Pacate

by Jackie Collins

"Cand ajunge la Hollywood, Sunday Simmons nu se asteapta sa gaseasca aici lumea nebuna a sexului, a drogurilor, a cinismului. Caci, in ciuda frumusetii, talentului si succesului sau, ea inca poseda o calitate rara: integritatea. Prinsa in vartejul intamplarilor, se lasa o vreme influentata de cei din jurul sau: vedete superficiale, prieteni de complezenta, personaje dubioase, toti in cautarea succesului, a banilor si a faimei. Totul pana cand in preajma ei apare Charlie Brick, unul dintre cei mai faimosi actori ai momentului, vedeta incontestabila a marelui ecran. Dar viata lui Sunday este zguduita de intamplari dramatice. Printre nenumaratii ei fani se numara si Herbert Lincoln Jefferson, al carui singur vis este sa o intalneasca. Cand frustrarea lui incepe sa devina amenintatoare, viata lui Sunday este in pericol. Cine o va ajuta atunci cand va fi la un pas de moarte? Cine ii va reda increderea in frumusetea vietii?“

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Chick Lit, Womens Fiction, Novels, Contemporary Romance, The United States Of America

380 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

There have been many imitators, but only Jackie Collins can tell you what really goes on in the fastest lane of all. From Beverly Hills bedrooms to a raunchy prowl along the streets of Hollywood; from glittering rock parties and concerts to stretch limos and the mansions of power brokers-Jackie Collins chronicles the real truth from the inside looking out.

Jackie Collins has been called a "raunchy moralist" by the late director Louis Malle and "Hollywood's own Marcel Proust" by Vanity Fair magazine. With over 500 million copies of her books sold in more than forty countries, and with some 30 New York Times bestsellers to her credit, Jackie Collins is one of the world's top-selling novelists. She is known for giving her readers an unrivalled insider's knowledge of Hollywood and the glamorous lives and loves of the rich, famous, and infamous. "I write about real people in disguise," she says. "If anything, my characters are toned down-the truth is much more bizarre."

Jackie Collins died of breast cancer Saturday, September 19, 2015. Jackie Collins, who had kept her illness secret, said recently that she believed in an afterlife, that she had no regrets and that she had emulated Frank Sinatra in that “I did it my way.”

Visit Jackie's website: www.jackiecollins.com
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/JackieJCollins
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/jackiecollins and Pinterest:
www.pinterest.com/jackiejcollins

Reviews

[Vicki Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this was a blast from the past. Back when I first started reading novels, Jackie Collins was my favorite go to author. This is one of her earlier works and brings back memories! This one was set in Hollywood and followed the lives of different individuals in the entertainment industry. It definitely is dated, but also relevant with all the #metoo issues we have today. I know I would have rated this 5 stars when I first read it in the '80's, but today I would rate it 3 stars, so I will give it a rating of 4. A nostalgic read for me and perfect for my last read of the year!

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

So there's apparently a documentary about Jackie that asks whether she was the Queen of Sleaze or a feminist pioneer. I mean, why are these considered mutually exclusive? Because she was definitely both <3

[Craig and Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

In preparation for a Bonkbuster Christmas party live feed the other week, that we were special guests of, I reread Sinners by the iconic Jackie Collins.
This book went through three different titles until it was aptly named.
Even though it was very political incorrect, it was still quite entertaining.
The glitzy Hollywood parties, the behind the scenes scandals, the dazzling film industry, the lustful obsessions and the life of millionaires where two famous celebrities are amongst it all.
Charlie Brick and Sunday Simmons are Tinseltown’s leading actors.
Uncover the glamour, ambition, desire, greed, dreams, secrets, danger and power where the rich and famous are lovers and players in the world of legends and notoriety.
A salaciously compelling and fun read.
Rumour has it that the character Charlie Brick was actually based on the actor Peter Sellers, after reading I can totally see it.
I think I might revisit my Jackie collection, I’ve always been a fan and it’s been many decades since I’ve read her earlier classics.
Jackie Collins was and will always be a trailblazer and an icon.

