Jewel Sea

by Kim Kelly

The whole of the harbour was touched with gold – the tops of the quiet waves, warehouse roofs, the bulging folds of sails at rest, the tips of seagull wings – giving him one sweeping glimpse of beauty just as he was leaving, a vision of things as they ought always to be just as they were not…

March, 1912. A sultry Indian summer hangs over the west coast of Australia and aboard the luxury steamship SS Koombana, three tales entwine.

Irene Everley longs to leave her first-class fishbowl existence, secretly penning a gossip column as her life spirals out of control into soulless liaisons and alcohol, the long shadow of a tragedy clouding her view.

James Sinclair, an investor on his way to Broome is not the man he says he is but can he be trusted?

Abraham Davis, a wealthy dealer whose scandalous divorce is being dragged through the press, prepares to take the gamble of his life: to purchase an infamous, stolen pearl along the journey north.

Perfectly round, perfectly pink, this pearl comes with a curse and with a warning – destroying all who keep it from returning to the sea.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Australia, Fiction

190 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2016

About the author

‘Why can’t more people write like this?’ – The Age
‘colourful, evocative and energetic’ – Sydney Morning Herald

Kim Kelly is author thirteen novels. Among them are the bestselling, The Blue Mile, and critically acclaimed, Wild Chicory. Her novella, The Rat Catcher, was longlisted for the ARA Historical Novel Prize, and her latest, Ladies' Rest and Writing Room, was awarded the Finlay Lloyd 20/40 Prize.

Also a well-known book editor, Kim has a Master of Creative Writing from Macquarie University, for which she earned the Fred Rush Convocation Prize for writing. She is currently undertaking a PhD in literature at Macquarie.

Reviews

[Phrynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think all of this author's books have beautiful covers and I know you should not choose a book because of its cover - but it certainly helps!
Anyway, apart from having a lovely cover, Jewel Sea also has a clever story, is set in a beautiful part of Australia and is based on historical fact. All good things. The book is told in rotating chapters by its two main characters and, rather surprisingly, a pearl. I was ambivalent about that part but it is central to the story and works reasonably well.
Overall, a quick, enjoyable read with a satisfying ending.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miya first came to life in Broome when the Aboriginal boy Warlitj was diving for shells; back on board the vessel the cracking open of each shell mostly revealed nothing, but the trawler’s master noticed Warlitj’s hesitation and was astounded when he saw the beauty and lustre of the round, pink pearl. And so began Miya’s journey to be returned to the sea…

March 1912 the coastal steamer SS Koombana was leaving on its journey from Fremantle and up the West Coast of Australia. On board the large number of passengers included Irene Everley, travelling with her best friend Marg; Abraham Davis, wealthy pearl dealer and trawler owner; and James Sinclair, investor from Sydney. All three people had dark secrets – their lives would also entwine in the short journey at sea.

How would the curse of a lustrous pearl brought to life some seven years prior touch the lives of Irene, Abraham and James?

Jewel Sea by Aussie author Kim Kelly is based on factual events surrounding the SS Koombana – the author’s notes at the end of the book show a fascinating insight into Kelly’s reasons for Jewel Sea and how it came about. A story filled with mystery and intrigue; a little magic and a well-written narrative – Kim Kelly’s latest book is enchanting, intense and dazzling! A definite keeper! I wonder what this author will come up with next! Highly recommended.

With thanks to The Author People for this copy to read in exchange for my honest review.

[Jenn J McLeod · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I reviewed Kim Kelly’s, Wild Chicory, I think I said something about the novella (of only 92 pages) teasing readers with a promise of something even more powerful, magical and mesmerizing to come.

Well, it’s here and it’s titled Jewel Sea (and if this book is not recognised by those in the business of handing out literary awards then . . . Well, I won’t understand why not).

Jewel Sea is inspired storytelling that breaks the rules so beautifully.

In fact, I am left quite speechless when it comes to penning a review. I think the real joy of both this and Wild Chicory is the author’s note at the end (and reading that should be left until the end, people!) when you realise that while the author has been sweeping you away, she has been teaching you in the gentlest of ways.

The two main characters are terrifically flawed and complex. I especially loved that Irene was allowed to be so ballsy (so refreshingly different, especially given the time period).

I read this in one sitting—rare for me, but a very happy habit when it comes to Kim Kelly books.

