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A Mormon Family Saga #1
Uncut Diamonds
A young married couple struggles to find balance during the over-the-top decade of the seventies. Gold medallions, disco dancing, Star Wars and Saturday Night Fever are all the rage. Jimmy Carter is President during a frightening recession, with fuel bills higher than house payments. In the heartland of America, a young Mormon couple, Marcie and Shawn McGill, struggle to save their home, family and marriage. During these uncertain times, they come to learn what matters most.
UNCUT DIAMONDS celebrates family– the ordinary, the outrageous, the comical and the tragic.
UNCUT DIAMONDS celebrates family– the ordinary, the outrageous, the comical and the tragic.
- GenresFiction
386 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2009
7 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
Karen Jones Gowen
11 books131 followersBorn and raised in central Illinois, Karen attended Northern Illinois University in DeKalb and the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. She transferred to Brigham Young University, where she met her husband Bruce, and there graduated with a degree in English and American Literature.
Karen and Bruce have lived in Utah, Illinois, California and Washington, currently residing in Panajachel, Guatemala. They are the parents of ten children. Not surprisingly, family relationships are a recurring theme in Karen's writing.
Karen and Bruce have lived in Utah, Illinois, California and Washington, currently residing in Panajachel, Guatemala. They are the parents of ten children. Not surprisingly, family relationships are a recurring theme in Karen's writing.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 24, 2011
Uncut Diamonds is a story about family, about choices, about a woman who is still young but has big adult responsibilities. It’s also about being Mormon.
The main character, Marcie, stands by her family and her faith, despite financial woes and continuous pregnancies, all of which cause strife among outward family, most of whom are not Mormon. The book starts slowly, with a lot of description and dialogue peppered with day-to-day action. We see that Marcie is already immersed in the worry of losing a small business she and her husband have taken on, as well as general finances concerning the home they live in and rent out. As with any book, a reader asks, why should I care? We’re so trained to wait for the ball to drop. Will they lose their home? Starve? Have to sell all their possessions? No. That’s the beauty of this book. And it is beautiful. Marcie and her family stay calm and work hard to ride the river of recession and bad luck. They gracefully lean on each other through each trial and become stronger.
More children come, houses are lost, found, lost again. Mirroring each section in Marcie’s life is an excerpt from her Grandmother’s journals of days on the prairie. Not only is it extremely interesting to read, I love how the author almost created a conversation between the two women: one asking questions, and the other giving advice, comfort.
There’s an honesty in Uncut Diamonds. Marcie is an open book. When things get bad she doesn’t hold back. She yells, throws pots and pans, screams to get what she needs to make her family survive. When things are good, her heart opens up and wisdom flows, inviting all to heal. It’s a revelation of character and true growth.
This is a touching book. Though not fast paced, it does have tension, especially around the end. I found myself not being able to put it down, and was sad at the appearance of the last page.
The main character, Marcie, stands by her family and her faith, despite financial woes and continuous pregnancies, all of which cause strife among outward family, most of whom are not Mormon. The book starts slowly, with a lot of description and dialogue peppered with day-to-day action. We see that Marcie is already immersed in the worry of losing a small business she and her husband have taken on, as well as general finances concerning the home they live in and rent out. As with any book, a reader asks, why should I care? We’re so trained to wait for the ball to drop. Will they lose their home? Starve? Have to sell all their possessions? No. That’s the beauty of this book. And it is beautiful. Marcie and her family stay calm and work hard to ride the river of recession and bad luck. They gracefully lean on each other through each trial and become stronger.
More children come, houses are lost, found, lost again. Mirroring each section in Marcie’s life is an excerpt from her Grandmother’s journals of days on the prairie. Not only is it extremely interesting to read, I love how the author almost created a conversation between the two women: one asking questions, and the other giving advice, comfort.
There’s an honesty in Uncut Diamonds. Marcie is an open book. When things get bad she doesn’t hold back. She yells, throws pots and pans, screams to get what she needs to make her family survive. When things are good, her heart opens up and wisdom flows, inviting all to heal. It’s a revelation of character and true growth.
This is a touching book. Though not fast paced, it does have tension, especially around the end. I found myself not being able to put it down, and was sad at the appearance of the last page.
August 2, 2009
I finished reading this book yesterday, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The main character, Marcie, goes through a wide variety of emotions very similar to myself, for us being young moms forty years apart.
Most of us will be able to relate to the high gas bills (not that high), making bread and beans and rice because we're saving money, and feeling frustrated with our husbands because they don't help out at home.
The beginning of the book started out rough for me; there were a few typesetting errors and fewer commas than I'm accustomed to. Also, the characters were introduced by their first names and then referred to by the last name, leaving me a bit confused as to who was who in the first two or three chapters. Things smoothed out from there, though, and the book was an enjoyable, compelling read. Very relaxing.
Most of us will be able to relate to the high gas bills (not that high), making bread and beans and rice because we're saving money, and feeling frustrated with our husbands because they don't help out at home.
The beginning of the book started out rough for me; there were a few typesetting errors and fewer commas than I'm accustomed to. Also, the characters were introduced by their first names and then referred to by the last name, leaving me a bit confused as to who was who in the first two or three chapters. Things smoothed out from there, though, and the book was an enjoyable, compelling read. Very relaxing.
March 18, 2011
Karen is a great writer. Her stories are rich in detail. I felt I lived her life, I felt I suffered when she suffered. There was one moment in the book where someone knocks on the door and she's afraid to answer, I felt that fear. She writes characters with unique personalities and none of her characters are cliche or cookie-cutter. They show real emotions, sometimes even negative ones.
