Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Drama Publication.Date June 14th 2012 Pages: 330 Published By: Create Space | Website Suzanne Jenkins |
Pam Of Babylon - Goodreads My review copy: A copy of the book received from the author in exchange for an honest review
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Warning readers! Mature content. Please read the entire description.
The first in a series of four books.
Pam Smith lives an idyllic life on Long Island, waiting for her husband to return home each weekend from the city, until she gets the phone call every wife dreads. Jack's had a heart attack on the train. She rushes to his side only to discover he's dead, and his girlfriend got there first.
Jack Smith's death opens up a Pandora's Box of secrets and lies, the worst not his infidelity. Themes of sisterhood and sexual abuse run through the book.
The new, re-edited edition of Pam of Babylon is now available in Paperback and Kindle. Less mistakes, more sex. Not really, just less mistakes.
(Goodreads)
Lately, Pam had been a little worried about Jack. There was a tiny, itsy bit of doubt, a niggling worry, an insecurity in the back of her mind. He was disconnected from her.
He was gone. She would never see him again, never hear his voice, never wait for his car to pull in the garage, never smell him, touch him, or feel him. How would this become real to her?
Her grief, compounded by guilt, paralyzed her. She lay on the floor in front of her door in the dark for the rest of the night.
When it comes to picking up self published books there is always a certain degree of reluctance on my part. Seems to me that the safest way to go is: hope for the best, prepare for the worst. Thankfully, Pam of Babylon proved to be way better a read than I ever dreamed it would be. Emotionally engaging, full of interesting observations, clever and ultimately moving, it's a tale of love and betrayal, death and how it affects those left behind, grief, pain, and finding strength to move on. With some truly heart-breaking moments and inspiring reflections on life and relationships, Pam of Babylon is sure to please a wide variety of readers, even the picky ones!
Pam's world crumbles to pieces when she receives a call from the hospital informing her that her husband died from a heart-attack. At the hospital she runs into a young and good-looking woman, who -- as it later turns out -- was Jack's mistress of almost one year. Along with that discovery comes the realization that Pam never truly knew her husband, and their seemingly peaceful and complete life was built around lies and deceit. What will she do when she finds out that what she just discovered is merely a tip of an iceberg?
Some parts of this book were really upsetting, others inspiring and heart-warming. In the end, I was left sitting in my room and thinking about what I just read for quite a long while. It's difficult to explain how much this book has affected me without giving away too much of the plot, but let me just tell you that there was a lot to absorb. The writing style was good for a debut novel, maybe a little bit too conversational at times, but overall very engaging and dynamic. Suzanne Jenkins did a fantastic job dissecting the soul of a newly widowed, middle-aged woman, giving the reader a phenomenal insight into her thoughts, feelings and motivations. At times I questioned some of Pam's actions, they seemed erratic to me, improbable even, but in the end all those little things that might have seem a little bit crazy or bizarre added to her interesting personality. She felt very real, with all her worries, doubts, fears, dreams and needs. And while I can't say I sympathized with her, I certainly got a very good understanding of what her life was like and how she got to that point in her life.
Jack, too, was a fascinating character. All the glimpses into his past helped me understand some of his decisions, and while I can't say that there was a redeemable quality to them, they definitely made him seem more human. More of a lost soul than a heartless, lust-driven cheater. If there is one thing I loved about this book, it's that all the characters were complex and brilliantly fleshed out, and the difficult situation they found themselves in was not by any means a black-and-white one. There is no good guy and bad guy, just a group of people who made some bad decisions in their lives. And that makes this story all that more tragic and depressing.
Overall, while I often shook my head at the way Pam reacted to the discovery of her husband's triple life (yes, triple!), I also found this book to be quite fascinating and exciting to read. Observing the dynamics between Jack's wife and his two mistresses, seeing them turn to each other for comfort and support - that was just as unexpected as it was intriguing, and just as moving as it was weirdly disturbing. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed reading Pam Of Babylon. It's truly a great read!
Join Suzanne Jenkins, author of the contemporary women’s fiction series, Pam of Babylon (Pam of Babylon, Don’t You Forget About Me and Dream Lover), as she tours the blogosphere July 2 – September 24 2012 on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book! The Pam of Babylon Virtual Book Publicity Tour is part of huge Kindle Fire giveaway. See details further down on how you can win one for your own!
UPDATE: BECAUSE AMAZON NO LONGER SELLS THE KINDLE FIRE, WE WILL BE AWARDING $200 TO THE WINNER PAYABLE BY PAYPAL.
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ABOUT SUZANNE JENKINS
Suzanne Jenkins lives at the west Michigan lakeshore with her husband, two dogs and two sheep. Her latest books are Pam of Babylon, Don’t You Forget About Me andDream Lover.To get your copy of PAM OF BABYLON by Suzanne Jenkins at Amazon: click hereTo get your copy of DON’T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME by Suzanne Jenkins at Amazon: Click hereTo get your copy of DREAM LOVER by Suzanne Jenkins at Amazon: click here.Pick up your copy of PAM OF BABYLON by Suzanne Jenkins at Barnes & Noble: click here.Pick up your copy of DON’T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME by Suzanne Jenkins at Barnes & Noble: click here.To learn more about Suzanne Jenkins, visit her website: http://suzannejenkins.net/Drop in at Suzanne Jenkins’ blog: http://2sheepinthecity.comVisit Suzanne Jenkins on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/suzannejenkins3Like Suzanne Jenkins on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suzannejenkinswriter
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About the AuthorEvie is the Blogger behind Bookish. She enjoys reading many different genres, especially YA, Paranormal, Contemporary Fiction and Fantasy.She loves talking to authors and is always happy to welcome them for interviews, and guest posts. She also likes spreading the love for awesome books and chatting with fellow book-worms.
You can find Evie here: Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Shelfari | The Library Thing
