The Widow of Wall Street

by Randy Susan Meyers

What’s real in a marriage built on sand and how do you abandon a man you’ve loved since the age of fifteen?

Phoebe sees the fire in Jake Pierce’s belly from the moment they meet as teenagers in Brooklyn. Eventually he creates a financial dynasty and she trusts him without hesitation—unaware his hunger for success hides a dark talent for deception.

When Phoebe learns—along with the rest of the world—that her husband’s triumphs are the result of an elaborate Ponzi scheme her world unravels. Lies underpin her life and marriage. As Jake’s crime is uncovered, the world obsesses about Phoebe. Did she know her life was fabricated by fraud? Did she partner with her husband in hustling billions from pensioners, charities, and CEOs? Was she his accomplice in stealing from their family and neighbors?

Debate rages as to whether love and loyalty blinded her to his crimes or if she chose to live in denial. While Jake is trapped in the web of his own deceit, Phoebe is faced with an unbearable choice. Her children refuse to see her if she remains at their father’s side, but abandoning Jake, a man she’s known since childhood, feels cruel and impossible.

From Brooklyn to Greenwich to Manhattan, from penthouse to prison, with tragic consequences rippling well beyond Wall Street, The Widow of Wall Street exposes a woman struggling to redefine her life and marriage as everything she thought she knew crumbles around her.

Atria Books

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Audiobook, Mystery, Chick Lit, Adult Fiction, Novels

339 pages, Hardcover

First published April 11, 2017

About the author

Randy Susan Meyers' internationally bestselling novels are informed by years working with families impacted by family violence— and a long journey from idolizing bad boys to loving a good man.

After years working in social service and criminal justice, Meyers published her first novel, The Murderer’s Daughters—a story of the aftermath of domestic violence—a Target Pick for the country. Her novels have twice been chosen by the Massachusetts Center for the Book, as ““Must Read Fiction,” who wrote, “The clear and distinctive voice of Randy Susan Meyers will have you enraptured and wanting more.”

Meyers and her husband live in Jamaica Plain, Boston, where she teaches writing at Grub Street Writer’s Center.

Reviews

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

My reviews can also be seen at: https://deesradreadsandreviews.wordpr...

I wasn't sure how Wall Street/Ponzi scheme aspect of the book was going to work for me. However, I have read a couple of other books from Randy Susan Meyers and really liked them. So I figured I would go for it and I'm really happy I did.

November 2009

"Phoebe never hated her husband more than when she visited him in prison"

Told from Phoebe's point of view. The trip to prison is eleven hours by cab, bus, and train. Visits are hard. So many things are off-limits and can't be talked about. Things like the kids, lack of money, his fall from grace. This makes conversation difficult. But Phoebe makes the trip. She even dresses to please him. He feels she should represent him well - EVEN THOUGH HE'S IN PRISON. (I do believe I yelled that part out loud).

Jake had the audacity to ask (well whine really)....

"Why won't you stay longer? Other wives come Saturday and Sunday, not for a measly few hours"

She spent her life pleasing Jake, and look at how he returned the favor? He betrayed everyone...including her. In some ways he's safer in prison. It's Phoebe who has to walk down the street with people glaring at her or worse. She is the one the reporters hound and follow....NOT Jake. Phoebe is the one getting threatening emails and phone calls....NOT Jake. But she doesn't know how to break the habit. How to abandon him. He only has her to lean on, she's his security but he's her prison...

"Jake was as much brother, father, and sometimes even child, as he was her husband".

The book is broken into six parts that take place over the span of about fifty years. We hear mostly from Phoebe but there are parts from Jake's perspective as well.

The early years begin in 1960. Fifteen-year-old Phoebe is young and restless. When she starts dating eighteen-year-old Jake, her mother thinks she's getting too serious too quickly. But there's no slowing down Jake and Phoebe. Jake has big plans. Plans to conquer the world. Phoebe believes him capable of anything.

Red flags, a few years later. Their relationship still going strong but Jake wants Phoebe all to himself. She's in University but Jake wants her to skip classes, go to parties with him...prove her loyalty. The two sides of Jake. The charmer, protecting her but needing her at the same time. But the other side, a man who didn't take it well when he didn't get his way. Half the time she wants to break up with him. His ambition starts to bother her. He needs constant admiration and attention. It's exhausting. She likes College and learning and wants more.

