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simpsot's review against another edition
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
judithdcollins's review against another edition
5.0
Randy Susan Myers returns following Accidents of Marriage (2014) with her latest riveting domestic suspense, THE WIDOW OF WALL STREET — bold and edgy an inside look at betrayal in a marriage.
The blind love, lies, dark secrets; the unraveling, devastation, and the need to rebuild a life after the fallout of Wall Street and a fraudulent husband's Ponzi scheme. Was the wife living in denial? Or did she know? Fans of CBS The Good Fight, will enjoy this one, especially this week's episode.
Phoebe and Jake met when they were teens. Jake and Phoebe come from different backgrounds. Jake is obsessed with money and success. He wants and needs a different future than his childhood. He thinks this will earn him the respect he craves.
Phoebe makes a wrong decision, leading her to guilt and loyalty to Jake. They marry, despite her overbearing mom’s warning.
He soon excels and opens a brokerage house. Things go well. However, soon greed, power, and money get in the way. He is dishonest. He thinks it is temporary. He has a private fund. A Ponzi scheme. A crime soon to be uncovered. The time bomb. Fraud.
Phoebe is blind to it all. The money is flowing – wealth, prestige, homes, and power,
Starting from Nov 2009, we learn Jake is now in prison. They have lost everything. Phoebe takes a Greyhound bus to the upstate NY correctional prison. She despises him. He still has her under his thumb, worrying about what she is wearing and appearances. He still has not acknowledged his part in the disaster.
However, Phoebe is struggling. She has taken her husband’s side over her children, causing a huge strain. Her children are strangers to her now. She must face Jake’s crime. The wife of a demon.
Her entire marriage had been a battle against being known only as Jake’s wife—now she feared the battle could be over for good. She had become a widow to a living man and a childless mother.
How did they get to this place? People wondered if she knew. Was she this naïve? She trusted this man. Her life is shattered. How many people has he fooled? A monster.
The author takes us back to the early days to the 1960s, where we hear from two points of view: Phoebe and Jake. The roller coaster ride from mansions, and wealth to prison.
When yet another tragedy occurs, Phoebe is forced to make a decision. She has to cut Jake free, even though he felt he could straddle the world on other’s people’s legs. Love and loss. Survival. He had squandered and cheated people and fooled millionaires, and lessons never learned.
Can Phoebe survive this disaster and come out whole once again? A different person perhaps?
The author does an outstanding job with the couple's journey from both perspectives. What a ride. The dark secrets of a husband and his scheming. A financial empire crumbling. The betrayal. From domestic suspense to psychological.
If you enjoyed the Madoff miniseries, (good), assured to find THE WIDOW OF WALL STREET engaging. Of course, in Palm Beach we hear his name often; however, Trump has taken over the spotlight here on the island.
Randy Susan Myers tackles highly charged topics, telling deeply personal stories of women. Their complexities, fear, pride and despair are woven brilliantly into the absorbing narrative.
Fans of Jodi Picoult, Diane Chamberlain, (A Stolen Marriage) Kimberly S. Belle (The Marriage Lie) and Liane Moriarty (Big Little Lies) will appreciate the complex relationships and the emotional inner lives of women in crisis.
Read the backstory.
A special thank you to Atria and NetGalley for an early reading copy.
JDCMustReadBooks
The blind love, lies, dark secrets; the unraveling, devastation, and the need to rebuild a life after the fallout of Wall Street and a fraudulent husband's Ponzi scheme. Was the wife living in denial? Or did she know? Fans of CBS The Good Fight, will enjoy this one, especially this week's episode.
Phoebe and Jake met when they were teens. Jake and Phoebe come from different backgrounds. Jake is obsessed with money and success. He wants and needs a different future than his childhood. He thinks this will earn him the respect he craves.
Phoebe makes a wrong decision, leading her to guilt and loyalty to Jake. They marry, despite her overbearing mom’s warning.
He soon excels and opens a brokerage house. Things go well. However, soon greed, power, and money get in the way. He is dishonest. He thinks it is temporary. He has a private fund. A Ponzi scheme. A crime soon to be uncovered. The time bomb. Fraud.
