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Jewelweed
With Jewelweed this beloved author returns to the same out-of-the-way community as Driftless and introduces a cast of characters who must overcome the burdens left by the past. After serving time for a dubious conviction, Blake Bookchester is paroled. As Blake attempts to adjust, he reconnects with Danielle Workhouse, a single mother whose son, Ivan, explores the woods with his precocious friend, August. While Danielle goes to work for Buck and Amy Roebuck in their mansion, Ivan and August befriend Lester Mortal, a recluse who lives in a melon field; a wild boy; and a bat, Milton. These characters — each flawed, deeply human, and ultimately universal — approach the future with a combination of hope and trepidation. Jewelweed offers a vision in which the ordinary becomes mythical, the seemingly mundane transformed into revelatory beauty.
451 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
204 people are currently reading
2163 people want to read
About the author
David Rhodes
71 books147 followersAs a young man, David Rhodes worked in fields, hospitals, and factories across Iowa. After receiving an MFA in Writing from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop in 1971, he published three acclaimed novels: The Last Fair Deal Going Down (1972), The Easter House (1974), and Rock Island Line (1975). In 1976, a motorcycle accident left him partially paralyzed. In 2008, Rhodes returned to the literary scene with Driftless, a novel that was hailed as "the best work of fiction to come out of the Midwest in many years" (Alan Cheuse). Following the publication of Driftless, Rhodes was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2010, to support the writing of Jewelweed, his newest novel. He lives with his wife, Edna, in Wisconsin.
“Rhodes proves that there is still vigorous life in the dark Gothic roots of great American novels.”
—Peter W. Jordan, The Tennessean
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 305 reviews
June 11, 2013
I can't believe that picking up a book randomly from the library could turn out to be such treat. Jewelweed is an amazing story of ordinary people living ordinary lives,yet told with extraordinary insight. The setting is the Driftless Region of Wisconsin and introduces people who struggle to find a new sense of belonging. Blake Bookchester returns home after serving a prison sentence and seeks to pick up his old way of life. His father welcomes him home, but his former girlfriend will have nothing to do with him. Securing a job, reading Spinoza, and riding his motorcycle keeps him from the clutches of his parole officer while the other citizens fight their own battles: Winnie, a pastor of the local church, realizes she is no longer fulfilled by the ministry, her son, August, and Ivan befriend a hermit and roam the woods in search of the "lost boy", Dart Workhouse works for a wealthy family and takes care of her son whose father is Blake. The characters are completely developed, the sentiments are empathetic, and the imagery compelling. In one scene Rhodes describes Dart riding behind Blake on a motorcycle: "Dart climbed on behind, hugging him firmly between her thighs like a grasshopper on a blade of grass." The novels delves so minutely into the character's psyche that the reader feels as if they know them intimately. A really great read.
January 18, 2013
Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! I think this just went up on Edelweiss today, and I already got approved for my ARC. Totally excited because I loved, LOVED Driftless. Can't wait to finish the ones I'm working on right now so that I can sit down with this one.
Updated 1.18.13:
Much like 2008's Driftless, Jewelweed is a paean to rural Wisconsin. The reader revisits Words, WI more than ten years after Driftless concludes. It's mostly a new cast of characters, though Pastor Winnie is there, too, still struggling with her spiritual experiences. Centering heavily around Blake and Dart, former lovers who grew apart after Blake was sent to prison,Jewelweed shows the reader how people of disparate backgrounds come together to find redemption in a personally selected and constructed community. They're all conveniently articulate and profound people, which sometimes breaks the spell when one considers how many eloquent speeches are provided within just one novel. However, it's a lovely story that will inspire the reader, much like the book's patriarch Wally, to find beauty in all the mundane details of life: food, wildlife, and relationships all shine under Rhodes's lens. Recommended for fans of philosophical and literary fiction.
Updated 1.18.13:
Much like 2008's Driftless, Jewelweed is a paean to rural Wisconsin. The reader revisits Words, WI more than ten years after Driftless concludes. It's mostly a new cast of characters, though Pastor Winnie is there, too, still struggling with her spiritual experiences. Centering heavily around Blake and Dart, former lovers who grew apart after Blake was sent to prison,Jewelweed shows the reader how people of disparate backgrounds come together to find redemption in a personally selected and constructed community. They're all conveniently articulate and profound people, which sometimes breaks the spell when one considers how many eloquent speeches are provided within just one novel. However, it's a lovely story that will inspire the reader, much like the book's patriarch Wally, to find beauty in all the mundane details of life: food, wildlife, and relationships all shine under Rhodes's lens. Recommended for fans of philosophical and literary fiction.
October 15, 2013
Jewelweed had a lot of potential to be compelling, such as delving deep into what the world would be like for Blake after living in confinement for ten years, but Rhodes just never seemed to dig deep enough. The Wild Boy could have been intriguing, but we didn’t get any hints along the way, so my interest in that mystery quickly waned.
The vocabulary in Jewelweed was very simple, as was the plot. There were small parts of the story that reached out toward the bizarre, while other parts, especially the climax of the book, were very cliché. At times, I felt as if I was watching a soap opera in slow motion. The ending was very tidy and idealistic, yet still left me with a hopeful and uplifted feeling.
The plot was very subdued, and Jewelweed, in the end, was just ho-hum.
To read the rest of this review, and more of my reviews, go to www.bookwookie.ca
The vocabulary in Jewelweed was very simple, as was the plot. There were small parts of the story that reached out toward the bizarre, while other parts, especially the climax of the book, were very cliché. At times, I felt as if I was watching a soap opera in slow motion. The ending was very tidy and idealistic, yet still left me with a hopeful and uplifted feeling.
The plot was very subdued, and Jewelweed, in the end, was just ho-hum.
