Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Jewel
    Jewel
    Jewel
    Audiobook5 hours

    Jewel

    Written by Bret Lott

    Narrated by Celia Weston

    3.5/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    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 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.

    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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateFeb 1, 1999
    ISBN9780743548908
    Author

    Bret Lott

    Bret Lott is the author of the novels A Song I Knew by Heart, Jewel (an Oprah's Book Club selection), The Hunt Club, Reed's Beach, A Stranger's House, and The Man Who Owned Vermont; three story collections, a memoir, and a writing guide. Named editor of The Southern Review in 2004, Bret Lott lives with his wife in Charleston, South Carolina.

    More audiobooks from Bret Lott

    Related to Jewel

    Related audiobooks

    Family Life For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    Related categories

    Reviews for Jewel

    3.5/5

    373 ratings9 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      SPOILER ALERTWhen 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.
    • 5/5
      I liked this book very much. My sister & I (we're not only birth sisters but also book sisters) usually agree but she thought that the mother neglected the other children, and I felt she did the right thing. However, I'm a mother of three, and my sister doesn't have kids, I guess that's the reason for our different views.
    • 5/5
      Just when you think your own life is hard and unfair, you read a book like this and realize you have it pretty damn good and had better shut up and stop whining.

      Every sentence is a work of art and if I jotted down my favorite quotes I'd be re-writing the whole book. It's just that good.

      Definitely goes on my Favorites shelf.

      Now I need to find the movie starring Farrah Fawcett.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      Brett Lott does a wonderful job of creating convincing characters.