First published in 1964 by McClelland and Stewart, it is perhaps the best-known of Laurence's series of five novels set in the fictitious town of Manawaka, Manitoba.

In parallel narratives set in the past and the present-day (early 1960s), The Stone Angel tells the story of Hagar Currie Shipley.

In a series of vignettes, The Stone Angel tells the story of Hagar Shipley, a 90-year-old woman struggling to come to grips with a life of intransigence and loss.

Amongst other titles by Laurence, The Stone Angel is consistently listed as one of the greatest Canadian novels ever written.

[8] The stage play premiered in 1991 at the Blyth Festival under the direction of Brian Richmond and starring Barbara Chilcott as Hagar.

[9] Nichol's play has subsequently been performed in 1993 with Theatre Passe Muraille under the direction of Maureen White,[10] by the Canadian Stage Company in 1999,[11] and by the King's Town Players in 2014,[12] among others.