Pam of Babylon

By: Suzanne Jenkins

Narrated by: Marnye Young

Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

When Jack has a heart attack on the train from Manhattan, his wife and two lovers discover secrets and lies, and each other.

For Long Islander Pam Smith, happily preparing for the return of her husband every Friday night is a way of life, until she receives a dreaded telephone call that will change everything, forever. Three very different women - a wife and two mistresses - gather at the deathbed of Jack Smith, the man that connects them all. As they grapple with their loss, they come to know one another, realizing that the man they all loved was not what he seemed to be. Can they discover the whole truth about Jack and make peace with it, or is their trust in him already too deeply shattered?

©2021 Suzanne Jenkins (P)2021 Audio Sorceress

Love this series

I read all of the Pam books in the series and loved them but the audiobook is great. Martyr does such a great job bringing the characters to life. I was a bit skeptical because it is such an emotional read that I wasn’t quite sure how it would come across on audio. Boy did she prove me wrong. This is a must listen to book

A dead man had been keeping many secrets

I've had this book in my library for quite a while, but when I was given the opportunity to listen to the audio version, I jumped at the chance.

Jack dies on the train, on his way home to his wife, who lived full time in Babylon. Jack had just left his mistress in NYC. He lived there during the week to lessen his commute to work.

It turns out that Jack had many secrets and his wife Pam discovers that he had been sleeping with not one, but two women, and maybe more.

This is a great story about self discovery and the interactions between the wife, two lovers, and two mothers. Fascinating and I'm ready for the next book in the series. It's a great thing that there are 23 more books waiting.

The author provided me with a copy of the audio book. This is my honest review.

WOW! An intricately woven storyline...

Pam of Babylon, my first enjoyable read from author Suzanne Jenkins. I originally got this book back in August of 2013 & never got around to reading it until I received a free Audible copy yesterday. I even own 80 of her books yet I'd never read one. Well-written with intriguing characters and a captivating, intricately woven storyline that makes you want to continue reading the 24 book series. “I received a free Audible copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. I'll definitely be reading more from this author and look forward to the next book in the series, (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

Wow! Listen to this book!!

I’ve bought the ebook and have never read it. Found an ARC of the audio and jumped on it. I am reading the ebook! This story has everything! A cheating husband, who it seems was involved in worse than that. He does and his widow, Pam is uncovering the secrets and trying to find her way. The mistress, Sandra, is in the same boat now that she has learned she’s pregnant with his child. His sister in law, Marie, loves him more than she should and exposes secrets that’s no sister or wife wants to hear or know. The shock factor was off the charts! I was laughing, crying and everything in between. This story is amazing! If you like books with a real story and not just them getting into bed, check it out!

Love, Betrayal, Jealousy, Friendship

So exciting to find the characters I've read a few years ago come to life!

When a book starts from a seemingly perfect place for the character, you know he is not going to stay there long… So when Jack Smith is looking at the face of Sandra, his mistress, thinking “I am the luckiest man alive,” his luck is at its end. Not only would Marie, his wife’s sister, find out about his affair, but he would to live long enough to try to handle the scandal with Pam, his meek, trusting wife.

While he is cheating on her, Pam waits excitedly for his return. “She had the week to prepare for his homecoming… she tried to make it an oasis for him.” Despite her trust in Jack, she knows intuitively that things between them are not quite right. “There was a tiny, itsy bit of doubt, a niggling worry, an insecurity in the back of her mind. He was disconnected from her.”

When she gets a call from the hospital that Jack has died from a heart attack, Pam goes to pieces and then, gradually, reassembles them, finding a new strength in herself. She now learns the truth about him and a few of the women with whom he betrayed her. Sandra, too, goes through grief: “Her life had changed overnight.”

This book is about looking forward to restart life already, even in the presence of death. It is about healing, part of which comes from forgiveness. I know this sounds strange to some readers, who find Pam’s behavior ’too unreal.” Apparently it is easier and perhaps more natural for many of us to succumb to vengefulness. At the same time, this is exactly why this book is so fascinating. It offers a different possibility, a more hopeful one. “There was something about cleaning up, washing everything, that spoke of new beginnings.”

The author, Suzanne Jenkins, stated that she wrote the character as the opposite of herself. “I am at the opposite end of the spectrum of reactions....I wouldn't be forgiving and embracing.” Yet I feel that by the end of the story Pam inhabits her to such a degree that her words come straight from the heart, gut, and mind.