To read the rest of this review, and more of my reviews, go to www.bookwookie.ca
March 10, 2013
Just as good as Driftless. I loved it. So imaginative, such articulate characters, and a well-woven and thoughtful plot. Not to mention another lovely description of midwestern life. Bravo!
August 25, 2013
Having just finished reading Driftless, also written by David Rhodes, I immediately started reading Jewelweed. I had read that it is not a sequel, but it does mention a few of the same characters, and the setting, rural Wisconsin, is the same. I had not been impressed with the role of the minister, Winnie, and was somewhat disappointed that she is one of the main characters in this book. However, I started to enjoy her personality a bit better. (I missed reading more about Violet and Olivia, though!)
Jewelweed introduces the readers to many new people, including Nate; his son, Blake; a strong female, named Dart; the Roebuck family; a hermit, a “wild boy,” and three active boys: Ivan, August, and Kevin. I found each of their traits and their adventures to be somewhat different from most books about boys their ages. Several minor characters also proved to be quite fascinating; I especially liked Wally and Flo.
Rhodes’ writing style seems to have changed a bit, mostly for the better, in my opinion. In Driftless, he frequently listed three to eight synonyms in a row while describing events, which became quite noticeable. It seemed as if he used his thesaurus on every other page! However, his use of metaphors and similes in both books is amazing, as is his love of nature.
In both books, I felt that the author’s best talents are in his character development and commentary on justice. I really felt that I knew these families and their neighbors, and I appreciated his views of prison life and the rehabilitation of criminals.
On the last page, “Things are changing around here ... I’d just like to know what’s going to happen next.” Sounds to me like a sequel about life in Words, Wisconsin, may be in order. I’ll be first in line to check it out!
Jewelweed introduces the readers to many new people, including Nate; his son, Blake; a strong female, named Dart; the Roebuck family; a hermit, a “wild boy,” and three active boys: Ivan, August, and Kevin. I found each of their traits and their adventures to be somewhat different from most books about boys their ages. Several minor characters also proved to be quite fascinating; I especially liked Wally and Flo.
Rhodes’ writing style seems to have changed a bit, mostly for the better, in my opinion. In Driftless, he frequently listed three to eight synonyms in a row while describing events, which became quite noticeable. It seemed as if he used his thesaurus on every other page! However, his use of metaphors and similes in both books is amazing, as is his love of nature.
In both books, I felt that the author’s best talents are in his character development and commentary on justice. I really felt that I knew these families and their neighbors, and I appreciated his views of prison life and the rehabilitation of criminals.
On the last page, “Things are changing around here ... I’d just like to know what’s going to happen next.” Sounds to me like a sequel about life in Words, Wisconsin, may be in order. I’ll be first in line to check it out!
May 14, 2013
The best novel I've read in recent years. Brilliantly conceived, charming charters, applied philosophy, and a deep understanding of life's lessons.
July 5, 2015
David Rhodes Jewelweed is a slow but fascinating read of everyday people living in the Driftless region of Wisconsin. The plot is not like any thing else I've really read. The cast of characters come from all walks of life--a wealthy construction family with a sickly son, a trucker with a refined palate and a son whose just been released from prison, a young single Mom struggling to make a life for herself and her son, a female reverend struggling with her faith and her down-to-earth husband that runs the local repair shop and their overly intellectual son and his pet bat, a crazy hermit scarred from the Vietnam War, and a mythical wild boy that is rumored to live in the woods, fending for himself. The ties that bind these disparate characters are a deep appreciation of the beauty in every moment, and a sense of longing for revelation and spiritual connection within the modern world. Overall the book is beautifully written, though the dialogue at times isn't always believable and sometimes the writing can be didactic (especially around the themes of the dehumanization and problems with the corporate prison system within America). Despite these minor flaws the book sings with beauty and the characters are fully drawn. Moments of magic realism help highlight the search for mystery the characters pursue, but really are unnecessary as the beauty in Rhodes prose and his marvelous attention to detail is reward enough for the reader to recognize the beauty both within nature and within the relationships between these characters. David Rhodes published three novels before being partially paralyzed in a motorcycle accident. This is his second novel published after a 30 year gap after the accident. Rhodes deep appreciation of life and his investigation into the meaning of life during that time is evident in the themes of this book.
December 4, 2017
I absolutely loved this book! I rolled it around in my mind like I would a perfect piece of dark chocolate in my mouth—until about 3/4 into the story I hit a crack. Maybe it was me, or that day, but a chapter felt incongruent. The story came back with the same magic as before.
Rhodes described the experience of a newly released prisoner so deeply, I was captivated. An older man's list of what he'd miss when he's gone inspired me. There were numerous characters and although we came to know some of them more than others, I felt their essence by what was said, and unsaid.
This is a beautiful read. Maybe what happened for me wouldn't be the same for you.
Rhodes described the experience of a newly released prisoner so deeply, I was captivated. An older man's list of what he'd miss when he's gone inspired me. There were numerous characters and although we came to know some of them more than others, I felt their essence by what was said, and unsaid.
This is a beautiful read. Maybe what happened for me wouldn't be the same for you.
April 9, 2023
I stayed up very late to finish this book, not because I was loving it, but because I wanted to get through it and be done. For me, lightning didn’t strike twice with this sequel to the fabulous Driftless. This book revisits the same town with just a few of the same characters, all the rest are new. In fact, I almost had to write down names with notes to keep everyone straight. There are many main characters, and with them come many stories.
All the characters and their stories whisk the reader away from one story to the next, and because there’s so many, it takes too long to circle back. My interest waned. It felt too disjointed. There was lots of conversation, which alternated from simple small talk to lengthy speeches that seemed not to fit the characters.
There was lots (and I mean lots) of small talk and a smidge of magical realism that was just weird to me in such a plain story with ordinary people. I also felt the author trying to use certain parts of the story to sway opinion on the prison system, simply because of the repetition of this throughout. It was just a strange mix of everything. Although the writing was beautiful, with simple wisdom, the plot was weak. It just lost me.
