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59th out of 73 books
—
980 voters
Jewel
by
Bret Lott
(Oprah's Book Club)
Jewel and her husband, Leston, have been blessed by a fifth child, a girl they name Brenda Kay. But Brenda Kay, who was born with Down's syndrome, is also a challenge. In this inspirational and deeply moving audiobook, Jewel realizes that Brenda Kay is her special gift from God.
Jewel and her husband, Leston, have been blessed by a fifth child, a girl they name Brenda Kay. But Brenda Kay, who was born with Down's syndrome, is also a challenge. In this inspirational and deeply moving audiobook, Jewel realizes that Brenda Kay is her special gift from God.
Mass Market Paperback, 560 pages
Published
December 31st 1999
by Pocket Books
(first published January 1st 1991)
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I'm wavering between 2 stars and 3. I'm rounding up because I'm in a good mood right now.
Several years ago, a friend of mine gave me a stack of books she’d been collecting based on Oprah’s book list recommendations and wanted to pass them on (not because they were great or anything, she assured me, but because she doesn’t like to keep books). I laughed at her but accepted the books because I was a recent college graduate with a crappy job and a debt to income ratio that would make anybody cringe...more
Several years ago, a friend of mine gave me a stack of books she’d been collecting based on Oprah’s book list recommendations and wanted to pass them on (not because they were great or anything, she assured me, but because she doesn’t like to keep books). I laughed at her but accepted the books because I was a recent college graduate with a crappy job and a debt to income ratio that would make anybody cringe...more
I liked this book. I *really* like the prose style of the author. I just didn't much like the story line, hence the 3 stars, rather than more. If I could, I'd give the author 5 stars for writing style, and 2 stars for story line. It just didn't much go anywhere. I kept reading because I felt like there was going to be a point made, somewhere along the line, but it never made it.
What really bugged me was a male author, writing from the first person perspective of a woman. I don't know why this s...more
What really bugged me was a male author, writing from the first person perspective of a woman. I don't know why this s...more
Sep 06, 2008
Joe
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who like words strung together, separated, joined by commas to form very boring sentences
Shelves:
borrowed-family
The first warning, of course, is the pre-printed "O" proudly gazing from the upper right hand corner of Bret Lott's novel Jewel: the significant stamp of Oprah, a woman whose taste in contemporary literature has roughly the same batting average as a pitcher in the National League.
Jewel, which suffers from the same florid prose employed by Janet Fitch (author of White Oleander, another Oprah Pick Of Death), is the "epic" story of a woman from rural Mississippi who gives birth to a girl with Down'...more
Jewel, which suffers from the same florid prose employed by Janet Fitch (author of White Oleander, another Oprah Pick Of Death), is the "epic" story of a woman from rural Mississippi who gives birth to a girl with Down'...more
I almost quit this book at least 3 different times but I kept on reading. I had to struggle just to read the last 10 pages as well.
First the good points: The topic interested me greatly when I read the back cover. I like to read about stories set in the South that involve family relationships. Additionally, what made this book unique was it revolved around the challenges in raising Brenda Key, a Down Syndrome girl, in the South during the 50's and 60's. Also, there are a few touching moments be...more
First the good points: The topic interested me greatly when I read the back cover. I like to read about stories set in the South that involve family relationships. Additionally, what made this book unique was it revolved around the challenges in raising Brenda Key, a Down Syndrome girl, in the South during the 50's and 60's. Also, there are a few touching moments be...more
Each chapter in this novel begins with a scene in the present, goes to a character-defining flashback brought on by something as simple as a word or a touch, and then comes back to round out the rest of the present situation. Jewel, the title character, narrates her story of life after--and before--giving birth to her sixth child, Brenda Kay, who has Down Syndrome. Jewel questions the character of a God who would allow this trial in her life, but falls back on what her past experiences have taug...more
Having watched family members raise two special needs children I can relate to what Jewel experienced in this book with the birth of her daughter. However, as a mother it saddened me to watch her lose touch with the rest of her life in her constant need to try to improve her daughter when I felt she could have embraced and accepted her more for who she was instead of who she hoped for her to be. The book focuses too much on the burden that Brenda Kay is instead of showing ways in which she added...more
I think this book was so well written, the characters are so well developed and even now, after reading it over a year ago, I still am amazed that it was written by a man. Brett Lott wrote Jewel extremely well.
But, a book being well written doesn't make me love it. I just disagreed with so many of the actions of Jewel that it left such a bad taste in my mouth at the end. Mainly her disdain and disregard for her husband. Some might see it as inspiring that she was so determined to get to Californ...more
But, a book being well written doesn't make me love it. I just disagreed with so many of the actions of Jewel that it left such a bad taste in my mouth at the end. Mainly her disdain and disregard for her husband. Some might see it as inspiring that she was so determined to get to Californ...more
By South Carolina author, Brett Lott. Lots of folks loved this book. I wasn't too crazy about it as I recall. The writing was good, but I lacked sympathy for Jewel. I guess having worked with tons of kids with Downs Syndrome, and having several friends with children with it, I took it all too personally.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
In the backwoods of Mississippi, a land of honeysuckle and grapevine, Jewel and her husband, Leston, are truly blessed; they have five fine children. When Brenda Kay is born in...more
FROM THE PUBLISHER
In the backwoods of Mississippi, a land of honeysuckle and grapevine, Jewel and her husband, Leston, are truly blessed; they have five fine children. When Brenda Kay is born in...more
I've worked with special needs adults for 21 years and have interviewed many, many families. And I live in Mississippi. And I am a mom. This book is spot on. Like others who have commented, I was frequently struck with amazement that it was written by a man.
