Part literary travelogue, part ancestral history, A Woman of Stone pays homage to the mythology and history of the continent. It is the tale of Sam Brown, his famous grandmother, who goes missing while hiking across the Outback, and his mother who tries to fill the space left in her wake. A Woman of Stone delves into the lives of the Browns, their past and their present all the while examining the universal hold and effect that a country can have on an individual. Commenting on this Pierce states, ?This was something I didn't understand before I lived in Australia?the way a national culture can shape a person. When I first moved to Australia, I loved being there, learning the nuances of the culture, reading their books. But after being there for six months or so, I began to crave contact with other Americans who were living in Sydney. Of course our accents gave us away. But beyond that, we were beginning to understand how we carried our country with us even though were not presently living there.? The Australia Stories heralds an introduction to an astute new author; one who has a keen understanding of people, no matter which land they may come from.