Rating: 
Summary: Unbelievably good
Review: ....for several reasons. First, though the main character is a woman, the author is a man - yet you completely believe that a woman is telling this story.Second, Lott's writing style makes it seem as though "Jewel" was written in the 1950's - yet, according to the copyright page it was published in 1991. The country was just starting to get into political correctness around that time, and it's hard to believe that a book that uses this sort of language (implied and explicit) could have been written in 1991. But the fact remains that it was - and it's one of the best books I've read so far in 2003. Yes, a good deal of the book is depressing - considering the major plotline it can't help but be depressing. But while not every thread of the story is resolved, there's a lot more positive than negative feelings when you finish the last page. I'm not exactly a fan of Oprah Winfrey's book club, but in "Jewel" she picked a winner.
Rating:
Summary: A mother's love
Review: As an avid reader I really enjoyed this book and was made aware of just how few books there are about the mentally and physically handicapped. Lott's story really opened my eyes and made me sympathetic to those who must deal with similar hardships.
Lott's voice as a countrified woman is fabulously realistic and I have't seen it done so well since Wally Lamb wrote "She's Come Undone." This story is so epic and so touching that it seems more like a memoir than fiction.
In truth, this is one of those books, not unlike "Gap Creek," where the reader is exposed to a whole new world and is able to become almost intimate with all the characters. This novel is filled with hardship, blissful ignorance, and a whole lot of what most of us know as the human condition.
The reason I gave this a lower rating is because I found at least thirty misspellings and typo's. Maybe it is the perfectionist in me, but so many mistakes really take away from the flow of the writing.
If this is a flaw that you can deal with, I highly recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Well done!
Review: Bret Lott centers his story around a woman named Jewel who is orphaned at age 11, sent to a girls boarding school of sorts by her grandmother, a punishment for teaching the slaves on her plantation how to read. She becomes a teacher eventually and marries at a young age a man with whom she will mother six children. The last of these children, Brenda Kay, is diagnosed as a Mongolian Idiot shorly after she is born, a diagnosis that will change Jewel's life forever. Lott traces the next fory years of her life, as a mother first and foremost, but also as a wife, a teacher and a woman. She is laden with choices, where to bring Brenda Kay for help, how to care for the other five children just as attentively, how to support and follow a husband who does not always understand the direct needs of his family. I found it a book that took more than a few days to read, the intensity requiring more concentration and energy. A good book, all-in-all, creating a window into the lives of mentally-disabled children and the lives that lay before them and their families as a result of their condition.
Rating:
Summary: How Does He Know?
Review: I love this book. As the mother of a developmentally disabled young man, I am touched that someone, a man at that, understands the amazing variety of thoughts, motivations, and experiences of mothers like Jewel. I've been through so much of that. The worrisome sweetheart crush and hand-holding, the "child" who doesn't grow up, the feeling of having let your other children down, after they're grown and it's too late. Even Jewel's helplessness when Lester moves them back to the South. She's fought so hard for Brenda Kay's education, she just couldn't stand up for one more battle.I'm grateful we live in this time and not Jewel's, but as parents of special children, we STILL do battle with the school system to get our children recognized so that they can be all they can be. Now our kids are on school grounds, but in the oldest leaky portable way in the back, despite the richness they bring to the school environment. Jewel has let the world know of the importance of the struggle to gain equality for the Brenda Kays of our world. Like Jewel's ability to drop the use of the N word, the world now needs to stop treating the disabled as if they had little to offer.
Rating: 
Summary: I quit.
Review: I packed it in on this one after about 100 pages. I didn't find the story interesting or very well written. Reading shouldn't be about hoping a book 'picks up' in a few pages.
Rating: 
Summary: Moving but tough
Review: I stuck with this book until the end,and I'm glad I did. Jewel offers readers the chance to look into the lives of ordinary people in an extraordinary situation-- caring for a Down's Syndrome child. The plot and the story were intriguing.
However, as a main character, I found Jewel extremely annoying. It seemed like she had children to satisfy her own ego, not to give out unconditional love. I thought she was very selfish. It was terrible the way she abandoned her other five kids. Bret Lott makes it seem like she had no other choice, that taking care of Brenda Kay was so hard that giving up the five others was inevitable. I couldn't get the warm fuzzies about Brenda Kay and jewel's mother/child relationship because I don't think Jewel WAS a good mother. Controlling and demanding, yes. Caring, no.
