Posted on Goodreads by Tammy Turner on July 13, 2025.
The War on Sarah Morris by Kathleen Jones is an honest look at what happens when Sarah’s role as editor for a publishing company gets redefined into a list of tasks that she considers grunt work. The tasks become overwhelming Sarah finds herself working hours of unpaid overtime to try to keep up. The company culture turns into one of suppression, and Sarah feels trapped. The book is written from Sarah’s perspective, and I found myself rooting for Sarah to stand up for herself. On the much broader spectrum, this book brings up some philosophical questions about why we work and about the work we do. I recommend the thought-provoking book for anyone who questions their place in the corporate environment.
(Posted July 13, 2025 by Jessie Hopkins on Goodreads)
4 Stars
The inner monologue of Sarah had me rolling. Sarah has so much going on and in order to stay employed she often has to bite her tongue and deal with it silently.
As her company continues to reorganize and downsize, as they attempt to survive during the recession. She is stressed as the jobs market threatens her way of life along with her friends and other coworkers. She tries to see the bright side, that she is still employed, but that’s difficult with how her company and job position keep changing.
This book puts into perspective what many go through at a time when they feel like their jobs and lives should be more stable. It shows the challenges that financial concerns put onto a person’s life in every aspect – family, friends, personal, professional – and makes everything difficult.
Imagine having a job you have worked so hard at and enjoyed. To be demoted and doing grunt work. That is what is happening to Sarah. Now she has to reconsider her place in this work field. This story is told by Sarah and all she has to withstand. Can she dig her way out or will she continue to be taken advantage of? What would you do in her position? This is an amazing fact finding story with a strong woman fighting her way through the work field. The author of this story went forward to put real life into her story. It’s well written and a fantastic story to read. I found this story to be informative as well as making me look back at the jobs I have had. I look forward to reading more from this author.
We have all felt like the world is against us and everything that can go wrong will. This is the entire emotion of this book about Sarah Morris. She is blindsided by hit after hit of bad news from her job , to everything that she tries to do to better her and Steven’s lives. The office politics and practices in this story are sadly realistic in today’s business world. Kathleen Jones is a wonderful author who puts real emotion into her plot and character development. She has made the main character naive and desperate, making me the reader really pull for something to go right for a change. Great book, easy to read, and definitely relatable
Kathleen Jones writes a true to life tale with The War on Sarah Morris
In The War on Sarah Morris, the reader is introduced to Sarah Morris, the titular character. She’s an editor that has been working for years at this prominent publishing company, and then, it strikes. I am a fan of Kathleen Jones and want read whatever this author writes. This author has a grand imagination, and talent for showing the story. One minute you’re a devoted employee, and the next minute, you’re reassigned, essentially demoted. Anyone who has ever been in this position, can understand what Sarah is going through, and how sometimes you just give up and give in because you need the paycheck. It’s either demotion or head out the door, willingly or not. Sarah discovers what is actually happening, and how a freelancer is doing her job, and now, all she is doing is tagging books. Of course, the company is cutting back, but as many do, they do not look at the loyal employees, they look at their salary and where they cut costs. They look for people who will not fight back, however, Sarah, though she seems like the world is against her, pushing her into a corner she doesn’t like, they are not prepared for Sarah’s strength and gumption. Sarah is a very relatable character, and her new nemesis, is just a typical person, also wanting to get recognition and the paycheck. The new favorite employee is only there until the next favorite employee. Kathleen Jones not only tells the story but shows it with words as well. It’s a great story to follow and try to figure out what will happen next. The characters are so real, it’s like being with them within the story. The War on Sarah Morris is a definite recommendation by Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews. I read this book to give my unbiased and honest review. Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews recommends that anyone who reads this book also write a review.
#Fiction #Drama #ABSR #storytelling #reviews
About the Book:
ONE DAY, YOU’RE A VALUED EMPLOYEE OF THE COMPANY … THE NEXT DAY, YOU’RE BEING PUSHED OUT THE DOOR.
