Pen Pals

by Olivia Goldsmith

The master of the witty women's novel returns with the story of a Wall Street whiz who naively agrees to take the fall for her boss's SEC violations...and to her surprise, winds up trading in her Armani suit for an orange jumpsuit. But soon, Jennifer's banding together with a group of cellmates to turn things around...both inside and outside the prison walls.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Humor, Romance, Contemporary, Audiobook, Novels

432 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Olivia Goldsmith (January 1, 1949 - January 15, 2004) was an American author, best known for her first novel The First Wives Club (1992), which was adapted into the movie The First Wives Club (1996).

She was born Randy Goldfield in Dumont, New Jersey, but changed her name to Justine Goldfield and later to Justine Rendal. She took up writing following a divorce in which she said her husband got almost everything (including her Jaguar and the country house). A graduate of New York University, she was a partner at the management consultants Booz & Company in New York prior to becoming a writer.

Many of her books can be described as revenge fantasies; a constant theme is the mistreatment of women by the men they love, but with the women coming out the winners in the end.

Controversially, in late 1996 Goldsmith said, in response to an Entertainment Weekly reporter's question, that her favorite event of 1996 was when Bob Dole fell off a stage during a campaign function.

She also wrote several books for children, which were published under the name "Justine Rendal."

Goldsmith died as a result of complications from the administration of anaesthesia before cosmetic surgery. Her final two books were published posthumously.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, amended.

Reviews

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 5 out of 5]

"This Jennings place is like a country club," she reminded herself as the van lurched forward and took her away from her job, her luxurious home, her love . And her life.

Pen Pals by Olivia Goldsmith


Great, deeply satisfying read about a female hedge fun worker who takes the fall for her boss when he commits insider trading.

She winds up being sentenced to prison and this book is the story of her life behind bars and her transformation as a person.

Honestly? I found this book to be way more realistic about women's prisons then other books like say "Orange is the new black"! And this book is fiction ! I have a family member who has worked in a woman's prison and I know how hard it can be. This book does not attempt to minimize that.

In her afterword, Goldsmith spoke of how of all her books, this was the toughest to write. I bet! She really did a great job though and Jenifer's story pulled at my heart while seeming realistic despite some pretty unrealistic events!

5 stars easily.

[Hannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ik heb lang over dit boek gedaan. Ik heb het als luisterboek en ik viel regelmatig in slaap, waardoor ik weer stukjes terug moest spoelen. In het begin moest ik erg wennen aan de voorleesstem. Ik heb zelfs overwogen om er mee te stoppen, zo irritant vond ik die in het begin. Ik heb toch doorgezet, omdat het verhaal me aansprak. Ik dacht dat ik het al een keer gelezen had als gewoon boek, maar dat bleek toch niet het geval. Uiteindelijk raakte ik gewend aan de stem en kon ik echt van het verhaal genieten. Het verhaal is erg goed. Hoewel soms ook wat triest, zitten er ook grappige en hoopvolle stukjes in. Soms had ik wat moeite om de vele personages uit elkaar te houden. Het verhaal heeft wel echt een happy end. Dat is in het dagelijks leven niet altijd zo. Toch past het wel bij het verhaal en vind ik het in dit geval niet storend. Omdat ik zolang over dit boek heb gedaan, had ik toch wel moeite met afscheid nemen toen ik het eenmaal uit had. Net of er iets uit mijn leven is verdwenen.

