Pen Pals

Rating:
Summary: Battle Of The Sexes!
Review: Remarkable story of women in prison written by a remarkable author. Olivia Goldsmith has written another witty, well written novel. Read this book and visit with several smart, tough, lovable women. These women work hard together to better their lives and make changes in prison life for every women. You will find yourself rooting for them to the end of the book and wish it were longer. Loved it.

Rating:
Summary: Corporate diva turns over a new leaf
Review: This book has to be one of the most updated view of life of women in prison. Although the story takes place in a minimum security prison. It still hits home with the problems facing the rehabilition for the individuals. That also includes the main character and corporate scapegoat Jennifer Spencer. Determined not to treated like common crimminal; she tries to throw weight around from the very first day only to be brought down by the warden and other superiors. It is through her connections and corporate knowledge that in the end the helps improve the prison and her way of thinking about people who she felt in the begining were beneath her.

Rating:
Summary: Typical Olivia Goldsmith
Review: This book is another in the genre of Olivia Goldsmith;woman gets screwed by man;woman gets her revenge. She did considerable research on the status of womens' prisons and the women incarcerated there. Much of the book dealt with the privatization of prisons and the resulting dehumanization of prisoners. This is such a well written,albeit,somehow unbelievable book.The focus is on six prisoners:Jennifer,Movita, Theresa,Cher,Suki,Maggie,and Warden Gwen Harding. Each chapter deals with a specific woman which all blends into the whole of the book. Jennifer is the main character,taking the fall for her Wall Street bosses. Feeling above the rest,she soon realizes she has been badly used and her superior attitude takes a dive, resulting in joining forces with the others. From here on it becomes almost a fantasy,but a very readable one nontheless. The character development is excellent,considering the diverse backgrounds of each of the women.You know each very well. This is a humerous book in spite of the serious subject matter. Olivia Goldsmith can make you smile even in a prison story. In spite of the inconceivable ending it is a good read.

Rating:
Summary: What a well written & researched topic : women in prison
Review: This book was recommended to me by a co-book club member and her mom. The book was well worth the time spent reading it. It's a story of a young woman who goes to prison and whose life is basically turned upside down. The friendships in Jennings (the name of the women's prison in the story) are so awesome. The author does a great job with character development and by a few chapters, you are introduced to the main character (the crew) and you are given a wonderful opportunity to see inside their lives. I loved the flow of the book, the author's humor, the quotes...it was a great read and I will highly recommend it to other reader's in my circle. This was my first book by this author but definitely not the last, in fact, I picked up "Flavor of the Month" a few days ago...after hearing that it too is also one of this author's favorite. Excellent job on prison research and excellent writing style. (the humor was very appropriate) and the ending was marvelous...especially how TOM got his back..his as in "what he deserved". Cher was not initially my favorite character...but she didn't turn out too bad at all. Maggie and Movita were my favorite characters and my absolute favorite part of the story is the letter that Maggie wrote for the crew to Cher. Well done!

Rating:
Summary: *Pen Pals*
Review: This is a really good read. I recommend it to everyone who enjoys reading fun books. It does have a serious connotation at times, and keeps you wondering what will happen next to unlucky-in-love (and business) Jennifer Spencer. It makes you realize the devotion many (naive) Wall Street successful businesswomen must have to their jobs, and their bosses that helped them rise up in the mainly men-controlled area of finances. It's a great look into a world that many of us only see in the movies, and only the unlucky "few" (this book proves the prisons to be overcrowded) get to witness first hand. Four Stars ****