Official Review: Jewels are not Enough by Denise Maddison

[Kelsey Fulton]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Jewels are not Enough" by Denise Maddison.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Drug addiction is a rampant and devastating issue – one that Denise Maddison has painfully experienced. In her emotional non-fiction book, Jewels are not Enough, Denise tells her story of rising from an abusive childhood to a life of luxury and riches, though with the dark cloud of addiction looming over her along the way.

Denise opens the story with her arrest, during which she goes through serious drug withdrawals. She is weak, exhausted, ashamed, and ready to tell the police anything they need to know about Dr. Jim Carter, who has been supplying her with narcotics for years. Denise then takes us to the beginning of her life, as far back as she can remember, and guides us through each phase. She suffers childhood abuse and rejection from various people, both family and strangers. She grows up thinking that she deserves this treatment, that it is inevitable, and even that it is normal. She is introduced to more abuse, more rejection, and finally pharmaceutical drugs. During all of this, she elevates herself higher and higher and becomes financially and socially successful, but there is always something missing. It is not until 58 years later, at the writing of this book, that she reflects on her life's mistakes, tragedies, and joys.

Jewels are not Enough recounts Denise's memories exactly as she remembers them, with sections recalled from her jail cell peppered in. My favorite part of the book was her voice. Though the story is told from a first-person perspective, it does not feel like we are in the story with Denise. Instead, she is an observer with us. Her voice in the novel steps back from reality, almost detached, in order to recount her experiences and relationships in an objective way. Her voice is formal – using very few contractions, interestingly – and thoughtful as she looks back. She mentions the lack of emotions that her trauma brought on, and this shows in her chillingly complacent writing. Retrospectively, she can see the concrete mistakes she made in life, down to the moment, and urges others to be cautious. Denise has a lot of subtle wisdom that she shows and doesn't tell. She is upfront about everything and accepts almost all of her circumstances, with hope nonetheless.

One of the most fascinating things about this novel, and one that made me think the most, is Denise's descriptions of addiction. She is not only addicted to narcotics, she states repeatedly, but also to insecurity. This shows in many of her life choices, such as marrying frequently and quickly, accepting any behavior from her partner, no matter how hurtful. Another impressive point is that Denise touches on the stigma associated with addiction and mental health. At one point in the story, hospital staff members tell Denise to just "shut up," claiming that she brought this on herself and that there were people who were actually sick. To the despair of public health, addiction is often seen as a voluntary choice and not an illness that is extremely difficult to recover from. Although Denise didn't always make the best life decisions, it was hard not to root for her, feel for her, and recognize that she really was ill. This book is a wonderful example of the destruction of addiction, with compassion toward those who are affected.

The only thing I disliked about this book was that the formatting was a little confusing; the sections where Denise was in jail were in italics, though some scenes in italics seemed to be musings taking place in a different time period. There was also no clear indication of time jumps between chapters, which I feel would have been helpful. Additionally, and unfortunately, this book contains more than a dozen errors that, though relatively minor such as missing punctuation, could be picked up by a final proofread. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. Readers should be warned that there are a lot of sensitive topics throughout and quite a bit of profanity. While I would not call this book erotic in any way, there are a couple of sexual scenes including rape. In reading this book, be ready to confront some heavy emotions. I would recommend Jewels are not Enough to readers who love memoirs, personal struggles, and perseverance through adversity. I would also recommend this book to those who have struggled, are struggling, or know someone struggling with addiction; there is a lot of relatable content for this audience.

I will leave you with one of Denise's raw reflections (pg. 54): "As I lay curled up on the cot, I continued reviewing the events in my life. This is my life, I would think. At least it has been exciting."

******
Jewels are not Enough
View: on Bookshelves

[Phelicia Gloria]

I would like to know the experience in prison, hope this might be the right book for me. Thanks for the great review

[Laurakish]

She recollected her life at what??? 58 years of age?? Wow!!!!she was lucky. Addiction is not funny. Yes, we should show compassion towards those affected.

[Eman+1992]

Wow! Addiction is an illness that many of the young people around us and around world are suffering from, it's serious, as we learnt from the experience of Dennis in this Jewels are not enough

[suriah]

addiction is a really serious thing to deal with its a not normal as it looks like it must have been really hard for her

[Caribqueen16]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Jewels are not Enough" by Denise Maddison.]

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3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Drug addiction is a rampant and devastating issue – one that Denise Maddison has painfully experienced. In her emotional non-fiction book, Jewels are not Enough, Denise tells her story of rising from an abusive childhood to a life of luxury and riches, though with the dark cloud of addiction looming over her along the way.