It's a pivotal time in Phoebe's life. New experiences, new people...and plates of delicious Blintzes. Then something happens that changes the course of all their lives. Now Phoebe needs rescuing and Jake is there. She tells herself she'll never doubt him again.

Jake grows his dynasty. Children come and Phoebe remains her husband's biggest supporter. Phoebe is close with her kids. Katie is very open with Phoebe but keeps things from Jake. Noah turns himself inside out trying to impress his father. The best athlete, the best student, but suffers from anxiety for which Jake prescribes RUNNING because no one in HIS family will ever see a therapist.

I wanted Phoebe to stand up to Jake, especially when it came to her children. I wanted her to open her eyes, to wake up...

As Jake's success grows, Phoebe seems to grow smaller. A good mother, but always Jake's wife. She is his biggest asset. She works the parties for him. Talking to everyone, getting them interested. All the while having no idea what things are going on behind her back.

She has suspicions but doesn't delve too deep...

One place that Phoebe is completely happy is at the not for profit, Mira House, where she has volunteered off and on over the years. It is her refuge - a place of her own. She loves the women there and they have plans. The "Cupcake Project" to help women from all walks of life.

But will Jake get his hands in that too?

Reading Jake's point of view made me see red at times. Did I ever want to throttle him! When he would say something egotistical or demeaning to his wife or when he would say something that he thought his son needed to hear in order to "toughen him up". Jake talks about how much he loves Phoebe but so much talk is around her looks. How proud he was that his wife turned heads. But he would belittle Phoebe by making a comment about what she should eat. He hated seeing her body stretched out when she was pregnant. His mother "let herself go" and he'd be damned if he'd ever "let a fat wife bring him down". (My daughter has stopped checking when she hears me yelling at my books).

But there were also times that I felt his love for Phoebe and his kids. He wanted to make them proud of him.

I can't imagine how exhausting it would be to make sure everything is perfect ALL the time. Nothing out-of-place. Even having someone tell you what perfume to wear. All the hard work to stay in shape.... trying to fight the normal aging process.

But there are some good times too.

What happens when it all comes crashing down? Will Phoebe get it together and do what's best for her? But what is best for her?

I really enjoyed this book and I had a very hard time putting it down. It's about Money, greed, love, lies, secrets, and betrayal and more! I had worried that the book would have a lot of financial talk. The author's descriptions helped me understand enough to keep up but didn't go overboard. I was completely entertained and invested in this family and their lives.

Highly Recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley, Randy Susan Meyers, and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Widow of Wall Street by Randy Susan Meyers is a 2017 Atria Books publication.

With Wall Street and finance, loop holes can go undetected for long periods of times, especially if everyone is doing well. But, sooner or later, the piper demands payment, something Jake Pierce finds out the hard way, which elicits very little sympathy from me, but it’s the innocent victims, like his wife and children, who will pay the ultimate price for his sins.

This story examines the lives of Phoebe and Jake Pierce, how they began dating as teens, got married, started a family, and experienced immense financial success, only to have it all come crashing down around them in spectacular fashion.

The story is told from the dual perspectives of Phoebe and Jake, alternatively, going all the way back to the beginning of their relationship in the 1960’s, and is told chronologically, ending with the fallout of Jake’s actions as he sits in prison.

This is a familiar tale, ala Madoff, one that is still very fresh in the minds of many people following the economic crisis of 2008. However, this is more of a character study and analysis of a marriage, of family life, as well as greed, and the many ways people may cover up lies or sins and even rope their spouse into helping them do something that isn’t exactly proper. Phoebe works just as hard as Jake to reel in investors, working alongside him in a social capacity as they wine and dine and romance potential clients. But, does that make her complicit in his misdeeds?

In the meantime, Phoebe raises two children, embarks on her own enterprises without the slightest support from Jake, who occasionally scoffs or put down her business ventures or humanitarian efforts. But, Phoebe had no problem enjoying the spoils of their success, living a life of luxury, seemingly without the slightest clue that Jake was skimming off the top, or doing something illegal. Her only concern is a suspicion he may have been unfaithful to her.