From a literary point of view, I'm not sure all of the developmental information about Jewel was needed, but much of it was. It probably could have been condensed. But to the reviewers who say it was slow and tedious and lacked a satisfactor...more
From a literary point of view, I'm not sure all of the developmental information about Jewel was needed, but much of it was. It probably could have been condensed. But to the reviewers who say it was slow and tedious and lacked a satisfactor...more
Women who lives in the South in the mid to later 1900's and is very traditional. She has a load of kids and her last one is mentally disabled. It's mainly about her and her relationship with the child and how the family deals. They move out to Los Angeles, against the husbands wishes and everyone thrives out there. About 15 years later, the husband wants to move back to the South and for some reason, the wife doesn't put up much of a fight, which pissed me off so much. All her children were grow...more
A very, very well written novel. I was surprised that a male could write with the extreme amount of sensitivity and depth to the many female issues such as child birth, breast feeding, demands of a newborn, that are covered in this book, and with such tenderness at that. Wow, can't wait to read more of his work. Also, it takes place in the deep south, places where I went to middle school(Picayune), high school(Bogalusa) and graduated from...having actually lived on the Pearl River where the auth...more
1 like · like · see review
Lott does a terrific job with this book. The story essentially covers the entire life of the main character, Jewel, but the author does so in a way that is sensitive, believable, and never feels unfocused. I enjoyed Lott's perception and honest insight into human character.
At the very beginning, I struggled just a hair with some word choices at first (the "n" word, cracker, retard, etc.), but more because it offends my 21st C. sensibilities than because of the writing. It was appropriately used...more
At the very beginning, I struggled just a hair with some word choices at first (the "n" word, cracker, retard, etc.), but more because it offends my 21st C. sensibilities than because of the writing. It was appropriately used...more
1 like · like · see review
When you pick up a typical Oprah Book Club pick (and by "typical" I mean not when she's trying to get people to buy the classics), you know you're in for an emotionally heart-wrenching ride. You also know that just when you think things can't get any worse for the downtrodden main character, it definitely will. While Jewel is not filled with the physical and sexual abuse common in many of Oprah's picks, it is the story of an abandoned and unloved woman trying to find meaning in her life. Jewel,...more
One should not read past reviews until you finish a book. Alot of 2 and 3 stars; but I liked this book immensely, so I gave it a five! It was well written, had good character development, an eye for detail, and was emotion packed. A poor rural Mississippi family's sixth child born in 1943 is a Downs Syndrome child. Instead of putting her daughter, Brenda Kay, in an institution Jewel believes she can "fix" her daughter by moving to California where there is help for such children. Her husband, Le...more
This is one of those books that will stay with me the rest of my life. I can hardly believe it was written by a MAN! The intrinsic feelings of a woman, wife, mother were very wisely written. The theme of once a mother means forever a mother is emphasized in the fact that Jewel has a Down's Syndrome daughter that never ages mentally past six years old. Contrast this with the fact that Jewel still has 5 other "normal" children to nurture and care for and you have an interesting story. Towards the...more
I gave Jewel 2 1/2 stars. It was a long saga of a family (from 1940 - 1984) who lived in Purvis, Louisana during WW2, and whose sixth child was born a Down's Syndrom child - (called "Mongoloid idiot" in those days). There life story covers Jewel, the mother, doing everything she could think, read, hear about to help her daughter, Brenda Kay. She created an amazing mother-daughter relationship that was her primary concern in life - her other children and husband struggling to get through life mos...more
I was very impressed that this novel was written by a man! He describes so truthfully and eloquently the feelings of a married woman raising a family.
Jewel's courage and strength in raising her Down's Syndrome daughter Brenda Kay is admirable, although it is at the expense of her other five children.
This novel is about so many things; marriage, children, triumphs, struggles, mental disabilities, relationships, family life and love.
I often felt sadness while reading this novel. Sadness for Jewel...more
Jewel's courage and strength in raising her Down's Syndrome daughter Brenda Kay is admirable, although it is at the expense of her other five children.
This novel is about so many things; marriage, children, triumphs, struggles, mental disabilities, relationships, family life and love.
