Customer Reviews

The Jewelers Shop

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The Jeweler's Shop was originally written as a play for the underground Rhapsodic Theater, and the limitations of the medium made the finished product very stylized. Yet the play is incredibly easy to read and difficult to put down. This brilliant drama is an indispensible meditation on the mystery of marriage. The film did not do it justice.

This play, composed by a young actor and soon to be pope, carries a very clear and strong message of true love, something which has been completely stipped away from today's society. In the geniously written play, Wojtyla touches so many issues, while never taking away the beauty from the writings. Fully recommended.

This book is among the few plays written by the Pope which have made it into print. It deals with relationships between couples, one falling in love, one falling out of love, and various other situations. It's beautifully written. I'm not sure how much was lost in translation, but except for a few hiccups, the writing is beautifully poetic and evocative. The Pope's insights into relationships are quite profound, and very simply illustrated. It's a short and enjoyable read.

"The Jeweler's Shop" was first published in the December 1960 issue of the Catholic monthly "Znak" under the pseudonym Andrzej Jawien while Wojtyla was Bishop. It was subtitles "A Meditation on the Sacrament of Matrimony, Passing on Occasion into a Drama." Some might wonder what a celibate man could have to say about the sacrament of Matrimony, but as with his much later "Theology of the Body" that JPII is well-known for, he does have surprising insight into the heart and the nature of human relationships. The play focuses on three couples at various stages of relationship, the last couple being the son and daughter of the first two. The first couple has just become engaged and while their love is not passionate, they have realized that they need each other and want a future with the other in it. The second couple have a love in disarray. The third is trying to embark on their future together but the woman Monica's ability to love and trust has been harmed from witnessing her own parents' troubled union.

The play's style is unique in that the characters very rarely speak to each other. It is most often a series of monologues - of interior thoughts and retelling of events. At times a chorus speaks - reminiscent of Greek theater. This play was designed to be performed on a spartan set with little room for action. And yet, it is probing and insightful, offering a reflection on human love as well as on its author.

The Jeweler's Shop is a well-written and incredibly insightful book on marriage. A must-read for all engaged and married couples.

This work gives one tremendous insight into the creativity and depth of understanding of relationships of Pope John Paul II. For those who might feel that a celibate man committed to a life of service to God can't really understand relationships and the deep interactions between men and women, think again. In combination with "Love and Responsibility" and "Theology of the Body", John Paul II has given all of us a coherent, thorough, and beautiful articulation of what it means to be a person and how we, as persons, should interact at the most intimate levels.

This play is a profound philosophical, spiritual and psychological examination of love and marriage that is also achingly human and compassionate. It is a modern drama written in monologue rather than dialogue, but easy to read and compelling. The lyricism of the poetry is soul moving, and that a celibate seems to have such a deep understanding of the various dimensions of love between a man and a woman is, very frankly, surprising. This should be required reading for everyone who is contemplating marriage, and for all those who have already made this most challenging human committment. A forty minute to one hour read that is hard to put down and that stays with the reader for a very long time.

I can't say enough good things about this beautiful play of Karol Wojtyla. Through the stories of 3 couples, the author is able to shed light on the blossoming of, difficulties in, yet overall transcendence of true love. Needless to say, this is the gift I buy all the newly wed couples I know. I hope that it helps them to gather divine graces needed to sustain their marriages, till death do them part.

I made a mistake and ordered the book. I wanted the movie. They were very gracious and allowed me to return the book.