Book Review: *The Necklace* by Cheryl Jarvis

I had high hopes for The Necklace by Cheryl Jarvis; the subtitle, “thirteen women and the experiment that transformed their lives,” intrigued me; I expected a tale of sharing, altruism, philanthropy and friendship.  Instead, I felt overwhelmed by portraits of entitled women who felt good about themselves because they let someone else wear (whether for ten minutes or a day) the necklace.

The book is divided into fourteen chapters, the first thirteen each focus on one of the “Women of Jewelia” (Jewelia, pronounced “Julia”, is the name they’ve bestowed on this 15.24-carat $37,000 necklace).  Jarvis assigns each woman a personality trait: the visionary, the shopper, the loner, the adventurer, etc., then proceeds to expound on that trait and explain how the woman works herself and her personality into the group.  The fourteenth chapter, The Experiment, summarizes the time the women have spent with the necklace (so far; it’s expected to be passed down through generations), and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.

Priscilla Van Gundy, the wife of the jewelry store owner, has been labeled the loner.  Tom Van Gundy saw the energy and positive spirits of the women when they were in his shop negotiating for Jewelia; he agreed to sell it for a low-margin price on the condition that his wife be one of the group.  A few months after joining, Priscilla has already been transformed by her relationship with the women, she says:

I am so grateful to be part of your group.  I feel so happy when I’m with you.  You have inspired me with your warmth, your acceptance, your joy, the camaraderie you have with one another, the way you embrace life, the way you listen to one another without criticism, the way you have welcomed me into your lives.  I now know the meaning of the word inspire.  It means ‘to breathe.’  You have breathed life into me.  Thank you.

Within a year of forming, the group thought to use Jewelia to benefit the community, holding fundraisers for several causes, including The Coalition to End Family Violence.  Jarvis points out that in less than 18 months after buying Jewelia, they had raised more money than it cost to purchase the necklace, and:

Astonished by the ease with which thirteen women working together could make an impact, the group found a direction:  grassroots philanthropy in the community, where the women knew the needs and could see the results.

What distracts from the goodness of the philanthropy is the author’s insistence on describing the women as privileged, and focusing on their looks and their surroundings.  Phrases like “with her blond hair, deep tan, flat sandals and short, floral skirt, she epitomized the ‘California casual’ look”, “Maggie … displayed the hard body of a thirty-year-old … had opted for eyelid surgery and a face-lift”, and “… her clothes hang loosely, the result of a recent holistic diet.  From her highlighted hair to her pedicured feet, her look is polished and put together …” make the “Women of Jewelia” seem more like quasi-celebrities than a cohesive unit that has found a way to rise above their differences to work together for a common good.

In my rating system on LibraryThing, loosely-based on Netflix rating verbiage, I give this book 2.5 stars, that’s mid-way between “just OK” (2 stars) and “liked it” (3 stars).  To complete the picture, 1 star is “didn’t like it”, 4 star represents “really liked it” and a 5-star rating indicates “loved it!”  I definitely like the idea of this experiment; had the focus been more on the fund-raising inspired by Jewelia and the friendships that developed (instead of descriptions of the women’s physical appearance and their homes!), it would have been a better book.

Kath at Books Books and Reviews had a more positive take on the book, read her review here.  You might want to also read LisaLynne’s review at Minds Alive on the Shelves.

The Necklace:  Thirteen Women and the Experiment that Transformed Their Lives will be published by Ballantine Books on September 9.  Click here to order from amazon.com; click here to order from your local IndieBound retailer.