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A review by portybelle
The Jeweller by Gwen Davies, Caryl Lewis
4.0
This is a beautifully written novel and the translation is superb. The language is so poetic, with spirituality and a connection with nature and the natural world woven exquisitely throughout the book.
It's one of those novels which seems quietly compelling and then something takes you completely by surprise. There are so many fascinating characters from Mari, the jeweller of the title, to fellow market stall holders Mo and Gwyn, to young Dafydd, the son of a friend of Mari's who passed away in tragic circumstances. They each have their own stories to tell and answers they are seeking from life.
There is a sense too that Mari is always searching for something throughout the story, an element of mystery. What is the treasure she hopes to uncover as she helps clear old houses? With its short chapters, this is a book which is deceptively simple to read but which has much to make sense of and understand. In the book, as in life, all is not neatly resolved and the reader has to make some of their own decisions as to what has come to pass. It is one of those books which I think I would take more from on each re-reading as my understanding deepened.
With jewels playing an central role in the Mari's life, I cannot help but say that this is a little gem of a book.
It's one of those novels which seems quietly compelling and then something takes you completely by surprise. There are so many fascinating characters from Mari, the jeweller of the title, to fellow market stall holders Mo and Gwyn, to young Dafydd, the son of a friend of Mari's who passed away in tragic circumstances. They each have their own stories to tell and answers they are seeking from life.
There is a sense too that Mari is always searching for something throughout the story, an element of mystery. What is the treasure she hopes to uncover as she helps clear old houses? With its short chapters, this is a book which is deceptively simple to read but which has much to make sense of and understand. In the book, as in life, all is not neatly resolved and the reader has to make some of their own decisions as to what has come to pass. It is one of those books which I think I would take more from on each re-reading as my understanding deepened.
With jewels playing an central role in the Mari's life, I cannot help but say that this is a little gem of a book.