Rating: 
Summary: Much better than "Bad Boy"!
Review: "Bad Boy" had been really disappointing. This one - of course it is again a revenge story - is again readable. The author seems to have done a lot of research about female prisoners and their lives.
Rating: 
Summary: Pen Pals- A Great Book for a Busy Person
Review: A quick read, yet Pen Pals has well-defined characters, an involved plot, and a conflict on several levels. Women will probably relate well to this story. Deceived by her boyfriend Tom, Jennifer Spencer is drawn into a shady business deal and is wrongfully imprisoned for a crime that she did not commit. Forced to leave her cushy job behind, Jennifer bravely marches off to prison with a false sense of security, believing that her beloved Tom will rescue her quickly from this intolerable situation. After getting off to a bad start in prison, Jennifer reluctantly realizes that she must learn to cope with her incarceration, for she will remain in prison a very long time. With the help of Lenny, a loyal friend on the outside, and a mixed-up group of women prisoners who eventually become allies, Jennifer comes to a new realization about what is important in life. Alternating chapters in this novel are told from the perspective of different characters in the book. There is more than enough suspense to hold the reader's interest. Although the book deals with some harsh realities of life, I found the story to be an uplifting tribute to the power of the human spirit. I read the book in two days; I couldn't put it down.
Rating: 
Summary: women prisoners ARE suckered by men
Review: Another book by a NYC liberal with a mind that is only open to ideas that agree with the author's own. It is full of conservative bashing where business equals arrogance, cost-effectiveness equals greed, Republican equals evil and/or stupid, and female prisoners aren't guilty of breaking the laws of the land but of loving men too much. Life in America has been soft for so long that writers, actors, and musicians who have made millions have forgotten that they made those millions from the money those evil corporations pay their workers. Somehow, despite their arrogance and greed, those corporations have somehow managed to pay their employees enough to go out and buy nonsensical novels such as this one. Instead of talking to a lot of like-minded people in doing her research, the author would have been better served by doing some research on business so that she could have at least made her agenda...I mean story...believable.
Rating: 
Summary: Conservatives Need Not Waste Their Money
Review: Another book by a NYC liberal with a mind that is only open to ideas that agree with the author's own. It is full of conservative bashing where business equals arrogance, cost-effectiveness equals greed, Republican equals evil and/or stupid, and female prisoners aren't guilty of breaking the laws of the land but of loving men too much. Life in America has been soft for so long that writers, actors, and musicians who have made millions have forgotten that they made those millions from the money those evil corporations pay their workers. Somehow, despite their arrogance and greed, those corporations have somehow managed to pay their employees enough to go out and buy nonsensical novels such as this one. Instead of talking to a lot of like-minded people in doing her research, the author would have been better served by doing some research on business so that she could have at least made her agenda...I mean story...believable.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful! Breath-taking!
Review: As an original fan of author Olivia Goldsmith, PEN PALS was not what I had anticipated. Consistent with Goldsmith's other novels, I had expected a romp with lots of laughs. PEN PALS is no romp, but it also was far better than my expectations.The title is slang referring to friends in prison or, in vernacular, in the pen. Goldsmith has written an important book about the issues confronting women in prison, from the fact that so many of them somehow are victims of the men that they had been involved with, to the harshness of life inside. Her research is impeccable and, indeed, the final pages of acknowledgments testify to her efforts. Goldsmith tells the story in the voices of several different prisoners who are forced by their common situation to become each other's support system. There is the white collar criminal, her primary heroine, who has agreed to take the rap for stock fraud committed by her boss. There is an elegant woman (shades of Jean Harris) who killed in a crime of passion, a con woman, etc. All of these characters are well-developed and touching. PEN PALS bares some resemblance to a fairytale in its outcome; or, perhaps, it is a cautionary tale for the coming millennium. Regardless, the novel is riveting reading and Goldsmith is to be congratulated even for tackling this subject. That she does such a brilliant job with it simply is proof of her skill as a writer. PEN PALS will make an extraordinary movie. Congratulations, Olivia Goldsmith, on your most important work to date.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful! Breath-taking!
Review: As an original fan of author Olivia Goldsmith, PEN PALS was not what I had anticipated. Consistent with Goldsmith's other novels, I had expected a romp with lots of laughs. PEN PALS is no romp, but it also was far better than my expectations. The title is slang referring to friends in prison or, in vernacular, in the pen. Goldsmith has written an important book about the issues confronting women in prison, from the fact that so many of them somehow are victims of the men that they had been involved with, to the harshness of life inside. Her research is impeccable and, indeed, the final pages of acknowledgments testify to her efforts. Goldsmith tells the story in the voices of several different prisoners who are forced by their common situation to become each other's support system. There is the white collar criminal, her primary heroine, who has agreed to take the rap for stock fraud committed by her boss. There is an elegant woman (shades of Jean Harris) who killed in a crime of passion, a con woman, etc. All of these characters are well-developed and touching. PEN PALS bares some resemblance to a fairytale in its outcome; or, perhaps, it is a cautionary tale for the coming millennium. Regardless, the novel is riveting reading and Goldsmith is to be congratulated even for tackling this subject. That she does such a brilliant job with it simply is proof of her skill as a writer. PEN PALS will make an extraordinary movie. Congratulations, Olivia Goldsmith, on your most important work to date.
Rating:
Summary: Keeps your interest...
Review: but there were a few points in the book that seemed unrealistic.
The character was believable up to a certain point because her transition from a Wall Street high roller to a Women's Prison Activist was a bit to fast and a bit to fake. There were points in the book where you had a few chapters deal on one specific event and then you turn a page and your a few months down the line asking yourself, what just happened. All in all it was a good book, very entertaining and also extremely eye opening.
Rating:
Summary: Unbelieveable
Review: Could have been a good book but situations created by the author are ill conceived, some of the characters are badly drawn. A woman bright enough to win scholarships, a high profile position and much largess surely is too savy to play the patsy.
Do I detect a rather large amount of female chauvinism on the part of the author?
Rating:
Summary: Good
Review: First of all, who is so good to take the fall for the "Big guy" and think they were going to a country club jail? Then, when she gets there is in line for one rude awakening? Then, as time goes on, buys and rehabilitate the jail, have prisoners waking up to various "Good Morning songs",eating coq au vin, and having fashion shows and taste tests of the candy they sell from the pen? That's Pen Pal for you. Although, I found it a bit far fetched(though I am an optimist here), I still liked the story. Why?? Perhaps I am a sucker for a good story. Perhaps, I am tired to seeing the bad and not the good, perhaps because I want the very best for all despite all that has happened. I found this novel enjoyable,fun and entertaining. And wasn't Lenny the best?? Call it what you want, I call it good.
Rating: 
Summary: It was okay until....
Review: First, it seems as if Ms. Goldsmith would have us believe that nearly every woman in prison is the victim of the system or some man. Some of the characters were cliched, like the prison guard who assaults the women when no one is around, the kindly warden, etc. But the book was a quick and entertaining read, until I got to the end. That's when Ms. Goldsmith recommends other books about the topic, including Live From Death Row by Mumia Abu Jamal. All of a sudden it seemed like a flimsy novel was trying to make some political statement.
It bothered me that best-selling authors are recommending the "writings" of a convicted cop killer. Yes, I know he has every right to write a book and she has every right to recommend it, but I have the right not to like it.
|