What happens when your secure corporate job suddenly becomes precarious? Book editor Sarah Morris finds herself in this predicament when the company she has served for twenty-one years is reorganized. Sarah’s boss gives all the company’s book editing projects to freelancers and a pet employee, unofficially demoting Sarah, who must spend her days tagging documents. And when Sarah’s boss starts bullying her, she realizes that she’s been pigeonholed into a dead-end job.
Review posted by Glenn Perrett on Metroland Media’s 20 plus news sites on October 29, 2024.
The War on Sarah Morris” is a sobering look at how many corporate jobs have changed.
By Legacy Book Press photo
Kathleen Jones
Legacy Book Press
2024, 237 pages
ISBN: 9798987482346
Sarah Morris is a middle-aged, experienced editor for the book publisher Quill Pen Press and she has been for more than 20 years. When her company is reorganized in an attempt to deal with a poor economy, Sarah’s job changes considerably. While she still has her job title and salary, she no longer edits books. That rewarding, satisfying responsibility has been given mostly to freelance editors.
For Sarah, losing her editing work is a big blow, but it is made even worse when her former editing responsibilities are replaced with “mind-numbing work” — and lots of it. In fact, Sarah is now doing the work of three people and she is not paid for the considerable overtime she has to do to meet her unreasonable workload.
Having her reasonable amount of satisfying work replaced by an unreasonable amount of boring, tedious assignments is not Sarah’s only problem. Sarah’s bosses are now bullying her. And the terrible treatment that she receives is not unique to her situation as older, loyal colleagues are losing their jobs to younger, less expensive employees. And this is also happening throughout the corporate world making getting a new job for an older, experienced person very difficult. Outsourcing work to freelancers who aren’t provided with pensions, dental plans and other benefits is another corporate strategy to increase revenue.
“The War on Sarah Morris” is not only a sobering look at how many corporate jobs have changed — and not for the better — but it is also an entertaining novel where you find yourself cheering for Sarah whose career has been decimated by corporate greed and bullies disguised as managers.
“The War on Sarah Morris” is a thought-provoking and an ultimately hopeful novel that I recommend.
“The War on Sarah Morris” is a fictional satire about a dystopian workplace named Quill Pen Press and the effect it has on Sarah Morris, a woman in her 50s. Imagine what a bad employer might look like, multiply that by 10x, and you’ll get Quill Pen Press.
“The War on Sarah Morris” is not always a pretty novel to read. It’s rather bleak. I feel that my empathy skills have improved after reading the novel, because I felt Sarah Morris’ pain. I feel that this novel is a page-turner, because I wanted to know how it ends.
The novel provides a great springboard for a philosophical discussion. I found myself wondering about the following questions: -Why do we work? -In what ways do you identify with Sarah Morris? -What would you do differently than Sarah Morris? -How could companies do better?
“The War on Sarah Morris” is a thought-provoking and an ultimately hopeful novel that I recommend.
(Posted by Susan Turbie on Goodreads on May 5, 2024)
5 Stars
After years of loyal service, Sarah Morris, an experienced, highly competent, middle-aged senior editor with a publishing firm, gets demoted and increasingly sidelined and exploited. The novel deals with her struggles to regain control of her career and her destiny, amid the constant downsizing, outsourcing and backstabbing that is corporate life today.
As someone who has been through a similar experience to that of the eponymous heroine, (a woman approaching 50 made redundant after years of loyal service), I felt a great deal of empathy for Sarah. That said, she did sometimes get on my nerves: she’s a little paranoid, with something of a persecution mania (note the number of times she refers to what’s happening to her – and many other employees – as “sabotage” and “against her”). The very title of the book is telling: The War against Sarah Morris. But it’s not about her, it’s not personal – which is of course both the point and the tragedy of the situation: it’s completely impersonal, it’s nothing you’ve done wrong, but at the same time, all the things you did right – your experience, competence, loyalty, sense of professional ethics and conscientiousness, dedication – count for nothing in the end. It’s all about bottom line.