What I learned about Phoebe is that she is not stupid, is actually a ‘good’ person, and is not as culpable as people are convinced she is.

Jake’s perspective shows us the ‘real’ Jake, and he is not the Jake Phoebe or her children believe him to be. Naturally, the reader can easily see through him, which made it very frustrating for me because I couldn’t understand why Phoebe couldn’t or wouldn’t see Jake’s true nature.

While everyone in the family becomes accustomed to living a pampered lifestyle, Phoebe, and by extension, her children, seem to remain grounded, while Jake’s greed took over and became his ultimate downfall. This was an interesting juxtaposition, and a book club topic, which gave me something to chew on.

Once the pyramid crumbles and Phoebe loses everything she had gained, becoming a pariah, she finds herself at odds with her children who do not understand why she continues to write and visit Jake in prison. Phoebe finds difficult to explain her loyalty because of one big secret she’s harbored all these years and because of the longevity of the marriage. But, personally, I wondered if she was looking for some kind of redeemable quality in her husband that she could point to that would make all her years with him seem less of a lie.

She endures many indignities because of Jake and while she bravely confronts her situation, it’s obvious Jake is still Jake and will never change. The question is what will it take to pull the wool from Phoebe's eyes?

When Phoebe finally does have that epiphany, it's fairly late in the game and after much suffering and tragedy. But, once it happens I felt a huge sense of relief, despite the lingering sadness and grief, because I felt Phoebe was finally free for the first time in her life.

This is an absorbing story which gives the reader an inside look at how it could be possible to remain ignorant of the crimes committed right under your nose and how easy it would be to look the other way if you did suspect anything was amiss, especially if you are insulated by money. It also examines the selfishness of such acts, not only against the obvious victims, but against those closest to you, who will perhaps suffer the most.

Overall, this book gave me a lot to think about. The family drama and the push/pull from all angles as Phoebe struggles to maintain her own place in life, not just as a wife or mother, while Jake plots and plans and sins and rationalizes and justifies his actions makes for some riveting scenes. The characterizations are very well drawn and believable, and enabled me to see all points of view, pass my judgements without qualms, and made me hope that others would come around to my way of thinking, eventually.

But, ultimately the question the story is begging me to answer is, “What would I do in this situation?’

The answer is not as easy, or black and white, as you might think.

[Bibi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Widow of Wall Street is a fictionalised accounting of the Bernie Madoff type scandal told from the POVs of the wife, Phoebe, and the mastermind, Jake.

It's the scandal that toppled the Enron/Arthur Anderson debacle from the apex of most salacious financial crimes list; the Madoff Ponzi scheme ruined too many lives catapulting his family to infamy, making them the "most hated people in America".

With the story in the headlines for years and with at least a half-dozen fiction and non-fiction accounting of this debacle, I wonder: did we need another reimagining of this? Even if it was to give an insight into the family behind the man?

I'd say no. This story serves only to rip the scabs off wounds that have barely healed, attempting an unconvincing rationalisation of how a wife of 40 odd years would insist she had little to no knowledge of her husband's illicit wealth. Most women- if we're sincere - know when a spouse or partner is being suspect, whether you choose to acknowledge such, is another matter

Phoebe was the wife who neither saw nor heard any evil and despite having gone to college, her role as a human being devolved to nothing more than stroking her husband's ego while living the quintessential upper-class life. Her kids, Kate and Noah, also lived on the ill-gotten gains notwithstanding they had zero knowledge of who their father was.

When the house of cards toppled the kids were the first to leave; that Phoebe stayed was not indicative of a person in remorse or even as penance. No, she was shamed into doing it. Still, I'm not judging.

In all, I feel for those that lost their life savings to this scheme; I even have a smidgen of pity for Jake and Phoebe who lived a life of greed, lies, and deceit.

Sad, really.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars (rounded up to 5 stars)

Outstanding! What a HEFTY piece of women’s fiction this is.

The tale is spun over 5 decades. We learn in chapter one that Jake Pierce, a high echelon broker, ends up in prison for fraud in his mid 60s, 45 years or so after marrying 18-year-old Phoebe. This is their story.