[ꕥ Ange_Lives_To_Read ꕥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jackie Collins novels are a ridiculous, compulsively readable, guilty, trashy pleasure - and I have devoured them all. Her novels are about greed, sex, drugs, smut, and sleaze - in a word, Hollywood and how people will do ANYTHING for the chance to be rich and famous. A lot has changed since the 70’s, but we can be sure that THIS is still a truth universally acknowledged. These books are even more fun to read now, when Hollywood is trying to pretend it’s the bastion of moral authority.

I got Sinners as a Kindle daily deal and thought it was one of Jackie Collins novels that I had missed back in the day. But after first page about Herbert the creepy chauffeur and his fat wife Marge I realized that I had read it already, probably more than once. This one was written in the early 70s and it's especially fun because of the cheesy vibe and dialogue.

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the only Collins book to get a one from me.

SPOILERS:

Good book kind of ruined by one of the worst endings ever seen for reasons anyone who has read this will understand.

[Brooklyn Tayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jackie Collins always did no wrong. Enough said.

[Kate Caldwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical Jackie Collins enjoyable smut. A little heavy on the rape and racism for my taste, I prefer newer stuff but enjoyable enough.

[Shelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started off pretty well. Lots of celebrity sex and sneak peaks into Hollywood, which is what you expect from a Jackie Collins novel. However, that quickly became boring and the amount d violence against nearly every female character in the book is staggering. Women are unable to resolve situations without violence and can only be rescued by men. I know this was written in the early 70s but it's still difficult to stomach.

[Rhonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic Jackie!

It's definitely classic Jackie...a quick read layered with shock and sass. However I felt like the character stories were underdeveloped and that the story was rushed ... not her best but a decent read nonetheless.

[Gary Branson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, what’s with the rushed endings!?? There was a lot to like in this one, except for Sunday being raped repeatedly and her just accepting it.

[Dimitar Jovanovski · Rating 3 out of 5]

I confess that Jackie Collins' books are my guilty pleasure. Yes, for some people her books may seem a trash but she is still on the 13th place on the list of 100th Best-selling authors in the world, and that says a lot.

Her novels are about greed, s*x, drugs, smut, and sleaze - in a word, Hollywood and how people will do ANYTHING for the chance to be rich and famous. A lot has changed since the 70s and 80s, but we can be sure that THIS is still a truth universally acknowledged. These books are even more fun to read now, when Hollywood is trying to pretend it's the bastion of moral authority.

This was not one of her best books but it's good for forgetting about your everyday problems and relax after work. I'd recommend to everyone though to read the Santangelo series by Jackie Collins.

[Chelsea Docking · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly super disturbing, so much perversion in this book and I found it pretty distressing the continued rape of Sunday.

I hope I don’t wind up reading another book like it in future (it’s not my typical genre anyway) but I WILL say that the character Sunday and Charlie were so likeable to me that they managed to grip me enough to finish the book, so on that note I have to give it 3 stars.

Also important to note that although it’s written in the 70s or 80s it could very easily be believable as a story of Hollywood today, as the Me Too movement shows.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 3 out of 5]

95 - 2018

[Holyn Thigpen · Rating 3 out of 5]

a definite page-turner, but not nearly enough bitchery

[Tracey Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure Jackie Collins! A classic!!!

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am over halfway but I am forcing myself to read it and so I am going to stop.

I just don't think this book has aged at all well. Maybe back in the 60s and 70s some of the violence and sexual abuse/over sexualisation of women was prevalent and accepted but it is just making my skin crawl. Every woman is described first by the size and shape of her boobs and only after by some other physical feature.

I stuck this long because I really like Sunday and I wanted to know what happens to Charlie but I just cannot get through it. Too much about sex and not enough plot progression.

