Jewel

by Bret Lott

Paperback, 1999

Status

Disponible

Call number

813.54

Genres

General Fiction

All Topics

Fiction

Publication

Pocket (1999), 560 pages

Description

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 1943, Jewel gives thanks for a healthy baby, last-born and most welcome. Jewel is the story of how quickly a life can change; how, like lightning, an unforeseen event can set us on a course without reason or compass. In this story of a woman's devotion to the child who is both her burden and God's singular way of smiling on her, Bret Lott has created a mother-daughter relationship of matchless intensity and beauty, and one of the finest, most indomitable heroines in contemporary American fiction.

User reviews

LibraryThing member serbook

A womans life journey starting out in Mississippi and finishing off in California. Hardship comes in with the birth of a retarded child. However God uses this event in their lives to lead her family out into a new path of life and prosperity . The story echoes the promise of God in the bible in

Romans chapter 8 verse 28

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LibraryThing member readingrat

Brett Lott does a wonderful job of creating convincing characters.

LibraryThing member cms519

While I was not enamored with the plot of this book, I found myself really enjoying the prose. It begged me to slow down, to read the words as Jewel would have thought and said them, to take on a Southern rhythm.

LibraryThing member abutler_14

Praise should be given to Bret Lott and his incredible talent as a writer. He wrote as if he were a woman, from the emotions to the phyiscality. I loved this book from the second I started reading. The story of Jewel Hilburn's many lives tugged at my heart-strings. I was constantly reaching for the

tissues as I read of Jewel's hardships and strengths.

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LibraryThing member mindyshalleck

In the early 1940’s in the backwoods of Mississippi, Jewel and her husband are raising five healthy children. But when her last is born, life changes on a dime. Jewel is a super-hero heroine in her devotion to a child who is both her burden and God's extraordinary gift. Bret Lott’s southern

style and intimate creation of a mother-daughter relationship that last the tests of time, is truly remarkable. A must read.

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LibraryThing member phyllis.shepherd

Jewel, her husband, and their five children live in the backwoods of Mississippi. Then they have a child born with Down Syndrome, her husband's job is no longer steady, and they begin a long a difficult road. Jewel is stubborn and tireless in her efforts to save her daughter and her family.

LibraryThing member BookConcierge

SPOILER ALERT

When Jewel gives birth to Brenda Kay, her 6th child, she has all the love and hope any parent of a newborn has. But Brenda Kay has Down's syndrome and Jewel's life is then devoted to "fixing" it. In the process she loses her husband (in heart if not in reality) and much of herself.

Well-written.

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LibraryThing member Rascalstar

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 gentle humor will make the reader smile, and other moments will incite other emotions and drama. There seems to be a little bit of most of us in this book.

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