I must say the first half of the book was slow in places. This was not helped by the fact that I had really mixed feelings about Jake, with more bad than good vibes. During that time frame I had not made up my mind about Phoebe. I don’t care how nice someone is; when they spend $20,000 on something I would spend $20 on, there is a disconnect.
But then, approximately midway through the book, the story suddenly reeled me in like a prize-winning fisherman—hook, line and sinker.

The themes of this story are numerous and are handled extremely well. What is real love? What is family? How well do you know your family? How does one carry on when struck by major blow after major blow? We see deception galore, we see people put in positions where decisions are almost impossible to make and there is seemingly no way out, we see how people rise or fall when faced with tragic circumstances. And that’s only some of it. Again, the novel is meaty and a real thinker. I will remember this one for a long time.

Let me not fail to mention that a total noninterest in financial matters should not deter anyone from reading this book. Ms. Meyers does a phenomenal job in making that part of the book not only understandable, but engrossing. I’m sure this took intense research on her part and explains to me what she was doing between the time Accidents of Marriage (which I loved) was published in 2014 and this one came out. The wait was worth it. Kudos, Ms. Meyers, not only for learning your stuff, but for keeping it from being boring.

I never like to go into any detail about the plot in my reviews as I am a “go in as cold as possible on all books” type of reader. I do however want to emphasize the brilliant job the author did on the characterization of Phoebe. Her struggles to deal with her situation and to try to salvage her life throughout the second half of the book were written beautifully, profoundly, and poignantly. This is what pushed my 4.5 rating to 5 stars.

Randy Susan Meyers has written a couple of older books that I have yet to read. They are now holding two spots on my very selective TBR. I strongly recommend The Widow of Wall Street for anyone looking for a strongly written and powerful story.

Thank you Net Galley, Atria Books, and Ms. Randy Susan Meyers for an e-copy of this novel. The opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently read "Accidents of Marriage", by Randy Susan Meyers....
......which explores the topic of destruction of verbal abuse.
Red flag signs may not have been obvious 'before' the couple's marriage in "Accidents of Marriage" regarding anger issues.....
BUT....
In "The Widow of Wall Street"....the Red flag - trouble warning signs were visible 'before' marriage.

Phoebe and Jake begin their marriage with a lie between them....and 'young'.
Phoebe's mother tried to discourage Phoebe from the start during their dating days - not to get serious with Jake. "The apple doesn't fall far from the tee", said Phoebe's mother. Jake's father was involved in some shady business dealings......and history has a way of repeating itself.

*PERHAPS* MOTHER KNOWS BEST passing on traditional family Jewish customs. Lola, Phoebe's mother, told Phoebe what was passed down to her when she married her father. "Keep a knippel"....( hide cash) .....away from your husband: no matter how wonderful he is.
The message is "DON'T BE A 'SCHLEMIEL'.....( the implication being Jake may take advantage of her). No woman should be without financial independence.
Phoebe liked to brag to her mother that Jake was working hard - would never hurt her - and was making enough money to take all the vacations they want and more some. After taking the stockbrokers exam, Jake was building a successful enterprise. His company was called Jake Pierce Equity - JPE.
As a young bride - Phoebe would never admit to her mother that she was 'hiding money'.... but she was.

Phoebe attended college - she was very pretty ( considered the most pretty girl in a room).... but she herself wasn't interested in banking on her beauty - she wanted to work. She loved working at the Mira Stein Settlement House...on the lower East side.
However, after having children - she stopped working at the Mira House for many years to not only stay home and take care of their two children - Katie and Nolan...
but she got into the habit of 'pleasing' Jake. For example... he liked her to dress provocative for 'him'.....but conservative when he brought her to meet clients. It was the 'wives' he wanted Phoebe to impress enough to invest their money.
As the years went on --Phoebe felt Jake cared more about making a fortune for his clients than making her happy. Jake has tunnel vision about making money. The secret club he creates - the Ponzi scheme - is bound to fail.

If this story is beginning to ring of Bernie Madoff .....well, yes, possibly. There are many themes running through this story. Marriage -kids -business - money - lies - cheating -justification for extramarital affair- unfulfilled dreams -thwarted intentions - control - betrayal - manipulation - sex as a tool of power - the role of extended family ....etc.

