The Widow of Wall Street

February 6, 2017
Meyers (The Murderer’s Daughter) explores the dynamics of the 20th-century bedroom and boardroom in this novel. Phoebe and Jake meet in high school, quickly falling in love despite her mother’s concerns that Phoebe is moving too fast. As they move through college and the early years of their careers, Jake’s unbridled ambition brings wealth and comfort, but at a cost: Jake is needy and manipulative, demanding that Phoebe’s goals take a backseat from the very early days of their relationship. Unwilling to acknowledge his wife’s own ambition (to care for others, rather than earn a profit), Jake is blinded to all but the careful curation of a life he always dreamed of, making pawns of everything around him in order to do it. It’s only too late that Phoebe learns the brokerage and investment firm that she and Jake have been building for decades was little more than a con, landing him in prison and leaving her picking up the pieces of a life she’d thought was secure. Carefully written to gradually expose the emotional hold Jake builds over his wife, the novel is an engaging and sharp reflection of the rapid changes in marital dynamics over the course of the 20th century, as well as a cautionary tale about the dangers and allure of ambition in the heyday of Wall Street.

January 15, 2017
Meyers explores the troubled relationship between a couple during the husband's rise to riches and subsequent disgrace in a novel that mirrors the story of jailed financier Bernard Madoff and his broken family.Phoebe and Jake have been together since their teens, and when Phoebe--as a young college student--becomes pregnant by one of her professors, she makes Jake think it's his child and they marry following a miscarriage. Jake then launches a legitimate brokerage, but his big moneymaker is something he calls The Club, a private investment company reserved exclusively for the well-heeled who measure up to his standards. The Club isn't exactly aboveboard: it's basically a Ponzi scheme and a way for Jake to skim large amounts of money from investors and line his own pockets while roping in more accounts. As Jake robs Peter to pay Paul, the story follows Phoebe's venture into motherhood with two children, Noah and Katie, and her metamorphosis into Jake's accomplice as he uses her to bring in more investors. This is a great read, even when the characters are shallow and self-absorbed. Phoebe comes across as a decent but clueless woman who wants to do the right thing but ends up ignoring all the signs that Jake's business isn't what it appears to be. The couple revels in their expensive lifestyle, with plates that cost more than many people make in a month and closets full of silk and cashmere. And while the journey Phoebe makes from pampered grand dame in a penthouse to humiliated pauper living hand to mouth is compelling, readers may find themselves skimming some of the more technical details of Jake's finances. The plot is hardly unique, but the author's skillful writing overcomes the "been there, read that" feeling. An engrossing emotional journey.

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

February 15, 2017

Phoebe and Jake fell in love when they were teens and married young. Jake, having a knack for numbers, slowly built himself up in the financial industry, creating a dynasty by the time he was an adult. He, Phoebe, and their two children never want for anything. However, as it turns out, Jake has been supporting his family under the shroud of an elaborate Ponzi scheme that went on for much longer than he thought possible. Everyone's world unravels as he is discovered, leaving Phoebe to decide if she should stand by him for better or worse--even if that means leaving their children. Meyers (Accidents of Marriage) once again pulls the reader into an tangled marriage, this time through the lens of the financial world. Full of deceit, scandal, and guilt, her novel expertly explores how rising to the top only to hit rock bottom affects a family. The consequences will leave readers reeling, as Phoebe struggles to understand Jake's reasons and redefine her life in the aftermath. VERDICT The perfect read for women's fiction lovers with an interest in finance. [See Prepub Alert, 10/31/16.]--Erin Holt, Williamson Cty. P.L., Franklin, TN

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.