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mamaboydreads's review against another edition
4.0
Another enjoyable read by this author. Loosely based on the Madoff scandal. Delves into the family dynamics of the creator of the Ponzi scheme.
kellyhager's review against another edition
5.0
Phoebe and Jake have it all: a ton of money, healthy and happy grown kids, adorable grandkids. And then it turns out it's all a lie---Jake's investment acumen is really a Ponzi scheme. When it comes to light, he loses everything and Phoebe is caught in the middle. She's just as disgusted and horrified as her children but she also can't quite bring herself to completely forsake Jake.
This story shows us their whole marriage, which makes it easier to understand why Phoebe would stay. (Although Jake also seems like a jerk for much of the time anyway.)
As you can imagine, this seems not unlike the Bernie Madoff story and it gives me so much sympathy for his family. It feels so plausible (which I think is one of Randy Susan Meyers' strengths: amazing, ripped-from-the-headlines novels that are compelling but also well-written).
Hopefully you're already a huge fan but if not, this book will do it. Highly recommended.
This story shows us their whole marriage, which makes it easier to understand why Phoebe would stay. (Although Jake also seems like a jerk for much of the time anyway.)
As you can imagine, this seems not unlike the Bernie Madoff story and it gives me so much sympathy for his family. It feels so plausible (which I think is one of Randy Susan Meyers' strengths: amazing, ripped-from-the-headlines novels that are compelling but also well-written).
Hopefully you're already a huge fan but if not, this book will do it. Highly recommended.
ramseyhootman's review against another edition
4.0
This compelling fictionalization of the Bernie Madoff scandal is told from the point of view of the scam artist's wife, "Phoebe" in this narrative. It asks (and answers) the question so many ask when confronted with such scandals: how could the wife of such a man NOT have known what he was doing? Is she guilty merely by association? We travel back in time to see the genesis of their relationship, the ways in which they fit together, for better or for worse, and we come to understand that Phoebe trusts because, at every turn, she feels she has no alternative. It's a compelling portrait of a woman entrapped by her own lifestyle, not by willful blindness but the almost incidental isolation of great wealth. We come to sympathize with her and see this as a very personal betrayal. Is she culpable? Should she be condemned? Read the book and judge for yourself!
I listened to this as an audio book and honestly if I had this to do over, I'd have read it in print. I reeeeally disliked the narrator - I'm not picky, so I didn't listen to a sample ahead of time - my bad. But she parsed sentences very strangely, and read at an excruciatingly slow pace. The good news is that this prompted me to explore playback options, and I discovered that the entire problem was solved if I simply set playback to 2x speed!
I listened to this as an audio book and honestly if I had this to do over, I'd have read it in print. I reeeeally disliked the narrator - I'm not picky, so I didn't listen to a sample ahead of time - my bad. But she parsed sentences very strangely, and read at an excruciatingly slow pace. The good news is that this prompted me to explore playback options, and I discovered that the entire problem was solved if I simply set playback to 2x speed!
readwithamy's review against another edition
3.0
A solid three stars although I thought I’d rate this higher going in with the excitement I did. It was a good story with a strong beginning and ending but I felt the middle part of the book went on for much longer than it needed to be.
Couldn’t stand Jake and Meyers did a great job of provoking so many feelings of hatred towards him. At times, I felt for Pheobe and others times I wanted to shake her!
Overall, it was a good read but not one I’d rush to recommend or read again.
Couldn’t stand Jake and Meyers did a great job of provoking so many feelings of hatred towards him. At times, I felt for Pheobe and others times I wanted to shake her!
Overall, it was a good read but not one I’d rush to recommend or read again.
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