All the characters and their stories whisk the reader away from one story to the next, and because there’s so many, it takes too long to circle back. My interest waned. It felt too disjointed. There was lots of conversation, which alternated from simple small talk to lengthy speeches that seemed not to fit the characters.
There was lots (and I mean lots) of small talk and a smidge of magical realism that was just weird to me in such a plain story with ordinary people. I also felt the author trying to use certain parts of the story to sway opinion on the prison system, simply because of the repetition of this throughout. It was just a strange mix of everything. Although the writing was beautiful, with simple wisdom, the plot was weak. It just lost me.
July 22, 2013
Genre: Literature
Cover Art: The cover art does not do justice to this novel.
Jewelweed is the first book by author David Rhodes that I have read. However, it is actually his second novel based in a small town in rural Wisconsin. The first book, entitled Driftless is set in the same community. Jewelweed is not a sequel and the reader does not necessarily need to read Driftless before Jewelweed. The reader should be warned: Before I had finished the third chapter of Jewelweed, I went out and got a copy of Driftless. It’s that good!
It took me a chapter to come to terms with my habit of skimming as I read. This is not a book to be read quickly. Once I realized I need to slow down I was hooked. The prose is not difficult to digest, but it is so lovely and thoughtfully written that the reader needs to take time to savor it.
All of the characters are unique, interesting and just a little bit quirky. Many of them as so well written that they could be main characters in their own books. My favorite character is August and his pet bat, Milton. With August, Rhodes skillfully captures the awkwardness of pre-adolescence and allows the reader a glimpse the emerging adult that August will be. I sincerely hope that August is based upon a real boy with a pet bat. August and his bat are some of the most lovable and unusual characters I have read in a long time.
Rhodes captures the very essence of rural life in Jewelweed. So much so, that the community seems almost mystical at times. Having actually grown up in rural Wisconsin, the only thing that didn't ring true to me was that this community had more than it’s share of introspective philosophers. Maybe I just didn't look very closely at the people in the community that I grew up in. Maybe they were as thoughtful as the characters in this book, I certainly hope so.
Bottom-line: Buy it and read it over a long weekend in front of the fire.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
Cover Art: The cover art does not do justice to this novel.
Jewelweed is the first book by author David Rhodes that I have read. However, it is actually his second novel based in a small town in rural Wisconsin. The first book, entitled Driftless is set in the same community. Jewelweed is not a sequel and the reader does not necessarily need to read Driftless before Jewelweed. The reader should be warned: Before I had finished the third chapter of Jewelweed, I went out and got a copy of Driftless. It’s that good!
It took me a chapter to come to terms with my habit of skimming as I read. This is not a book to be read quickly. Once I realized I need to slow down I was hooked. The prose is not difficult to digest, but it is so lovely and thoughtfully written that the reader needs to take time to savor it.
All of the characters are unique, interesting and just a little bit quirky. Many of them as so well written that they could be main characters in their own books. My favorite character is August and his pet bat, Milton. With August, Rhodes skillfully captures the awkwardness of pre-adolescence and allows the reader a glimpse the emerging adult that August will be. I sincerely hope that August is based upon a real boy with a pet bat. August and his bat are some of the most lovable and unusual characters I have read in a long time.
Rhodes captures the very essence of rural life in Jewelweed. So much so, that the community seems almost mystical at times. Having actually grown up in rural Wisconsin, the only thing that didn't ring true to me was that this community had more than it’s share of introspective philosophers. Maybe I just didn't look very closely at the people in the community that I grew up in. Maybe they were as thoughtful as the characters in this book, I certainly hope so.
Bottom-line: Buy it and read it over a long weekend in front of the fire.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
May 7, 2013
This emotion stitched writing lived in my heart throughout the whole book. It reminded me of a patchwork quilt. It was sewn together by friends, family and a few visitors with a certain pattern of which, it does not stick to. And yet they with love, compassion, humor and acceptance make it work anyway. This story is the lives of magnificent authentic characters that became real to me. I loved them, hated a few, smiled and desperately wanted to help many and long for their return. The quilt sewn and finished is unique in its excellence, which is actually the flaws.
A father doing his best, deeply feels his emotions without the knowledge of what to do. He has questions, uncertainties and hope. A son with mistakes directed by love of another and a ten year pause in his life and his families. The time has come for him to blend back in and what? His own fears push speed bumps in the middle of his road to his new beginning. Memories guide each of the characters in different directions that we all can relate to, understand and bond us all together.
One of the best reads I have had this year. I shall follow this author and the unique real life in the voice on paper. The stitched quilt of life will remain with me many years and I will probably revisit this writing many times. The author's voice brings you humanity and all that comes with it.
I won this book via good reads first readers and feel very blessed to have been able to slip in between the pages of such a exceptional written world.
A father doing his best, deeply feels his emotions without the knowledge of what to do. He has questions, uncertainties and hope. A son with mistakes directed by love of another and a ten year pause in his life and his families. The time has come for him to blend back in and what? His own fears push speed bumps in the middle of his road to his new beginning. Memories guide each of the characters in different directions that we all can relate to, understand and bond us all together.
One of the best reads I have had this year. I shall follow this author and the unique real life in the voice on paper. The stitched quilt of life will remain with me many years and I will probably revisit this writing many times. The author's voice brings you humanity and all that comes with it.
I won this book via good reads first readers and feel very blessed to have been able to slip in between the pages of such a exceptional written world.
