Customer Reviews

The Bunko Babes

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A real page-turner that leaves the reader satisfied. Leah Starr Baker is a great new voice in Christian fiction.

The Bunko Babes sounds light and fun without much substance but boy, was I surprised. The book sucks you in and you feel like you are sitting on the couch with a bunch of girl friend's you have known forever. Entertaining and moving is a difficult balance to achieve but Leah Star Baker manages to do just that. One minute you are laughing but turn the page and you will need a box of Kleenex. It is refreshing how honest and real these women are. The issues the Babes face are the same struggles that you and I face on a daily basis. Infertility, infidelity, chronic illness or just plain exhaustion from life in general, there isn't a single topic not addressed with honesty and humor. I highly recommend this novel and look forward to many more stories from Leah Star Baker. I can only hope that future books will include my new friends, the Babes.

The Bunko Babes

If it's Christian fiction you're interested in reading, this is a good book for you. 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 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, autobiographical feel to it. 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. But I'm a fan of the game of bunko and all women who play it. Bunko Babes around the country will be able to relate to the material.

Michele Cozzens is the author of It's Not Your Mother's Bridge Club.

I suppose the first thought at picking up this book is that it will be a light-hearted chick-lit read, but this baby has much more substance than that. Inside the pages of this book we interact with Becca and seven of her closest friends. Each week they come together to play "Bunko," but more happens than just enjoying a game. The ladies share their hearts, souls and very lives with each other, forming bonds that they will use to help each other in both good and bad times in their lives.

The characters were real and quickly I found myself involved in the parts of their lives that our author allowed us to share. Friendships past and present, lost loves, new loves, hidden secrets, betrayal,and struggles against sickness all became interwoven within the group as they battled inward demons and outward circumstances. Becca's inward battle with issues of faith, her own relationship to God, and her testimony as a Christian added much to the read.

I found this book to be very enjoyable. It stirred inside me emotions from laughter to tears as I shared in the lives of these women. I found a great mix of unfailing love and friendship and the essence of what life is all about. I recommend this to every woman. Very well done.

I enjoyed getting to know Becca, the main character. She is a regular gal, with many faults, just like all of us, but she has a sincere desire to be a blessing to those around her. When she is faced with personal challenges (don't want to give too much away before you read the book!) she turns to her faith for strength. This not only helps her get through her own situations, but allows her to be a support for those around her. We should all hope for a friend like this! If you like reading about relationships, you'll enjoy Bunko Babes.

The Bunko Babes is a winner! Any author can write an exciting page turner if the subject is mystery or adventure but it takes a real talent to make the ordinary stuff we all deal with not only interesting but intriguing. Leah Baker does this as well as anyone I've read in a long time and I'm a voracious reader. The characters are well developed and believable and the story is filled with a number of poignant surprises. I laughed and I cried and at the end I wanted to stand up and cheer. It was that good! Get a copy for yourself and one for your friends. They will love you for it. I can't wait for the next offering from this stunning new talent.

G. Robert James

It is May 2006, 6:16 PM, Thursday. Hurrying around the house; the speaker is preparing for a weekly Bunko night.

Becca and Thomas have been married for fifteen years. They are parents of thirteen year old twins, Robert and Brooklyn. Thirty-seven year old Rebecca -Becca- Thornton is a move it, hide it but not inevitably a clean it up type housekeeper.

The author says in her opening: The game of Bunko isn't necessarily about dice and door prizes. Rather it is about fun, food, and fellowship, and the taking time out of our unbelievably busy lives to come together, once a week or once a month, to reconnect with our community of friends.

When this particular Bunko crowd begins to appear at Becca and Thomas' home we get together with several of Oklahoma inhabitant Becca Thornton's acquaintances. There is Becca's best friend Jessica Goldstein and calamari toting, Prada clothed Madison Monroe. Jessica's newlywed, pregnant, half sister Kathleen Stone, nicknamed Kitty Kat is among the group as is left over flower child Autumn Levitt, mother of eight who homeschools and is into organic foods, home birth and homeopathic foods. R. N. Karen Jones who works at St Francis Hospital, Mercedes Wallace from Argentina, and newest member of the group Michelle Black round out the members of the Bunko group.

