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Confessions of a Corporate Slut

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How difficult is it to traverse the corporate world? Author Jacqueline Gum knows first hand. In her debut novel, Confessions of a Corporate Slut, we experience the arduous journey of Roberta, a scrappy chick from a broken family who is forced to become self-sufficient at an early age. Prospects for a prosperous future seem grim until she lands a job selling restaurant equipment.

Being one of the few women in the industry is hardly a hamper on her natural charisma, so instead of folding to the male dominated culture, she uses her femininity as a sales tool. Roberta ignores the whining dictates of college stricken feminists, and instead of demanding equal pay, she beats her male counterparts on the race up the corporate ladder.

While the climb itself is impressive and educational, it's the detour that starts the real story. Roberta meets a young man named John Wendell, who has inherited a large sum of money and decided to pour it into the family business. Wendell Industries fast becomes the purpose of his life, while Roberta becomes the love of his life. Herein lies the dilemma.

Roberta wants to be in love. She wants to be a loving wife and mother of his children, but John wants something more. In times of corporate crisis, he seeks her counsel. In times of intimacy, he pushes her aside. Roberta tries to be everything he could possibly need, but it's never enough. As the years pass his insecurities are used against her like weapons, attacking her self-esteem and confidence.

She cows to his every demand, accepting expensive gifts and events as consolation prizes, but none of it can make up for the cruelties he submits her to. She knows someday soon a bitter divorce is inevitable, but a deep sense of denial keeps her from standing in natural defiance as this merciless juggernaut comes barreling down on top of her.

Confessions of a Corporate Slut is a brilliant re-telling of a successful corporate woman who smashed glass ceilings at every turn, only to give it all up for the man she loved. Based on real life events, this novel reads like a biography and is brimming with deeply emotional content. The author might have paved a pathway to the top, but it was through her painful mistakes that she will help so many to grasp what she herself was unable to attain.

As America's business world is steadily flooding with ambitious women, Jacqueline's lessons will no doubt multiply in value. This is a must read for any young vixen who is considering a corporate career and a great book for those who have loved and lost in our age of greed and power.

The protagonist Roberta starts life with spunk, an inhuman amount of energy and unquestionable confidence. But even the best of us can become vulnerable. Jacqueline Gum shows how time and circumstance changes people, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse. And she shows the twisting that can slowly happen in a relationship, resulting in first denial, then in acknowledgment, anger, and finally, in action. This is something beneficial for all women and men and was incredibly enjoyable to read. I rarely am so taken by a book that I have a hard time putting it down, but this one made the cut. -Author of "The Perfect Marriage."

Cleverly written, I found myself laughing out loud. The book was very entertaining. I could definitely relate.

Definitely judge a book by its cover! "Confessions of A Corporate Slut" has a great title, cover, opening sentence hook and after Chapter 2, the story really takes off. The writing is excellent!

What do you get when you blend Florence Nightingale, Oprah Winfry, and Barbara Walters? You get Roberta Wendall, a memorable protagonist with a unique brand of ethics and strength. This Stepford Wife is a winner! I can't wait for the sequel to see what she does next. The way Roberta faces family dysfunction and personal tragedy makes her not only a heroine but also, every woman's dream of empowerment.

The story beginning was overly ambitious, attempting to relay Roberta's fifty-year life story and history from birth through 16 years of marriage in a few pages. That made the opening a bit slow for me and Chapter 1 dumped too much back story for my taste. But hang in there, readers, "Confessions of A Corporate Slut" will deliver a most satisfying read.

~ Leona Bodie, Author of the award-winning thriller, SHADOW CAY

`Confessions of a Corporate Slut' is a searing journey through the type of marriage and lifestyle too often held up as an American dream. Most of us, through pure dumb luck, don't have to pay as dearly for our choices as does Roberta Wendell, a woman successful in her own right, who decides the road to happiness is to make her husband a success as well. Little can she know, as she helps him climbs the corporate ladder, she has no ladder of her own when she needs it. Roberta is not the country club wife and shallow villain so often found in popular fiction. Yes, she glories in her diamonds and the square footage of her houses, but she not only earns them, she uses them to fill the spaces in her life. Roberta is the kind of complex character one can love, hate, pity, and ultimately, embrace, as she is forced to reevaluate her entire existence. Any woman contemplating marriage because she fears she will be "an old maid with cats" should read this book. The cats could be the better choice.

I just knew from the title this was going to be a great read. I wasn't wrong. After some experience with corporate America, the character's challenges in fitting into the corporate setting resonated with me. And fit in she did--in fact, she thrashed the boys at their game. She is tough, vibrant, vulnerable, kooky and touchingly sensitive at times--and very witty. A romance and a poignant ending provide even more meat to this gutsy novel. You will want to add this book to your -"read again" shelf.

I know Ms. Gum from a previous life. I once was involved with her ex's national (CHAIN) sales mgr. and also had a 4 year affair with the top sale's rep (married) in her husband's firm, so I was there with an inside seat/mattress to the fun and games (underwear tossing at Dick's Last Resort).I was personally fanned by the flames of her crazy husband's wrath, and suffered the hypocrital judgement of the men who signed my paycheck. Lost my job when I left the married boss for a nice single guy who wasn't in the business. You go girl!!!!!!!!!

Jacquie has that rare talent to take real life events and craft them into a poignant, gritty story you can't put down. She brings humor to her writing along with flawed, human characters. Jacquie uses Roberta, the sassy protagonist in Confessions of a Corporate Slut, to suck you into a man's world of the restaurant supply industry where you feel her pain and celebrate her triumphs. It's a crack that allows the reader to peer into a little known world and yet touches on the common themes of love, broken dreams, and renewal.

It's amazing how this story evokes so many responses. This tale of a tough cookie in the heartless business world alternates between laugh-out-loud humor and heartfelt sadness. Through it all you have to cheer for the hero Roberta as she takes all the world (and her ex-husband) can give and perseverse with the soul of a lioness. A cautinary tale that reminds us how important it is to stay true to your dreams.

Ms. Gum has written a story that many women can relate to. She has a way of making even the sad things funny. I admire her courage through the sixteen years of her marriage to John and the way she handled everything. It is a testament to what a strong person she is. I would and will recommend this book to all my friends.