April 14, 2015
I'm a great fan of Wisconsinite David Rhodes' writing. My advice is to read "Driftless" before reading "Jewelweed," as the latter will be richer if you know the history of Jacob and Winifred Helm and the southwestern Wisconsin town of Words. New characters in this book include Blake Bookchester, who has served ten years in prison, his father Nate -- a long-distance truck driver, and Danielle, the prickly young single mother whom Blake still loves. Rhodes' writing reveals a deep faith in the ordinary person, an affinity for the eccentric, a love of nature, openness to a touch of magic, and perhaps a leaning toward libertarian ideas. All of it combines into a very appealing story of small-town live. I give it a 4.5 -- almost, but not quite as good as "Driftless."
August 7, 2016
Jewelweed is one of the happiest, most satisfying, soul-pleasing books I have ever read. Every single character is likable - even lovable. And yet every single character is complex and thought provoking as well; even some of the more minor characters. I just finished the book this morning, and I am so sad to be leaving all these lovely people behind, I'm tempted to read the book again right now.
July 26, 2014
Jewelweed is set in the same place (southwestern Wisconsin) and employs some of the same characters as appeared in Driftless, a book chosen several years ago as an All Iowa Reads selection, but it is not really a sequel. And, to me, it represents a significant maturation of the author. The characters, which were really interesting in Driftless, are more fully developed here and their stories are more intertwined, making it easier to stay engaged. And I was less concerned about potential stereotyping of the rural Midwest; Rhodes here writes with real evident affection for the land of the region and the people who occupy it. It's not always totally realistic, and the author signals that he he knows it by giving strange names to people (Blake Bookchester, Lester Moral) and places (Words, Slippery Slopes), but, with one minor exception, there's nothing here to cause it to be classified as "magical realism." He writes of the people and places from the inside out, though, and in such beautiful language that we come to share his affection for them. I found it all very moving, occasionally funny, and revelatory, and I highly recommend it. It's an excellent example of the potential (sometimes doubted) of writing really good fiction with a cast of entirely good (if flawed), simple (if shown to be very complicated), everyday people.
A couple of examples of the revelatory prose:
Nate looks up a favorite cousin, Bee, he hasn't seen for many years. They don't recognize each other at first.
"Unable to discover the Bee he remembered, Nate panicked. He tried to match his memory's picture with the person in front of him, but it didn't fit. Taking a deep breath, he tried again to rediscover her, and with each failure he encountered inner weakness. He followed the curves in her face and studied her neck, the tiny earrings, and the streaks of gray in her short brown hair. All these features led to her eyes, blue-green-and-brown irises with lively, almost-black centers. Holding these glistening planets in front of him, he tried again to fit his memory's stubborn image to her living form. Again he failed, and his soul withered inside him, like someone returned from war to discover that the sacred place of his childhood was gone.
Then a dimple caved into her chin as she smiled, and his joy launched. Bee lived, and from this glad discovery came feelings he feared he'd outgrown. Visions of youth seeped into his mind, recollections of more wonderful things than he had time to recall--tumbling scenes peopled with beauty and enchantment, and standing in the middle of them, the person before him.
"Bee," he uttered softly.
"You're older, Natie," she said.
"I brought some raspberries."
Again the dimple winked from her chin, engaging an even more satisfying level of familiarity--Bee's extra portion. As a girl, this characteristic had seemed like a protective coating, a genetic guarantee that her knees would never be knobby. But in its present form it was clearly not that at all. Rather, something better-than, an infectious moment, a double helping. Something that could never be defined in her overflowed in him and filled his conscious container to the brim with clear and untroubled ambitious. In her company he felt good about himself, better than anywhere else. She licensed him, loaned him the rightful authority to be himself. With Bee, the memories of his family became memories of their shared family, and they were no longer hard to carry. Her presence taught him where to find the right dramas and how to discard the rest. Through her dimpled smile he could stare into the future without blinking." (115-16)
Later, Blake, Nate's son, who has been recently released from prison, where he spent more than a decade, during which time he read a lot of work by the philosopher Spinoza, is talking to the local pastor, Winnie, who has decided that she needs to leave the ministry.
"'Even Spinoza couldn't give up religion,' said Blake. 'He was excommunicated from his own Jewish community, cast out like a diseased dog. Then he was renounced by the official Christian church. But not even Spinoza could stop worrying about the maddening mystery of spirit and matter. He couldn't stop trying to find a way to see the world as a good place, to find the sacred in the ordinary and live a decent life. The only way to really quit religion is never to have begun thinking about it. The only people who can walk away are those whose imaginations never embraced the idea that behind everything real is something more real, more alive, and more profoundly beautiful. Only people who never thought that way in the first place can be free from religion. People like you and me are doomed.'" (284)
Another passage near the end of the book, too long to be quoted here, where the author describes how Winnie chose the spot for her garden is a gem. It begins: "She remembered the first time she had thought about making a garden. The idea sprang from her belief that divine inspiration could be received by anyone, anywhere. . . . Nothing could obstruct the advancement of spiritual events, provided the time was right and the recipient open to holy communication.
And yet Winnie also believed--with similar conviction--something almost contradictory: for effective prayer, some places worked a whole lot better than others. When God went looking for individuals, any location they happened to be in would suffice; but when Winnie went looking for God, some places were clearly better to search in than others." There follows (434-35) a long description of the methods by which she selected that place.
A couple of examples of the revelatory prose:
Nate looks up a favorite cousin, Bee, he hasn't seen for many years. They don't recognize each other at first.
"Unable to discover the Bee he remembered, Nate panicked. He tried to match his memory's picture with the person in front of him, but it didn't fit. Taking a deep breath, he tried again to rediscover her, and with each failure he encountered inner weakness. He followed the curves in her face and studied her neck, the tiny earrings, and the streaks of gray in her short brown hair. All these features led to her eyes, blue-green-and-brown irises with lively, almost-black centers. Holding these glistening planets in front of him, he tried again to fit his memory's stubborn image to her living form. Again he failed, and his soul withered inside him, like someone returned from war to discover that the sacred place of his childhood was gone.