[Sheu Quen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was the most X-rated book I've ever read and one with the most disgusting list of characters I've ever met! Herbert Jefferson was so gross I felt like I could murder him from beyond the pages! Dindi Sydne was so bitchy and slutty I could have slapped her until my hands fell off! Natalie Allen and Thames Mason were such shallow dumb blondes. And don't get me started on the rest like Clay Allen, Steve Magnum and Claude Hussan. Oh god. I need to wash my brains out with more docile plots now.

[Lainy · Rating 3 out of 5]

review to follow

[Jorge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sinfully one of my non Santangelo Jackie favorites.

Sinners follows what only Hollywood and the entertainment business was way back when. But the truth is, these characters are still relevant to this day. The sleazy producers, train wreck actors, even stalking. The story really follows Sunday Simmons and her rise to stardom while tragic events take place and the story gets wild. Sunday’s alluring character growth throughout this novel is really the true gem of the story. You can’t help but love the supporting characters, Charlie Brick who is just as captivating as Sunday. Charlie truly is the stud of this book, the hero unbeknownst to the readers. I found myself a soft spot and love for Carey (Sunday’s publicist turned best friend) she gives me Olivia Pope/ Kerry Washington vibes with her swiftness and attention to handling situations.

The storyline that really is the icing to this novel, the glue, the climax (as Jackie would hope) is Herbert Jefferson with his twisted addiction to the way he expresses his “love” to Sunday. With a nagging/depressed wife at home Herbert finds his kicks from pissing into the pools of the rich and famous to sending love notes with his “stuff” stuffed into a bag. Little did Herbert know the triangle and trouble Marge, his wife, was getting into back home with their scamming neighbors that pray on the weak women of a certain lifestyle.

Given all the page turning moments and the wanting to know what happens next to these characters is what truly makes up Jackie’s 3rd novel. From start to finish this book is just what you’d want for a nice pool side read.


All and all, Jackie Collins always knew how to captivate her readers and describe scenes and moments only Jackie herself really knew how to.

[Janine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read a Jackie Collins book in recent memory, and I picked Sinners up on a whim, expecting sleazy glamour but not much else. What I found was a time capsule of misogyny and exploitation in the entertainment industry.

Open secrets of transactional sex, routine rape and the rationalisations that accompany them, sexual harassment and assault are all recounted without fanfare. The misogyny applied to the women characters is mainly victim blaming, which may trigger many. The narrator's indifferent recounting of the rape of minors and other intensely violent incidents can definitely be off-putting.

I don't recommend this for all readers, but it is certainly a strong reminder that people have known about the way children and women are treated throughout history: as commodities and objects to be used and abused. The lack of redeeming qualities in all of the main male characters is depressingly realistic. The patriarchal bargains and lack of solidarity and compassion between the female characters may leave a sour, cynical taste, but I'm sure many people will find the plotting resonates with their experiences.

I can't say I was entertained by Sinners, but I think it will remain with me for a while.

CW: sexual assault, abuse, physical abuse, fat-shaming, stalking, sexual harassment, rape, misogyny, paedophilia, murder

[Page Passion · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has everything wrong with our society: toxic masculinity, misogyny, casual racism, sexual violence, and how detrimental money and fame are to people with an abundance of it! Despite all that, I loved this!

To start, not sure why people refer to Jackie's books as romance. Sure, there's sex and two of the main characters get together at the very end of the book , but I promise you romance is not at the forefront of these novels. This highlights the very sleazy and self-absorbed mentality of Hollywood. Much of what is detailed in this book highlights why #MeToo is a long time coming. I'm glad I've never wanted to act. The men running Hollywood just exploit women (sometimes even other men).

Jackie Collins, you will always be famous! A legendary author. I had a lot of fun reading this, and it got me out of my depressive funk. Sunday Simmons and Charlie Brick were certainly fascinating characters. Not to mention the crazy people they befriended and employed. If you like raunchy, horny shenanigans of 20th Century Hollywood this is the book for you!

[What to read next ....... · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sinners, this is Jackie Collins at her BEST !
Brilliant is the best to describe this read.