[M · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is just as stupid as it's yellow and pink cover belies. I ignored it many times in the library because Goldsmith's wit and nasty streak seemed to only shine in two of her works, and the few others I have picked up seemed to only show the weakness in her writing and none of her talent. PP is not exception.
I picked it up because it was recommended, and while I can see how it is a somewhat uplifting and moralistic tale, overall it was so painfully obvious and preachy and ridiculous that it was just typical Goldsmith (brand names, one dimensional characters, revenge) without anything exciting.
Jennifer is a dumb (yet somehow brilliant) shallow wimp who takes a fall for her obviously sleazy boss and fiance in some sort of financial scheme and ends up in prison, instantly turning everyone off (including me) with her princess attitude. As Jennifer 'grows and changes' (which Goldsmith makes sure to spell out) she uses her ostensible financial wit to help the prison not be taken over by some business that will make the prisoners unhappy.
The novel is a thinly veiled attempt to make us feel bad for the women in prison and want their lives to be better, but frankly, while I am sure there are people in prison for no actual reason, there are a whole lot of others there who do need to be punished. So don't go making me feel bad for them or rallying for their cause. The different voices in the book either used wince worthy attempts at dialect that were all awful or similar enough personalities that no one stood out for me. Jennifer never ceased to be annoying, and her drippy accountant's love for her made no sense to me whatsoever, nor did J's love back for him. Altogether an immature tale that did nothing for me.

[Tyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prețul libertății de Olivia Goldsmith este o carte deosebit de captivantă, emoționantă, amuzantă și extrem de realistă, care îți oferă mai multe lecții de viață.

Recenzia mea:

https://www.delicateseliterare.ro/pre...

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Jennifer is found guilty of insider trading and sent to prison she is expecting a country club incarceration ala Martha Stewart - NOT. This book is a fanciful look inside a women’s prison, lots of fun “pen pals”. I wonder what it’s really like on the Inside. Yes, they should be treated humanely but they have committed crimes, so they do the time.

Was Maggie based on Jean Harris of Scarsdale murder infamy? We’ll never know.

I read all Ms Goldsmiths books some 20 years ago, don’t know how I missed this one. Unfortunately she died a couple of years after this was written - during cosmetic surgery. She wrote very well, which is not always the case with chick lit.

Another dig I can’t resist pointing out - this book was written in 2002 so I really laughed at this reference to Trump. She has lumped him with Milken, Boesky and Leona Helmsley, as the criminally rich!! Nothing has changed except the names of HIS “pen pals”.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a huge Olivia Goldsmith fan since 'First Wives Club'. This book was well written with strong characters. Jennifer is imprisoned because of a corporate crime that she did participate in. However, she was also set up as the fall gal. Through her time in prison she begins to learn respect for the other prisoners and realizes that conditions need to be improved in the prison. Using her financial savvy and her connections in the outside world she is able to turn the prison around. The prison warden is going through a midlife crisis and by teaming up with Jennifer they make positive change. Also, Goldsmith loves the exacting of revenge so there is a fair share of that, too, on the people(male) who set Jennifer up. There is one helpful, sensitive male--thank goodness--for relief. This book contains many subplots. But what I really liked was how many details I learned about actual prison life. Wow, it is an extremely difficult place to spend time emotionally. (I feel compelled to do something about prison reform myself after reading this book even though it was fiction.) I liked the title's play on words! I had no idea that the book was going to be about prison.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical of Goldsmith, this book is escapism at it's best. It does bring to light the horrible prison system and the ugliness of privitization of the same.

[Mari · Rating 3 out of 5]

(re-read - first read in HS) Honestly this is like a 3.5 because it's a very engrossing book, but I guess it might be really a bit much to put it alongside all my other 4s.

I was surprised at how well the first half of the book held up - I even Googled to see if it was also based on the same autobiography as Orange is the New Black, only to find it completely pre-dated it. Goldsmith was definitely onto something considering how much overlap there was, and how appealing that show came to be a full... 15? or so years later.

And honestly if I'm going to read an easy book it's great for there to be a lot of factual info about prison reform and all the problems there... ha

the second half of the book, though, entered such a realm of pure fantasy that I couldn't feel as immersed. It was just like Goldsmith decided what the best possible outcome was for every character and just... gave it to them.

Everyone becomes rich!
Then everyone gets their dream job!
The bad guys REALLY lose! My ex-boyfriend loses all his money and his job!
The prison food is tasty - yet *cheaper* than before!
Pardons for all my closest friends!
Why not have the wedding at the prison too!
Everyone now LOVES Jennifer and believes she's the best person alive!
And that's because - she IS!

Yeah... it just tied up things a little too well. And then ended with a wedding, which felt super unnecessary.