Then a dimple caved into her chin as she smiled, and his joy launched. Bee lived, and from this glad discovery came feelings he feared he'd outgrown. Visions of youth seeped into his mind, recollections of more wonderful things than he had time to recall--tumbling scenes peopled with beauty and enchantment, and standing in the middle of them, the person before him.
"Bee," he uttered softly.
"You're older, Natie," she said.
"I brought some raspberries."
Again the dimple winked from her chin, engaging an even more satisfying level of familiarity--Bee's extra portion. As a girl, this characteristic had seemed like a protective coating, a genetic guarantee that her knees would never be knobby. But in its present form it was clearly not that at all. Rather, something better-than, an infectious moment, a double helping. Something that could never be defined in her overflowed in him and filled his conscious container to the brim with clear and untroubled ambitious. In her company he felt good about himself, better than anywhere else. She licensed him, loaned him the rightful authority to be himself. With Bee, the memories of his family became memories of their shared family, and they were no longer hard to carry. Her presence taught him where to find the right dramas and how to discard the rest. Through her dimpled smile he could stare into the future without blinking." (115-16)
Later, Blake, Nate's son, who has been recently released from prison, where he spent more than a decade, during which time he read a lot of work by the philosopher Spinoza, is talking to the local pastor, Winnie, who has decided that she needs to leave the ministry.
"'Even Spinoza couldn't give up religion,' said Blake. 'He was excommunicated from his own Jewish community, cast out like a diseased dog. Then he was renounced by the official Christian church. But not even Spinoza could stop worrying about the maddening mystery of spirit and matter. He couldn't stop trying to find a way to see the world as a good place, to find the sacred in the ordinary and live a decent life. The only way to really quit religion is never to have begun thinking about it. The only people who can walk away are those whose imaginations never embraced the idea that behind everything real is something more real, more alive, and more profoundly beautiful. Only people who never thought that way in the first place can be free from religion. People like you and me are doomed.'" (284)
Another passage near the end of the book, too long to be quoted here, where the author describes how Winnie chose the spot for her garden is a gem. It begins: "She remembered the first time she had thought about making a garden. The idea sprang from her belief that divine inspiration could be received by anyone, anywhere. . . . Nothing could obstruct the advancement of spiritual events, provided the time was right and the recipient open to holy communication.
And yet Winnie also believed--with similar conviction--something almost contradictory: for effective prayer, some places worked a whole lot better than others. When God went looking for individuals, any location they happened to be in would suffice; but when Winnie went looking for God, some places were clearly better to search in than others." There follows (434-35) a long description of the methods by which she selected that place.
December 7, 2021
I really enjoyed this book
June 14, 2016
This is one of those books I want to turn right around and start reading all over again now that I’ve finished it. Set in the same fictional southwestern Wisconsin community as Rhodes’ earlier book (Driftless) this one has many of the same characters, and each chapter focuses on one of them and the way events are unfolding from that person’s point of view. So the book isn’t just one story. It’s many individual stories all happening at the same time in the same place and each character is important not only in his/her own right but because of his/her impact on everyone else. The importance and impact of relationships is one of the book’s major themes – the way we’re shaped by the people in our lives and why that matters so much. Although Rhodes writes about people who are flawed and at the mercy of their own worst tendencies, he is more interested in the goodness in them. And so another of the book’s major themes has to do with second chances and what happens when people are given an opportunity to start over again. This is a beautifully affirming book about overcoming obstacles, following through on hunches and facing up to things that would be so much easier to ignore. It’s about ordinary people whose everyday lives – despite the way they might appear on the surface – have a great deal of depth and meaning. Rhodes is the kind of writer who says things I want to copy down so I won’t forget, like his observation that there is “a God-shaped hole in the human psyche longing to be filled.” Relating to the sacred dimension in life is another of the book’s major themes. My favorite character from Driftless was Pastor Winnie and I was happy to meet her again in this book which takes place 15 years later. Fiercely devoted to shepherding her tiny flock at the Words Friends of Jesus church, Winnie is anything but what piously inclined folks might expect her to be. Rhodes tells us that her “most precious and divine gift is the inexplicable ability to reason, wonder and feast on the harvest of her senses.” She’s definitely a bit of a mystic with an uncanny ability to see the Divine everywhere: “. . .the living world contained so many merry minor moments that sometimes it seemed as if fresh entertainment waited behind every turn of her head.” One of my favorite of Winnie’s insights has to do with her approach to sexuality. “Thankfully God had created this vital opportunity for bliss, yet Winnie remained convinced there were many other avenues that could be followed to divine pleasure. . . .all human sensations could, she believed, provide paths to the same state of ecstatic worship. The principalities of civilization had hidden most of these gateways to heightened awareness, however, and for most people now the only way back to the blessed original state involved a spectacular sexual event. And while Winnie rejoiced as much as anyone else in extraordinary sexual events, she sometimes feared that keeping the species alive had nearly replaced being alive, as if the entire galaxy of spontaneous felt-unity threatened to become perversely focused on one narrow impulse.” This is a book full of similar observations about life, love, and what shapes us as our lives unfold, weaving in and out and around and through the lives of other people.
July 5, 2013
This is a marvelously written book. It's told from many viewpoints---a chronically ill child, a wary young mother, a minister, an ex-con, a long-distance trucker, and many more. Each character reveals him or herself in quietly brilliant observations. Here are a few examples.
