This is my review for The Jewel Box by C. Michelle McCarty. The
opinions expressed are my own and were in no way influenced by anyone
else.
This book surprised me. I'm normally not one for what could be
described as "Chick Lit" but the description of this book had me
interested. The description promised a cast of characters that wind
their way through the life of a small-town girl who takes on big-city
life. It promised a gorgeous transsexual, groping cop, ditzy
quasi-stalking neighbor and a Mr. Higgins like adviser who is trying to
help her in everything from learning the ropes to romantic advice to
parenting advice. The story takes you through over 30 years of Jill
a.k.a. Cherie's life.
The book begins in 2003 with Cherie sitting in her antique shop waiting
on a special delivery. When the delivery arrives it launches a
flashback that takes up nearly the entire book, taking you back to the
beginning of Jill's small-town life. She grows up with an outspoken
father, whom she takes after and her religious and prim mother who she
can never seem to connect with. In her hurry to get away from her small
town life, she marries young and has a daughter, Nikki. Her taste in
men isn't exactly stellar and the marriage ends and she quickly needs to
make a life for herself and her daughter. After connecting with her
friend Kat and at her urging and the urging of her current disastrous
boyfriend, she goes to The Jewel Box and ends up with a job as a
waitress at a less than proper establishment. But here is where she
meets Beau, the owner of The Jewel Box. Beau becomes her adviser and
teaches her about life, love and everything in between. Jill becomes
Cherie, out of necessity to keep her other life secret and separate from
her family who she just doesn't think would understand.
The story really revolves around Cherie and Gabriel, who she meets
while working at The Jewel Box. They are very obviously two people who
are destined to be together and share a friendship and a love that
many of us wish we could have. This isn't a fairy tale love, but one
that's surprisingly real, raw and for the most part believable. Life
throws everything possible at the couple and it seems that fate wants to
keep them apart. Gabe's mother is particularly vicious and made me
want to come through the book and throttle her. You may find yourself
wanting to slap both Gabe and Cherie for being utterly stubborn and
stupid when it comes to love, communication and just generally being
rational human beings, but if you stick it out the story really is an
engaging and human one.
The cast of characters are varied and vivid. You meet her Delilah, her
neighbor, and are at once repulsed but still find yourself laughing at
how you almost wish you had someone as brash and vocal as her around.
She was a fun
secondary character and one that added some much needed laughter to the
story. Nikki is Cherie's daughter and you get to watch her grow from a
toddler into an amazing young woman and she's the type of daughter that I
think many of us would love to have. Gloria is Gabe's mother and trust
me when I say she's a character you just love to hate. Evil
mother-in-law indeed! Beau the spiritual adviser who stays with her
throughout her life through thick and thin. So many characters come in
and out of the story but they all feel real and all lend something to
the story regardless of how long they stick around. Some you wish would
stay longer and some you can't wait till they get shown the door.
The setting was great. You get to travel from the 60's all the way
to 2000's and share in all the music, pop culture, politics and
everything else in-between along the way. As the story unfolds through
the decades, you are treated to a very vivid look at some of the most
important events in our immediate past.
A solid 4 stars for The
Jewel Box. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking
for a decent romance book with just the right touches of sadness,
melancholy and totally incredulous moments. It wasn't overdone,
overblown or over sexed. It was just right.
The Jewel Box on Amazon
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