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The Jewel Box
by
From the author of The Shoe Queen comes a jazz-age tale of love set in the world of London’s high society.
London, 1927. Diamond Sharp writes a racy newspaper column, using a fake name to conceal her identity. When she meets two charismatic American men who are bitter enemies, her life is turned upside down. She is drawn to both of them but isn’t sure whom she can trust. As ...more
London, 1927. Diamond Sharp writes a racy newspaper column, using a fake name to conceal her identity. When she meets two charismatic American men who are bitter enemies, her life is turned upside down. She is drawn to both of them but isn’t sure whom she can trust. As ...more
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Paperback, 384 pages
Published
June 2nd 2009
by Gallery Books
(first published June 2009)
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I will be honest, I could not finish this book. I felt no connection the characters and they seemed flat, at least they did to me. I really did want to enjoy this book, but each word I read I wanted to hit my head against something. I loved the setting and the time period and that was about it.
For some reason they main character kept getting under my skin and I am not even sure why. I don't even get why I didn't enjoy this book, because I enjoyed The Shoe Queen, but not this book. Maybe it is ...more
For some reason they main character kept getting under my skin and I am not even sure why. I don't even get why I didn't enjoy this book, because I enjoyed The Shoe Queen, but not this book. Maybe it is ...more
I'd seen a few reviews on this one floating around so I grabbed it, despite it's place on the romance shelf, because I wanted something lighter to read after the recent rash of histories. And while it is light, and it is a romance, it's not really a puff piece either.
Anna Davis takes us to London in the flapper era to meet Grace Rutherford, junior copywriter by day, and Diamond Sharp, acidic social columnist by night. And that's probably the least complicated thing about Grace's life. Through ...more
Anna Davis takes us to London in the flapper era to meet Grace Rutherford, junior copywriter by day, and Diamond Sharp, acidic social columnist by night. And that's probably the least complicated thing about Grace's life. Through ...more
Oh this is a delight. A solid 3.8 stars. A snappy historical fiction novel set in London in the late 1920's. It has parts that hark back into the mid 19-teens and WWI to illustrate plot points and character background / motivation but it is well done. There are elements of romance but they are set well within the plot/storyline and enmeshed in the ongoing relationships of the characters. The period is fairly well drawn and you get a sense of the dichotomy between the racy well to do set and the
...more
This book was entertaining. It was one of those books where at one point I could care less if I continued on with it, and the next minute I'm suddenly 200 pages in and wide awake.
This story is about Grace, an advertising copy writer by day, mysterious socialite by the name of Diamond Sharp at night. During the day she works hard to prove herself capable as a woman in the work force, and at night working hard to be the first to report on the goings on in London in the 1920's. It is here she ...more
This story is about Grace, an advertising copy writer by day, mysterious socialite by the name of Diamond Sharp at night. During the day she works hard to prove herself capable as a woman in the work force, and at night working hard to be the first to report on the goings on in London in the 1920's. It is here she ...more
Just finished this one and really enjoyed it! I'm not a big fan of basic chick lit, I like it to have a little something different that gives it an edge, and this really delivered for me!
It's not life changing reading, but it was a fun, enjoyable read that kept me turning pages! I loved the setting of 20's London, and really liked Grace and enjoyed reading of her escapades!
It's not life changing reading, but it was a fun, enjoyable read that kept me turning pages! I loved the setting of 20's London, and really liked Grace and enjoyed reading of her escapades!
i like the way it was written and the era it was written in the 1920's was an intresting time and it is acurate about the things going on at the time.
I stopped reading this book when the main character started sleeping with her sister's husband. Please, show a little self-respect and self-restraint!
Loved this book, but it broke everything my grandma led me to believe about people in the 1920s, people cheat.
I enjoyed this one considering I bought it mainly for its cover at a second hand shop. Set in 1920s London it’s the story of a young woman attempting to overcome her past and present demons. While it was pretty good it was a little on the nose at times and if you are familiar with the lives of the Fitzgeralds you could see their influence throughout. Writing was choppy at times and the style of the book with the articles mixed with current and past events could be a little jarring for some.
...more
3.5 stars nice little light read
2 slooooowww stars
This took me ages to get into and even when I did I wasn't really bothered who she chose or why she chose them. Not brilliant for me this one.
