
4*s
In the best tradition of saga novels The Jeweller’s Wife has at its centre a complex couple, a fabulous house, sumptuous jewellery and enough of those seven vices to keep the momentum turning.
Having opened in Cairo just as the Second World War was going to start young Juliet is in dire need of money and takes her fifteenth birthday present from her father to a jeweller to sell it. Henry Winterton was in the shop looking for rare gems, but he didn’t just walk away with the pearls, he had married nineteen year old Juliet within two weeks and bought her to his home in Essex. Grand Marsh Hall on the edge of the Blackwater salt marshes in Essex, a large home for Juliet to learn new skills as a wife, and before too long a mother, but it doesn’t take long for that old adage ‘marry in haste repent at leisure’ to become increasingly insistent. It’s fair to say Henry Winterton is not an easy man to live with. Fortunately the family jewellery business on London’s best street keeps him busy.
Judith was in a way a woman born before her time, or perhaps a woman who was born before time allowed her to fulfil her personality. With Henry so difficult from the beginning she made friends with her sister-in-law, Helen and as her children grew used her artistic talents for the good of the local school and putting on concerts at the house.
Nearby to the women with their comfortable lifestyle is a young woman who lives in a cottage on one of the islands. Frances has twins and feels like she’s been imprisoned away from her family and friends, she knows why she’s a secret but that doesn’t mean she is happy about it. Frances’s story reminds us of the perils of biology at a time when options were few and reliance on the father of the child to do the right thing was the only way to survive.
Of course in any saga that spans more than thirty years there are gaps in the story as the story is moved forward to take in the younger generations as they also find their own way in life. It is here, as the choices, both good, and bad, of their parents begin to have a real impact and Juliet realises that some of hers are at the heart of the somewhat fracture family.
The setting is superb, the unpredictable water rushing in and out of the salt marshes makes for a treacherous and somewhat bleak landscape, the perfect backdrop for a story which has its fair share of low-points for most of the characters although with some artists in the family the ever-changing tides could provide inspiration.
After a slowish start where the scene was set I was really drawn into this read, following the two generations as they suffered all manner of calamities, especially in the latter chapters which brings the story up to the 1960s and a changing world illustrated by the need of one young mother to work as well as have a child. A world where unlike poor Juliet, it was possible to walk away from a marriage that looked sure to bring nothing but unhappiness.
The writing style seemed a little bit remote at first, describing scenes rather than from the point of view of any particular character, but I realise this is probably because of the numerous books that I now read in the first person present tense and in time got to appreciate the wider viewpoint that this afforded the reader.
This is an enjoyable saga for those readers who want to be absorbed in another world; in fact perfect autumnal reading.
I’d like to thank the publishers Headline for allowing me to read a copy of this book. This honest opinion is my thank you to them.
First Published UK: 8 September 2016
Publisher: Headline
No of Pages: 512
Genre: Historical Fiction (family saga)
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Awesome review! I asked the author about recommendations and I think I’m going to start with another one of hers, but they all look amazing!
LikeLike
I read One Last Dance by this author a while back and adored it – they do all look good though 😊
LikeLike
That’s the one she said I’d like 😍
LikeLiked by 1 person
😊
LikeLike
Yay 🙂
LikeLike
Great review.I like the sound of this.The setting and storyline sound really good.
LikeLike
Thank you Diana 🙂
LikeLike
The setting for this one does sound fantastic, Cleo. And sometimes those saga-type stories give such an excellent portrait of life at a certain time. I’m glad you ended up drawn into this story.
LikeLike
Every now and again I like the change of pace these stories bring and Judith Lennox is very skilled at giving us a snapshot of how the world has changed through these kind of novels.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great review! Looks like I’ll have to add this to my (already unmanageable) TBR pile.
LikeLike
Lol it can’t be as unmanageable as mine 😉
LikeLike
Great review! I love layered sagas that carry on over generations, and I am glad you enjoyed it. I think the “remote” style would bother me, too, as I’ve grown to love the first person narratives…but I’m glad it worked out. Thanks for sharing.
LikeLike
Yes I never realised I’d got so attached to the first person narratives but it took me a while to get into this one – but it came good in the end!
LikeLike
I do like sagas like these – they are, as you say, a good way to get away in the fall!
LikeLiked by 1 person