Marnye Young blows life into the characters, giving each one a separate identity and allowing the writing to shine.

Five stars.

Complicated relationships turns suspense

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Suzanne Jenkins. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Although I loved Pam of Babylon and really enjoyed listening, at times I wanted to smack Pam.

The unexpected is abundant. The story unfolds with Pam, the wife, dealing and exchanging one set of painful details with another.

Jack is the star in the lives of the women that loved him. His mother living with her regret for hurting her son. His Wife, his sister in law with a strange obsession for her brother in law. And, then his mistress.

While an affair alone should be a tell-tell sign of a person’s character, Jack does not really come off as a complete jerk, at the start anyway. Not by listening to those that loved him tell their side of knowing him. To hear them tell it, he was a great guy!

The most frustrating thing for me was the compassion that Pam had for Jack’s mistress, a perfect stranger. Then when her sister tells her tale, Pam is brutal and the complete opposite of being compassionate.

The author Suzanne Jenkins writes with a comfortable feel and a lot of realism. However, the contents are startling. At moments I was down right shocked. Just when I was sure I knew where the story was going, details were revealed that changed everything about how I saw the story and how the women in Jack’s life see him.

There is a pull that kept me listening. That pull developed into an anger, disgust even with all of these characters really. Especially with Jack. He really lived the life of a monster and did some horrible things that stayed long after he was gone. Bits and pieces are revealed gradually. Then as everything unfolds, I even said out loud “WHAT? WHAT? Did I just hear what I heard?” The story is really good. Really good! It is easy listening. There are so many secrets, none of which are expected.

The Narrator, Marnye Young, is a multi award-winning narrator for NY Times, WSJ and USA Today Bestselling Authors. The voice over creates a warm and cozy place to settle in. The story goes way beyond warm and cozy though. When Marnye switches from character to character, the personalities of the characters are made clear. For the most part, the characters are women but of different ages. Maryne Young does a great job expressing what each might sound like and displays their level of emotion very well. The story is interesting and the voice telling it has clarity, variety and flare.

I highly recommend this audible, especially if listening is your favorite way to get your books. This one is a wonderful, relaxing listen. It is a great fit for those that enjoy stories based on realism, complicated relationships, chic-lit, women’s literature. A drama with suspense.

Pam of Babylon is for a mature audience with adult language, adult situations and some adult imagery.

engaging, intense, reality,

What goes through your mind when you find out that you were not all that special to the husband you have been married to? When you find out that you were just one of multiple women. When you find out that you were not enough. When you find out that you can find something more with the women you were replaced with. Pam finds revelations about her world when her husband decides to confess so many things that she did not know. There were so many things that were exposed. There were tears, laughs, secrets, truths, and something none of them expected. What happens when you lose you your sense of security, respect, understand, devotion. Life happens real and upclose for Pam. She finds that her life was not what she once thought it was. Now, she learns to live in a different way.

Marnye Young was a new voice for narration. I found her voice warm, soothing, and relatable. She was able to pull of multiple feminine voices. She gave me a male that I was sure was male. I could feel the emotions that carried with the story.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Suzanne Jenkins. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Compelling Contemporary Fiction

This was my first experience with Suzanne Jenkins' work and it was enjoyable. There were times I was surprised by the actions, the reactions and the emotions of Pam, the protagonist. I found the story fascinating and it kept me wondering what would happen next. I recommend this book to others and I'm looking forward to continuing the series. Marnye Young's narration is excellent and she keeps the attention riveted by her performance. I was given a free copy of the audiobook and I have voluntarily left this review.

A story brought to life

I really like that the story just flowed. I have been reading this series ever since the first book came out. The story itself is jaw dropping. From the minute you peek into the world of Jack, Pam and Sandra you are hooked. It reminds me of dark late night soap opera. I was so excited when I heard it was on audible. Suzanne Jenkins was kind enough to gift me a copy. I honestly did not want it to end. Jack and his secret life that opens little by little like Pandora's box. And they never stop. We get just a taste of his life in this book, it unfolds more and more in each book. My advice is be prepared to get sucked in and hold on tight. I loved the book and the audio gives it more dimension. Thank you Suzy for allowing me to take a walk again on the wild side. I'm looking forward to listening to all of the series.

Had my attention from the very beginning.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the characters were all very interesting. I never lost interest in the audio, it was well paced and the narrator was one of the best I’ve had the pleasure of listening to. The ending was perfect. I will continue on to the next book/books in this series. Can’t wait to see what happens next.