This took me ages to get into and even when I did I wasn't really bothered who she chose or why she chose them. Not brilliant for me this one.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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This was one of those books that is very pleasant, entertaining and swift. I enjoyed reading it very much. But as I delayed in writing my reviews I found there were a great many things about this book I couldn't recall. So, there you have it. It's a good entertaining novel, but it's not very memorable.
In the late twenties Londoner Grace writes a society column under the name Diamond Sharp. She glamorously moves from one chic club to the next, attracting the attention of men left and right, ...more
In the late twenties Londoner Grace writes a society column under the name Diamond Sharp. She glamorously moves from one chic club to the next, attracting the attention of men left and right, ...more
Oct 30, 2010
Rachel Brand
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical,
2010
From a glance at the cover this appears to be yet another chick-lit novel, so I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be much more than that. Set in London in the Roaring Twenties when women were just starting to gain independence and freedom, this is the story of Grace, a "modern woman". She's the daughter of a Suffragette, still unmarried at the age of 30 and one of the lucky few to have a professional job as a copywriter. Grace is also the secret author of a society column in a
...more
From my perspective there were two crucial mistakes in the story which led it to sewer, immediately. The very first one starts with the gender inequality issue. Even tough, the main character (Grace) defines herself as a feminist, if we had a magical stick that could change her gender to male, we would have rapist, insestic, unfaithful, pathological liar as a main character. However, all of these patterns can be understood and tolerated, since she is a "strong" and "independent" woman. Following
...more
Here is the brief summation. In the 1920's, Grace Rutherford is writing a gossip column for the paper under a pen name while maintaining a day job and protecting her family. She has her mother, her widowed sister and her two children to take care of.
Along comes two different men - Dex O'Connor and John Cramer. They have a history with each other and hate each other. Both are smitten with Grace and she in turn with both of them. Add in a couple of different ex-lovers, her sister having a ...more
Along comes two different men - Dex O'Connor and John Cramer. They have a history with each other and hate each other. Both are smitten with Grace and she in turn with both of them. Add in a couple of different ex-lovers, her sister having a ...more
This is the story of Grace Rutherford, a middle-class 30 year-old woman, living in London, who is secretly a columnist for the Piccadilly Herald. Grace lives with her sister and has a history of falling in love (or just lust) with the wrong men, with other women's men. By the end of the book almost everyone in the story had slept with multiple other people in the story, sometimes in threesomes, and angst seemed to be the order of the day. At page 299 I almost hurled the book across the room when
...more
This was a frustrating book, in the end. It had me completely hooked from page 1 and I was lost in admiration for its depiction of 1920's London. It was clear the author had done a huge amount of research, but she wasn't heavy-handed with it.
By two-thirds through the book, though, I was beginning to flag. I still loved the sense of period and place, but I was beginning to find the characters irritating and the coincidences a little hard to swallow - in the end it seemed as if everyone was ...more
By two-thirds through the book, though, I was beginning to flag. I still loved the sense of period and place, but I was beginning to find the characters irritating and the coincidences a little hard to swallow - in the end it seemed as if everyone was ...more
Really loved this book. Started it yesterday, could barely put it down until I finished it. Really, really good, I love the twenties setting - especially because I've recently been reading a bit of Evelyn Waugh - and the plot and characters were wonderfully engaging. Flawed everyone, but you were still rooting for it to work out "right" for them. I think Grace is perhaps a touch too modern in her attitude, but it helps the reader (female at least) to identify with her - despite the near 90 year
...more
Let's sashay through the glamorous life of a 1920's flapper, shall we?
Being a flapper was quite risqué in it's day. Highly unconventional, women defying tradition, escaping the confines of home, drinking, cutting their hair, going out unattended. Why the scandal!
Yes, the demise of society all linked to women having recently received the Franchise (right to vote). Well, only if you were 40+ because heaven knows a young woman can't think for herself, can she?
The Jewel Box keeps it lighthearted ...more
Being a flapper was quite risqué in it's day. Highly unconventional, women defying tradition, escaping the confines of home, drinking, cutting their hair, going out unattended. Why the scandal!
Yes, the demise of society all linked to women having recently received the Franchise (right to vote). Well, only if you were 40+ because heaven knows a young woman can't think for herself, can she?
