The world runs on currency of different kinds: coins, relationships, world-trade, sex, ideas. I enjoyed this novel very much because it reflects the time period of England/Europe and same time mentions that the US Civil War had ended. Living in Colorado, as I do now, this gave me a reference point of what was happening in the ‘old world’. I know our Civil War history and settling of Old West as people moved in wagon trains. I wanted to know more about England at this time.
Children are born into family groups and situations. Hugh Pilaster’s father died. That set him on a life path to be a ‘poor relation’ in the Pilaster banking family. Banking was considered as ‘upper middle class’ working positions. Making interest on loans was how a bank succeeds, even today. How well that money is managed determines how successful the bank will be. I looked at this book from several perspectives. What was the banking industry like at that time? Who were these people? And what effect did the management have on others, good or bad.
The characters were intriguing! Hugh made his own way after his father’s death. He met Maisie and fell in love. He wasn’t spoiled, like his cousin Edward Pilaster. Edward was overindulged by his mother, Augusta. She was ruthless and manipulative to move her son, Edward, into the head position of the bank. But could Edward do the job?
No. We all can reach a level of incompetence where we can’t function. This is a fact even for the 21st century. Follett reveals this. Edward had no ambition, integrity, brains to help the bank move forward. Just because you are son of a lead partner doesn’t automatically mean you can do the job. We see this also today.
Women were dependent on their men’s positions. How ‘well’ you married determined your status and success.
As the boys at the elite boys school were all affected from a boy’s drowning, the book focuses on the Pilaster banking family. They were directly involved. Or were they? They were directly affected by the tragic event.
Miguel (Micky) Miranda was the protagonist. But so was Augusta Pilaster, Edward’s mother. This leaped off the page for me. How far would they go to get their needs met?
These two wonderful characters had their ‘own secret agendas’ to further advance their lives to wealth and fame. They both were ambitious people and put no limits on themselves to get what they wanted.
TV shows today lack revealing the internal thought process of what makes a person do something, what makes a character ‘tick’. Reading is where I go to find great novels that reveal the inner thought-process.
Edward’s indulgence in brothels with friend, Micky Miranda, was an excellent reminder of how men entertained themselves and how women used sex as their trade at that time. It again is a form of currency.
I won’t write the ending. It was fascinating to see how far the characters were pushed and what they did.
I highly recommend this psychological drama in this novel. It’s about different currencies and what we each trade during our lives.
I am age 74, a retired accountant, female. I love books. I learned to read at age 4. My grandmother raised me, pushed me early to read. It was the very best gift I ever received. She and my father taught me how to ‘think’. He was a business owner. I learned about banking and trade early in life.
We all have options. This novel is a great demonstration of this. Yes, the book is about banking. But our choices can determine and define our success.
Loved this book! Please read it. It is shocking, intriguing, baffling. Why do people do what they do? It made me think, analyze, reflect.
Buy this book!
A Colorado Reader Feb 7, 2024
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This book goes deep!
I didn't want it to end. At the end you feel like you really know them. Loved it. This is a novel worth reading every word. Although a majority of the readers could never humanly understand the pain suffered in the story due to lack of real-life experience, the words do speak true to everyday human feelings of belonging, pain, triumph, suffering, and so on, but most importantly, LOVE. We've all experienced love in all its ways which is why everyone can and will relate. You will, laugh, cry, judge...you will feel anger, hatred and fear but most importantly, you will feel how a breaking heart can HEAL.I highlighted so many good quotes. This little novel deserves all the hype and awards it's gotten. The author has written an astonishingly beautiful and compelling narrative. My only complaint came that I felt it was a little too short, especially at the end. I'm also certain this book will be made into a great movie. Absolute must read!
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Db
hard at the beginning but ultimately inspiring
Reviewed in Canada on December 19, 2023
joy cunningham
Good story,marvellous writer
Reviewed in France on February 13, 2024