But, yeah - an enjoyable fast read.

[Jessica Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a lot that I liked about this book. Quite entertaining, and the author did some awesome research regarding the inner workings of the women's prison system. It was rather fascinating - and even infuriating at times - to read about how things are done there. Thankfully there are some humorous moments to somewhat balance out all of that heaviness.

The main character, Jennifer Spencer, starts out as an extremely unlikable, entitled brat but thankfully that didn't last terribly long. Several characters were featured and I liked that they each had their own voice; you could tell when it was a Movita chapter or a Maggie chapter. I did wonder why only some of the chapters were told in first person, but that's just my curiosity.

I will say that the ending felt a tad rushed to me. The majority of the book is SO heavy, it was a little bit of a shock to me when things took such a drastic upturn. I can also say that I was waiting - hoping even - for Cher to have SOME kind of repercussions; her ending seemed like something of a stretch to me, but that's relative.

Looking forward to reading more from this author.

[Marty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jennifer Spencer, a Wall Street Whiz working for a major trading company seems to have it all: Good Looks, Great portfolio, fantastic apartment in NY City, exciting occupation, and to top it off, she is engaged to one of her firms top young handsome lawyers. All is great until the firm’s director and her fiancée ask her to take a fall for the company. They assure her that she will not be charged and there will be no repercussions except that she will get a great payoff by the firm. However, when the charges are not dropped and she is found guilty and sentenced to prison, she finds that the promises made evaporate… including the 3 carat diamond engagement ring that her fiancée took back for “safe-keeping.” Prison was so much worse than she ever imagined. …. Her life was falling apart. … How could she possibly cope??? Or even hope to get her self-respect back. -- A good story!!

[Kim R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like revenge stories, so this book intrigued me. I was looking forward to seeing what would happen as the story moved on. I was surprised that there was no mention of violence (except for Suki's situation) that is so prevalent in other prison stories. (Not that I wanted to read about violence.) All the women were basically nice and helped each other along the way. The description of the take-over was difficult to read since I do not understand insider trading and Wall street jargon, but it comes together at the end. The book was a quick read, chick story, but I do not understand the title as they kept repeating that ex-convicts cannot contact each other once one is out and they are forbidden to socialize with each other. So Pen Pals?? I don't get it. I must have missed something.

[Elinor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered this book while purging my shelves, and was reminded of why I used to love Olivia Goldsmith. The author of The First Wives Club dealt in revenge fantasies, where the female lead is betrayed by a male partner. “Don’t get mad, get even” was the famous line by Ivana Trump. In this book, the heroine takes the fall for both her boss and her boyfriend and goes to jail. In a delightful although somewhat improbable scenario, she makes pals inside the pen and together they not only punish the bad guys but makes their own lives better, too. The author was so clever and funny. What a shame that she died while having a facelift, as she could have written more entertaining books. RIP, Olivia Goldsmith.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jennifer is a successful employee with a Wall Street business firm. She pleads guilty for insider trading carried out by her employer. Although her employer and his lawyer promised she will not be convicted, she is found guilty and is sentenced to serve time in a woman’s prison. As she adjusts to her new reality, she becomes friends with some of the inmates. When a private company threatens to take over the running of the prison, Jennifer and some of her fellow prisoners develop a plan. The author wanted to bring her readers’ attention to the reality of women’s prisons in the United States.
It was a story which was well worth reading.

[Ellie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is split into 3 parts. Reading part 1 was enjoyable and went by quickly. Although I didn’t particularly like the main character, I also realized that I wasn’t supposed to. Part 2 was a bit more laborious, as things started to happen that seems quite unbelievable. This is standard for the chick-lot genre, so it was still fine for me. Part 3 was terrible. It was not realistic in any way and not really even that entertaining; I’d describe it as downright ridiculous and eye-roll inducing. The book as a whole has some uplifting and moralistic points to it, but the end of this book honestly ruined it for me.

[B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fluff book/ summer read/ mindless entertainment/ whatever your term is for it. That being said, if you like OITNB (the show not the book), this is written in a similar vein. It was a good read for a one time through, but it will not be a keeper for me because there were just too many things that were implausible. The author did not do her research on prisons before writing the book, which made it incredibly ineffective in terms of actual story telling and realism. It was decent enough though, aside from that.

