“Pearls” by E. Hughes tells the story of three women and the seven deadly sins. The novella starts off strong with the first story. Tyson, a woman in an abusive marriage finds the courage to escape.

In this story it can be difficult to decipher which sin was committed. The ending comes off fairly weak with a rushed resolution. But nevertheless, it’s a great ending for the protagonist.  

The second story, “Pearls of Wisdom”, tells the story of 18-year-old Melanie, taken in by her mother’s childhood friend Cocoa. Cocoa takes Melanie under her wing, and learns from Cocoa how to use men for money.

Melanie admires Cocoa and tries to gain her approval by emulating her behaviors. The story takes a grim turn, deepening the strength of the bond between the women and an unfortunate lesson.

The last story, “You Can’t Take It With You”, tells the story of a mother’s obsession with greed, making sure her daughter married into a rich family and wanting a high-class life, causing her to meet an ill-fated end.

Each story has a life lesson for the women leading them to a happy life or a sad ending if they don’t make the right decisions. Of the stories, Pearls of Wisdom held my attention the most.

I was drawn to Melanie and Cocoa’s attachment, and the slow unravel of how Cocoa’s actions, although they may seem fun and worthwhile, left regret and pain.

“You Can’t Take It With You” was a great way to end the novel. It left me feeling a bit depressed, with a last word of “dang…”.

Overall, Pearls is a great novel. It’s a short read, only 80 pages. But it leaves a big impression. I would highly recommend.