praised by readers of all ages.
Exquisitely drawn illustrations are woven throughout the chapters, enhancing the prophetic poetry of Granny Pink’s sacred book. Like its predecessor, Pink Granite is presented as a high-quality gift book for lovers of myth, folklore, and beautifully crafted stories.
Review Responses (see also the Reviews page for additional responses posted there):
“A haunting, magical journey through family secrets, ancient prophecies, and a
coastal village where the past refuses to stay buried. A FINALIST and highly
recommended!” Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Readers’ Comments from the Panel of the Wishing Shelf Book Awards
★★★★★
Female, Age 14
I wasn’t totally sure what to expect from Pink Granite, but it ended up
being one of the strangest and most interesting books I’ve read this year.
It feels like stepping into a dream where folklore, history, and magic are
all mixed together.
My favourite part was how the story slowly revealed family secrets
through the ancient book. The village of Core Rock felt real, even though
so many weird and mystical things were happening. Some parts were
sad, some were creepy, and some made me stop and think about how
people in power can affect whole communities. Definitely a book for
readers who like unusual stories that stay in your head afterwards.
★★★★★Male, Age 16
This book is unlike anything I’ve read before. It isn’t a fast-action fantasy
where people are fighting monsters every five pages. Instead, it’s about
stories, memories, family history, and how the past keeps affecting the
future.
The quarry strike storyline was actually one of the most interesting parts
for me because it made the world feel believable. The magical elements
were cool too, especially Great Great Old Granny Pink and the book of
visions. It’s weird in a good way and feels like the sort of book you could
read twice and notice new things each time.
★★★★☆
Female, Age 13
I loved the illustrations! They made the whole book feel mysterious and
magical.
Redhair and Daffodil Friend were really interesting characters, and I
liked discovering the secrets of their family along with them. Some parts
were sad, but I couldn’t stop reading because I wanted to know what
happened next. If you like myths, old legends, and magical family
stories, you’ll probably enjoy this.
★★★★★
Male, Age 17
Pink Granite feels more like a legend that someone is telling you beside
the sea than a normal novel. The writing is really different from most
fantasy books aimed at teenagers, and I mean that as a compliment.
What impressed me most was how many themes were packed into the
story. There are labour disputes, family secrets, prophecy, class conflict,
grief, and questions about tradition. Yet it never feels like a lecture. The
world-building is incredible, and the village of Core Rock feels like ithas existed for hundreds of years. Some scenes were genuinely
haunting.
The ending left me thinking for days. Not many books manage that.
★★★★★
Female, Age 15
This book was weird, magical, funny, sad, and brilliant all at the same
time.
I especially liked Granny Pink because every time she appeared I knew
something unexpected was about to happen. The story felt old and new
at once, like a fairy tale mixed with a dystopian future. I’d definitely
recommend it to readers who enjoy books that don’t follow the usual
fantasy formula.
★★★★★
Male, Age 14
I picked this up for the award because the cover looked interesting, and
I ended up getting completely pulled into the world of Core Rock.
The best thing about Pink Granite is how unique it is. The poetry, the
prophecies, the village traditions, and the family mystery all fit together
really well. It’s not the kind of book where you can predict what’s going
to happen next, which made it much more exciting. The illustrations
were also awesome and added loads of atmosphere. I’d love to read
more stories set in this world.
Video review from Alana
Press Announcement
Dr Eleanor Lybeck
“The story reminded me of the Gormenghast books and a novel by Hope Mirrlees called Lud-in-a-Mist – I felt it would certainly appeal to slightly older readers than Red Hair and Daffodil Friend, for great reasons. There is so much action, suspense, and brilliant strangeness, I found myself wanting the story to concertina outwards, while hoping there is more to come!
It looks beautiful, and the black and white silhouettes really added to the strangeness of the piece: there was something very Symbolist about them.
All in, Pink Granite is truly unique and utterly compelling, and the book has been made with such care that it’s a treasure object in itself. Bravo! “
Joanna Moxham
“Just a quick note to say how much I enjoyed your book – I listened to extracts from your narration as well. It lends itself to performance – it really is lyrical. I loved noting all the family/ location references and look forward to seeing the illustrated version. I can see how useful your Leicestershire and Trefor meanderings have been.”
Andrew Carey
“For me, this is a book about the angry times: a world where men and women, science and mystery, rich and poor are played off against one another while the powerful look on. In Core Rock, people fight over scraps of wage, blessing and dignity; the angry times are with us again.”
keith calvert –
PINK GRANITE
Pink Granite is a humorous, fun, adventure with transpersonal characters following a journey to a thrilling end that you wouldn’t predict. Imagine how special it would be to have Great Great Granny Pink say whilst entering the blessing house “Yes and that person would be you, kind friend”!
Pink Granite is beautifully illustrated and the story would make a wonderful animated film.
Carran Waterfield is an evolved archetypal storyteller.
Keith Calvert
Psychologist
Maria Venusa Rodrigues (verified owner) –
I read ‘Pink Granite’ by Carran Waterfield back in December, and I fully dove into a time where magic, hardship, inter generational patterns, beauty, loss, grief and simplicity reside.
This book tells the story of two young women, who want to know more about their history, about their past and their ancestors.
Lying on the floor of their community’s library, they research into their past, and they are transported back into a mining village, where the story of their ancestors is beautifully narrated, and there it unfolds — with poetry and humour, myth, pride and wittiness this book is for teenagers and adults who dare to dive into the magic of a story filled with depth.
This book spoke to me in ways that ask for us to take in the learnings from our ancestors, that they carry a wisdom that does not go amiss, and that we carry that wisdom, and multiply it by our own lived wisdom and warm heart in order to create change that leads to a more equal and kinder Earth for us all to live in.
Carran Waterfield is a local author, living in Southport, originally from Coventry.
This book gets a full ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me, thank you Carran for inviting me to dive into the magic of the mythical Brinepoint. 😊🙏🏻💚
Kate Dufton –
This is a book to re-read
To say aloud the songs and stories
To ponder with
To sink into the bones and stones of itself
No accident the quarrying is in there
That the book unfolds behind the deceptive simplicity of Redhair and Daffodil friend
The more I read, the more I find
The more the story resonates and holds
My confusion
At the world
My seeking to understand
I found myself thinking about Alan Garner’s work which for me is an exploring and repairing of our indigenous and deep relationship with our land and each other as part of a whole. Pink Granite feels another exploring and repair of our indigenous rooting finding the traces of old ways and tradition rather than assuming there is nothing there.
I also found the quote from Thomas Merton about the child mind being the only mind worth having floated up from somewhere partly because the stories contain such an appropriate simplicity of bafflement at ways of exploitation and the people who do this and such an appropriate and wonderful magic of an alternative. And the bafflement means the stories linger as they should.
Part of what sticks is that when the incomprehensible stories are read from grandmother’s book the reading is accompanied by a tea drinking ritual – and the feeling that fragments of an old ritual way of life linger here – as well as a life of caring for each other and proper tradition and right ordering – and these are still there in our ordinary and just need noticing and do not need exoticizing. I don’t drink tea but I can recognise something.
All of life can be ritual and spiritual.