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The Bottom of the Sky
This powerful family saga follows thirty years in the lives of an abused sister and brother, one abandoned to a life of sexual desecration and addiction while the other becomes a Wall Street power broker. It is a riveting tale of two disparate worlds joined by one man and his ultimate redemption.
- GenresFictionLiterary Fiction
476 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2009
511 people are currently reading
279 people want to read
About the author
William C. Pack
1 book15 followersBorn in a Montana coal and cattle town, William C. (Bill) Pack grew up in an environment beset by all the attendant difficulties. At 15 years old he left home, becoming his own sole provider. At 16 he dropped out of high school. At 17 he married and at 18 he became a father. He worked variously as a truck driver, a bartender, a fry cook, a loading dock worker, and a broadcast ad-man. He earned a GED, and no more.
At 21, Bill was hired as a broker with a major Wall Street firm. In time, he became the youngest Executive VP/Divisional Director in the brokerage arm of the largest financial firm on earth. Simultaneously, for several years, he was CEO of a private food manufacturing/distribution company affiliated with Beatrice Foods. He served a prestigious 3-year appointment with the NASD (now FINRA), the S.E.C.s partner in creating and enforcing rules and regulations on Wall Street. Along the way, through Menttium 100, Bill served as a volunteer mentor for female executives at both Hewlett Packard and JPMorgan. He has pitched in at or helped fund many charities, particularly womens and childrens advocacy groups. At 43 he became seriously ill and left Wall Street to pursue lifelong goals, the greatest of which was to be a novelist.
Bill took the SATs and earned a slot at Stanford University as the oldest undergraduate on campus (43-46), and perhaps the only one with a GED. After three years, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with distinction and honors. He was the only undergraduate chosen to head up an archaeological project. His thesis received the Annual Reviews Prize in Anthropological Sciences.
In 2007 Bill published his first short story, Saints and Patrons. The Bottom of the Sky is his first novel. He is writing the second.
Bill Pack is married with four grown children. He lives in America. He has a big dog and four pair of blue jeans two more than necessary.
"
At 21, Bill was hired as a broker with a major Wall Street firm. In time, he became the youngest Executive VP/Divisional Director in the brokerage arm of the largest financial firm on earth. Simultaneously, for several years, he was CEO of a private food manufacturing/distribution company affiliated with Beatrice Foods. He served a prestigious 3-year appointment with the NASD (now FINRA), the S.E.C.s partner in creating and enforcing rules and regulations on Wall Street. Along the way, through Menttium 100, Bill served as a volunteer mentor for female executives at both Hewlett Packard and JPMorgan. He has pitched in at or helped fund many charities, particularly womens and childrens advocacy groups. At 43 he became seriously ill and left Wall Street to pursue lifelong goals, the greatest of which was to be a novelist.
Bill took the SATs and earned a slot at Stanford University as the oldest undergraduate on campus (43-46), and perhaps the only one with a GED. After three years, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with distinction and honors. He was the only undergraduate chosen to head up an archaeological project. His thesis received the Annual Reviews Prize in Anthropological Sciences.
In 2007 Bill published his first short story, Saints and Patrons. The Bottom of the Sky is his first novel. He is writing the second.
Bill Pack is married with four grown children. He lives in America. He has a big dog and four pair of blue jeans two more than necessary.
"
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
November 28, 2019
Update: BLACK FRIDAY SPECIAL ( Thursday through the weekend).... its a FREE KINDLE DOWNLOAD....
And A WONDERFUL- FABULOUS READ!!! I can’t recommend it enough!!!
EVERYONE in our book club loved it!!!!
It’s been one of my favorite books for years....by a local author.
It was a book I could not put down...
The entire journey from start to finish is fantastic with a powerful ending....
GREAT WRITING ( think John Irving) .....
“The Bottom of The Sky”, was the authors first novel - NOMINATED FOR THE PULITZER PRIZE ....
.....it’s fiction storytelling at its best… inspired somewhat on the authors real life.
Keep a look out - the author has a new book coming out soon.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!!!!
I LOVED THIS STORY!!!!!!!
FANTASTIC FIRST BOOK by William Pack!
I’m his new fan!
