Confessions of a Corporate Slut

by Jacqueline Gum

In CONFESSIONS OF A CORPORATE SLUT, Roberta conquers a bare-knuckle, male-dominated industry and achieves unparalleled success as an overachieving sales pro, entrepreneur, and corporate manager. But something is missing in her life. Marriage. Family. Purpose. When Roberta finds love, she is oblivious to the astronomical losses she will sustain-including pride, self-esteem and money-the tradeoff she makes to help her CEO husband push his manufacturing company to the pinnacle of its industry. When Roberta moves out of the family home at seventeen, her only working experience is a $1.35 gig at Dairy Queen. Unqualified and underage, she cajoles her way into managing a new restaurant and bar. Eventually she realizes the sales profession offers the best way to maximize her income, so she hits the road in hose and heels and a fifty-pound sample case of glassware, stir sticks, and beverage napkins. Little did she know her success would someday propel her into the unfamiliar role of the ideal corporate wife. Roberta is the polar opposite of a victim as she faces each challenge with her trademark mixture of spunk and grace. Her wry sense of humor intertwines with conflict, weaving a tapestry rich in humor and irony. Inspired by a true story CONFESSIONS OF A CORPORATE SLUT, is a tale of ambition and failure.a tale of emotional connection and disconnection . of support and about-faces . of fear and loathing.of love and hate. And a story that is all too often being played out in today's corporate culture.

Genres: Contemporary

296 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2007

Reviews

[Jonel]

This was an interesting story. It was also very informative and enlightening. I appreciated the easy flow to the storyline and the fact that it was quite well written. Each section seemed to flow naturally into the next without pause. Unfortunately I found the story a little tedious a couple of times. It began to feel like the main character found herself in the same situations time and again. Although that does happen in reality, within the parameters of a novel it begins to seem repetitive.

The main character was phenomenally well developed, as one would expect with a story that follows her from childhood to late mid-life. There were a couple of times where the main character’s actions did not seem to correlate fully to her personality. That said, they did correlate perfectly with the personalities and actions of those around her at the time. You also get to know those close to her fairly well. I would have appreciated a bit more development to some of the supporting characters. I felt that there were some who were simply names on a page.

As a whole, this was a very heartfelt story. I appreciated the perspectives that became very apparent throughout. It was definitely a novel that made you stop and think. It also makes you feel grateful for life as a whole.

Please note that I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Lainy]

Don't be put off by the title thinking it is all about sexual exploits on the job because it is not. Reading this book out and about has drawn quite a few looks, some tuts and even one or two whispers!

Meet Roberta our main character. We start with her picking up her life after her divorce causing Roberta to look over her life and how she got here(this is what the book is about, getting to this point). It is like meeting someone at a night out and them sitting telling you their life story. It is funny, easy going, sad, frustrating and just like sitting down with someone who has the gift of the gab and a good tale to spin.

The start of the book is a bare layout of Robertas life (early on with her family) but mostly focused on her marriage. It is at times hard going and frustrating to read, watching the change of a independant hard working confident women into " a corporate slut". How I grew to hate her husband with each passing page and tale. I was also very frustrated and annoyed at Roberta, allowing herself to get to that point and being treated like that. The sad thing is many many women will be able to identify with it, if not on a personal note then certainly knowing someone who is touched by this kind of life and treatment of their husband (and it is based on a true story).

I got totally drawn in and despite the hate of the husband and sheer annoyance at Roberta I really enjoyed this book. It is really easy to read and I tore through it within a day.

The is scope there for a second and I wonder if this may be on the cards, if it was I would get it! 4 out of 5 for me.

[Zara Kingsley]

The title alone had me smiling, long before I even started reading. I just knew that this was going to be a fun read, but it was so much more than just that. I had assumed the story would be about a woman who literally bonks her way to the top, but the main character, Roberta, is a strong intelligent, witty woman, who is successful in her own right. I love the fact that she holds her own amongst the men. This chick has balls, (not literally…but you get my drift). A fabulous fun read. I’ll be reading more of Jaqueline Gum’s books from now on. That’s for sure!
I had received a free copy for my honest review.

[Literary Chanteuse]

This isn't just a story about a woman climbing her way up the corporate ladder but about a woman discovering and defining herself. The more I read the more I wanted to know. It appealed to the woman in me. We truly find out what we are made of when we go through family tragedies, divorce or illness and the author captures emotions that I think many women would relate to these under these circumstances. There was so much more to this story than I had originally expected and was pleased to discover I really liked it!

[Dorothy McCoy]

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.

