Customer Reviews

The Jewel of Gresham Green (The Gresham Chronicles #4)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Jewel of Gresham Green by Lawana Blackwell is the most recent book in her Gresham Chronicles series. Jewel Libby has fled Buckinghamshire with her daughter Becky's safety to the comfort of Vicar Phelps' home in Gresham. The Phelps' children are all grown up, but not all happily. Phillip is stuck in a loveless marriage, and Aleda is struggling with her first novel. Jewel's arrival in town brings changes for everyone as she touches them with her faith and kindness. She provides sympathy for the dying squire, a kind ear to Phillip and his wife, and a helping hand to Aleda. Blackwell has a talent for portraying each character as well rounded with flaws and foibles as well as incorporating history so that even readers unfamiliar with the previous books feel comfortable. Jewel is the kind of Christian we all aspire to be: kind to all, helpful, non-judgmental, and loving, and the book demonstrates what even one poor woman can do not through great acts, but small acts of consideration.

The Jewel of Gresham Green is the 4th in a series from Lawana Blackwell based on the little township of Gresham in England a bit before the turn of the 20th century. All of Ms. Blackwell's books in this series pull you into the story and characterization from the start. She is truly an amazing author and the interlocking stories of the townspeople of Gresham make for a fascinating read. The first three in the series were closer linked in time and this story takes place about 15 years later. Start with the Widow of Larkspur Inn to get introduced to Ms. Blackwell's fine writing and the start of Gresham Chronicles.

It's not often I find a book blurb to be so off the mark, but that was the case with this one. Not that I didn't enjoy the book, because I did, but this blurb is really quite a bit misleading and over dramatizes parts of the story quite a bit.

I have to admit that the story gets off to a slow start and the plot is very difficult to follow for about the first quarter to third of the book. The transitions from chapter to chapter are a bit shaky as the scenes and characters change, but once every main character was located in Gresham, the story was ever so much easier to follow and get caught up in. The story really begins to pick up when the "evil man" mentioned in the blurb arrives, though his schemes really were not advanced the way the book blurb implies. The evil Donald is certainly an unlikable man and it was galling to read how various women fell for his fake charms. He was, however, a well-written character. Many of the characters are not particularly developed, though Blackwell does a pretty good job with Donald, Jewel, Aleda, and Loretta. In all fairness, this is actually the fourth book in the series, so many of the characters may be developed in other books.

Something else I particularly enjoyed was that it was not immediately obvious with whom Jewel would eventually fall in love, however, once that was apparent it took an agonizingly long time for anything to happen! In fact, there is so much going on in this story, that it unfortunately overshadows Jewel's eventual romance and her own story. I really don't feel that this book was about Jewel as much as it was about an entire family in this village. In the end, we were really left with about two chapters devoted to the supposed romance, as if the author realized she needed to get everything wrapped up to close the book. Overall, once the story really got moving, it was an enjoyable light read with some good messages, while not being overly preachy. While this was the fourth book in the series, it did work as a stand alone novel and I do not feel I missed out on anything by not having read the first three books.

As a huge fan of the the Gresham Chronicles and Lawana Blackwell's works, I was thrilled to hear that there was going to be a fourth book in the series. I had devoured the three books in the series several times (they're one of my favorite book series to reread) and was looking forward to seeing what was going on with the village and its inhabitants. It was pleasant to return to the peaceful village where everyone knows each other. We're introduced to new characters and are reunited and caught up to date with old friends. I will admit it was a bit jarring to see the children now grown up with their old families but the Hollis and Phelps family are still the same as ever. I liked Jewel and her daughter and was sadden at their plight. The treatment of a single mother in England during that time period was very rough and justice was not served properly to those who needed it.

While I enjoyed this book, I felt that it wasn't on the same level as the author's previous books in the series. I never really felt connected with the new characters in this book and I felt like the old characters were just thrown in for good measure. The other books in the Gresham series (as well as Blackwell's other two Victorian series) had a certain charm and comfort feeling. You felt as if you were literally swept up into the story and transported into that time period along with the characters. This book however, gives sort of a standoffish feeling. I felt as if I was looking at the story from a distance. The romance in this story seemed to happen very fast and almost as an afterthought. After the quirky and accidental romances in the past 3 books, the one in this one fell flat and was not very believable.

That being said, this is an enjoyable book. Fans of Jane Austen and other regency era type books will find this book a pleasure to read. If you've never read any of the other books in the Gresham series, you won't be lost reading this one as it can be read as a stand alone. However if you're a fan of the original series, this book is a nice way to catch up on everyone and is a good addition to the series. Hopefully this won't be the last we will see of Gresham and it's inhabitants.

I love the Gresham novels by Lawana Blackwell. They are some of the strongest fare this market has to offer at the moment. Exceptionally well written and engaging with quirky villagers and snappy, romantic episodes so befitting their setting of 19th Century Rural England.


