Customer Reviews

The Jewel Carriers

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My view of the other side of the world, and our own, changed forever after reading Mr. Akbar's book last year in less than 2 days. His tale is powerful and told with hurricane force. The story of wars within wars from a global to a personal level MUST be translated into film someday.
Today, September 22, 2001, I am about to re-read The Jewel Carriers. I have not reread a book since my school days, when it was necessary. Mr. Akbar's book is now more relevant than ever, and its inspiration and underlying messages more crucial than ever. Besides the satisfaction of having been thoroughly entertained, what you will take from this book is a larger, more meaningful sense of Truth. Read this book and do everything else you can to teach yourself and others peace and tolerance in these trying times.

Written in simplistic prose, similar to Ernest Hemingway, mixed with the action packed suspense of an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, the Jewel Carriers provides the reader with the exuberant and perilous tale of Abdul Barkzi's quest for a satchel full of precious jewels. The Jewel Carriers depicts the vivid tale of three men and an American women embarking on a tumultuous journey across eight countries. Set in the backdrop of the Soviet intervention in December of 1979, the Jewel Carriers provide a closer look at the enchanting powers of war and the luring capabilities of greed.
A more startling revelation surfaces when the reader realizes the fictional elements of the Jewel Carriers derives from the true life events which transpired in the life of Abdullah F. Akbar. Charles Edward Varney attempts to represent the various elements of Afghanistan life through his enjoyable and clever novel. His subtle interventions of Afghanistan appear through the dialogue between various characters in his novel providing an insurmountable array of information. For example, through the physical interactions between Yosif and Stella, the reader learns that, "Yosif turned a little red" because "he wasn't accustomed to open affection from women," after Stella gives him a kiss on the cheek (60). The love story between Yosif and Stella counteracts the marriage between Zabi and Miriam who often shielded herself in tradition attire worn by the submissive females in Afghanistan. Secondly, the Jewel Carriers clearly represent the close associations of the religious faith instilled among believers of the faith. Countless times Abdul Barkzi, through the italics used by the author to show his subconscious thought, praises Allah and in one instance exclaims, "Allah! Don't leave me like this. Let my people be victorious (38). The novel provides many available examples of rich historical information about Afghanistan by relating details of the British Anglo-Afghan War of 1839 and how Alexander the Great conquered Afghanistan, but failed to tame the country (28). Through the dialogue between significant characters in the Jewel carriers, the reader gathers a fundamental amount of knowledge associated with the female gender, the religious and the historical elements of Afghanistan.
The author accomplishes an exceptional task of depicting the various elements of Afghanistan. Filled with love, tragedy, comedy and action amidst the setting of war, Abdul Barkzi suddenly comes into contact satchel of jewels desperately being chased after by Peshawar headhunters. Feeling betrayed by the amount of anguish he has experienced because of the war, Abdul still masterminds a complex plot to retrieve the jewels. Even with the amount of extreme danger, the horrific grip of the war justifies Abdul's actions when he claims, "We deserved it," and that he had "no regrets taking the jewels for [them] selves" (198). Later when one of his comrades brutally dies the repercussions of Abdul's endeavors and the greed associated with the war causes Abdul to disclose that, "I turned my head inward against the window and cried in silence" (202).
As the Jewel Carriers progresses the reader becomes aware of how essential the novel can be for an individual interested in Afghanistan. When the plot for recovering the jewels unravels in the chapter entitled, "The Plan," the tragic events of September 11 and the meticulous calculations made by the terrorists come to light. The novel reveals how easily guns, opium, and fake passports can be bought and sold. Charles Edward Varney, however, enlightens his audience by capturing their attention through the gallant and adventurous tale of the retrieval of priceless jewels while simultaneously educating
his audience in regards to women, religion and history through his captivating novel.

The Jewel Carriers is a story set in Aghganistan during the Russian occupation. The story allows the reader an inside view of how the country was affected. The deststurction of families and the breeding of a black market are two examples. Abdul who is living in New York feels compelled to go home to fight for his country. After a couple of years he realizes that the cause is not so holy and he is ready to give up and return to New York were he left his wife, after one last raid where he plans to avenge his brother and cousins.

During this raid he finds the jewels, then hides them then is captured and interogated because of them. He decides to keep them and gathers some close freinds to bring his plan to fruition. Here we learn of the underworld of selling arms in the boundary area that is self-governed and how his freinds are connected with people who can get them phony ID's and get them through customs painlessly.

The story is true which always makes them more interesting and the setting was also unusual and cleared up a lot of misconceptions I carried about that historical period. Unfortunately I didn't feel much for the character, and I think that is more a problem with the writing style than the story.

I was told about this book by a friend during a conversation about the Afghan mishaps over the years. Upon reading the book I became very interested in the true story and the characters in it. The thing that makes it very exciting is the suspense and danger the characters face through out the events. I feel this book was very well written & would make a superb motion picture.

I was reading Harry Potter when somebody put this book into my hands and I never went back to Harry until I finished The Jewel Carriers.

This is a well written, true life story showing what it is like to be involved in a "Holy War", when the holiness has deteriorated into factionalism, selfishness, greed, and betrayal. Once you read this book, you will have a new attitude when you hear about "freedom fighters" anywhere in the world.

This book will make a great movie someday.

As a child living in Afghanistan I lived through the Soviet invasion. Based on my experiences I can say that this book did a great job describing the historical events. In addition I found the story gripping and would highly recommend this book.

This story kept me shaking to find out what happened on the next page. It's really amazing that this account could happen to a human being. The Story could have used some depth and made longer, if there was more detail written. All in all it was a cliffhanger to the end.

The title definitely perked my interest. What did jewels and the Afghanistan war have in common? I soon discovered the surprising connection. Has intrigue, adventure and suspense with the result that I couldn't put the book down until completely reading it from cover to cover in one sitting.

When does the movie come out?

I chose this book because of its historical/political aspects in a very volatile part of the world. This would be a classic fictional action story. The fact that The Jewel Carriers is based on real people and real events made it very appealing to me. I read in two days when I was home sick. I could not put it down!

I have read numerous mystery/adventure books by authors such as Tom Clancy & John Grisham. After reading this book I found it to be as exciting, interesting, adventurous, & suspenseful. I always looked forward to picking up where I stopped each time. The way the story is put together also gives the reader a very educational insight on the culture & history of Afghans and there rebellion strength & courage. I would highly recommend this book to others.