[Amanda - Mrs B's Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a West Australian born and bred, it was a little disheartening to discover I had absolutely no prior knowledge of a fascinating slice of history that took place off the coast of WA in 1912. Established Australian author Kim Kelly majestically brings to life the ill fated tale of the luxury steamship SS Koombana, which was lost in a cyclone in her book, Jewel Sea. Carefully combining historical fact with fiction, Kelly manages to weave an intriguing tale of love, betrayal, greed and disaster. I wish to thank Kim Kelly for drawing my attention to this important piece of Western Australia’s history.

Jewel Sea is a book that is told in multiple voices that is comprised of the various passengers aboard the SS Koombana. These points of view are diverse but they work in harmony, joining together to provide an overall picture of the doomed steamship. Kelly uses these voices to explore powerful themes of class and relationships. Characters are a true strength in Jewel Sea. One such character, Irene, stood out from the pack, her tale was simply unforgettable. Equally mesmerising and wonderfully creative was the device of giving a pearl, the main crux of the story, a distinct voice. I admire Kelly for inserting this into her narrative, as it gave Jewel Sea another layer of the story to unlock. For those who enjoy something outside the box, Jewel Sea does take on a little of the magical. The device of using a mystical pearl in a narrative thread provided me with the opportunity to suspend some realism, which I enjoyed immensely.

Readers will find Jewel Sea very well researched and the writing polished. The narrative is breathtaking and the characters are well drawn. I read this book in just two sittings, which is testament to my unwillingness to put the book down. The author note contained at the close of the novel is compelling and should not be overlooked, it definitely added a little extra to my reading experience of this novel. Jewel Sea marks my third experience reading the talented works of Kim Kelly. She is an author I know I can trust to write colourful stories, highlighting Australia’s rich heritage. I would highly recommend Jewel Sea to all readers.
*Please note that a free copy of this book was provided to me for review purposes through Beauty and Lace. To read the original review on the Beauty and Lace website please visit here: http://bookgirl.beautyandlace.net/blo...

[Laura Bloom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nine parts engrossing narrative novel, and one part fairy tale, JEWEL SEA is a story of enchantment – with a rose coloured pearl, a blossoming love between opposites, and with the sea off the coast of Western Australia, where, in 1912, the luxury steamship, The SS Koombana, set sail off the West coast of Australia, towards Fremantle.

Based on real events and beautifully detailed research, Kelly casts her story like a spell, drawing the reader headlong into other worlds with her vividly drawn characters and extraordinary writing. Drawn in immediately by the book’s wonderful heroine, Irene, I was tempted to read this book faster and faster, gulping it down. But then certain turns of phrase and descriptions brought me back to reread them, and continue more savouringly.

Although it reads effortlessly, Kelly skillfully portrays the realities of race war and class conflict at that time, as well as painting a moving portrayal of difference - racial, sexual, gender - in all its nuanced, yet sometimes stark and brutal, shades. By the end of Jewel Sea I felt I had, on the one hand, read an affecting story of love, ambition and survival, and then on the other I had been delivered a stunning panorama of a lost time, with its complex networks of relationships and consequences, hitting me with the tragedy at the centre of this story afresh, and unforgettably.

[D.M. Cameron]

The Jewel Sea is a well written, many layered, little gem of Australian historical fiction. I could feel, hear and smell the isolated, underpopulated coastal towns of the early 1900's and the cruise liner Koombana in which it is set. As with Kim Kelly's Paper Daisys, I found, once I reached a certain point, I had to keep reading to find out what happened...so another all nighter. (Love it when that happens with a book). Kelly sets up a terrific tension by building an imminent sense of foreboding as we the reader fall further in love with her characters. Well worth checking out.

[Sharon Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was prepared for my three hour train trip to Sydney with my copy of Jewel Sea on my iPad ready to go and it gave me the opportunity to immerse myself in the story without interruptions. But I then I had to sit up and finish it before going to bed because I really had to know how the story finished before I could sleep. I love where this book went and they way it went there. The Titanic era of travel on board elegant ships is a fascinating time in history. It has a romantic history and this story conveys every thing that fits in this Belle Epoch era; elegance, romance and mystery all thrown in and so very cleverly woven together. Kim Kelly has a style of writing that involves the reader from the start and gets them invested in the story so that even though you have a sense of where it will end up it is where you really want it to go. My only regret is that I now have to wait for the next one. A very enjoyable read.

[Elise McCune · Rating 5 out of 5]

I lived for many years in Western Australia and loved the lifestyle and the people. I was thrilled to find Jewel Sea a story about the luxury steamship SS Koombana. I’d heard about the ship but only in passing and not in any detail. Kim Kelly has brought the characters and era to life in this historical story of love and betrayal. Jewel Sea is a great story.

