(Pam of Babylon #2)
When charming, seemingly devoted Jack Smith dies, his wife and his two girlfriends are astonished to learn that they were not the only love of his life, and that, in fact, Jack was a rogue who was carrying on secret existences with other women. Shattered by grief and stunned by Jack’s betrayals, these three women, Pam Smith, Marie Fabian, and Sandra Benson, find themselves suddenly thrown together. They could have despised one another, jealously guarding their private memories of their time with Jack and hating those they perceived to be their rivals, but instead, the women begin to realize there might be strength in numbers and in shared pain. Slowly, they begin to open their hearts to one another. They bind together to try to make sense of their lives and to try to heal the terrible shock.
But the more they learn about Jack and his nefarious past, the more they begin to question everything they thought they ever knew about him. Not only did Jack carelessly cheat on each of them, without thought to the harm he was causing, but the women are stunned to discover a secret of Jack that he never revealed.
As the women try to piece together the real life story of Jack, they begin to deal with their own lives differently, as well. They must deal with Jack’s heartbroken mother, who knew nothing about her son’s clandestine dealings in life. The tragedy also takes a toll on their working lives, and most of all it takes a toll on them, robbing them of sleep, hope, and even dreams. But with a sense of shared sisterhood, a little laughter, and a whole lot of determination, these brave women forge brave new lives that are full of promise.
The novel probes the difficulties in thinking that we can ever really know a person, even a loved one. All the women in Don’t You Forget About Me wonder if they had been really and truly loved by Jack, or if he had simply played them for fools. They question their own blindness to his faults and how they allowed themselves to believe that they might have had it all, when what they had was really more of a dream. The book investigates modern social problems with grace and warmth. Infidelity, it uncovers, can do more than break hearts. In showing some of the worst things that can happen in relationships,it also teases us to imagine the best, a world in which loyalty, devotion and fidelity are prized. As the characters grow and change, they have the possibility for those things.
But the more they learn about Jack and his nefarious past, the more they begin to question everything they thought they ever knew about him. Not only did Jack carelessly cheat on each of them, without thought to the harm he was causing, but the women are stunned to discover a secret of Jack that he never revealed.
As the women try to piece together the real life story of Jack, they begin to deal with their own lives differently, as well. They must deal with Jack’s heartbroken mother, who knew nothing about her son’s clandestine dealings in life. The tragedy also takes a toll on their working lives, and most of all it takes a toll on them, robbing them of sleep, hope, and even dreams. But with a sense of shared sisterhood, a little laughter, and a whole lot of determination, these brave women forge brave new lives that are full of promise.
The novel probes the difficulties in thinking that we can ever really know a person, even a loved one. All the women in Don’t You Forget About Me wonder if they had been really and truly loved by Jack, or if he had simply played them for fools. They question their own blindness to his faults and how they allowed themselves to believe that they might have had it all, when what they had was really more of a dream. The book investigates modern social problems with grace and warmth. Infidelity, it uncovers, can do more than break hearts. In showing some of the worst things that can happen in relationships,it also teases us to imagine the best, a world in which loyalty, devotion and fidelity are prized. As the characters grow and change, they have the possibility for those things.
Okay, so I don't normally do this but because it is for review and I don't want to be rude to the author and publishers and whatnot, I am putting my review up on the second book of a three book series "Pam of Babylon" before I put up my review of the first book. My review of the first book will hopefully be up very soon:) That said...
Even though I haven't read the first book yet but I did read the synopsis, in this book the story seems to go deeper, the plot seems to thicken and things and circumstances seem to get worse. The other women in Jack's life (Jack is married, out of town for business often- wife gets a call and the story takes off from there but doesn't stop, she finds out she was not the only woman in his life) are finding more and more about this man they loved and thought they knew.
It really bugged me that this Bernice person kept stepping all over Pam and that Pam let her. I kept wanting to yell at Pam "stand up for yourself, lady! What will it take?!"
At the end of the this book I had a lot of questions that I hope will be answered after I get to read the first book (to fill in the gaps) and the third to clear up the second.
Even though I haven't read the first book yet (but will hopefully son) the second one alone is so intriguing. Suzanne Jenkins knows the art of writing and how to pull you in. I look forward to reading the other two books and enjoying them as much as I did this one.
I received this book for review from Pump Up Your Book
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2 comments:
Sounds just like my kind of book! Added it to my TBR list on goodreads. :)
Shannon
http://www.irunreadteach.wordpress.com
It sounds like the author made a brave choice in not just having the women hate each other. I think it's more interesting for them to have things in common. I hope you enjoy the first book too!
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