The Jewel Box keeps it lighthearted ...more
One of the quotes says something like "You may talk about restaurants and dance clubs on the surface of your column, but it's always about more than that... something deeper." and you expect the overall book to be similar. It's light and fluffy but you expect emotional depth and a dramatic tale. I never really got to the emotional depth part. You felt for Grace, but you didn't experience heartbreak with her, you didn't experience passion with her.
Despite this, it made for enjoyable chick-lit. ...more
Despite this, it made for enjoyable chick-lit. ...more
I wanted to like this book, I really did. I read a review in Publishers Weekly and it seemed like an interesting 1920s-almost-thriller. I did like the quirky language, especially of the main character's alter ego, Diamond, who writes a column depicting the lifestyle of a flapper. However, I didn't get anything deeper from her. The men with whom she was involved became almost stereotypes - they were both mysterious, with a connected past - one was dark, stormy and violent, while the other was
...more
The Jewel Box by Anna Davis was quite an easy read. It hasn't been my favorite book, but it wasn't the worst book I've read either. The main character was interesting. She was not your usual girl. But she definitely represented the frivolity and carelessness of the 20s. I think the author captured that rather well, especially with Grace's indecisiveness of men. The culture was expressed rather well throughout the book, though I would have loved to have seen more. The structure of writing was
...more
So, I may have marked this as read, but just to be able to finish thi review. I could not finish this book. This book was sent to me randomly by a free book checkout organization, and I am always looking forward to finding new authors to read, so I tried. Never could get into it. I did not really like the jumpking around, it made the book not make sense. I orignally liked the main character, but then as more characters were introduced it got confusing again. Not sure if I will try this one
...more
This book was OK but not one of my favorites. The setting is the 1920's in London. The main character is Grace Rutherford, by day a copy writer at an advertising agency and by night a woman on the town in love with two men who have a long complicated history with one another. Grace also writes an about the town column for the newspaper.
The story became complicated with the past and present moving back and forth. The conversations were numerous and varied and I had a hard time following the ...more
The story became complicated with the past and present moving back and forth. The conversations were numerous and varied and I had a hard time following the ...more
I loved this one. The 1920s era has always fascinated me, and the London setting made it more unique. I liked that all the characters had demons they were battling with, and the author was able to resolve everything in a way that worked for me. I loved all of the characters, even O'Connell, who I don't suppose you're supposed to like. It was nice to see Grace find herself in that way, and I liked that the author was able to surprise me in the end. I don't think I have anything negative to say
...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Overall, I enjoyed this book. The major factor was due to the era it took place in (1920's). I got a good feel of the 20's due to several factors. There was use of 1920's slang, but it isn't used overly so much that I couldn't understand what was actually going on. The newspaper articles were a really unique touch in understanding a flapper's lifestyle as well. In terms of the story line, there was plenty of drama and mystery and this kept me intrigued.
Best lines:
There's nothing more lonely than being with the wrong man.
Love reminds you that you're alive.
Knowledge and Despond landed on her shoulders with a great sickening weight.
I know what you're thinking, but try to understand. For us. Because you don't want it to be over between us any more than I do. Try just the tiniest bit.
You can't just love the people you're supposed to love. Love just happens. You can't will it away.
There's nothing more lonely than being with the wrong man.
Love reminds you that you're alive.
Knowledge and Despond landed on her shoulders with a great sickening weight.
I know what you're thinking, but try to understand. For us. Because you don't want it to be over between us any more than I do. Try just the tiniest bit.
You can't just love the people you're supposed to love. Love just happens. You can't will it away.
I am continually drawn to books written in or about the 1920s. Maybe a carry-over of The Great Gatsby. I loved the column written by Diamond Sharp and her love of the flapper generation which popularized the Charleston. She was a feminist in many ways as she also battled for her place in the newspaper/advertising industry. It also explored siblings and what they share or hold back. I would like to read a follow up to this book to learn how the newly established relationships proceed.
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Readers also enjoyed
Anna Davis is the author of five novels: The Jewel Box, The Shoe Queen, Cheet, Melting and The Dinner, as well as short stories and journalism. She lives in London with her partner and two children.
Anna is also the founder and Managing Director of Curtis Brown Creative, the only creative writing school run by literary agents.
http://www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/
Anna is also the founder and Managing Director of Curtis Brown Creative, the only creative writing school run by literary agents.
http://www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/
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