The narrative moves the reader into the talk and foodstuff that accompanies a Bunko evening, and proceeds into the heart ache felt by one woman who has discovered she will not ever be able to have children. The reader is brought face to face with the dread another woman must face during a life threatening medical problem. Camping trips, teen angst, toilet training, recipe ideas, these women face the many of the issues as do most wives and mothers.

As does many women, Becca Thornton loves her husband and children nevertheless she craves some time with women friends as well. It was with the assistance of three close friends, that Becca begins the weekly Bunko group. The women thought the group would present some enjoyable visiting, and talking time.

The women little realized at the start that they would eventually come to depend upon one another in more depth than they any of them had ever realized. The women come to depend upon each other to find the power and faith they require to face calamity and upsets in their lives.

Set in Tulsa, Oklahoma, The Bunko Babes is Christian fiction based on the first person reflections of wife, mother, friend, Becca Thornton. Well developed characters are nicely fleshed, have all the foibles, idiosyncrasy, shortcomings and faults as do we all. Becca is abruptly taken aback to be told that her recently widowed mother, plans to remarry. Kids perform as kids pretty much do everywhere. Marriage, hidden secrets, unfaithfulness, infirmity, pregnancy, battles of faith, in addition to wellbeing, divorce, betrayal, tears and laughter along with the speaker's own bond with God are all part of the book as they are part of life itself.

To some extent, I found The Bunko Babes to be a most out of the ordinary read simply because I live not far from Tulsa, the setting for the tale and know many of the places, mentioned in the narrative. Grand Lake where I used to live, Zios where we have enjoyed many a meal and St Francis Hospital where a relative is employed brings the story to life in a special way to me.

I enjoyed reading of these fictional, true to life women. Their at time giggly madness, faith, vigor and pulling together when needed are all part of long and considerate relationship that can grow between people having dissimilar interest but who share companionship despite the differences.

While not a deep thought provoking exposition The Bunko Babes is a good book for a summer after noon spent on the front porch sipping sweet tea, reading and enjoying summer in the South or for reading before a roaring fire as the wind howls and the reader enjoys a nice cup of tea while reading a compelling, well written work.

Happy to recommend.

Molly Martin
Reviewer

Bravo for Bunko Babes. I loves the characters that reflect the real lives of women of today. Bunko Babes gives a glimps into the life of eight friends who share not only their love of a game of dice but also their joys and trials in life. The characters are very well developed and you are able to relate so well to there loves because the novel gives and amazing reflection of the lives of women we meet and know. The novel brings into focus the need of women to support each other. Baker should be very proud of her debut novel which is well written and developed. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I am my wife's husband: a few months ago for our "date night" I (reluctantly) asked my wife if we could watch The Notebook together. Yes ~ I did this out of my own desire and need of wanting to score brownie-points. And it worked! A few weeks ago as a "spontaneous gift" I purchased The Bunko Babes for my wife. And, yes, I also did this out of my own desire and need of wanting to score brownie-points. And it worked!!! What I did NOT expect, however, was that I, the Macho-Marine that I am, would actually be drawn into this 30-something's chic-chick-book!?!?! Amazingly, I could NOT put The Bunko Babes down until I finished it! I felt as if I was being given a glimpse through a secret looking-glass into the life of this mysterious creature I call my wife!!! Leah Starr Baker, I must say this in the words of James Lipton of Inside Inside (as monologued by Will Ferrell in Saturday Night Live - The Best of Will Ferrell - Volumes 1& 2) "there is no word that can describe The Bunko Babes' perfection, so I'm going to make one up, in fact I'm going to do so right now: scrumtrulescent!!!" Seventy-Seven Thumbs-Up!!!

I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, by chapter 5, when we were still at the first bunko party and I couldn't see the dice, hear them rolling or take in anything but a bunch of noisy, disjointed conversation and laughter filling the night at jokes (?) that weren't the least bit funny, I knew this wasn't going to be a book that was worth my time. The writing is elementary at best, the characters flat, undeveloped and, I'm sorry, very boring. The narrator is like a fly on the wall instead of an insider. It's obvious she knows her bunko babes very well, but she doesn't give the reader that opportunity soon enough to hold interest. If you can't grab me in the first fifty pages with the promise of a good story and interesting characters to come, bye-bye-bunko.