[Julie Laumark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the way Olivia Goldsmith wrote. This book, though very far fetched in places, provided great insight on the lives & plight of women in prison. Jennifer Spencer, like many of her sentenced counterparts, is in the "big house" because of men. Her anger, growth, friendships & frustrations are chronicled in great detail by Goldsmith's talented hand. We list post this amazing wordsmith much too soon!

[Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel surprised me, in a good way. I thought I was picking up frivolous time-waster, a humorous distraction. While it had it's humorous moments, it was incredibly sad how the prison system is run. I learned a lot about conditions and people that I had overlooked as just criminals. I have gained a great deal of compassion from reading Pen Pals.

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Jennings was built when there was a soul-sickness plaguing the earth, probably an after-effect of the war. Buildings were built to last, but beauty in architecture was eschewed. The style could be called 'Plainness with a Vengeance,' 'Ugly is Fin,' or 'Death in Life.' And I have to stay here for the rest of mine. There are no aesthetic pardons."

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this on the recommendation of a friend, after I complained about how many depressing books I had read recently. It not only cheered me up, it educated me on what is itself a fairly depressing topic: Our prison system, and the "outsourcing" of prison management.

[Maribeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Read it in one afternoon. It really reminded me of 'orange is the new black.' But, with a bit more heart.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little slow at the beginning but gets harder to put down the further in you get.

[Carolyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read about 30 pages. Couldn't get any farther than that.

[Suzanne Kramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love her writing!

[Petra · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Vlammend Hart neemt Olivia Goldsmith mee in de donkere wereld van de gevangenis. Vanwege haar naïviteit zit Jennifer Spencer vast vanwege handelen met voorkennis. Haar verloofde breekt het natuurlijk af met haar, omdat hij zich niet kan vertonen bij zijn familie met een gedetineerde. Of was het allemaal van te voren bedacht? Dat ze gelogen hadden en haar de schuld op zich hadden laten nemen, en zij was er in getrapt? Dan rest de vraag wat Jennifer gaat doen met haar tijd in de gevangenis. Blijft ze zichzelf zielig vinden of kiest ze er voor om wat te gaan doen, en niet alleen voor zichzelf?

Na een aanbod van een medegevange kiest Jennifer natuurlijk voor het laatste. En neemt (met behulp van andere in de buitenwereld) behoorlijk ongeloofwaardig de gevangenis over. Ze komt natuurlijk vervroegd vrij en gebruikt haar macht om haar vriendinnen uit de gevangenis vrij te krijgen. Dan trouwt ze natuurlijk met de man die ze eerst niet zag staan. Eind goed al goed!

Goldsmith laat me als lezer goed meeleven met de hoofdpersonen, die allemaal aan het woord komen in verschillende hoofdstukken (leuk!). Het verhaal loopt vlot en leest lekker weg. Maar de synopsis van het verhaal is helaas erg ongeloofwaardig. Nou weet ik niet veel van beursgangen en ken ik gevangenissen ook niet erg goed. Natuurlijk wordt er wel eens wat niet gezien, maar laptops, mobieltjes, stelen in de gevangenis, verkrachtingen en dat allemaal niet ontdekt? Dan raakt er een vrouw zwanger en die mag haar kind een jaar bij zich houden? Het is allemaal net een beetje teveel van het goede. Het duurt lang voor de ontwikkelingen in het boek van start gaan. Desondanks is het een leuke invalshoek en zou het boek ons best wat bij kunnen brengen. We moeten ons niet beter voelen dan anderen, op vele gebieden lijken we echt veel op elkaar.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first novel I've read by this author and I wasn't disappointed. Full of witty and entertaining characters, yet quick and fun.

From back cover:

"This was not supposed to happen. Wall Street wiz Jennifer Spencer took the rap for her powerful boss on insider trading charges-barely questioning his assurances that she'd never actually be convicted. Now she's exchanged her Armani suit for an orange jumpsuit, and she's settling in at the Jennings Correctional Facility for Women. And her well-connected lawyer, who also happens to be her fiance, has taken her three-carat diamond ring back-for 'safekeeping.'

