The Necklace: Thirteen Women and the Experiment That Transformed Their Lives by Cheryl Jarvis; Unabridged MP3 Audio Book; Narrator Pam Ward

When Jonell McLain saw the diamond necklace in the store window, it aroused first desire, then a provocative question: Why are personal luxuries so plentiful, yet accessible to so few? What if we shared what we desired? A dozen phone calls and a leap of faith later, Jonell bought the necklace with twelve other women, with the goal of sharing it.

With vastly dissimilar histories and lives, these women show us how they transcended their individual personalities and politics to join together in an uncommon journey. What started as a quirky social experiment became something far richer and deeper, as the women transformed a symbol of exclusivity into a symbol of inclusiveness. Soon, sharing the necklace among themselves proved to be the beginning of a profound journey of possibility that would touch the lives of a community.

“Both an interesting social experiment and a heartwarming story, Jarvis’ chronicle invites her audience into a world of lively, diverse women, and readers are bound to find them good company.”—Booklist

“Enthusiastically read by Pam Ward. Her narration seems to evolve as the group of women bonds through their experiences with the necklace. From a gossipy delivery at the beginning, Ward morphs to a more empathetic tone as Jewelia becomes the centerpiece at fund-raisers and the subject of controversy. Ward’s mature-sounding voice is appropriate for the real-life middle-aged women who tell what Jewelia has meant to them.”—AudioFile

“This is a feel-good and thought-provoking book that will challenge your assumptions about the value of luxury goods.”—New York Public Library's BookPage

“A fascinating journey into thirteen women’s lives. Sweet and touching, it also manages to make you think about what really matters in life.”—Kathie Lee Gifford

“Be prepared to be surprised…An example of how, by bonding together, women can change their very lives in profound ways.”—Rosemary Daniell, author of Secrets of the Zona Rosa: How Writing (and Sisterhood) Can Change Women’s Lives

Cheryl Jarvis is a journalist, essayist, and author who's written for the Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, Cosmopolitan, Redbook, and Reader's Digest. Her book The Marriage Sabbatical: The Journey that Brings You Home sparked a debate in major media around the world from the BBC to the New Yorker to Oprah. A former TV producer and magazine and newspaper editor, she has taught writing at the University of Southern California and at Washington University and Webster University in St. Louis.

Pam Ward has had many incarnations, including private detective, classical musician, television talk-show host, and actress, having performed in dinner theater, summer stock, and Off-Broadway, as well as in commercials, radio, and film. But she found her true calling reading books for the blind and physically handicapped for the Library of Congress Talking Books program, for which she received the prestigious Alexander Scourby Award from the American Foundation for the Blind. An AudioFile Earphones Award winner, her many audiobooks include Dancing in the Streets by Barbara Ehrenreich, Breaking Free by Lauraine Snelling, The Second Journey by Joan Anderson, and Lion in the White House by Aida D. Donald. She now records from her studio amidst the beauty of the Southern Oregon mountains.