I had read the first "trilogy" in the series ( Widow of Larkspur Inn; Courtship of the Vicar's Daugther and The Dowry of Miss Lydia Clark ) sequentially earlier this year. I had no trouble picking up about a decade or so later when the events in this novel take place.

As is the case with all Blackwell's novels, there are one or two main strands ( this one featuring a widowed mother and her adorable daughter fleeing the harmful potential of a rakish London landlord for the safety of the Gresham parish ) and plenty of subplots to colour in the sidelines. My favourite plot in the novel involves the jubilant writer Aleda and her friendship with storyteller Gabriel Patterson. The last time we saw Aleda and Gabriel they were substantially younger and I love what they have grown up to be. Aleda ducks conventions, lives in a writing cottage where she doesn't feel the need to have a water closet ( because Shakespeare didn't have one) and has a Jo March-esque tendency to write pot-boilers about pirates eaten by komodo dragons. Blackwell's inserted snippets from Aleda's magazine serials and moments showing Aleda plotting the next portion of the novel are to die for!


I really love how funny and fresh Blackwell's prose is. She captures the time period perfectly and throws in tidbits of every day life that balance the charming action of the novel with plausible historical fact.


Highly, highly recommended for lovers of Victoriana and top-notch historical fiction.

Set in a small town outside of London, in 1884, this historical fiction is an interesting tale to read. I've always loved British literature, as it is fun to read the differences in language. I can be transported to another land. Of course, there are references to the water closet, and taking of tea, but also before a meal there's the "laying of cloth." Some allowances must be made I suppose for the author writing about taking a "nap." I believe Englanders are said to "have a lie-down."

This is a stand-alone novel, but because it is the fourth in a series, it would be better appreciated read it in order. However, I had not read any of the Gresham Chronicles before, and I did not feel at all left out. That speaks to the talent of the author.

As expected in a series, there are a number of characters and sub-plots. The dialogue is well-written and easy to follow. The characters are a bit flat: the good ones are good--through and through, while the villain is a scoundrel indeed! He even has a thick, black moustache! Still, it's a fun read. I loved Jewel and her daughter, Becky. Who wouldn't? Jewel seems to be a perfect Christian and mother, and five-year-old Becky lives to charm. I'm sure readers will be treated to more from them in a future work. Philip's marriage is an interesting sub-plot, and I suspect more will be heard about that. The reader is permitted the pleasure of peeking into Aleda's novel--another sub-plot with a promising future. The future of Gresham seems to be guaranteed.

This series is the best. Have read all the Grisham novels. Sometimes, I get disappointed, if I have read 3 or 4 books by the same author......not this time. This book is as good or better than the first, "The Widow of Larkspur". I did not want this book to end!

Lawana's characters from her previous Gresham Chronicles come back to life as a newcomer, Jewel Libby flees from Birmingham with her small daughter with danger of an evil man stalking them upon their heels. But Vicar Andrew Phelps and his wife, Julia are immersed in troubles of their own. Their son Philip's marriage is in shambles, daughter Aleda secludes herself away from her parents to concentrate on her writing career while Andrew himself is on the verge of surgery. Jewel soon finds herself the source of strength and encouragement as she ministers to the dying squire and to the vicar's family. The intricately woven plot is ingenious. I don't know how Lawana keeps all the subplots together. It's absolutely fantastic! I really hope to see a lot more of her stories in the near future! Keep up the good work, Lawana!

I enjoyed this story, just as I enjoyed the previous books in this series. I really hope Lawana Blackwell continues this series. There are some characters from this book that I would like to see continued story lines on. Lawana Blackwell captures your interest from the start. She makes the characters in her books come alive. I would highly recommend this book. But if you haven't read the others in the series, read them first. It will help you understand the characters (and their past) better. This book will make for very relaxing & enjoyable reading.

I have finished this book and it was a lovely, historical romance with a lush setting in Gresham, deep characters, risky conflicts (especially for the time period) and an all around great final product. I own the Gresham Chronicles by Lawana Blackwell and had been waiting for a downtime in my TBR pile so I could dive into them... that hasn't happened yet so I dove straight into this book instead. It took me just a couple chapters to orient myself to the characters that Lawana has developed over the course of three other books and then settled myself back for an interesting romp through Gresham.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I connected with the characters and how well Lawana was able to keep different plot lines and stories going along so smoothly. She also brings up to very edgy conflicts that she never names but innuendos well enough that it is clear and yet not crass. It made it easier for me to identify with some of the characters because they are modern topics that you don't always think of as being issues back then but in reality were probably even more prevalent. (There is a teaser for you!)

So come to Gresham and see what you have been missing and I truly hope that Lawana takes all of us back to Gresham soon!