And A WONDERFUL- FABULOUS READ!!! I can’t recommend it enough!!!
EVERYONE in our book club loved it!!!!
It’s been one of my favorite books for years....by a local author.
It was a book I could not put down...
The entire journey from start to finish is fantastic with a powerful ending....
GREAT WRITING ( think John Irving) .....
“The Bottom of The Sky”, was the authors first novel - NOMINATED FOR THE PULITZER PRIZE ....
.....it’s fiction storytelling at its best… inspired somewhat on the authors real life.
Keep a look out - the author has a new book coming out soon.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!!!!
I LOVED THIS STORY!!!!!!!
FANTASTIC FIRST BOOK by William Pack!
I’m his new fan!
July 17, 2023
Siblings Levi and Laura “Lam” Monroe grow up in poverty in an abusive home in Montana. This book tells their story over the course of decades. It contains two primary threads woven together – one of Levi’s foray into the competitive and often cut-throat world of finance and the other of Lam’s struggles in her personal life in Montana. Not many books of fiction cover the world of business, especially finance. It is obvious that the author has a background in business and the descriptions of meetings and interpersonal dynamics are a primary strength of the book. It is set in a part of the US that I am quite familiar with, so it was fun for me to read about the settings in San Francisco, northern Nevada, Idaho, and Montana. These areas are realistically portrayed. A major theme is the cycle of abuse and its long-term impact. I am not a huge fan of the ending, but I appreciated the journey.
August 27, 2009
What a great read! I enjoyed this author's first book immensely. I learned some great insights into the criminal behavior of our Politicians and Bankers and Stock Investors as they conspired together to bring this country to it's economic knees. I also gained insight into the heart and minds of abused children.
The book is not really about the stock market and the banks and the politicians they are just the backdrop for a compelling tragedy. A very bright man escapes his poverty and abuse to rise to the very top of the financial world only to find himself alone when he arrives at the top.
Our protagonists tragic flaws foreshadow to the reader that this is not just a rags to riches story, but a darkness is always lurking below the surface ready to pull down our hero. Part of me is sad that Mr. Pack ended the book the way he did. I was rooting for our man and I thought he was going to get up and dust himself off. Perhaps he did but the way he did it was a shock to me and left me grieving for what might have been.
The book is not really about the stock market and the banks and the politicians they are just the backdrop for a compelling tragedy. A very bright man escapes his poverty and abuse to rise to the very top of the financial world only to find himself alone when he arrives at the top.
Our protagonists tragic flaws foreshadow to the reader that this is not just a rags to riches story, but a darkness is always lurking below the surface ready to pull down our hero. Part of me is sad that Mr. Pack ended the book the way he did. I was rooting for our man and I thought he was going to get up and dust himself off. Perhaps he did but the way he did it was a shock to me and left me grieving for what might have been.
November 16, 2009
I met Mr. Pack at Wordstock last weekend in Portland. I think I'm a little bit in love with him. I'm certainly in love with his book after only a few pages. As soon as I'm done with Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - he's next. I'm certainly taking him to Boston with me to pass on to Bridgete.
December 9, 2020
The book starts out in Roundup, MT - a small town north of Billings, where I actually grew up. The story eventually moves between CA & MT, and has a very captivating story-line, especially if you're at all interested in the stock market. It had my attention all the way to the end... and I mean until the end! The last 2-3 pages blew me away! I loved this book!
May 22, 2018
Bottom of the Sky has all the elements of a great epic novel. Man against the elements, man overcoming hardship. Fighting from the bottom to great achievements. The characters are well drawn, the story keeps you turning the pages, and the writing is top notch. Bill Pack has achieved something very impressive with his first book.
November 9, 2009
Bottom of the sky is an outstanding read. The author has the uncanny ablitiy to uncover the darkest sides of the human soul and because of that exposure, gives us hope and faith to overcome ourselves. Pack is genuis.
May 24, 2018
A Magnificent, Vivid Classic Movie of Our Decade.
A movie (ok, so far, it's just a book) that will leave audiences everywhere stunned. Stunned about the financial world that rules their existence. Stunned about how we as humans throw power around from our family thrones, our community thrones, our work and financial thrones. It is most beautifully told from the viewpoint of a child and then from that of the child as he grows up, journeying from a home of abuse to a workplace that not only abuses him, but expects its financial warriors to abuse the rest of us, toiling in our jobs and daily ecosystems. Yes, this is the best explantation out there of the post global financial crisis we live in. Its characters are complex and multi-dimensional. And the most interesting thing about them is that despite all of the faces of evil that come before them, it is these faces that make them truly understand "goodness" until the very end. All of the dark emotions hover about--abusive power, greed, envy, shame, loneliness, and abandonment, in all of their forms. Sound deeply psychological? It is. Sound deeply philosophical? It is. Sound like a literary masterpiece? It is. But here is the most interesting part, it is magnificently visual and acoustic. The language is beautiful and you can see everything, even sound--"His voice was wrapped only in water and wind."
It has been a long time since I have been able to sit through a movie in its entirety or get through an entire book. Once I started the book, I could not stop. I even took a day off from work to finish it because I just could not stop. I live in the financial world and have been reaching for ways to understand and grapple with the post 2008 world we all live in. It was not just the images and magnificent concretization of what we are all currently living through that held me but also the search for the face of some sort of meaning to our current situation. But, yes, I was also glued to the book because it was so darn entertaining, and I hadn't felt the joy of being held captive by a story in such a long time. The writing is so unique; yet, so appropriate to our times and to a people who have grown up with cinema and visuals to truly tell stories. You tend to think that one can never really write or create anything new. This book gives hope to new creations and is a signal of our ability to evolve artistically. It is the most magnificent language, characters, and thinking that comes to life in movie form. This will be the global Hollywood movie of the decade. It also evolves the literary and philosophical cannon of the world we are currently living in and of the unknown paths to which we have all been tossed into by the financial gargoyles of our time.
A movie (ok, so far, it's just a book) that will leave audiences everywhere stunned. Stunned about the financial world that rules their existence. Stunned about how we as humans throw power around from our family thrones, our community thrones, our work and financial thrones. It is most beautifully told from the viewpoint of a child and then from that of the child as he grows up, journeying from a home of abuse to a workplace that not only abuses him, but expects its financial warriors to abuse the rest of us, toiling in our jobs and daily ecosystems. Yes, this is the best explantation out there of the post global financial crisis we live in. Its characters are complex and multi-dimensional. And the most interesting thing about them is that despite all of the faces of evil that come before them, it is these faces that make them truly understand "goodness" until the very end. All of the dark emotions hover about--abusive power, greed, envy, shame, loneliness, and abandonment, in all of their forms. Sound deeply psychological? It is. Sound deeply philosophical? It is. Sound like a literary masterpiece? It is. But here is the most interesting part, it is magnificently visual and acoustic. The language is beautiful and you can see everything, even sound--"His voice was wrapped only in water and wind."
It has been a long time since I have been able to sit through a movie in its entirety or get through an entire book. Once I started the book, I could not stop. I even took a day off from work to finish it because I just could not stop. I live in the financial world and have been reaching for ways to understand and grapple with the post 2008 world we all live in. It was not just the images and magnificent concretization of what we are all currently living through that held me but also the search for the face of some sort of meaning to our current situation. But, yes, I was also glued to the book because it was so darn entertaining, and I hadn't felt the joy of being held captive by a story in such a long time. The writing is so unique; yet, so appropriate to our times and to a people who have grown up with cinema and visuals to truly tell stories. You tend to think that one can never really write or create anything new. This book gives hope to new creations and is a signal of our ability to evolve artistically. It is the most magnificent language, characters, and thinking that comes to life in movie form. This will be the global Hollywood movie of the decade. It also evolves the literary and philosophical cannon of the world we are currently living in and of the unknown paths to which we have all been tossed into by the financial gargoyles of our time.
February 16, 2014
Audiobook. If you’re a fan of the uplifting story, this book is not for you. This is a very sad story and within a few pages, the neurosis of the main characters has an obvious root in child abuse. A few issues follow.
One, each chapter is opened with a literary quote. Sometimes this is a well understood prelude to the following chapter content. Often, it seemed unrelated and annoying. An author attempt to create the next great literary novel? In my opinion, it’s not.
Two, the book is much longer than it needs to be to tell the story. Admirable decades in high finance comes through, more than necessary. This book should be split in two: One non-fiction and educational about the world of high-finance and brokerage. The second, a fiction about the story of Levi and Lam and their personal struggles.
Three, way too many characters in Levi’s professional life. Having been in a similar world, albeit not finance, I could easily relate to the myriad of personalities, the boardrooms and limos. But, there were simply too many names to keep track of, some not adding to the story arc at all. I finally stopped trying to keep them all straight.
With few exceptions, each of the main characters in this book has a boatload of personal demons. In my opinion, some of the behavior is over the top for anyone not institutionalized.
Narration is performed by Scott Brick. The story is depressing; the reading reflects the exasperation, desperation, and weight of the world carried by the characters.
One, each chapter is opened with a literary quote. Sometimes this is a well understood prelude to the following chapter content. Often, it seemed unrelated and annoying. An author attempt to create the next great literary novel? In my opinion, it’s not.
Two, the book is much longer than it needs to be to tell the story. Admirable decades in high finance comes through, more than necessary. This book should be split in two: One non-fiction and educational about the world of high-finance and brokerage. The second, a fiction about the story of Levi and Lam and their personal struggles.
Three, way too many characters in Levi’s professional life. Having been in a similar world, albeit not finance, I could easily relate to the myriad of personalities, the boardrooms and limos. But, there were simply too many names to keep track of, some not adding to the story arc at all. I finally stopped trying to keep them all straight.
With few exceptions, each of the main characters in this book has a boatload of personal demons. In my opinion, some of the behavior is over the top for anyone not institutionalized.
Narration is performed by Scott Brick. The story is depressing; the reading reflects the exasperation, desperation, and weight of the world carried by the characters.
April 17, 2010
The Bottom of the Sky is among six Winning Finalists for the National Best Book 2009 Awards. It's a confirmed entrant for the 2010 Pulitzer competition. Because it advocates so well for abused women and children, Pack was appointed a board member of Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse (CORAsupport.org), a venerated domestic violence charity in the SF Bay Area, one of four charities Pack has raised thousands for through sales of The Bottom of the Sky (see http://bottomofthesky.com/charities.php).
A Forbes Magazine video about the author is on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJGMu2...
PBS syndicated show Between the Lines produced a half-hour show about the book. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95kplv...
To hear one of the the Public Radio interviews with Pack, see: http://www.mtpr.net/program_info/2009...
For a transcript of Voice of America's interview with the author, see: http://www.mtpr.net/program_info/2009...
The Lee Newspaper review of The Bottom of the Sky is at: http://billingsgazette.com/news/featu...
KNPB public television's comments can be watched at: http://knpb.org/programming/local/knp...
Thanks for reading this far. I hope you enjoy the novel. I wrote it.
A Forbes Magazine video about the author is on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJGMu2...
PBS syndicated show Between the Lines produced a half-hour show about the book. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95kplv...
To hear one of the the Public Radio interviews with Pack, see: http://www.mtpr.net/program_info/2009...
For a transcript of Voice of America's interview with the author, see: http://www.mtpr.net/program_info/2009...
The Lee Newspaper review of The Bottom of the Sky is at: http://billingsgazette.com/news/featu...
KNPB public television's comments can be watched at: http://knpb.org/programming/local/knp...
Thanks for reading this far. I hope you enjoy the novel. I wrote it.
May 13, 2017
Reading about extreme poverty, violence, hopelessness, and greed isn't my usual cup of tea, but William C. Pack delivered a punch with his three generational Monroe family saga. I couldn’t put this book down.
The novel is a thinly veiled autobiography, which made the Wall Street narrative credible. I liked Levi's flawed, altruistic spirit. One of my favorite parts is when his long-suffering wife, Angela, pleads for a child, but Levi puts her off. He needs more time to establish himself, more money in the bank, more promotions, more, more, more. Too bad he lost everything before realizing what was most important.
The author ended the story with a shocking event. At first, I felt angry, perhaps even cheated. After everything Levi had learned, after all of his sacrifices, I wanted the man to catch a break. But as I considered Lam’s daughter and Angela’s rejection, I understood. How else could the madness end?
A few things felt unnecessary: A quote for each chapter, Donny's violence toward Russ and Lam at the end, the kinky sex between Crawford and his women. But that’s it. The novel was well-paced, credible, and a great read. It’s hard to believe this is Pack’s debut novel. He’s such a gifted writer.
The novel is a thinly veiled autobiography, which made the Wall Street narrative credible. I liked Levi's flawed, altruistic spirit. One of my favorite parts is when his long-suffering wife, Angela, pleads for a child, but Levi puts her off. He needs more time to establish himself, more money in the bank, more promotions, more, more, more. Too bad he lost everything before realizing what was most important.
The author ended the story with a shocking event. At first, I felt angry, perhaps even cheated. After everything Levi had learned, after all of his sacrifices, I wanted the man to catch a break. But as I considered Lam’s daughter and Angela’s rejection, I understood. How else could the madness end?
A few things felt unnecessary: A quote for each chapter, Donny's violence toward Russ and Lam at the end, the kinky sex between Crawford and his women. But that’s it. The novel was well-paced, credible, and a great read. It’s hard to believe this is Pack’s debut novel. He’s such a gifted writer.
October 9, 2009
Two! Two! Two books in one!
This was one of the odder books I've read this year. Part of the book deals with an impoverished family in rural Montana. These sections are beautifully written and moving. Other sections followed one of the children as he became a successful stock broker. These chapters are very fast-moving and involving, kind of like reading a light version of a John Grisham novel, with the exception of a plot that didn't make a lot of sense, characters with no depth, and a view of women straight out of the 1950s. The overlap of the two sections is jarring and feels very inappropriate. Finally, the book goes places it really shouldn't, with one of the strangest book endings I can recall reading in a long time.
The author shows promise, and I look forward to his next novel, but I don't recommend this one.
This was one of the odder books I've read this year. Part of the book deals with an impoverished family in rural Montana. These sections are beautifully written and moving. Other sections followed one of the children as he became a successful stock broker. These chapters are very fast-moving and involving, kind of like reading a light version of a John Grisham novel, with the exception of a plot that didn't make a lot of sense, characters with no depth, and a view of women straight out of the 1950s. The overlap of the two sections is jarring and feels very inappropriate. Finally, the book goes places it really shouldn't, with one of the strangest book endings I can recall reading in a long time.
The author shows promise, and I look forward to his next novel, but I don't recommend this one.
January 3, 2013
This family saga takes you from small town Montana to the expensive suburb of Saratoga, California and spans over 30 years. It depicts the disparate lives of a brother and sister--one who escaped the traumas and trials of his youth and the other who became trapped and haunted by hers. Pack brings his own background from growing up in rural Montana to his success in in the financial world to his first novel. This book is finely crafted around the financial peaks and valleys of the times we live in. I especially enjoyed the references to many places I live near and have visited myself. This finely crafted novel was thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommended. . I hope William C. Pack is busy writing his next one because I am anxiously waiting for it! Skillfully read by Scott Brick.
August 30, 2012
William Pack doesn't just tell a story; he paints a picture, giving vivid color and shameful shadows to heartache, abuse, greed, forgiveness and acceptance. His depiction of Levi's internal struggles will weigh heavy on your heart long after you turn the final page. I found myself lying awake at night thinking about this book, its characters and questioning if redemption is worth the price. Even when I began reading whatever book I read next, my mind kept wondering back to The Botton of the Sky.
It is a remarkable story, unforgettable, and a highly recommended read. Pack's writing is poetry.
October 11, 2019
Over the Top
I gave this book 5 stars because it kept me up till after midnight for two nights in a row! There were twists and turns all the time. About the time i thought i had it figured out it would turn around again. Kept me up nights and would sneak a page during the day when i was doing other things. I would highly recommend this book to everyone.
I gave this book 5 stars because it kept me up till after midnight for two nights in a row! There were twists and turns all the time. About the time i thought i had it figured out it would turn around again. Kept me up nights and would sneak a page during the day when i was doing other things. I would highly recommend this book to everyone.
March 16, 2015
I loved this book. I loved how in depth the writer took us into each of thier lives, how desperate and the willingness to go to any lenghts for the passion at hand. I listened to this as an audio book, and truth be told thats how I found this book. I will listen to almost anything Scott Brick reads.
