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. ( )

A very good book, I'm glad I read it. I may read it again, now that I know how everything turns out.
It is about a family struggling to survive in wartime and post WWII deep South (Mississippi) They are working hard and managing by selling pine stumps to the turpentine plant for the military, until the war ended, and their sixth child was born. A daughter with Downs Syndrome, in the days when such children were called Mongoloid, and when African Americans were called the "n" word, with no malice intended, just cultural and systemic racism.
It is a family saga, continuing through the years until Jewel, the mother, is an old woman and her children grown, except the youngest, who never grew up even though she was middle aged, physically. ( )

I really wanted to like this book. A friend really loved it. So they thought I might enjoy it. The subject matter was very near to my heart. Being I worked 7 year's with MHMR Youth's. So I thought for sure this would be a very moving and inspiring novel. Unfortunately it fell very flat.

The story is about Jewel. A strong mother of I believe it was 6 children. Married to a hard working man. It begins in 1943 and spans several year's. It tells the tale of all the hardships Jewel has faced throughout her life before and after the birth of her disabled daughter Brenda Kay.

This book was very difficult for me to immerse myself in. I am a huge speed reader. I normally would finish this book in a day. It has taken me 6. Very slow paced. A lot of irrelevant information. Prose is a bit too much. Ultra cheesy at times. Jumps back and fourth way too much. Without ever actually building up to anything. Very melancholy.

As a mother of 4 myself, and have worked so long with special needs, I find this family portrayal inaccurate. Jewel as a character falls extremely short to me. She was not very likeable. Her main priority is always Brenda. Even at the expense of the rest of her family. As a mother you would find a way to achieve all for the good of all your children. She just wasn't believable to me. Her Character was incredibly depressing too. There is no hope throughout the novel. Only enduring.

Unfortunately I can't endure it any longer.

( )

I bought this book over a decade ago and I had no time to read it then. Recently I found this while I was decluttering and I was thinking of just donating this. But my mind says that I should at least give this a chance to be read.

I was not disappointed on this wonderful novel. This novel is rich about a lot of Jewel's stories from her experiences with her mom, dad, grandmother, school, colored people such as Cathedral, up to her husband Leston and children.

I can see a that there are a lot of not-so-good past reviews and thank goodness that I didn't succumb on believing them right away. I trust my judgment on why not I should give this a try and it didn't failed to amuse me. The author is really good on narrating in a woman's point of view and every phase on Jewel's life makes you anticipate what will happen next. ( )

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. ( )