Phoebe is blind to it all. The money is flowing – wealth, prestige, homes, and power,
Starting from Nov 2009, we learn Jake is now in prison. They have lost everything. Phoebe takes a Greyhound bus to the upstate NY correctional prison. She despises him. He still has her under his thumb, worrying about what she is wearing and appearances. He still has not acknowledged his part in the disaster.
However, Phoebe is struggling. She has taken her husband’s side over her children, causing a huge strain. Her children are strangers to her now. She must face Jake’s crime. The wife of a demon.
Her entire marriage had been a battle against being known only as Jake’s wife—now she feared the battle could be over for good. She had become a widow to a living man and a childless mother.
How did they get to this place? People wondered if she knew. Was she this naïve? She trusted this man. Her life is shattered. How many people has he fooled? A monster.
The author takes us back to the early days to the 1960s, where we hear from two points of view: Phoebe and Jake. The roller coaster ride from mansions, and wealth to prison.
When yet another tragedy occurs, Phoebe is forced to make a decision. She has to cut Jake free, even though he felt he could straddle the world on other’s people’s legs. Love and loss. Survival. He had squandered and cheated people and fooled millionaires, and lessons never learned.
Can Phoebe survive this disaster and come out whole once again? A different person perhaps?
The author does an outstanding job with the couple's journey from both perspectives. What a ride. The dark secrets of a husband and his scheming. A financial empire crumbling. The betrayal. From domestic suspense to psychological.
If you enjoyed the Madoff miniseries, (good), assured to find THE WIDOW OF WALL STREET engaging. Of course, in Palm Beach we hear his name often; however, Trump has taken over the spotlight here on the island.
Randy Susan Myers tackles highly charged topics, telling deeply personal stories of women. Their complexities, fear, pride and despair are woven brilliantly into the absorbing narrative.
Fans of Jodi Picoult, Diane Chamberlain, (A Stolen Marriage) Kimberly S. Belle (The Marriage Lie) and Liane Moriarty (Big Little Lies) will appreciate the complex relationships and the emotional inner lives of women in crisis.
Read the backstory.
A special thank you to Atria and NetGalley for an early reading copy.
JDCMustReadBooks
machadofam8's review against another edition
3.0
Had I not just seen The Wizard of Lies I think I would have enjoyed this more.
rachel_purple's review against another edition
3.0
A little repetitive. Could have done with more time jumps- especially in the first half.
pammoore's review against another edition
5.0
This was a story of identity, feminism, and loss that I could not put down. I read about 15 pages Sunday, 20 more Monday, 250 on Tuesday... finished the final 30ish pages Wednesday. I was a little tired Wednesday from being up so late reading but it was worth it. I can't wait to read the author's other work.
kaleenazagrzebski's review against another edition
3.0
High school sweethearts, Phoebe and Jake, have been dating since they were fifteen, but their relationship isn’t exactly built on trust. Jake grew up wanting nothing but the best for himself and Phoebe, and he was willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen. When Jake quickly rises to the top when he starts his own firm, the crimes he committed along the way to get there are revealed. The question is, did Phoebe know about it? And was she in on the scheme all along?
This book starts out at the beginning of Phoebe and Jake’s relationship, so you can get a sense of what got them to where they are at the end of the book. I definitely think that helped in building the characters and understanding why they made the decisions they did.
If you’re a fan of books with unreliable characters, this one is for you. Jake is the type of person that just drove me insane, but also made me want to keep reading. While not a jaw dropping page turner, I overall enjoyed the book!
This book starts out at the beginning of Phoebe and Jake’s relationship, so you can get a sense of what got them to where they are at the end of the book. I definitely think that helped in building the characters and understanding why they made the decisions they did.
If you’re a fan of books with unreliable characters, this one is for you. Jake is the type of person that just drove me insane, but also made me want to keep reading. While not a jaw dropping page turner, I overall enjoyed the book!
_askthebookbug's review against another edition
4.0
The widow of wall street :) .
.
“Make sure you choose work that makes you happy”- Randy Susan Meyers. .
.
Let’s talk about money. How much is really enough? Would you be happy with your average paycheque? If you’re not, would you try to think of something illegal to make millions? Many do, until they get caught. .
.