This story is timely as well. Although the book takes place in the seventies (and some journal entries from early in the twentieth century, it discuss a subject that faces many--not only in the US but around the world--financial hardship. I love how the characters deal with it.
Only one thing bothered me about the kindle book: I couldn't understand the parts that related to the Mormon culture. Terms such as: the calling, the branch, the testimony. Because I'm not Mormon, I couldn't quite understood what was happening at those moments. Now, there is a glossary at the back but with kindle it's kinda irritating to have to flip back and forth. However, those parts are few and for most people, it won't distract from the wonderful story. Hmm, here's an idea: read the glossary before reading the book!
This story is timely as well. Although the book takes place in the seventies (and some journal entries from early in the twentieth century, it discuss a subject that faces many--not only in the US but around the world--financial hardship. I love how the characters deal with it.
Only one thing bothered me about the kindle book: I couldn't understand the parts that related to the Mormon culture. Terms such as: the calling, the branch, the testimony. Because I'm not Mormon, I couldn't quite understood what was happening at those moments. Now, there is a glossary at the back but with kindle it's kinda irritating to have to flip back and forth. However, those parts are few and for most people, it won't distract from the wonderful story. Hmm, here's an idea: read the glossary before reading the book!
July 9, 2011
A book I would recommend to anyone who is interested in reading a story that deals with the past but that feels like any of it could happen in the present day.
While reading this book I felt like I was living the story right along with the characters. Marcie is a Mormon woman living in the Midwest and dealing with many problems of her own, some more challenging than others. In the end though she overcomes all of these trials and becomes a stronger, better person because of them.
I have not had to experience many of the trials that Marcie does in the book, but I totally felt that I could relate directly to her and the suffering and heartache she felt. Set in the 70's when the economy is suffering and Marcie doesn't know where to go for help, she finds comfort and guidance in the writings in her grandmother's journal from the dust bowl time. The journal entries that are included in the book help relate history to the present day and I felt like the story was written just for me.
While reading this book I felt like I was living the story right along with the characters. Marcie is a Mormon woman living in the Midwest and dealing with many problems of her own, some more challenging than others. In the end though she overcomes all of these trials and becomes a stronger, better person because of them.
I have not had to experience many of the trials that Marcie does in the book, but I totally felt that I could relate directly to her and the suffering and heartache she felt. Set in the 70's when the economy is suffering and Marcie doesn't know where to go for help, she finds comfort and guidance in the writings in her grandmother's journal from the dust bowl time. The journal entries that are included in the book help relate history to the present day and I felt like the story was written just for me.
August 19, 2009
I don't usually read LDS fiction but I wanted to read this. This is based on the author's life. Don't let the LDS thing keep you from the book. There is an excellent Mormon lingo dictionary in the back. I liked the book, I suggest writing a family tree to get the characters straight (I have more problems with this than most). I took the book to our houseboat vacation at Lake Powell last week with some other reading material and ended up finishing "Uncut Diamonds" first. I kept thinking about it and reading it every chance I got. A few times my daughter had me rub her back and the deal was she had to read it outloud to me. No huge climax but real life. I enjoyed the side story of Marcie's ancestors. I am interested in Karen Jones Gowen's other book.
June 28, 2010
This book was very well-written, and real-to-life. The reason I only give it 3 stars is because it wasn't really my cup of tea. I suppose it was a little before my time being set in the late 70s and revolving around a Mormon family trying to make do in the recession. Due to this, I unfortunately wasn't able to identify with any of the characters, but I can certainly appreciate the work and passion that went into creating this book. The one thing that struck me as brilliantly crafted, though, was the dialogue. It really brought to life, the 'fake-smile' mentality that people possessed during this era in order to 'save face', so to speak, in public. All in all, it was a pleasant read.
March 17, 2010
A beautifully written book that I enjoyed very much. Not just a book for Mormon women. A very interesting insight into a Mormon woman's lifestyle but so many things that we all can relate to!
August 17, 2009
A homemaker with a large young family discovers with the stories of her ancestors and help from extended family and friends how to endure her current challenges of life. I think that many women might relate to her challenges of children, distant husband, financial challenges and soul-searching with her solutions. Written to an LDS female audience. Was not my preferred genre, (why the rating) and I personally did not relate to many of the concerns of the character, but others might really relate to her especially in this economy.
September 5, 2009
This book had fairly simple writing, which kind of annoyed me because I am, after all, a complete snob. But having said that, it was still an enjoyable read. Every now and then it's fun to read about Mormon culture and compare my attitude about it with other's. Hearing about the woman's kids fighting all the time got a little tedious because I already deal with that plenty (where's the escapism in that?) but at the same time it was nice to see that I'm not the only one! I guess I would say that this is a nice read when you have the time...
September 21, 2009
This was an extremely frustrating book for me to read. It seemed that Marcie just let life happen to her and then complained about it the entire time. The book also seemed to hit on every LDS stereotype that exists, which only added to my frustration.
By the end of the book I did grow to love the characters, but I still had a really hard time getting to the end of the book. Maybe I related too much.
By the end of the book I did grow to love the characters, but I still had a really hard time getting to the end of the book. Maybe I related too much.
September 6, 2012
It was a good read, but I kept waiting for something to happen. It was basically about a Mother of several little children, her husband and family and the struggles they went through with finances and lots of kids. Nothing significant happened, it was like reading a diary. Not too exciting.
April 27, 2010
hated it
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews