Much has been written about the financial turmoil of the past four years. Here on Greatthoughts.com, I have previously reviewed Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand, a fictional account of Ruth Madoff and The End of Normal by Stephanie Mack Madoff, a true memoir of her husband’s tragic suicide (included in my Top Books of 2011 ).
It’s hard to read a newspaper or watch the news without hearing out the Wall Street bailout, mortgage meltdown, etc. The Darlings by Cristina Alger does an excellent job of capturing the truth of that time. Best advice I can give you- keep reading as the book just gets better and better as you go. The ending is SO good! Can’t wait for the movie!
The Darlings by Cristina Alger
A must-read! This book came out on February 16th and I have finished it by February 17th- tell you anything? The Darlings is the story of Paul Ross who marries Merrill Darling, the daughter of the wealthy New York family. Carter Darling, Merrill’s dad, runs a New York hedge fund, a la Madoff. This book makes you completely understand how the Madoff ponzi scheme happened and its effect on the family
Also- kudos to Ms. Alger on the best author website I’ve seen. Check out this page where she details the characters in the book.
The New York Times had this to say about the book.
Alger’s character development is simply perfect. The characters tie-in and relate to each other in ways you do not expect. This is part financial thriller, part love story, part family epic. It is completely believable.
A few quotes :
“Boys with means were still interested in her money because children of the wealthy lacked a work ethic and wanted a spouse who would make sure their club memberships would never go unpaid and their children would be admitted to the right schools and there would always be pleasant dinner parties and charity events in the evenings.”
Of Paul’s high school girlfriend, Alger writes: “Theirs had been the kind of love that blooms in a small town but fades when exposed ot the elements of the wide open world.”
“Tomorrow, they would no longer be the Darlings of New York.”
What are you reading and where are you going?
Thank you for this review. I’m always interested in seeking out books that others have loved.
It’s on my list! Just starting your recommendation, “The Orchid House.” xo
I really want to read The Darlings…and I’m glad that you enjoyed it.
Many of us are drawn to these timely books nowadays. I’ll be checking out those links.
Here’s MY SUNDAY SALON POST
I’m so glad to hear that The Darlings is good because it’s on my shelf and I hadn’t really been thinking of reading it (because of other books taking my attention). I will strongly consider it now.
Sounds smart, educational, and is a subject I do not know enough about. Adding it to my to read list now.
Good character development makes a good book great! Thanks for the recommendation. I’m going to check it out!