[Sara Strand]

Right off the bat I am going to tell you that I know next to nothing about business or how business is done. What I do know is that it's pretty hard to have a worthwhile career when you have a vagina versus a penis. I don't care how far we have come in the whole female empowerment movement, women are not taken as seriously as men are. It's just a fact. I will say that some of the business talk in the book was confusing to me but it's not enough to turn you away from the book- you'll get through it.

Honestly, this is a story that I feel a lot of women could relate to one on level or another. Raise your hand if you visioned your life very differently than how it turned out to be a few years after marriage? Right- pretty much all of us. If someone had told me ten years ago that at age 30 I would not have a budding career as an executive assistant but instead I would be working part time for spending money, volunteering at my kid's school and being a little home maker- oh how I would have laughed. Because these are all of the things I never really wanted to be. The fact is that I like to work and I like to work a lot. I enjoy working on assignments and deadlines and wearing heels to the office and being the competent assistant to someone. I really enjoy that. I really miss that. But the reality is that my husband works 60+ hours a week and he needs me to hold down the house, take care of the kids, deal with their schooling, run all of the errands, and keep it all together and then be ready for him when he comes home.

And I do it well. Which is probably the ultimate downfall. Because if I wasn't good at this, surely I could go back to work full time and all would be well, right?

So I really related to Roberta on a particular level. She gets married and slowly drifts from a career she not only excels at but she truly loves, to being the unpaid corporate wife cleaning up her husband's messes. She propels him and his company to new levels with her experience and her advice, and she believes that it'll all work out for her because it's what she was promised. And you'd think Roberta is just this lay down and take it kind of woman but she's actually the complete opposite. She isn't afraid to stand up to a man, voice an opinion, or tell it like it is - it's what has gotten her where she is in her career.

What is truly amazing to me is how a marriage can start out so strong and full of promise and just slowly deteriorate. This is basically a tale of such a marriage and what happens when you have one person who is seemingly in denial and one person who couldn't be trying any harder to run in the opposite direction of their spouse. And then the kicker is when she's in the middle of her divorce and her husband has the BALLS to basically strip her of everything. It's basically every tale of woe you've ever seen or heard of when a marriage falls apart and one person decides to be a total selfish asshole. Nobody wants to go into a marriage wondering what they'll do if it doesn't work out- but really, that should be something you consider. My mom always told me when growing up, "You don't want to grow up and be a man's doormat. Never, ever rely on a man to get you by." and I live with that in my head all of the time. I may not make a lot, but I know that if Matt and I divorced I could get a full time job, even if it was just a fast food place, and land on my feet. I wouldn't need Matt around to get me by and honestly- I think our marriage is better for it. Who wants that kind of pressure knowing that they are the sole person holding an entire family afloat? In these economic times, that's just unrealistic.

The greatest part of this book is that as you're reading it? You feel like this is a long story you're hearing from a long lost girlfriend over lunch and drinks. There are spots where you know exactly what's going to happen because you already see the components for failure clicking into place but yet you continue to be stunned that a person could be so vindictive.

I basically finished the book and proceeded to tell Matt that if we ever got divorced? Everything will be 50/50 and he won't be an asshole if he'd like to keep his balls. He clearly looked alarmed and suggested I stop reading so much because clearly I'm growing delusional. Which, maybe I am, but really. Have some respect for your wife and recognize what she brings to the table. She may not be bringing in income, but if your house is in order and your children are cared for- she deserves to have this acknowledged.

So- if you are a divorcee or have an asshole husband currently, this is probably a great book for you. Or, if you are happily married, it probably wouldn't hurt to read it so you can appreciate that your husband is not a jerk. http://strandupdate.blogspot.com

[Sandra Nachlinger]

Before I opened Confessions of a Corporate Slut, I wondered if it would be the story of a woman who slept her way to the top, but that’s definitely not the case. In fact, the heroine (Roberta) is a strong woman who uses her intelligence, work ethic, sense of humor, and chutzpah to attain success long before she meets, falls in love with, and marries the rich guy. As a successful women in a man’s world, her bawdy sense of humor and raucous laugh make her one of the boys, and the boys know that Roberta won’t put up with any sh*t from them.

With Ms. Gum’s conversational writing style, I felt as if Roberta and I were friends and that she’d shared her innermost thoughts with me – her worries, triumphs, and joys of her busy life as a corporate wife. Yes, she enjoys the trappings of success—big houses, fancy cars, jewelry, designer clothes—but none of that is free. It is earned, partially by being what Jacqueline Gum calls a “pooper scooper”—cleaning up her husband’s mistakes.

As someone who has attended corporate functions myself (as well as worked in corporate hospitality), I appreciate the behind-the-scenes work that goes into hosting such events. However, I had no idea of the personal commitment that some corporate wives must make to entertain their husbands’ clients and customers, as well as make sure their spouses’ lives run smoothly. And that’s nothing when compared to the knowledgeable input the wives have into their husbands’ decision making. Just reading about the nonstop responsibilities of Roberta in this story wore me out! Ms. Gum has proven the old adage that “behind every successful man, there’s a woman.”

Confessions of a Corporate Slut is one of my favorite books. I recommend it to readers who enjoy stories about strong, successful women, as well as anyone who is curious about the day-to-day lives of the women who share their energy and their talents with successful and powerful men. By the way, the book has been meticulously edited, leaving the reader free to enjoy the author’s words without annoying grammatical errors.

[Lynn]

This book was well-written and a page-turner from start to finish. Not once did I get bored, although towards the inevitable finale it became a bit of “can you top this”. Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse, they do!

I especially liked the early years, the description of the childhood of Roberta, the heroine, who says her mother taught her well. At what not to do.

This novel reads like a memoir, although there is a disclaimer that clearly states it is work of fiction and people, places, events and situations are not actual, they are products of the author’s imagination. But there is such a great amount of detail about certain aspects of business that I can’t imagine it didn’t come from the author’s experiences.

So even though I suspect it might be somewhat biographical or autobiographical in part, I am really glad it is a “work of fiction” because I wouldn’t like to think of it happening to anyone in real life.

The word “slut” in the title might be misunderstood. This book is about something quite different than traditional sluttery, or “unpaid prostitute”. If a person uses her talents and receives no monetary compensation or appreciation, and it is “expected” and is for the betterment of another, then the word can be used in that context too.

This is what happened to Roberta, who struggled and clawed her way to becoming a success story, back when it wasn’t so easy for women in some fields. She gave it all up for a man, who was never deserving of her, but as the years went on, became even less and less so.

This may be my only reservation about the book. Can anyone be as evil as John Wendell? Can a woman really be so naïve as to keep doing what she’s doing for as long as she does? I suppose it depends on a person’s level of commitment but what Roberta put up with for so long would be a deal-breaker for me.

Naturally, I was hoping for a nice pay back for Roberta and for John too. But I didn’t have that gratification, and I would have liked a little more detail about what happened next. But the reader concludes that it will not be the end for Roberta. She is strong-willed and self-sufficient and she will survive, and be better for it.

This is a well-written, engaging novel. I’d recommend it to anyone.

[Sonia]

The title, confessions of a corporate slut, is very attractive. I thought it would be story of a woman climbing the corporate ladder by virtue of her ‘talents’. Far from it, I was pleasantly surprised as the narrator introduced us with the corporate slut and the poop she had to scoop daily. Contrary to the expectations, the story is nothing what the title suggests, yet everything that justifies the title.
I think it’s a very interesting tale, told cleverly. At the age of fifty, newly divorced Roberta looks back at her life and narrates how she reached there. Her life events from early years to the present are well written and blend smoothly. We get to know the events and circumstances that groom Roberta into the woman that she was.
I would like to divide the novel into three parts, where the middle part was the one that was very tedious to read. It describes Roberta’s life as a fully functional corporate slut. Although the aim was to show how demanding that particular position was, and how her wife part and the corporate slut competed for existence, the narration became kind of repetitive and sometimes very bland. At one point in the novel, I did not even want to read further, but the curiosity to know at what point the balance would shift towards divorce and who would be the one to rock the boat made me read on.
After that part, the novel picked pace again and it remained very interesting and engaging till the very end. When Roberta tested her negotiating skills on John during divorce, I felt like patting her back. That was very clever given her mental situation. I almost wished to know what she did next and put that negotiating ability to win her a position she deserved.
Roberta’s character is very close to reality. One can relate to her at many levels. A child with family problems, a woman working in the field of men especially in the times when it was rare and then going on to marry a wrong person, giving her life and career up for her marriage. She is considered a lady of leisure but is working her backside off without any monetary benefit or otherwise, praise or gratitude. A woman who is fearless for the world yet is in an abused relation.
To sum it up all, this novel touched my heart often.

[A Voracious Reader (a.k.a. Carol)]

*Book source ~ Many thanks to the author for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Roberta has a shitty life growing up. Her mother is a piece of work, but her dad is awesome and she has a cool grandma. Unfortunately, he dies and grandma abandons her for her moron husband who divorced her for his mistress then married her again 13 years later as soon as the new wife croaked. No wonder when John comes into her life she gets suckered into marrying him. Seemingly devoted to her yet an asshole to others, Prince Charming he is not. I am baffled as to why she even dated him other than everyone and I mean *everyone* told her how she was changing him. And as ego driven as she was no wonder she felt as if she was Superwoman with special powers over all. Look at me! Look at my masterpiece! Look how super awesome I am! Sorry, Roberta. He was still an asshole and you were pathetic.

