Sam's Letters to Jennifer [Unabridged] [Paperback]

James Patterson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 18, 2005

Grief-stricken by a recent tragedy, Jennifer returns to the resort village where she grew up to help her beloved grandmother. There, Jennifer will discover new meaning in life and experience not one, but two of the most amazing love stories ever.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Unlike Patterson's Alex Cross thrillers, this sentimental tale does not translate well to audio. The plot twists seem all the more absurd when read aloud, and the audiobook's maudlin music, inserted during the story's poignant moments, is as distracting and disturbing as a TV laugh track. Jennifer, a newspaper columnist who's grieving the death of her husband, has more reason to mourn when her beloved grandmother, Sam, falls into a coma. Jennifer rushes to Sam's home in Lake Geneva, Wis., where she finds a packet of letters addressed to her. The letters detail her grandmother's life story, including an affair she had with a mysterious man. Jennifer takes comfort in the letters, and at the same time, embarks on her own romance with Brendan, an old friend. Heche's thin, mousy voice is perfect for the perpetually worried Jennifer, but she rarely varies her intonation, not even for Brendan's dialogue. Alexander does a better job as Sam, conveying the elderly woman's concern for Jennifer, but her performance isn't sufficient to elevate this flawed audiobook.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

After the success of Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas (2001), it should surprise no one that Patterson is trying his hand at another romantic tale, and this one is every bit as enjoyable as its predecessor. Jennifer, a Chicago Tribune columnist who's still mourning the death of her beloved husband, Danny, is jolted out of her lonely life when she receives news that her grandmother, Sam, has taken a fall and is now in a coma. Racing up to Lake Geneva to be by her grandmother's bedside, Jennifer discovers a packet of letters at Sam's house, which are addressed to her. They are from Sam; in them, Sam tells Jennifer that her husband was not the great love of her life. Instead, Sam was swept off her feet by a man she calls "Doc," whom she still loves to this day. As Jennifer learns some shocking secrets about her grandmother, she finds herself falling under the spell of a handsome neighbor, Brendan. Jennifer is surprised to find she is able to love again after Danny, but just when you think Jennifer's life can't be touched by any more tragedy, she learns a sad secret about Brendan. Patterson is infamous for surprising his readers, though, and the ending to this novel is unexpected, touching, and satisfying. Another winner from Patterson, sure to draw the same audience as Suzanne's Diary. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (April 18, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446695084
• ISBN-13: 978-0446695084
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (210 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,313,885 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

From my publisher:

James Patterson...


* James Patterson holds the New York Times bestsellers list record with 63 New York Times bestselling titles.

* JP has sold more than 220 million books worldwide. And considering pass-along and libraries, it's safe to say many more people than that have read a Patterson!

* In 2010, JP was named by kids everywhere the Children's Book Councils' Children's Choice Book Awards "Author of the Year" in 2010. More than 15,000 kid and teen readers voted for JP in a category he shared with Suzanne Collins, Carl Hiaasen, Jeff Kinney, and Rick Riordan. His Witch and Wizard series saw the biggest launch of a series for young readers ever, surpassing sales of first installments of Twilight, Diary of A Wimpy Kid, and Percy Jackson & The Olympians.

* JP has grossed over 3 billion dollars in worldwide sales. This is larger than the worldwide theatrical gross of Avatar, the highest grossing film of all time.

* JP has had 43 New York Times hardcover #1 bestselling novels, also a publishing industry record.

* Last year, JP has sold more books than John Grisham, Dan Brown, Tom Clancy, and Stephen King combined (source: Nielsen BookScan).

* JP properties are gaining wide interest amongst film and TV producers. JP's award-winning series for young readers, Maximum Ride, is currently with Avi Arad (Spiderman, Iron Man) and Universal Pictures. Lloyd Levin (Green Zone, Watchmen) is attached to produce a feature film adaptation of JP's newest young readers series, Witch and Wizard, and James Patterson Entertainment is set to produce the next Alex Cross film, I, Alex Cross which will feature Idris Elba (The Wire, The Losers) as Alex Cross. And, a television adaptation of JP's 2007 love story Sundays At Tiffanys aired in December 2010 starring Alyssa Milano and Eric Winter.

* JP's books are licensed in 43 countries worldwide, and are in print and actively sold in 100 countries.

* According to a 2010 Bowker Sisters in Crime Survey, JP is the favorite mystery writer amongst readers under 50...AND over 50! Survey respondents comprised American men, women and teens who bought at least one mystery fiction title in 2009 and/or 2010.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Sam's Letters to Jennifer" by James Patterson, July 5, 2004

By 

SG (Alsip, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sam's Letters to Jennifer (Hardcover)

It still amazes me that the James Patterson can write such graphic stories as the Alex Cross series and also romance stories. I have read all of his books and couldn't put them down. "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas" was the first book to make me cry in years. Because of this I was excited to read this book. "Sam's Letters to Jennifer" is a great book, but it was predictable. If you like romantic quick reads than this is the book for you. All of Pattersons books are fast paced and hard to put down. A word of caution however to those who haven't read any of his other stuff and want to now.

His other books like the Alex Cross series are very graphic and gory detailed. I enjoyed them, but they are totally different than his romance novels.

28 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Quick, easy tear jerker, August 12, 2004

By 

Terry Mathews (a small town in east Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sam's Letters to Jennifer (Hardcover)

A co-worker loaned me this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it for what it is . . . a romantic tear jerker, with all that the genre entails. Laughter. Tears. Tragic hero and wounded heroine. Wise role model with secrets of her own. Love lost. Love found. Love almost lost again, due to tragic circumstances.

This book is, at its core, the love story between a girl and her wonderfully brave grandmother.

Well worth a night's read.

Enjoy.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Merely a short story, October 20, 2004

By 

A Very Avid Reader "Janet" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sam's Letters to Jennifer (Hardcover)

I found this "novel" to be one of the poorest I have read to date. The characters are not developed, the story line was weak and it lacked imagination. It seemed as if Mr. Patterson stopped by a bar one night and jotted it down on a napkin! It should have been labeled as no more than a short story.

I believe the last time I read a book with such a large font, two inch margin on all four sides and less than 200 words per page ---- I was in the third grade!! New chapters were used as a way of extending the story/number of pages --- they were not used as a means to express a new idea or thought.

Take my advice -- do not waste your time or money.