A Five Star book.

Elise McCune

[Suze · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's the second decennium of the twentieth century and on board of the steamship SS Koombana there are several people with big secrets. Irene likes to write so much that she does it professionally and she loves the company of men. She's hiding both of these things from most of the people in her life. When she meets James at the ship he immediately catches her attention. However, is James who he says he is and what is he doing on the luxury ship?

A large pearl is being found and those on board who find out about its existence want to have it. Just one boy knows about its curse. The pearl can do a lot of damage, it wants to destroy, especially those who can't hear its call. One of the people who want to benefit from it is the rich dealer Abraham, who immediately recognizes the pearl's monetary value and sees it as a chance to make a huge profit. The pearl has one wish though and that is to be returned to the sea, but is there anyone who will listen to its pleas?

Jewel Sea is an intriguing story about a ship and its passengers and a pearl that can harm people. I loved these two aspects of the story. The pearl is supposed to be invaluable, but it doesn't want to be possessed. It was interesting to see the journey of this precious product of the sea. I was enchanted by the magic, which I absolutely loved. Kim Kelly gives the pearl a personality and therefore it becomes a main character in her story. It's a wonderful creative idea and it works very well.

There are quite a few characters, because a boat is filled with people, and they all have a story, big or small, but always important. This is something I found incredibly beautiful. Kim Kelly has chosen to narrate her story from several different points of view and the voices are all distinct and equally compelling. I especially loved Irene. She's a strong woman who isn't afraid to do what she wants. She doesn't mind chasing after something. I admired her confidence and her certainty of what she wanted to do with her life. I was curious from the start to find out what would happen to her and what influence the journey on the SS Koombana would have on the rest of her life. Kim Kelly kept surprising me and I really enjoyed that.

Jewel Sea is a gem of a book. Kim Kelly knows how to write a good story. She mixes historical facts with fantastic fiction and I like that a lot. Her writing style is both captivating and charming. I've read several of her books and am spellbound and amazed by what she writes. I loved Jewel Sea, it's another fantastic story by Kim Kelly that has a great unexpected ending.

[Karyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Kim Kelly's The Blue Mile and Paper Daisies and was really looking forward to reading the Jewel Sea and it didn't disappoint. It is a wonderful story that entwines historical facts of the disappearance of luxury steamship the SS Koombana off the WA coast in 1912 with fantastic fiction.

A cursed pearl with powers, two lovers; Irene and Fin, the ship SS Koombana and its passengers are all drawn together to make for a really interesting tale.

The story is told through three main characters Miya, the cursed pearl who has a 'real' personality; Irene, a rich cattleman's daughter who was looking for more in life than marriage and is portrayed as a strong independent woman and Fin, a man with a history and who is on the run from the police.

I don't want to give to much away but true to life the ship does go down in a cyclone and disappears as in history but what of all the passengers on the ship. You will have to read the book to find out their fate.

The Jewel Sea is a short read only 168 pages but what a tale is told. I couldn't put the book down and highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good story that weaves intrigue, greed, betrayal and love.
Can't wait for the next Kim Kelly book.
Thanks to Beauty and Lace for the ARC.

[Theresa Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ill-fated Koombana, a steamship that disappeared, along with 150 passengers and crew, without a trace during a cyclone north of Port Hedland in Western Australia on the 20th of March in 1912, provides the setting for this novel, Jewel Sea. We board this ship with a group of passengers, and through their interactions we experience a re-imagined version of the last trip the Koombana ever made. It’s a fast paced little novel, tense and gripping, with a grim sense of expectation foreshadowing the story. And yet, most surprising of all, it is a love story, of an intense attraction that bursts into a love like no other. In Jewel Sea, we are treated to that special blend of Kim Kelly magic: history, love, legend, and authenticity – above all, there is always that rich vein of authenticity.

Bracketing the events on board the ship is a curious tale told by one of the most curious characters I have ever come across. Miya is a pearl, the legendary cursed rose coloured pearl, whose fate is purported to be knotted closely with that of the Koombana. Kim Kelly breathes life into this inanimate object, giving her a soul, a destiny, and a story like no other. As much as I loved this novel in its entirety, Miya’s chapters were my absolute favourite. I could feel her pain, her desperation; it’s an extraordinary writer who can take an object and make it sing with life.

‘And it was at this moment that my change became complete: in the absence of shell, I began to lay down my curse around me. For theft unleashes a law of life, too. Tragedy is the thief who denies there must be recompense against his greed. It was simple. I would be used as I has been made: to call the clouds over the land. Or I would be returned to the sea. But to steal me, to keep me from my purpose, is to pay the highest price. To pay with your life.’

