166. The Darlings
Rating: ☆☆☆1/2
Recommended by:
Author: Christina Alger
Genre: Fiction
347 pages, published February 16, 2012
Reading Format: Book
Summary
The Darlings tells the story of an elite New York family dealing with a financial scandal that threatens all of them in different ways. When he married Merrill Darling, attorney Paul Ross became part of the wealthy Darling family. He has grown comfortable with their luxurious lifestyle and feels compelled to keep it going after his high flying law firms implodes in 2007. Against his better judgment, Paul accepts a job as General Counsel at his father in law’s hedge fund. When the manager of the fund’s primary investment apparently commits suicide and is revealed to be a Bernie Madoff type, all the wheels start to come off for the Darlings. Paul must decide whether save himself while betraying his wife and in-laws or protect the family business at all costs.
Quotes
“The greatest strength you can have is to know your own strengths. You’ve got to figure out what you’re good at and make the most of it.”
“How inexplicable and enviable, never to want to be anywhere other than where you already are.”
“To be jealous of money is uninspired … You can only be jealous of someone who has something that you can never have. More style, for example, or wit. Money is easily earned.”
“You’re perfect. To me you are. You always will be. When you’re small you think that about your parents. When you’re old, you think that about your kids. You’ll see.”
“Diving in is no fun, but it’s a hell of a lot better than drowning.”
“And what should he have known? Well, who could answer that? Thought he was closer to all the players than anyone, he still couldn’t identify who was responsible and who wasn’t. Really responsible, not just “look the other way” responsible. They all were, in some larger sense. And yet, while he knew this was a wholly indefensible position, he felt that somehow none of them were, either. Just like the guys at Lehmen, or Bear Stearns, or AIG. Just like the guys at Delphic. It became a game, a contest; the only rules that governed were what made you money and what didn’t. All Paul did was hang the hell on and try not to get thrown.”
“The constant mental fight made him irritable. He had never had a temper before. Some days, he felt as if his entire body were a raw nerve, its membrane receptive even to the smallest passing slight.”
“And all women wanted something. Ines felt strongly that women were rarely friends with one another unless they could get something out of it. Female friendships were like strategic alliances: Each party had to bring something to the table in order to maintain equity.”
My Take
The Darlings is a fast reading page turner that I had a hard time putting down. Cristina Alger takes you inside the privileged world of New York City. While most of her focus is on the financial sector, she also offers a glimpse inside high powered law firms, the newspaper industry and leisure in the Hamptons for the millionaires and billionaires. It would have been a more satisfying novel, and earned a higher score from me, if it had fleshed out and developed the side characters a bit more. However, even with that deficiency, I recommend reading it. Perfect escapism.