Winnie, the minister. "Winnie cherished Jacob's need for passion from her, and sometimes imagined that his consciousness consisted primarily of an awareness of his own sexual instinct--his own gateway to rapture. Thankfully God had created this vital opportunity for bliss, yet Winnie remained convinced there were many more avenues that could be followed to divine pleasure. People could become hyperconscious in countless ways. It was possible. The sight of a hummingbird--along with the sound of its thrumming wings--once revealed to her how she had long ago lived with tiny black feet and a nectar-searching tongue. Her shoulders remembered the thrilled rhythms. On another occasion, the taste of a strawberry related its entire history of self-propelled spirit into matter. All human sensations could, she believed, provide paths to the same state of ecstatic worship. The principalities of civilization had hidden most of these gateways to heightened awareness, however, and for most people now, the only way back to the blessed original state involved a spectacular sexual event. And while Winnie rejoiced as much as anyone else in extraordinary sexual events, she sometimes feared that keeping the species alive had nearly replaced being alive, as if the entire galaxy of spontaneous felt-unity threatened to become perversely focused on one narrow impulse."
Nate, the trucker. "...somewhere in norther Iowa Nate's mood began to darken again. The recently cultivated cornfields around the moving truck spread out flat in all directions--horizon to horizon in uniform lines of sprouting green on a black-earth background. Planted along a grid, each corn plant currently stood at a uniform height of about twelve inches. Nate could feel his mind growing numb. All these plants in perfect rows, maturing at exactly the same rate, racing toward the grain harvest and into the mouth end of livestock digestive tracts, creating more civilization, more government, more laws, more prisons."
Winnie, the minister. "Winnie cherished Jacob's need for passion from her, and sometimes imagined that his consciousness consisted primarily of an awareness of his own sexual instinct--his own gateway to rapture. Thankfully God had created this vital opportunity for bliss, yet Winnie remained convinced there were many more avenues that could be followed to divine pleasure. People could become hyperconscious in countless ways. It was possible. The sight of a hummingbird--along with the sound of its thrumming wings--once revealed to her how she had long ago lived with tiny black feet and a nectar-searching tongue. Her shoulders remembered the thrilled rhythms. On another occasion, the taste of a strawberry related its entire history of self-propelled spirit into matter. All human sensations could, she believed, provide paths to the same state of ecstatic worship. The principalities of civilization had hidden most of these gateways to heightened awareness, however, and for most people now, the only way back to the blessed original state involved a spectacular sexual event. And while Winnie rejoiced as much as anyone else in extraordinary sexual events, she sometimes feared that keeping the species alive had nearly replaced being alive, as if the entire galaxy of spontaneous felt-unity threatened to become perversely focused on one narrow impulse."
Nate, the trucker. "...somewhere in norther Iowa Nate's mood began to darken again. The recently cultivated cornfields around the moving truck spread out flat in all directions--horizon to horizon in uniform lines of sprouting green on a black-earth background. Planted along a grid, each corn plant currently stood at a uniform height of about twelve inches. Nate could feel his mind growing numb. All these plants in perfect rows, maturing at exactly the same rate, racing toward the grain harvest and into the mouth end of livestock digestive tracts, creating more civilization, more government, more laws, more prisons."
May 30, 2020
Jewelweed is a story about ordinary people living ordinary lives. But I developed deep feelings for all of the characters as if I knew them personally. The plot breaks down a couple of isolated times and if I could give Jewelweed 4.5 stars I would. But I rounded down.
A few thoughts that hit home were:
What good is freedom if you never do anything unusual or odd? That’s what freedom means – doing whatever you need to do so long as nobody else is hurt by it. That’s what you were talking about before, doing things that conflict with your sense of yourself in other rooms of your mind.
You have to be able to do that or you’re not really alive.
[Winnie] Anger is never constructive, though I often can’t avoid it either. [Blake] Anger proves I’m still alive.
The reading was difficult. The meaning of individual words seemed to shift, as if they were living organisms with unstable personalities.
[And here is one thought that I am not sure I understand but I nonetheless thought it was beautifully written.] All the forces demanding Winnie’s attention seemed to be releasing their grip. Still seated on the bench with her eyes closed, she contemplated this brief freedom, and felt herself falling deeper and deeper into an indescribable peace. Both the falling and the peace had many layers and she slowly dissolved into them until there was nothing left of her but a single wordless prayer, which she experienced over and over again.
A few thoughts that hit home were:
What good is freedom if you never do anything unusual or odd? That’s what freedom means – doing whatever you need to do so long as nobody else is hurt by it. That’s what you were talking about before, doing things that conflict with your sense of yourself in other rooms of your mind.
You have to be able to do that or you’re not really alive.
[Winnie] Anger is never constructive, though I often can’t avoid it either. [Blake] Anger proves I’m still alive.
The reading was difficult. The meaning of individual words seemed to shift, as if they were living organisms with unstable personalities.
[And here is one thought that I am not sure I understand but I nonetheless thought it was beautifully written.] All the forces demanding Winnie’s attention seemed to be releasing their grip. Still seated on the bench with her eyes closed, she contemplated this brief freedom, and felt herself falling deeper and deeper into an indescribable peace. Both the falling and the peace had many layers and she slowly dissolved into them until there was nothing left of her but a single wordless prayer, which she experienced over and over again.
April 8, 2013
I loved Driftless and Rock Island Line so much that I was apprehensive about whether or not Jewelweed would live up to its predecessors! I shouldn't have worried; David Rhodes is a master and in his hands, this story, which shares its setting, some characters and themes with Driftless, stands shoulder to shoulder with his other work but unique and complete in itself.
The inner lives of Rhodes' characters, their fears, dreams, hopes and motivations, are woven into a tapestry of community life. Rhodes can't help but write the most beautiful poetic prose make this book, like Driftless, one to read and savor slowly. Bravo, Bravo, Bravo!
The inner lives of Rhodes' characters, their fears, dreams, hopes and motivations, are woven into a tapestry of community life. Rhodes can't help but write the most beautiful poetic prose make this book, like Driftless, one to read and savor slowly. Bravo, Bravo, Bravo!
