The Necklace is a book by Cheryl Jarvis based on an experiment by 13 women whose lives were transformed along the way.

The description from the back of the book is as follows:
"One day in Ventura, California, Jonell McLain saw a beautiful diamond necklace in a jewelry store window and wondered: Why are personal luxuries so plentiful yet accessible to so few? What if we shared what we desired? Several weeks, dozens of phone calls, and one great leap of faith later, Jonell and twelve other women bought the necklace together - to be passed along among them all.

The dazzling treasure weaves in and out of each woman's life, reflecting her past, defining her present, making promises for her future. Lending sparkle in surprising and unexpected ways, the necklace comes to mean something dramatically different to each of the thirteen women. With vastly dissimilar histories and lives, they transcend their individual personalities and politics to join together in an uncommon journey - and what started as a quirky social experiment becomes something far richer and deeper."

To start the conversation, we'll give a summary of the story and its themes. Then the focus will shift to the themes. I generally think this makes it more interesting than a simple recount of the book. Also, since the book is probably considered "chick lit," it will allow the men to participate, even though they may not choose to read the story. I am thinking that while this story is a tale of women and their transformational experience, the themes will be applicable to both men and women.