The fact that there’s a single plot strand, few characters and that most of the action takes place in the workplace make the novel’s universe seem a little narrow and oppressive at times. But it’s intentional: the author cleverly (and uncomfortably) captures that stifling atmosphere of relentless stress, anguish and uncertainty of having an unrewarding job where you’re undervalued by your bosses and are completely dispensable: the lack of control, being at the mercy of the ruthless, soul-crushing corporate machine with its endless rounds of takeovers, lay-offs “restructuring”; the armies of technocrats who blind you with corporate management jargon, always banging on about streamlining and bottom lines, downsizing and outsourcing organizations to within an inch of their life. That’s what it’s like when you’re stuck in a job you hate, can’t find a new one and can’t just chuck it all in because you have bills to pay and a mortgage: there is no escape, no relief, no respite.
The plot is nicely paced and it reads well. As I said earlier, I occasionally wanted to shake Sarah and yell at her to stand up for herself more: she’s a bit of a doormat, way too trusting, and something of a glutton for punishment (why oh why would she agree to organize a leaving do for her narcissistic sociopath of a boss?!) That said, her passivity and lack of self-esteem are party explained by the few glimpses we see of her personal life: her parents are hyper-critical and overbearing, and while her husband’s basically a nice enough guy, he’s not hugely supportive of Sarah’s plans to regain control of her career and life.
But despite her flaws, Sarah is very believable and sympathetic, and after everything she’s been through, she still manages to be something of an idealist. And that’s why the reader is rooting for her, along with all the other victims of rapacious capitalism and the gig economy. Her journey will resonate vividly – if uncomfortably – with anyone who’s ever been made redundant, or had a petty, tyrannical, pathologically ambitious boss, and the way she navigates the treacherous waters of corporate life, eventually to rise again to reshape her destiny will inspire and give hope.
(Posted by Tasha Hutchison on Goodreads on April 20, 2024)
5 Stars
Prepare to be captivated by Kathleen Jones in her latest book, The War on Sarah Morris. From the moment you delve into the pages of this wonderfully crafted thriller, you are swept into a world of intrigue, danger, and moral dilemmas that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.
As a protagonist, Sarah is both compelling and relatable, navigating a web of deceit and betrayal with courage and determination. Her journey is not only a thrilling ride through the twists and turns of a complex plot but also a deeply emotional exploration of resilience in the face of adversity.
What truly sets The War on Sarah Morris apart is its exploration of timely and relevant themes. Through Sarah’s experiences, Jones tackles issues of power, corruption, and the blurred lines between right and wrong with nuance and insight. In doing so, she not only entertains but also challenges readers to question their own beliefs and assumptions about justice and morality. A must-read for fans of thrillers and anyone who appreciates a story that stays with you long after you’ve turned the final page.
Synopsis: What happens when one day, without any warning, your secure corporate job suddenly becomes precarious? And all your professional duties are taken away, leaving you with nothing but repetitive, mind-numbing tasks?
Sarah Morris, is a 49-year-old editor at a Toronto publishing company who finds herself in this very predicament when Quill Pen Press, the company she has faithfully served for twenty-one years, undergoes a reorganization in the aftermath of the 2008 recession.
Concerned only with preserving her own cushy job, Sarah’s selfish boss gives all the company’s editing projects to freelancers and to a pet employee, unofficially demoting Sarah and two colleagues, who are now expected to spend their days tagging and formatting documents. When the two younger colleagues leave to pursue better opportunities, the boss dumps all their data entry tasks on Sarah and pressures her to complete an ever-growing mountain of work in less and less time, while taking away her right to paid overtime.
At first, Sarah is afraid to face the truth; she tells herself that she will get her old job back once the economy improves. But when the boss starts bullying her, she realizes that her company doesn’t have her best interests at heart and that she’s been pigeonholed into a dead-end job.
Critique: A story for our times, “The War on Sarah Morris” by author Kathleen Jones is an inherently compelling, deftly crafted, and showcases her narrative driven and impressively distinctive storytelling style as a novelist. A work of fiction that may well resonate with the reader’s real life experiences all too well, “The War on Sarah Morris” is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that “The War on Sarah Morris” is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).
Editorial Note: For some thirty years, Kathleen Jones (https://kathleenjones.org) has been an editor for various Canadian book publishers. Today, Kathleen is a full-time author who writes for a number of popular book blogs. She also contributes monthly book reviews to Goodreads. She lives in Canada.
Kathleen Jones, The Quirky Novelist 