The Bunko Babes

by Leah Starr Baker

"It's 6:15 p.m. on a Thursday evening and I'm rushing around getting ready for my weekly Bunko night. Picking up old newspapers and empty pizza boxes, I shove them haphazardly into the oven. Quickly, I brush the crumbs off the counter into the palm of my hand before tossing them in the sink. Glancing around, I peruse the kitchen looking for anything else that might give away my penchant for messiness...."

Becca Thornton loves her thirteen year old twins, her husband Thomas, and her lovely home...but she is frazzled, exhausted, and longing for some time with her girl friends. With the help of her three childhood friends, she starts a weekly Bunko group involving an eclectic group of women. Their original plan was for an evening of fun – indulging in their favorite foods while laughing and talking over a game of Bunko. Little did they know that they were embarking on a faith journey that would change their lives and perspectives forever. Throughout the course of the year, these eight unique women come to depend upon one another in ways that will surprise them all.

Beneath the surface of their everyday lives each woman is dealing with her own personal issues. In the midst of ordinary routines, a weekly game night, laughter and tears, The Bunko Babes find strength and faith as they turn to each other in crisis with the bonds of friendship. A book that goes way beyond spa trips and beauty tips to deal with the real issues women face like infertility, loss, the heartache of infidelity, and temptation. Whether it is something as common as aging or as devastating as addiction, these "Bunko Babes" find new strength through faith and friendship as they turn to each other in times of crisis.

In a society and time where role models are lacking, this is a book that teaches the value of women, mentoring women.

Paperback

First published November 5, 2007

Reviews

[Melissa (Vacation Mode) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok story about a group of women. Writing pretty rough and "fakey" (for lack of a better way to put it)

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Borrowed Interest on Bunko
If it's Christian fiction you're interested in reading, this is a good book for you. If, however, you seek out this book to read about bunko or the women who play the game of bunko, take a pass. A sweet and unsophisticated storytelling style, which might better be titled "Becca and Her Babes," or even "The Real Christian Housewives of Oklahoma," this is the first-person musings of a woman in her mid-30s. She is a wife and mother of twin teens, who is suffering from (at first) an unspecified illness, which leads to moodiness, guilt over the moodiness, minor misunderstandings with her friends, "the babes," and childish--amazingly immature--behavior regarding her mother's pending marriage. So, she's flawed, and that's a good thing, but in spite of her soon-diagnosed life threatening illness, do we champion her?

Becca is first and foremost a Christian. There are Biblical passages peppered throughout the pages, and her faith is what gets her through each hour of the day, particularly when she talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk. Instead of giving us reasons to love her and her equally childish friend, Jessica, however, Becca slips in and out of her selfish behavior especially where her mother's pending marriage is concerned. "I hate to admit it but it gives me a perverse pleasure to think of embarrassing her in front of her new love. Maybe, he'll decide we're `white trash' and change his mind about marrying her." Becca admits her attitude is "hardly Christian," but this confession doesn't necessarily make her likeable. When her mother comes to visit, her husband is miffed because Becca refuses to exercise her "good breeding" to prepare for the visit. White trash? Good breeding? It's really hard to tell. What bothered me most about the characters is their lack of honesty with one another. When her mother's fiancé, to cite one example, tells Becca he wants to meet her friends ("if they're anything like you, it will be a joy,") I couldn't believe it, particularly because Becca makes a point to be especially sullen in his presence.

Overall I'd say this is a decent first-novel, with a first-novel feel . . . adult night school writing and autobiographical material. I'm afraid I didn't find the story unique or riveting, and the promise of a story about "eight women who are trying their best to get through this life while maintaining their sanity," is not delivered.

[Eane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was something of an escape, but overall my feelings about it fall into the "meh" category. I suspect the intended audience is 30-something upper middle class women. I didn't relate to the kind of banter these women engaged in - labeling, constant comparison, self-conscious, sometimes judging. Not that I cannot relate to doing those things - of course, who doesn't do these things sometimes. It was the way these things were presented (in something of an air-headed way) that I found difficult to relate to. I was relieved to finish the book.

[Delia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Belonging to a Bunko group myself, I found it fun to read about the antics and dramas of the author's Bunko friends, the depth of the friendships and importance of the sisterhood of support they provided. The honesty of feelings and reliance on her faith and Christian upbringing was refreshing as she dealt with her chronic illness. I enjoyed the humor sprinkled throughout the book.

[Elaine]

644
594
671/548

[Rosanne Wiester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Laura Rosin]

Awesome work!!