Sam's Letters to Jennifer (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "SAM AND I are sitting on a mostly deserted beach on Lake Michigan a little north of the Drake Hotel in Chicago..." (more)
Key Phrases: Lake Geneva, Brendan Keller, John Farley (more...)

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 the Audio CD edition.

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

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; First Edition edition (June 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316710571
• ISBN-13: 978-0316710572
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (191 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #487,365 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 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

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.

22 of 27 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 (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Same Formula as Suzanne's Diary, May 6, 2005

By	JL "JLSanFran" (SF, CA) - See all my reviews

I also read Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas and enjoyed it very much. It seemed fresh compared to other stuff out there. So, I like others had to read Sam's Letters. Patterson is now knocking out these love stories in a formula - medical tragedy, heartbreak and dramtic loss of loved one - finding true love again. His characters say and do the same things....dancing barefoot to old music and can't live without each other.
I spent $15 in airport book store...read it in less than 4 hours (before the plane landed) and wasn't worth the $$$.