Denise opens the story with her arrest, during which she goes through serious drug withdrawals. She is weak, exhausted, ashamed, and ready to tell the police anything they need to know about Dr. Jim Carter, who has been supplying her with narcotics for years. Denise then takes us to the beginning of her life, as far back as she can remember, and guides us through each phase. She suffers childhood abuse and rejection from various people, both family and strangers. She grows up thinking that she deserves this treatment, that it is inevitable, and even that it is normal. She is introduced to more abuse, more rejection, and finally pharmaceutical drugs. During all of this, she elevates herself higher and higher and becomes financially and socially successful, but there is always something missing. It is not until 58 years later, at the writing of this book, that she reflects on her life's mistakes, tragedies, and joys.

Jewels are not Enough recounts Denise's memories exactly as she remembers them, with sections recalled from her jail cell peppered in. My favorite part of the book was her voice. Though the story is told from a first-person perspective, it does not feel like we are in the story with Denise. Instead, she is an observer with us. Her voice in the novel steps back from reality, almost detached, in order to recount her experiences and relationships in an objective way. Her voice is formal – using very few contractions, interestingly – and thoughtful as she looks back. She mentions the lack of emotions that her trauma brought on, and this shows in her chillingly complacent writing. Retrospectively, she can see the concrete mistakes she made in life, down to the moment, and urges others to be cautious. Denise has a lot of subtle wisdom that she shows and doesn't tell. She is upfront about everything and accepts almost all of her circumstances, with hope nonetheless.

One of the most fascinating things about this novel, and one that made me think the most, is Denise's descriptions of addiction. She is not only addicted to narcotics, she states repeatedly, but also to insecurity. This shows in many of her life choices, such as marrying frequently and quickly, accepting any behavior from her partner, no matter how hurtful. Another impressive point is that Denise touches on the stigma associated with addiction and mental health. At one point in the story, hospital staff members tell Denise to just "shut up," claiming that she brought this on herself and that there were people who were actually sick. To the despair of public health, addiction is often seen as a voluntary choice and not an illness that is extremely difficult to recover from. Although Denise didn't always make the best life decisions, it was hard not to root for her, feel for her, and recognize that she really was ill. This book is a wonderful example of the destruction of addiction, with compassion toward those who are affected.

The only thing I disliked about this book was that the formatting was a little confusing; the sections where Denise was in jail were in italics, though some scenes in italics seemed to be musings taking place in a different time period. There was also no clear indication of time jumps between chapters, which I feel would have been helpful. Additionally, and unfortunately, this book contains more than a dozen errors that, though relatively minor such as missing punctuation, could be picked up by a final proofread. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. Readers should be warned that there are a lot of sensitive topics throughout and quite a bit of profanity. While I would not call this book erotic in any way, there are a couple of sexual scenes including rape. In reading this book, be ready to confront some heavy emotions. I would recommend Jewels are not Enough to readers who love memoirs, personal struggles, and perseverance through adversity. I would also recommend this book to those who have struggled, are struggling, or know someone struggling with addiction; there is a lot of relatable content for this audience.

I will leave you with one of Denise's raw reflections (pg. 54): "As I lay curled up on the cot, I continued reviewing the events in my life. This is my life, I would think. At least it has been exciting."

******
Jewels are not Enough
View: on Bookshelves

You did a wonderful review. I like your recommendations especially to those who are going through personal struggles and persevering through adversity.

[Kelsey Fulton]

I would like to know the experience in prison, hope this might be the right book for me. Thanks for the great review

Fair warning: Denise's experience in jail is sparsely recounted, but it is impactful. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for commenting!

[Kelsey Fulton]

She recollected her life at what??? 58 years of age?? Wow!!!!she was lucky. Addiction is not funny. Yes, we should show compassion towards those affected.

Yes, she has been fighting one battle or another her whole life, and 58 years of this tells quite the story! Addiction is terribly gripping, and Denise is a very human example. Thanks for stopping by.

[Kelsey Fulton]

Wow! Addiction is an illness that many of the young people around us and around world are suffering from, it's serious, as we learnt from the experience of Dennis in this Jewels are not enough

You're absolutely right; it is very serious. Denise shows us this scary and heartbreaking reality. Thanks for commenting!

[Kelsey Fulton]

addiction is a really serious thing to deal with its a not normal as it looks like it must have been really hard for her

I completely agree. Thanks for stopping by!

[Kelsey Fulton]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Jewels are not Enough" by Denise Maddison.]

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3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Drug addiction is a rampant and devastating issue – one that Denise Maddison has painfully experienced. In her emotional non-fiction book, Jewels are not Enough, Denise tells her story of rising from an abusive childhood to a life of luxury and riches, though with the dark cloud of addiction looming over her along the way.

Denise opens the story with her arrest, during which she goes through serious drug withdrawals. She is weak, exhausted, ashamed, and ready to tell the police anything they need to know about Dr. Jim Carter, who has been supplying her with narcotics for years. Denise then takes us to the beginning of her life, as far back as she can remember, and guides us through each phase. She suffers childhood abuse and rejection from various people, both family and strangers. She grows up thinking that she deserves this treatment, that it is inevitable, and even that it is normal. She is introduced to more abuse, more rejection, and finally pharmaceutical drugs. During all of this, she elevates herself higher and higher and becomes financially and socially successful, but there is always something missing. It is not until 58 years later, at the writing of this book, that she reflects on her life's mistakes, tragedies, and joys.

Jewels are not Enough recounts Denise's memories exactly as she remembers them, with sections recalled from her jail cell peppered in. My favorite part of the book was her voice. Though the story is told from a first-person perspective, it does not feel like we are in the story with Denise. Instead, she is an observer with us. Her voice in the novel steps back from reality, almost detached, in order to recount her experiences and relationships in an objective way. Her voice is formal – using very few contractions, interestingly – and thoughtful as she looks back. She mentions the lack of emotions that her trauma brought on, and this shows in her chillingly complacent writing. Retrospectively, she can see the concrete mistakes she made in life, down to the moment, and urges others to be cautious. Denise has a lot of subtle wisdom that she shows and doesn't tell. She is upfront about everything and accepts almost all of her circumstances, with hope nonetheless.

One of the most fascinating things about this novel, and one that made me think the most, is Denise's descriptions of addiction. She is not only addicted to narcotics, she states repeatedly, but also to insecurity. This shows in many of her life choices, such as marrying frequently and quickly, accepting any behavior from her partner, no matter how hurtful. Another impressive point is that Denise touches on the stigma associated with addiction and mental health. At one point in the story, hospital staff members tell Denise to just "shut up," claiming that she brought this on herself and that there were people who were actually sick. To the despair of public health, addiction is often seen as a voluntary choice and not an illness that is extremely difficult to recover from. Although Denise didn't always make the best life decisions, it was hard not to root for her, feel for her, and recognize that she really was ill. This book is a wonderful example of the destruction of addiction, with compassion toward those who are affected.

The only thing I disliked about this book was that the formatting was a little confusing; the sections where Denise was in jail were in italics, though some scenes in italics seemed to be musings taking place in a different time period. There was also no clear indication of time jumps between chapters, which I feel would have been helpful. Additionally, and unfortunately, this book contains more than a dozen errors that, though relatively minor such as missing punctuation, could be picked up by a final proofread. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. Readers should be warned that there are a lot of sensitive topics throughout and quite a bit of profanity. While I would not call this book erotic in any way, there are a couple of sexual scenes including rape. In reading this book, be ready to confront some heavy emotions. I would recommend Jewels are not Enough to readers who love memoirs, personal struggles, and perseverance through adversity. I would also recommend this book to those who have struggled, are struggling, or know someone struggling with addiction; there is a lot of relatable content for this audience.

I will leave you with one of Denise's raw reflections (pg. 54): "As I lay curled up on the cot, I continued reviewing the events in my life. This is my life, I would think. At least it has been exciting."

******
Jewels are not Enough
View: on Bookshelves

You did a wonderful review. I like your recommendations especially to those who are going through personal struggles and persevering through adversity.

Thank you for your kind words! Denise offers hope.

[Damis Seres Rodriguez]

This sounds like quite an interesting book. It is not often that we actually get to read an accurate description of the struggles people with addictions go through. Great review!

[Kelsey Fulton]

This sounds like quite an interesting book. It is not often that we actually get to read an accurate description of the struggles people with addictions go through. Great review!

The book is full of good insights. Thanks for commenting!

[Fernando222]

To be honest, I think drug abuse is destructive. But you see its addiction. That's the devil. This book tells an intriguing story, one that educates the reader. You chose an excellent book.

[Kelsey Fulton]

To be honest, I think drug abuse is destructive. But you see its addiction. That's the devil. This book tells an intriguing story, one that educates the reader. You chose an excellent book.

Addiction is, sadly, very destructive. Denise illustrates this well. Thanks for stopping by!