Things look grim. But after a rocky start, Jennifer finds herself making friends with Movita, who works in the warden's office, and getting to know her fellow inmates Suki, Cher, and Theresa. Then Movita discovers that as gloomy and run-down as Jennings may be, it might soon get worse-because a profit-minded private company is angling behind the scences to take it over. If there's anyone who knows about bad deals, it's Jennifer Spencer. And with Movita's street smarts, Jennifer's Wall Street smarts, and Cher's talent for larceny, they're about to make the investment of a lifetime..."

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jennifer Spencer, financial whiz, agrees to take the 'rap' for her fiancee Tom on insider trading charges. Tom has agreed to make appeals and get her out quickly and in the meantime she will be at a country club jail. Not so!! Tom is a rat and soon Jennifer, besides being dumped is at Jennings Correctional Facility in an orange jumpsuit. Jennifer is rich, spoiled and self-absorbed.

After a very rocky beginning, Jennifer finds herself on Movita's team along with Suki, Cher, and Theresa. Jennifer starts to learn how to help other people by first getting a guard fired. Upon learning that Jennings is going to be privatized, Jennifer starts to think about making the biggest investment of her life.

This book is a very interesting story about female correctional facilities and turning your life around. Jennifer starts out as a snob and find out what really counts in life and who your real friends are.

[Jaleh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goldsmith admits that of all the novels she has written in her career, Pen Pals has been her most difficult. She wrote this book to expose some of the evils and inequities that exist in the prison system. The result is a raw, surprisingly uplifting, hopeful, and empowering story about a woman who wrongly goes to jail. WARNING: This story takes place inside a womens correctional facility and has graphic language and sexual content. Definitely a mature read and not for those easily offended. Although the language is tough, it was realistic and appropriate for the prison setting. The story was fulfilling and worthwhile enough that I put up with the language and other content. Overall, I think Goldsmith achieved her goal in making her reader more aware of the difficulties facing incarcerated women while creating a satisfying story with characters you care about.

[Martha Wewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was, surprisingly, less about a chick and more of a social commentary. The cover is deceiving because you think it's a fluffy chick lit story about a girl who writes letters or something (note: I don't read the backs of books, I look at the covers. Whoever writes the backs of novels is tainting the reading experience because no matter how objective they think they are, they always put some of their own opinion in the summary). It's not and it's funny and smart. It delves in to world of prison life, looking at gaurd abuse and prison conditions without getting too heavy. I didn't like the implication that every woman was in prison because of a man. I think that makes women appear stupid and weak, like they can't even get into trouble in their own without the help of a man. Anyway, I like this book best of all of Olivia Goldsmith's novels. Good summertime read.

[Chana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book may be chick lit but I found it neither funny nor trivial. Jennifer Spencer is a wall street broker who is tricked into taking the fall for her bosses on insider trading. It is quite a shock to her to end up in jail. The first half of the book is taken up with telling us about jail and how awful it is. This is done in a light manner, but I found the author to be quite serious about this subject and it is disturbing to read about the conditions and injustices in our penal system. The second half of the book turns into a la-la land fantasy that involves many changes for the better in the jail. I know more about the penal system and the dangers of privatization of jails than I did before, and no amount of dressing it in chick lit made the subject palatable. I didn't laugh once, jail is a very difficult subject to contemplate.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay - so it was not what I expected, but I was overall pleasantly surprised by what it was instead. It was about a women who was sent to prision for her boss's financial blunders and her path to changing herself. There were portions of the book where I was thinking, "Oh come on, Yeah right!" However, I overall did not want to stop reading the book becuase it did not follow the exact plot-line that I was predicting that it would (it followed it somewhat, but there were a couple of unexpected differences).
I think it has book-club discussion potential in that it discusses the difference between prision and a place of reform. I think that there are some good points that are made concerning the Psychology of prisions and their lack of supportive environment for change.