THE ARCHITECTURE OF ALL ABUNDANCE: Creating a Successful Life in the Material World

A gallery owner, glass artist and manager of her pop-star daughter Jewel's singing and movie career, Carroll explains how she achieved an abundant life and fulfilling career. Unfortunately, her fuzzy inspirational insights are better expressed elsewhere and take up far more space than her personal anecdotes, which, though few, are written with clarity and feeling. Carroll advocates practicing such spiritual principles as "courting stillness, committing to be creative, evoking our courage, asking better questions, challenging our context and remembering it as a dream" via meditation, quiet walks, time alone and so on. Creativity, Carroll suggests, lies in the ability to shift our "context," which she calls the defining factor of our lives. Moving into the realm of her daughter's career, Carroll relates how she helped 19-year-old Jewel focus her thoughts by continually asking her, "Is it time?" She emphasized that Jewel's career should develop organically, in tune with her psyche and creativity. Thus, instead of encouraging Jewel to begin with a demo tape, Carroll led her into a gig at a local coffeehouse, where she gained experience in front of an audience and was eventually heard by record industry representatives. Carroll stresses the power of all-encompassing "Love," which she calls the flower of the plant—different from sexual love, the plant's seeds. Abruptly moving between concepts, Carroll's thoughts don't cohere, and the book is ultimately confusing. (Oct.)

Forecast:Jewel's fans may find satisfying nuggets about their idol here, but little of this material will benefit the self-help audience. Nonetheless, a $50,000 marketing budget, a first serial in O, the Oprah Magazine, selection by One Spirit Book Club and promotion on Jewel's Web site will help sales.