Jewels [Paperback]

Danielle Steel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 5, 1993

On the eve of Sarah Whitfield's 75th birthday, she stands at the window of her chateau in France, waiting for her family to join her. Her memories take her back to the 1930s in New York, to her early marriage and subsequent shameful divorce. She is persuaded by her parents to join them on a trip abroad in the growing turmoil of pre-war Europe. There she meets Wiliam, Duke of Whitfield. Older than Sarah, and fourteenth in line to the British throne, he sparks her intellectual curiosity and makes her laugh. They make their home in a beautiful crumbling French chateau until they are parted by the war. Afterwards they are able to return to the chateau and establish the jewel collection which leads to the House of Whitfield, jewellers to the crowned heads of all Europe. Together they produce a family of four, each of whom is drawn into the family business. JEWELS is the story of a great house of gems, a rare family, and an extraordinary marriage. Once again, Danielle Steel explores the lives of people facing challenges we recognise as our own, against the backdrop of war, passion and international intrigue.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Birthdays are a time for reflection, especially for Sarah, Duchess of Whitfield, who is awaiting the arrival of her far-flung family. Years earlier, reeling from her pending divorce, Sarah Thompson is force-marched through Europe on the grand tour by her concerned parents. Disinterested in the sons, grandsons, and nephews paraded before her by well-meaning acquaintances, Sarah chances upon William Whitfield, the Duke of Whitfield, 14th in line for succession to the English throne. Disarmed by his wit and intrigued by his intellect, Sarah allows William to become her companion in London, warning him they can only be friends. Undeterred, William dismisses Sarah's protestations that her divorce makes her unsuitable to be his duchess and finally convinces Sarah to marry him. While honeymooning in France, Sarah and William happen upon Chateau de la Meuze. Enchanted, the Whitfields buy and set about restoring the estate. But World War II looms, threatening their idyllic existence. Following the birth of their first child, Phillip, William joins the RAF when England declares war on Germany. Reluctantly, he leaves Sarah and Phillip at the chateau. German troops, led by the courtly commandant Joachim von Mannheim, take possession of the chateau to establish a hospital, removing Sarah and Phillip to the caretaker's cottage.

When the war ends, William, after being imprisoned for three years and barely surviving the torture that deprived him of the use of his legs, returns to his family. The Whitfields pick up threads of lives strained, but not broken, by war. Soon, they are approached by others who lost everything during the war except a few secreted heirlooms. But jewelry can't put food on the table, and the Whitfields begin purchasing jewelry to provide neighbors with much-needed cash. When William jokingly suggests opening a Paris store, a legacy is born: Whitfield's, Jewelers to the Crown. Over the next decades, which bring three more children, two more branches of Whitfields, and the death of her husband, Sarah is molded into a force to be reckoned with, capable of handling her willful children and a highly successful international business with equal aplomb. Steel paints a portrait of a family, imperfect as they may be, and the powerful matriarch who reminds them of the bond that transcends titles, money, and borders. --Alison Trinkle --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly

In the Steel collectionoeuvre, which means works of art, is awk with following jewel metaphor , Jewels is merely a semiprecious gem. Set in the WW II era, the novel depicts the travails of its to elim dangler heroine, Sarah, Duchess of Whitfield. The beautiful debutante daughter of a wealthy American family, Sarah has endured the disgrace attending her divorce of her caddish first husband. Eventually she marries the charming and very rich Duke of Whitfield, who buys her a chateau in France. The rest of the novel follows the self-satisfied course of their usually happy since he's in prison camp at one point union. WW II offers Steel a chance to pump drama into this bland narrative, but she misses it. Sarah spends the war comfortably ensconced on the grounds of her chateau, looked out for by a solicitious German commander so polite she doesn't guess he has fallen in love with her. Meekly, he leaves the moment Sarah learns her husband, the duke, ? has survived a Nazi prison camp. After she nurses William back to health, their idyllic marriage placidly resumes. They are rich and envied. They eat well, dress well, live well, have or else mention first child above? children and open a jewelry store for amusement. The narrative's greatest conflict comes in the final chapters, when widowed Sarah has to deal with her unruly offspring. Costume jewelry has more sparkle than this uninspired tale. Major ad/promo; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club main selections.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Corgi (August 5, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0552137456
• ISBN-13: 978-0552137454
• Product Dimensions: 4.3 x 1.2 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,816,961 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this epic romance!, June 14, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Jewels (Hardcover)

Absolutely one of my favorites by Danielle Steel! The main character is wonderfully portrayed as an intelligent, loving and faithful woman, even during the worst of times. This book reminds us how important family really is -- in the good times and the bad

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars JEWELS, JEWELS, JEWELS, March 11, 2003

By 

Beverly C. Sanders (USA, Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jewels (Hardcover)

Danielle Steel is so good at what she does and this book is no exception. She writes about a very passionate married couple who goes through many trials and tribulations only to be faced with shortcomings of one of their childern. That said, this book tells about how the wife literally wills her near death war inflicked husband back to life. She also, after his revival, births three more children to add to the first child (son) they had together and moves on to developing a career for herself and the family. Ergo, the title, Jewels, is about how she created an empire of jewelry that brought her fame and fortune. After a successful store of Jewelry in Paris, she moves on to open a store in New York and a couple other places. Before turning her business over to the grown children, she loses her husband (a veteran) to the military contracted illness. Nevertheless, this heroine pulls off a successful life for herself even after his death. If you love a love story, you absolutely must read this book.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best One Yet!, August 28, 1999

By 

Kerri ([e-mail]) (Valparaiso, Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jewels (Hardcover)

This is my favorite book by far by Danielle Steel. She is wonderful! This book was long, but that's what I loved about it. I never wanted it to end. I cried at parts and I laughed at parts. I loved every bit of it. The one thing about her books is that as soon as you finish one of her books, you want to run out and get another by her right away! I always have a Danielle Steel book right next to me it seems! The bottom line is, if you read ANY Danielle Steel book, then read Jewels. It's absolutely wonderful.