I often felt sadness while reading this novel. Sadness for Jewel...more
Start this book and hang in there; you'll be glad you did. This is NOT the type of book I normally like so if I loved it you probably will too, but only if 1) you are a woman and 2) if you are a mother. I don't know if you will find this book as amazing without this connection. Granted it's seems a bit slow and verbose at times, but it's capture of the intense emotions and motivations of a woman stretched thin by the multiple demands of a large family, especially on limited finances and resource...more
As a teacher of special needs youngsters, this book was a must read for me. The story begins in the 30's, if I remember with the birth of a Down Syndrome child to a family in the deep south.The story describes the many difficulties the family members had dealing with the problems the child brought. The mother had difficult choices to make and, subsequently, so did the other family members. Would I have reacted in the same way if this was my child? I don't really know. But, I do know that having...more
This novel set in the south starts strong. The way the author handles a death scene of the protagonist's father is powerful. And I was thinking the book could be as galvanizing as other memorable novels of the American south: Bastard Out of Carolina, Heart is a Lonely Hunter, etc. But the novel for me failed to sustain that kind of intensity of plotting and characterization. Yes, the main plot of a mother giving birth to a mentally challenged child is heart rendering. And the mother's struggle w...more
Feb 24, 2008
Mary
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone who loves stories of resilient families
Recommended to Mary by:
I found it in a bookstore
I have a soft spot for books about disadvantaged kids. Here was another one about a child with Down syndrome, and the sacrifices made by a mother who loved this child, to keep her and raise her. Beautifully written, deeply felt.
This was one of the selections for Oprah's Book Club. This is the story of a family growing up in the fifties in Mississippi. Jewel herself is orphaned and is raised by a grandmother in a mansion with servants, where she does not fit in. She marries and they are doing relatively well after the war living in a house built by Jewel's husband, Lott. They have five children and all is well until the 6th child is born with Down Syndrom. They travel to New Orleans for better treatment, having their ch...more
Boooooooring! There was no climax. The book didn't build up to anything, it was just about Jewel's boring life. It took me 3 months to finish it because I kept buying new books to read instead, I finally had to force myself to finish it, hoping that it would get better. It didn't. I read for about 10 minutes at a time (while smoking or pooping), so I need a book that will keep me interested and maybe even make me want to sit down and read instead of watching TV or whatnot. All the internal dialo...more
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I guess when I'm looking at what makes a good read, it's that even if the people are pretty ordinary under normal circumstances, they're put in circumstances that are somewhat extraordinary. This book, to me, was too, well, ordinary. It's not that I didn't admire the characters. I did--very much. I think Jewel and her husband are wonderful people who raise a good, strong family. But this could be the story of anybody with a Downs Syndrome child in the 50s-70s. This could have been my aunt and un...more
Some books might not have the most coherent plot or the best writing but you just can't put them down. Something about them keeps you reading and wanting more. Then there are books that you want to like, that are about interesting subjects and have decent writing but you have to make yourself read them. Jewel is one of the latter. I can't say what I didn't like but reading it was a chore. Not so much that I couldn't finish it, but it did take me a while.
It's an Oprah book of the month and that m...more
It's an Oprah book of the month and that m...more
This is one of my very favorite books of all time. I LOVED it after the first page because of the shear brilliance and flow of the writing. It's pure poetry. Some author's have a God-given talent and I think Mr. Lott is one of them. The main character is a strong, determined woman, not without flaws. She's made all the more amazing when you keep thinking that a man wrote this story from a woman's perspective. I'm always amazed when a man can truly capture the spirt, heart and feelings of a woman...more
In the past I've enjoyed Brett Lott's nonfiction, particularly essays that have appeared in Fourth Genre, but I was not particularly taken by this book. The biggest issue was that it lacked concision. It waxed way too long, especially in the second half where large segments of time were collapsed into a few pages or even sentences and then 15 minutes of experience with minimal action and lots of internal monologue took over 10-15 pages. I found myself skimming. I also would liked to have noted a...more
Rich writing and yet in a homey way. Jewel's story reaches from her childhood to old age with all the various things that happen in lives, told in compelling ways and with exquisite attention to detail. The author gives us a profound understanding of the characters, of all of us really.
The last-born child in this family has Down's Syndrome, at a time in the mid-twentieth century when not as much was known about it. The story takes place in both Mississippi and California. The tender moments and...more
The last-born child in this family has Down's Syndrome, at a time in the mid-twentieth century when not as much was known about it. The story takes place in both Mississippi and California. The tender moments and...more
I read this at least eight years ago, and I didn't get into it at all then. I liked it better this time, maybe because I am a mother now and therefore understand Jewel's fiercely protective desire to give her Down's syndrome last child the opportunities that barely existed in the 1950s. Although I related to Jewel and her husband Leston better this time, the prose did seem weighed down, thumping along under the burden of its Heavy Subject. Also, every section and chapter seemed to end on an orga...more
I loved every bit of this book. I thought the author did a good job of developing various characters' awareness and adjusting their behavior accordingly ... again staying true to reality in that some people cannot or do not break old habits while others learn and grow through travels and life experiences. I did not find the language offensive because it was used as would've been genuinely spoken by people based on the region/year of the given chapter. The reason I could not go with five stars is...more
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“I felt on my back gentle pats like fragile wings just touching me, touching me: my grandchildren's hands.”
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Dec 08, 2009 01:02pm