Ok, as you can see, I did not like this story. The beginning was pretty good, but then it became a shrine to Roberta. How talented, sexy, smart, funny and popular she was. Everyone loved her even though she stomped all over people to get her way and wielded intimidation like Excalibur. After the 20th or so time she mentioned her awards, how super awesome she was and how everyone came to her for advice which she dispensed from her super brain because she knew *everything*, I was over her. I’m surprised she wasn’t crowned Queen of the World. The fact that she was conned into marrying an asshole is just too good to be true. Miss Perfect got suckered. She was so determined to get what she wanted, a home and family, that she put on huge blinders and married John. For someone so smart she did the stupidest thing she could possibly do. Give up her independence for an asshole. Signing a pre-nup without even truly reading it? That was the straw that broke my back. Really? Come on! Then after the way he treated her she stayed. For 16 years! Yeah, she was some ball-buster. That’s what everyone called her. A real ball-buster. Pathetic loser is what I call her.

[Jeri Walker]

Jacqueline Gum's novel skillfully portrays one woman's loss of autonomy that comes about when she gives up a successful career to become a corporate wife. Roberta uses her gregarious personality and killer business instincts to further her husband's business. It soon becomes clear her husband isn't as devoted to her as she is to him. All the while, Roberta is self-aware and yet helpless to distance herself from the situation. After all, many readers can relate to the countless ways we stand by our significant others even when the relationship is clearly falling apart.

As someone who strives to do my best when it comes to work, and also as a fellow childfree woman, this novel raises a myriad of issues prevalent to this day and age. The choices we make are guided by so many factors. On the one hand, some readers will find Roberta too self-centered and perhaps pathetic for not getting out of her situation sooner. Yet, the writing contains an honesty that can't be denied. The thematic elements are rich and the writing strong.

[Ken Dowell]

This is a novel that reads like a memoir. In fact it reads so much like a memoir that you wonder how much of it is the story of Roberta, the main character, and how much is Jacquie, the author. The back cover suggests it is based on a true story, but we get no other clues. For a male reader who is a husband, the book gives you an appreciation of the sensitivity of some things that you may not fully realize, even if you’re not the nightmare of a husband that John is this story is. The novel is as much a comprehensive and thorough indictment of John the husband as it is the story of Roberta the corporate wife/slut. If someone was telling me this story I might be thinking “I wonder what the other side would say.” This is a first novel by a self-published author. I does lack some polish. But Gum’s writing style is direct, her descriptions succinct. The story moves along quickly and is an easy read. The novel has its flaws but I enjoyed it.

[Rhaya Celestyne]

Anyone who has had difficulty letting go of an unhappy long term relationship may relate to this story. Bright, witty and independent Roberta one day gets a chance at marriage and family life, while still utilizing her career skills by supporting her husband. This path, it turns out, is paved with many thorns and land mines, but for a long time, she is the only one who doesn't see how her own life is deteriorating. She goes through quite a few ordeals before she is forced to wake up the hard way.

It is an honest story, in a way, because for reasons unknown, life often throws us challenges and gives us lessons on how to break away from our own ball-and-chains.
The author is very talented in her writing style, no doubt, and humor lightens up the story even in the heavy hearted scenes.

[Julie]

This was an interesting story about a woman named Roberta and her climb to success. Her character is very strong and smart enough to not have to sleep her way there and I found that very commendable of her. She was a little self centred some times but still a tough cookie and a great business woman. The story is an entertaining read as she tells us her adult life story so far. I liked the feeling of seeing into Robeta's mind as she narrated her story. I enjoyed this book very much and will be on the look out for more books by Jacqueline Gunn.

I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Charlene]

It is hard to say that I enjoyed this book because the subject matter is so painful. In reality though it is a page turner that I couldn't put down like one can't seem to turn away from viewing a train wreck. While it is a work of fiction it reads like a diary. The descriptions of interactions have a ring of truth.

[Shari Stauch]

An author with an authentic, fresh, wry and wise-ass voice -- she tells it like it is and boy oh boy have readers responded! Could also be titled, why smart women do dumb things for the men they love :) Excited to read Jacqueline Gum's next work!

[Cassandra]

--Review to Come at Book & Movie Dimension a Blog and Goodreads.com--