Read
September 12, 2011Was well written, I had a hard time with the child abuse but could see how that kind of life drove him.
June 16, 2012
Amazing, amazing book. Literary Masterpiece. Moved my heart.
October 8, 2016
Very interesting
I enjoyed the story of rags to riches while the author succinctly described the stumbles and pitfalls that happen along the way.
I enjoyed the story of rags to riches while the author succinctly described the stumbles and pitfalls that happen along the way.
March 28, 2018
Eh...? I think I would have to have been a top notch financial wizard to understand a good potion of this book. It's o.k. to dumb it down for us knuckle draggers.
December 6, 2019
Just finished reading this, and I'm blown away. The author weaves together intricate threads of plot, from an impoverished town in Montana to the chambers of high finance in New York and San Francisco. Much of the book reads like John Grisham, except in the world of investment brokers rather than lawyers. But this book exceeds those of Grisham in the sheer poetic beauty of the descriptive language and the scale of the plot, spanning decades. The characters are vivid, and their growth over the years makes the book all the more fulfilling.
April 20, 2020
Based mostly on his own experience growing up in constant family dysfunction and then rising to the top of the investment business, author William Pack has written an outstanding novel of ambition, greed and self destruction. Full of beautifully described characters, stress filled events and heart breaking relationships, “The Bottom of the sky” tells of the cultural extremes that define rural Montana and high tech Silicon Valley. This is a very good book.
April 21, 2020
One of the best books I have read
I give this book a hard 5 star rating. The love of two young people and the desire of one to leave the place they call home. One well educated the other smart and a high school drop out. One with a great loving family the other with the horrors of family abuse and addiction. Where will life take them. This is just the beginning of their story.
I give this book a hard 5 star rating. The love of two young people and the desire of one to leave the place they call home. One well educated the other smart and a high school drop out. One with a great loving family the other with the horrors of family abuse and addiction. Where will life take them. This is just the beginning of their story.
March 17, 2020
An exceptional book in every respect, including the fact that this is the author's first novel. Pack has a deep understanding of the brokerage industry - particularly the very large firms - and how the lure of money and jockeying for position can infect we humans. Can't wait to see what the author's next book will be... A follow up perhaps?
December 31, 2020
Excellent story . So sad in so many parts the abuse, poverty, how you can rise above it. I learned A lot about the stock's and business in volved. So hard to get how crooked and messed up the world can be. The forgiveness of some and not of others n what they have done is so sad. Very heart warming story in how hard people try to move past there past...Thank you Suzanne
November 26, 2019
Very well written, but very odd and dark. Sometimes I couldn’t follow his train of thought, but the character interactions did keep my interest peaked late into the night. Definitely enjoyed the read.
December 19, 2019
So totally unexpected
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It tended to get a bit technical at times, but it was so well written and so engrossing that I will forgive that :)
The ending blew me away. Wasn't prepared and still reeling from it. Well done.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It tended to get a bit technical at times, but it was so well written and so engrossing that I will forgive that :)
The ending blew me away. Wasn't prepared and still reeling from it. Well done.
April 17, 2020
I love this book!
This book was well written and very explicit. It was hard for me to put down! I was even more impressed to read that the author’s life was the basis of the story. Wonderful book! Thanks for sharing, Bill.
This book was well written and very explicit. It was hard for me to put down! I was even more impressed to read that the author’s life was the basis of the story. Wonderful book! Thanks for sharing, Bill.
April 22, 2020
Too long....
and convoluted. Lots of information and interesting psychological insights. But too many sub-plots and characters. Wore me out. Could have been remarkable eith a better editot!
and convoluted. Lots of information and interesting psychological insights. But too many sub-plots and characters. Wore me out. Could have been remarkable eith a better editot!
June 26, 2020
It reached places that try to stay hidden
At just one or two chapters at a time, the characters were so engaging in their struggles, it took time to digest before tackling the next event. Thank you for this disturbing journey.
At just one or two chapters at a time, the characters were so engaging in their struggles, it took time to digest before tackling the next event. Thank you for this disturbing journey.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews