The Precious Jules
by Shawn Nocher
Narrated by Eva Kaminsky
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Pub Date Jun 28 2022 | Archive Date Aug 03 2022
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Description
A deeply felt family narrative that examines the fine line between selfishness and what passes for love.
After nearly two hundred years of housing retardants, as they were once known, the Beechwood Institute is closing the doors on its dark history, and the complicated task of reassigning residents has begun. Ella Jules, having arrived at Beechwood at the tender age of eight, must now rely on the state to decide her future. Ella’s aging parents have requested that she be returned to her childhood home, much to the distress of Ella’s siblings, but more so to Lynetta, her beloved caretaker who has been by her side for decades. The five adult Jules children, haunted by their early memories of their sister, and each dealing with the trauma of her banishment in their own flawed way, are converging on the family home, arriving from the far corners of the country—secrets in tow—to talk some sense into their aging parents and get to the root of this inexplicable change of heart.
The Precious Jules examines the thin line between selfishness and what passes for love. This family story asks what is best for one child in light of what is perceived as the greater good, and just what is the collective legacy of buried family secrets, shame, and helplessness. The Precious Jules is a deeply felt family narrative that will make you fall in love with these flawed and imperfect characters standing on the threshold of an awakening they never expected.
Advance Praise
“The Precious Jules is a beautifully written, sensitive portrayal of a family processing a decision made thirty-five years ago ‘for the good of the family.’ The characters are fully realized and the plot compelling, making this a great book club pick!”
-Mary Alice Monroe, New York Times bestselling author
“In The Precious Jules, Shawn Nocher has written a big-hearted, clear-eyed story about love and obligation, truth and betrayals and dark secrets—the very things that can hold a family together or break it apart. The members of the Jules family are messy and complicated and honest and real. I fell completely under the spell of this beautiful book.”
-Lauren Fox, New York Times bestselling author
“An engrossing, character-rich drama…The Precious Jules alternates between the past and present, painting a vivid portrait of a family steeped in privilege and struggling with the emotional fallout of institutionalizing a child, while gradually revealing the shocking events that led to the difficult decision.”
-Shelf Awareness
Available Editions
| EDITION | Audiobook, Unabridged |
| ISBN | 9781094094946 |
| PRICE | $22.95 (USD) |
| DURATION | 12 Hours, 9 Minutes, 45 Seconds |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 211127
I took the Shawn Nocher’s THE PRECIOUS JULES with me on vacation, and I’m so glad I did. This wasn’t an easy read, per se, but it was the perfect book to sit and read while time wasn’t an issue. Stone and Hillary Jules are parents to six children, and the book begins in the past, where the reader learns about Hillary’s role in the family: produce the children, mother the children, be available at all times. Stone also has a role; he provides for the family financially (and then some, really, as the family wants for nothing). We also learn quite quickly who each child is, what their roles are, and the issue at hand, which, in the present ,is the decision to bring Ella Jules back to the family home. When she was eight years old, she’d been sent to Beechwood Institute, a home for people with mental disabilities) to live. But after 30 years, the home is set to close.
I’m not the sort to give spoilers for a book, but this novel is filled with hard truths about so much. Alternating between past and present, we eventually learn why Ella was sent away and how that decision and what actually happened affected all people involved. We also learn why the other five Jules children do not want Ella to come back, each of whom has a different reason. The book takes on the themes of a mother’s guilt, secrecy, shame, family, and so much more, and it weaves the themes effortlessly. A heartbreaking but thoughtful narrative that you’re sure to enjoy.
Readers who liked this book also liked:
Jodi Picoult; Jennifer Finney Boylan
General Fiction (Adult), Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction
