Hedge Fund Wives

March 23, 2009
In this salacious, delightful tale of New York movers and shakers, Boncompagni (Gilding Lily
) animates her rich, glamorous, scandalous creatures with a keen eye and irresistible energy. Newly ensconced in her life as the wife of a New York hedge fund derivatives trader, Marcy Emerson is as unimpressed with her neighbors’ materialism and gossiping as she is cowed by the seeming perfection of her new female acquaintances. Nevertheless, she establishes close friendships with fellow hedge fund wives Jill and Gigi as she becomes increasingly aware of her husband’s growing preoccupation with money and appearances—especially when she accepts a job in Gigi’s catering business. When Marcy faces incontrovertible evidence of how far John’s loyal good nature has been stretched, she realizes that for the sake of her own life she must re-evaluate her priorities. Readers fascinated by Upper East Side life will be mesmerized by Boncompagni’s sparkling depiction and may have to fight the temptation to read it all in one sitting.

April 1, 2009
When Marcy Emersons husband, John, is recruited fora new job on Wall Street, they pack up their home in Chicago and move to New York City. He doesnt want her to work, so she spends her days among the citys hedge-fund wives. These women are snobby, privileged, and stinking rich, and Marcy doesnt fit in. John wants her to play nice, though, so she mingles. Marcy wants more than just gobs of cash and designer clothesa job, a baby, more time with her husband; but John is progressively becoming more distant. He blames his work, but Marcy suspects something else. Is her husband straying with another hedge-fund wife, or is Marcy falling prey to the sneaky, backstabbing behaviors shes surrounded by every day? Its hard to feel sympathy for someone dropping $25,000 at Bergdorf Goodman, especially nowat atimeof financial catastrophe;but Marcy is a strong character who rises above the crowd in Boncompagnis glitzy and gossipy second novel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)