Helpful Score: 2
Oh dear, this book was a mess of topics that ended abruptly or never went anywhere. Add to that two main characters that are highly unlikeable. Doug Fanning is the power investment banker who is immoral, greedy, and cruel; he is written purposefully for the reader to hate him, I think. Charlotte used to teach history but retired or was forced to retire when she began voicing her own strong righteous views in her classroom. Doug "meets" Charlotte when he builds his McMansion right next door to her bungalow. as his empty, unfurnished mansion expands (get it??? symbolism 101, Doug=mansion) he starts to take down the trees separating his house and Charlotte's. Charlotte believes that land belongs to her father, and subsequently to her, and she sues him in petty court, then escalates. Doug, well, of course Doug ignores her and her increasingly insane rantings (she is suffering from Alzheimers or some degenerative disease). If you're looking for a violent or dramatic finish, well, this book will not provide one for you. It will fizzle out.
Oh, in case you were wondering, there's also a storyline that takes precedence is the Federal investigation of some of Doug's illegal investment actions. But even that leads to no definite conclusion. The entire tone of the book seems to be, "Who cares?"
Oh, in case you were wondering, there's also a storyline that takes precedence is the Federal investigation of some of Doug's illegal investment actions. But even that leads to no definite conclusion. The entire tone of the book seems to be, "Who cares?"
Helpful Score: 2
This book totally failed to live up to the hype in the blurb. I was very disappointed. No in depth financial story here, I'd class this as a gay coming-of-age novel since that sub-plot seemed to be the only coherent thread holding the novel together. I thought the characters were only shallowly developed, the backdrop of the financial shenanigans was very thin, and the pages and pages of drug-addled or senility-fueled ramblings were an unnecessary distraction. I almost skipped pages, I was so turned off reading them. Wish I'd skipped the entire book instead!