Also, this book was so heavy, weighed down with long descriptive phrases, renderings that made no sense, Jewel repeating herself again and again. There was not enough dialogue, and the action (or lack thereof) was insipid and SLOW. The first thing we learned in fiction writing in college is "SHOW, DON'T TELL." I ate up the few action scenes, as well as the family's backgrounds, like a greedy crack addict, dying for something out of Jewel's head.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece-- powerful, moving and beautifully written.
Review: The first couple chapters were a little hard to get into, but after that the book swept me away-- I couldn't put it down. I think it is wonderful both as "literature" and simply as a good read, and I was very moved (and changed) by it. This book has further convinced me that it is possible for a man to write with deep understanding and realism from the viewpoint of a woman, even across the span of a woman's entire lifetime, which is what Bret Lott accomplishes with Jewel. I do not think there is anything superficial (or overly "family-values"-ish/wholesome) about this book-- to me it falls on the opposite side of the spectrum. Jewel herself sometimes has a limited perspective, but any realistic narrator is an "unreliable narrator"-- she doesn't see/understand everything which the reader can see in/learn from the book (which in this case is a tremendous amount). Bret Lott examines the intricacies of family relationships (as well as the lives of people in the south and in Los Angeles, in different time periods) with an amazing degree of insight and compassion (and in my opinion, without any sugarcoating or triteness). There is much in this story that is sad and painful, but it left me above all with a feeling of hope. It is a beautifully written, imaginative, moving story, and a totally fulfilling read.
Rating:
Summary: A mother's love
Review: This was a great book. I loved the way the author showed the connections each family member had with Brenda Kay. It shows that people with disabilities really do have feelings and can love you just as much as anyone else can. I don't have any children of my own yet, but the book gave me the sense of being there and feeling the struggles that Jewel had with her children. I could really feel the love that she had for them and could tell it was unconditional. I would recommend this book to anyone, especially people who want to know what family life can be like with a disabled child.
Rating:
Summary: If only we all had Jewel's strength
Review: What a story! Where does someone get the kind of strength & courage Jewel has? This story gave us a wonderful insight to a family of 6 children, one of them born [mentally handicapped], named Brenda Kay. The nice thing about this story is that it's not just about Brenda Kay; it's about a marriage, it's about all of the children & their triumph's & struggles. It's about what it's like to live in Mississippi in the 40's & 50's. Mr. Lott does fill up the book with a lot of description of the surroundings, or of what Jewel is thinking about, etc. I felt that it wasn't too overwhelming, as some readers mentioned. I really enjoyed Oprah's selection. I am now curious, never having read Bret Lott before, if his other books are just as good.
Rating:
Summary: Informative
Review: What a struggle this book was! Aside from the fact that Bret Lott is obviously a very talented writer, I had such a hard time moving through this story. I'm not sure what it was about Jewel that failed to excite me. Excellent writing skills and a decent storyline are both present; however, I could not enjoy myself. Something was definitely missing for me. Jewel Hilburn is a good wife, bringing forth five strong, healthy children and making a comfortable home for her family. Although late in life, Jewel finds herself pregnant again -- a sixth child, the baby of the family, the apple of her eye. But five months after little Brenda Kay is born, Jewel notices something dreadfully different from her other children. God has blessed the Hilburn family with a special child, a Down's Syndrome baby, and one who will prove she is both the burden and joy of all their lives. The story spans an entire lifetime, beginning with flashbacks of Jewel's childhood and ending with Jewel in her 80s. For readers who enjoy epics and characters that grow up before you, Jewel, at least in that respect, will provide. I am clearly stumped as to the drawback of this book (for me). Pages did not turn quickly, I was never excited to pick it up and return to the world of Jewel and her family. I will say the last few chapters of this book did evoke some emotion, but other than that, Jewel fell flat. There is an audience for this book; however, be aware that the story does not move quickly, paragraphs are overly descriptive, and there is not enough dialogue to push things along. If you are in a reading slump, bypass Jewel for something more exciting.
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