February 11, 2016
I loved Driftless and Rock Island Line so much that I was apprehensive about whether or not Jewelweed would live up to its predecessors! I shouldn't have worried; David Rhodes is a master and in his hands, this story, which shares its setting, some characters and themes with Driftless, stands shoulder to shoulder with his other work but unique and complete in itself.
The inner lives of Rhodes' characters, their fears, dreams, hopes and motivations, are woven into a tapestry of community life. Rhodes can't help but write the most beautiful poetic prose make this book, like Driftless, one to read and savor slowly. Bravo, Bravo, Bravo!
The inner lives of Rhodes' characters, their fears, dreams, hopes and motivations, are woven into a tapestry of community life. Rhodes can't help but write the most beautiful poetic prose make this book, like Driftless, one to read and savor slowly. Bravo, Bravo, Bravo!
May 21, 2020
Small towns are full of interesting characters and Rhodes does a wonderful job of capturing those idiosyncrasies, while tossing in a some mid-west flavored magical realism. (It's there, but within the realm or reality.) Along the way, Rhodes critiques the American prison system, particularly for profit prisons. As my wife is the pastor of a small church I always enjoy Rhodes descriptions of the dynamics of small-town or rural churches.
July 2, 2013
Thank you Goodreads for this beautiful book.
I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to meet some wonderful characters and sense the atmosphere of this Wisconsin community.
For those who appreciate great writing and calm philosophical meanderings, I highly recommend Jewelweed. Like me, I'm sure you will share it with others.
I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to meet some wonderful characters and sense the atmosphere of this Wisconsin community.
For those who appreciate great writing and calm philosophical meanderings, I highly recommend Jewelweed. Like me, I'm sure you will share it with others.
December 17, 2022
This is a book to savor slowly. Imagine my surprise when I was hooked by the first encounter with a semi tractor-trailer driver in the first chapter. What?! As each chapter introduced a new character I fell in love over and over again. Such rich, smart language. A story beautifully woven together-simple, yet complex and deep.
Jewelweed will not soon be forgotten.
Jewelweed will not soon be forgotten.
August 2, 2013
David Rhodes just keeps getting better. His writing is exceptionally beautiful but never fussy or over-done. His characters and the world he has created draws you in and enfolds you. I broke out sobbing on 3 separate occasions while reading this fabulous book. What a treasure.
April 21, 2013
Loved it. Beautiful, raw, thought-provoking. I'm making a point to read all of his other books now. A very satisfying read.
April 14, 2018
Lyrical writing, absorbing characters (especially the kids) and a great story.
March 22, 2015
Exquisite. If you love character-driven stories, David Rhodes' *Jewelweed,* and its predecessor, *Driftless,* are tailor-made. Each character is drawn with depth and compassion; every variation on the human condition is rendered. The first chapter is called "A Taste of Joy" ... and that's what this book is. The most ordinary of people, places, and moments are made luminous. I want to meet these people ... every one is shaded with reverent imagination and nuance. A trucker, widowed, mourns also the loss of his son, who has been in prison for 11 years. The son, about to be released, is in love with a woman (his first love from long ago) who's working as a housekeeper for a moderately wealthy family ... and there's a monstrous turtle in their pond. Three prepubescent boys form and cement a friendship ... and wonder about a fourth who's called "the wild boy" and lives on the land, in close proximity to a hermit veteran who carves archetypal states of being into wood, and then burns them in sacred ceremony. One character, a woman who's the minister of the only church in Words, Wisconsin, appears in both books as a major presence. Her crisis of faith catalyzes the creation of a gorgeous garden ... and a levitation. There are astonishing moments aplenty -- everything from a man who falls in nostalgic love with a Breakfast Pie at a truck stop to a woman who steals a diamond necklace while at a corporate party. An elder woman who passes her days stringing rosary beads doesn't mind a book-thief in the night who's enamoured and baffled with the philosophy of Baruch Spinoza, and one boy in the story has a beloved pet bat who nestles inside his shirt pocket. Another elder, a man, jots into a tiny notebook all the joys of living that he'll miss when he's dead. Love is the thread that weaves all these lives together, and there's not a false note to any expression. These people are *real* ... they're you and me.
Quotes:
"Families are what we have to fall back on in hard times," said the woman. / "Some, maybe," said Nate. My family was the kind you fell away from."
"Anger proves I'm still alive," said Blake.
Something that could never be defined in her overflowed in him and filled his conscious container to the brim with clear and untroubled ambitions. In her company he felt good about himself, better than anywhere else. She licensed him, loaned him the rightful authority to be himself. With Bee, the memories of his family became memories of their shared family, and they were no longer hard to carry. Her presence taught him where to find the right dramas and how to discard the rest.
They talked in muted voices about relatives and places in their memories, circling each other in ever-narrowing spirals until they found the courage to speak of the real things near the bottom of the reservoir, moth-souls circling the Holy Flame.
His psychic wounds presented a more complicated challenge. Something was needed in addition to the autonomic remedies provided by dreams, shaking, weeping, hollering, sweating, and vomiting. For true recovery -- involution -- Blake required satisfactory relations with other creatures over extended periods of time, and lots and lots of rest ... Blake could sometimes imagine what a reasonably balanced state of mind would be like. He could almost picture a less haunted edition of himself, sense an inheritance that might come due someday.
... Blake's passion for reading had grown exponentially. With books, there weren't the difficulties of close-up relations. All the immediate, personal barriers were gone. Through the ladder of language he could climb into the minds of others.
... no endeavour was more dangerous than expressing new thoughts.
A fermented thought entered his head, and he simply couldn't leave it alone.
People needed a path -- they were born needing it and they would die needing it -- and if you couldn't find your way back to your path after you strayed from it, you were finished.
Esther simply assumed that everyone wanted to harm her, regardless of what they might say or do. The consequences of not being prepared far outweighed whatever vagrant peace she might enjoy by assuming the coast was clear.