This is the story of a criminal who endangers his entire family because of his greed for money. Jake, handsome and every girl’s dream marries his perfect girlfriend Phoebe, already envisioning her to be his trophy wife when he starts making money. He dives into business and builds an empire preferring only the best things for his family. Phoebe, clueless about his affairs and illegal business worships him every minute. Jake gradually gets caught up in a Ponzi scheme and loses everyone’s money. He then goes under an investigation and eventually lands in prison. Will Phoebe stick around till the end with her husband whom she has loved all her life? Or will she cut him loose? This book was a gripping read and also emotionally draining. It talks about relationships between siblings, children and spouse. .
.
This was my first read by @randysusanmeyersauthor and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It talks about real life problems like greed and illegal systems. A big thank you to the author and publisher for sending me this Kindle version so that I could enjoy and review the book. I’d rate it 4/5. #bookchallenge #56 #bangalorebookblogger #bookreview #wordporn #booknerd #randysusanmeyers #bibliophile
.
“Make sure you choose work that makes you happy”- Randy Susan Meyers. .
.
Let’s talk about money. How much is really enough? Would you be happy with your average paycheque? If you’re not, would you try to think of something illegal to make millions? Many do, until they get caught. .
.
This is the story of a criminal who endangers his entire family because of his greed for money. Jake, handsome and every girl’s dream marries his perfect girlfriend Phoebe, already envisioning her to be his trophy wife when he starts making money. He dives into business and builds an empire preferring only the best things for his family. Phoebe, clueless about his affairs and illegal business worships him every minute. Jake gradually gets caught up in a Ponzi scheme and loses everyone’s money. He then goes under an investigation and eventually lands in prison. Will Phoebe stick around till the end with her husband whom she has loved all her life? Or will she cut him loose? This book was a gripping read and also emotionally draining. It talks about relationships between siblings, children and spouse. .
.
This was my first read by @randysusanmeyersauthor and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It talks about real life problems like greed and illegal systems. A big thank you to the author and publisher for sending me this Kindle version so that I could enjoy and review the book. I’d rate it 4/5. #bookchallenge #56 #bangalorebookblogger #bookreview #wordporn #booknerd #randysusanmeyers #bibliophile
mindfullibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
2 stars for the story, 1 star for the amazing cover art, since that's what pushed me to use one of my Audible credits on this book (which I was hoping would be a kind of wife's fictional retelling of The Wolf of Wall Street with all of the drama that story entailed). I know I am in the minority in my opinion of this book, so please take that into account. I struggled so much to connect with a single character in this book (the closest I could come is Jake and Phoebe's daughter Kate) and I honestly think I might just not have enough money to have an iota of sympathy for Jake OR Phoebe in this story.
It was a depressing book for me, with no humor to cut the bitterness of the story or cultural significance to merit such a dire retelling since this story in no way helped me understand why evils on Wall Street were perpetrated beyond the evilness and callousness of mankind. Perhaps that was the point? If so, I'm now convinced of this. As for the "for better or worse" part of marriage storyline, another thing I simply couldn't understand.
I will definitely try another title from this author in the future to get another view of her work, and hats off to the cover artist for selling me on this book!
It was a depressing book for me, with no humor to cut the bitterness of the story or cultural significance to merit such a dire retelling since this story in no way helped me understand why evils on Wall Street were perpetrated beyond the evilness and callousness of mankind. Perhaps that was the point? If so, I'm now convinced of this. As for the "for better or worse" part of marriage storyline, another thing I simply couldn't understand.
I will definitely try another title from this author in the future to get another view of her work, and hats off to the cover artist for selling me on this book!
gabbymm1003's review against another edition
4.0
While I felt the storyline was predictable, it still addressed many topics and lessons to be learned. Then book details the beginning of Phoebe and Jake’s relationship all the way through to the demise of their world as they know it. This story was a great reminder that while it’s hard to break from toxic things and people, it’s necessary to find your own strength and rely on yourself. The Widow of Wall Street was very entertaining, thought provoking, and well written. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
hsimonton's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the book more than I expected to. When you start, you already know the outcome and it starts with cliches. Regardless, I'm glad I stuck with it. The characters are well developed and interested. I listened on Audible - great narrator.