Kim Kelly, my reading life has forever been altered for the better since discovering your words. There is truly nothing to risk in reading a novel written by Kim Kelly if you are yet to do so. She writes with truth and beauty, depth and love. I highly recommend Jewel Sea with the greatest affection. It’s an unforgettable story that will sweep you away and leave you breathless with anticipation.

[Martin Chambers · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Based on a true story' seems to be a need in modern literature. It is true that I would probably not have picked up this book otherwise but the fact that the seed of the story was the loss of the Koombana is a distraction. This is a good story and for the most part well told. Kim Kelly writes cleverly to give us different points of view, a technique to give us a sense of the population onboard the vessel. If only she had forgotten the truth of the story and let her imagination run we could have had something even better. Often, and particularly when in the voice of Miya, I was pulled from the story by an image of Kim Kelly poring over the archives, finding references to early twentieth century life in Western Australia to weave into the narrative. This pulling the reader from the story is because of the clunky way some of these facts are delivered, as if the writer, having discovered a little detail such as the name of a 1912 reference book, cannot resist imparting it upon us. I am temped to say these details are irrelevant, but that raises the question. What is this story about? Is it the love story of Irene and Fin? A history of what might have happened to the Koombana? Or a fantasy about the curse of the pink pearl? In writing, what you leave out is as important as what you put in. Knowing what to put in can only be driven by knowing exactly what story you are telling.

[Desney King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps the most mystical of Kim Kelly's novels I've read, Jewel Sea glitters and glows - a jewel of a story.
A love story on so many levels, it carries us gently yet relentlessly into intimate relationships with the three main characters, each of whom is compelling and charismatic. And one of whom dissolves any preconceived notions of who and how a character should be.
As always, Kelly's research into lesser known aspects of Australian history is impeccable, allowing her to recreate places, events, natural phenomena and atmospheres so real that we become merged with them.
Reading Jewel Sea has enriched me in indefinable ways.
Thank you again, Kim Kelly.

[MsMead · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audiobook (read by Helen Morse) while driving from Karratha to Port Hedland and then on to Broome. And I had been in Koombana Bay, Bunbury just 2 weeks earlier. It was a thrill to listen to this story of the beauty and the terror of my home state as I drove through the hottest temperature yet recorded in Australia (50.7 degrees C).
I enjoyed the history, the romance and the spiritualism of the story, and the independence of the female protagonist. It brought to mind my reading of John Steinbeck's 'The Pearl' and I wish I could recommend this for the English/Literature classroom, but I doubt many teachers would feel comfortable with the saucy adult themes ;-)

[Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although not a long book, it manages to delve into issues of class, racism, greed, crime, homosexuality and history. Based loosely on a historical sinking, Kim Kelly has assembled a wonderful cast of characters, including a pearl. This was a fascinating story that transported me to another place and time, and made for very enjoyable reading.

[Sara Hayward · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intriguing read, with an unusual perspective. Worth the time, however I wish some parts of the book were covered in more detail and others less. Wonderful to read about an unknown history of Western Australia, with an unexpected ending.

[Amie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of a slow burn

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting descriptions of Western Australia and the early 20th century. A rare pink pearl is one of the main characters. It has a name and narrates some of the story.

[Paul]

When I was a kid (1950s) my mother and aunts used to talk about how wearing pearls brought bad luck. The most famous literary exposition of this belief is Steinbeck's The Pearl. But Australian writer Kim Kelly uses it to great effect in her short novel, Jewel Sea. Here the discovered rosy pearl of doom is one of the characters and over more than a decade develops a malevolent power of its own, to punish those who strive to own it. Kelly has written several novels set in Edwardian Australia and she is a master of the period, right down to its quaint slang. (Some of the sexual slang had me laughing out loud.) Her historical romance (and it is that, but definitely not chick-lit) tells the story of the foundering of the SS Koombara in a hurricane of Australia's Northwest coast, a maritime a maritime disaster equivalent to the loss of the Dunbar at the Gap in Sydney in the 19th Century. Most of her characters are drawn from the ship's passenger list. She recreates with panache life for the elite aboard Australia's early 20th century coastal fleet, with diversions into the history of Aboriginal massacres in WA, the pearling industry, the impact of the White Australia policy on Japanese and Filipino divers, and the privileged lifestyles of our pastoral elite. I found it a good read and was glad I succumbed to it.