The preying vacancy of the night before had been replaced by the silent marvel of dew and plant life shaking off sleep, regrowing the world. A new sun rose in the east, and the beads of moisture hanging from the spokes of his motorcycle burned like blue diamonds. A chorus of fledglings sang about the significance of eating weed seeds, having feathers, and flying wherever they wanted.
As he stared into the misty dawn and thought about the commanding reality of renewal, Blake realized he had absolutely no idea what time it was. He was free, or rather had been free in the previous moment before he realized it.
At the mention of Danielle, Blake sank into the chair next to the wood-burning stove. He stared forward like someone who had been woken by a loud noise in the middle of the night.
"The same institutions that first point us toward higher ground later prevent us from reaching it."
"I want to live in a more authentic way, to believe in nothing yet have faith in everything."
There were facts that depended on objective, verifiable evidence, and then there were those evinced through a thrilling verdict in the heart.
"There are no rights, just feelings and the things that hold them in place."
... as far as his heart was concerned, without someone to love, freedom was nothing more than a worn out Vacancy sign on a motel no one wanted to set foot in.
"... I'm free to roam around, and occasionally I experience blissfully connected things, like how becoming can be in every moment, emergent yet unchanged. What seems like change could also be a further manifestation." / "Yes, emergent yet unchanged," replied Blake. That's what I want to understand. That's the key. Changing characters disguise the unchanging story."
"Having a mind is like having a child -- you won't have any peace until you can keep it busy."
"The important thing is that people who are sick sometimes see the world the way it really is. Not always, but sometimes it happens. People who have things too easy can't do this. They're too easily influenced by the self-serving thoughts that march out of good fortune."
"... do you think people can ever be forgiven for what they don't know about themselves, for paying too much attention to what frightens them and too little to what makes them happy?"
Quotes:
"Families are what we have to fall back on in hard times," said the woman. / "Some, maybe," said Nate. My family was the kind you fell away from."
"Anger proves I'm still alive," said Blake.
Something that could never be defined in her overflowed in him and filled his conscious container to the brim with clear and untroubled ambitions. In her company he felt good about himself, better than anywhere else. She licensed him, loaned him the rightful authority to be himself. With Bee, the memories of his family became memories of their shared family, and they were no longer hard to carry. Her presence taught him where to find the right dramas and how to discard the rest.
They talked in muted voices about relatives and places in their memories, circling each other in ever-narrowing spirals until they found the courage to speak of the real things near the bottom of the reservoir, moth-souls circling the Holy Flame.
His psychic wounds presented a more complicated challenge. Something was needed in addition to the autonomic remedies provided by dreams, shaking, weeping, hollering, sweating, and vomiting. For true recovery -- involution -- Blake required satisfactory relations with other creatures over extended periods of time, and lots and lots of rest ... Blake could sometimes imagine what a reasonably balanced state of mind would be like. He could almost picture a less haunted edition of himself, sense an inheritance that might come due someday.
... Blake's passion for reading had grown exponentially. With books, there weren't the difficulties of close-up relations. All the immediate, personal barriers were gone. Through the ladder of language he could climb into the minds of others.
... no endeavour was more dangerous than expressing new thoughts.
A fermented thought entered his head, and he simply couldn't leave it alone.
People needed a path -- they were born needing it and they would die needing it -- and if you couldn't find your way back to your path after you strayed from it, you were finished.
Esther simply assumed that everyone wanted to harm her, regardless of what they might say or do. The consequences of not being prepared far outweighed whatever vagrant peace she might enjoy by assuming the coast was clear.
The preying vacancy of the night before had been replaced by the silent marvel of dew and plant life shaking off sleep, regrowing the world. A new sun rose in the east, and the beads of moisture hanging from the spokes of his motorcycle burned like blue diamonds. A chorus of fledglings sang about the significance of eating weed seeds, having feathers, and flying wherever they wanted.
As he stared into the misty dawn and thought about the commanding reality of renewal, Blake realized he had absolutely no idea what time it was. He was free, or rather had been free in the previous moment before he realized it.
At the mention of Danielle, Blake sank into the chair next to the wood-burning stove. He stared forward like someone who had been woken by a loud noise in the middle of the night.
"The same institutions that first point us toward higher ground later prevent us from reaching it."
"I want to live in a more authentic way, to believe in nothing yet have faith in everything."
There were facts that depended on objective, verifiable evidence, and then there were those evinced through a thrilling verdict in the heart.
"There are no rights, just feelings and the things that hold them in place."
... as far as his heart was concerned, without someone to love, freedom was nothing more than a worn out Vacancy sign on a motel no one wanted to set foot in.
"... I'm free to roam around, and occasionally I experience blissfully connected things, like how becoming can be in every moment, emergent yet unchanged. What seems like change could also be a further manifestation." / "Yes, emergent yet unchanged," replied Blake. That's what I want to understand. That's the key. Changing characters disguise the unchanging story."
"Having a mind is like having a child -- you won't have any peace until you can keep it busy."
"The important thing is that people who are sick sometimes see the world the way it really is. Not always, but sometimes it happens. People who have things too easy can't do this. They're too easily influenced by the self-serving thoughts that march out of good fortune."
"... do you think people can ever be forgiven for what they don't know about themselves, for paying too much attention to what frightens them and too little to what makes them happy?"
January 12, 2022
A return to the Driftless area in Wisconsin, with a fresh batch of characters. Not as strong as the excellent Driftless but worth visiting. 3.5 stars
January 24, 2023
Beautiful descriptive language in this novel with a theme of redemption along with a little philosophy and a bit of mysticism thrown in.
July 2, 2024
Personal opinion, I liked Driftless better, as good as this one was. Similar characters and themes, and a good relaxing summer read.
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