A book full of stars 🌟 and studs, hookers and hopeful actors. Rich and beautiful people, Jackie Collins bares all their secrets.

✨ Glittering premiers, dazzling movie sets, fabulous 🎊 parties, love nests, scattered over Malibu and Beverly Hills.
Behind closed 🚪 doors of the rich and famous was a jungle full of greed, ambition, love and danger, where survival is all and innocence is a role nobody plays. for long.

The main characters Charlie Brick and Sunday Simmons, their romance was one match, that would turn heads, it was a shame they ended together in the last chapter.

Written in 1971, Jackie Collins, was scandalous, especially reading jit in 2018 an eye opener, and a total page turner, l could not put it down.
It’s 70s at its best.

Love 💕💖 Jackie Collins. The legend lives on.

[Anna Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book at a used bookstore before going on holiday to Tenerife and I really enjoyed reading it while on the plane and by the pool. I´ve read a few other Jackie Collins novels but I wouldn´t consider myself a fan but there is definitely something fun about picking her books up and diving into the combination of glamour and filth.

I need to mention that I thought literally all the characters were terrible, annoying, boring, stupid or shallow in almost every way. Some of them were just gross (like Marge and Herbie). The main characters (Charlie and Sunday) constantly did things that made no sense, they were always either after sex or falling in love for no reason with trash people they didn´t know anything about etc etc. I was really shocked and surprised in a good way by the "circle of friends" side-plot. It was disgustingly off-putting but in a funny way.

[Dylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A poignant piece of trashy pulp. My main complaint is that there is a lot of excessive plotting and repetitive scenes that should have been cut out, but at the same time that repetitiveness can serve as a commentary of the shallow, hollow Hollywood lifestyle. I found this book for free in a giveaway box in Brooklyn and that only adds to the book’s grimy mystique. This ain’t no Day of the Locust in terms of poetic artistry, but it is an easy and addictive read. Definitely intrigued to dig deeper into the Jackie Collins canon, who really does have a refreshing renegade spirit. I only wish she had a better editor.

[Laura C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven’t read a Jackie Collins novel for many years but I do remember enjoying them. So it was no surprise that I enjoyed Sinners. There were a lot of characters and a lot going on right from the beginning. The only negative was that the ending sounded like there is a sequel but unfortunately here isn’t. If it weren’t for that I may have given 4 stars. I do find that although her writing is unique that her books tend to be a little too similar to read one after the other. Although I plan to read more of Jackie Collins novels, it may not be for a while.

[Larissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a terrible book. My first and last Jackie Collins book.

I should have stopped reading early on when one character was referred to as part South American nationality and part French nationality. If the author and editor didn't care that she referred to South America as a nation, I should have known the book would be awful. It was dreadful. The characters weren't likable. The plot was weak. It was boring. There was nothing I liked about this book.

[Cherryl Northcutt Valdez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jackie Collins never disappoints. After her death, I purchased a few of her books from a used book store. I fell in love with her as a writer when I first read Hollywood Wives. I hadn't read any of her books in years and felt a needed to pay my respects to a wonderful storyteller.
This book will not disappoint.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took me a bit longer to finish this than a usual Jackie Collins novel but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It was intense and fast-paced, especially towards the end. The characters were the best part, as usual, and they were all so different and unique. Herbert made me feel sick and I liked how it all resolved in the end. The ambiguous ending was unusual for her but I liked it.

[Marzipan · Rating 3 out of 5]

this has been one hell of a ride, not one i necessarily i understand to the fullest.
there was so much going on in this book. is it a romance? a little. is it a thriller? kinda. Is it juicy famous rich people stuff? oh yeah. Im not sure what this book wanted to be in the first place. it had a Jacqueline Susann kind of vibe to it, but lacked her class.

[Niamh Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a page turner I was hooked and was excited for Charlie and Sunday to finally be together! Little did I know she’d have to go through hell first. Reading the rape scenes is not pleasant at all. It is quite scary if this is what Hollywood is really like. Great story line however the ending was really rushed and odd.

Worth reading! 📖