Jake thought of everything --- he even bought his wife the same perfume that his lover wore to make life easier for 'him'.
"Crisp piles of money, scorching nights of sex, and silver framed-photos of flawless
family defined Jake's endgame". ----- we will see what Jake's endgame is!!!

The marriage between Jake and Phoebe is a roller coaster ride through the decades - beginning in the early 60's. -- We see Phoebe grow -she even begins to appreciate her mother in ways she never had -- and begins to value her parents marriage.

THE BEGINNING YEARS ...... ESPECIALLY caught my attention:
Phoebe was not even 18 -but she had been dating Jake since she was 15 years old. He wanted sex with her. She had feelings - but said no for three years.
HOWEVER......
The 'reason' Phoebe chooses to have sex with Jake -at almost age 18- is one of those life changing pivotal moments ---worthy of discussion!!!! For me -- things that happened before their marriage is an important topic. I'd like to talk about this 'issue'.....( but no spoilers ), with young single women:
It's a relevant topic even today!!

This is the second book I've read by Randy Susan Meyers. She's terrific. A woman who knows people, life, and is a great storyteller!

A FUNNY: I laughed when Phoebe and their kids were making cupcakes ---
Phoebe had started a Cupcake business. Jake had just walked in the door.
They all needed to leave soon - a dinner at synagogue -- but grumpy Jake --- wanting to leave early --wasn't appreciating the joy of his wife and kids baking....
Nooooooo, the sour puss --- said, "I didn't know I was coming home to a Saralee sweatshop".

Thank You Atria Books, Netgalley, and Randy Susan Meyers (enjoy your books!)

4.5 stars

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like Shylock in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, "a pound of flesh" may be entered into the offering when it comes to money.

Phoebe and Jake met when they were just teenagers back in the 1960's in Brooklyn. Simpler times with simpler roads to satisfaction. Hard work with long hours was the norm. Families circled the wagons around one another in a few blocks' radius. You stayed where you played.

But once you've tasted the nectar of the gods in an upscale neighborhood, Brooklyn is in the rearview mirror. Jake and Phoebe find themselves cruisin' those fancy streets paved with somebody else's gold. Through what is portrayed as a fool-proof Ponzi scheme, Jake flips money accounts like an underpaid cook grillin' hamburgers at the Golden Arches. Plenty of folks in line just waiting for a grand pay-out.

Life is on the upturn until the currency spicket gets turned off after many, many years of flow. Ain't a drop coming out. No more. No way. No how.

Randy Susan Meyers develops her story along the lines of the jailed financier, Bernie Madoff and his off-kilter family. We are along for the ride as the seemingly young and innocent couple careen off the tracks after many years of robbin' Peter to pay Paul. It is a deeply set character driven novel with the main players so typical of the lifestyle of the 1960's in the onset. Meyers begins to unravel the thread of the tightly wound Jake until he comes completely undone. Even Phoebe measures time based on the multiple faces of Jake.

But it is the character of Phoebe that throws me for a loop. Meyers paints her in sympathetic colors of blues and grays, but I see her more in the carnelian hue of "con" herself. She manipulates Jake into marrying her in the first place. Perhaps that one act alone would have stopped the wheels turning towards that pound of flesh. She simply went against the grain and descended non-stop down the well. Her Cupcake Project in Greenwich was a reflection of the true Phoebe. Eyes that never desired to see the writing on the wall.

A well-written read that will roll out quite a bit of discussion for the readers. See what shade from your crayon box that you'll color in Phoebe and Jake for yourself.

[Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phoebe always was a girl who loved her books, and she found a husband who also loved his books, but a different kind than Phoebe loved.

Phoebe loved her school books, Jake loved his books that showed his money growing.



Phoebe married Jake at a young age, and Jake said he would always take care of her. Jake's parents had been in some sort of trouble, and Phoebe's mother never liked him.

THE WIDOW OF WALL STREET follows Phoebe and Jake from their teenage years, through the years of marriage, and through the crisis ranging from 1960 to 2010.

As Jake ' s empire grew, Phoebe became dragged in as well, but only by talking up her husband's business and how well it was doing.
The years went by, and Jake made money, but he was in over his head most of the time. When Jake's empire tumbles, Phoebe, the loyal, compliant wife, tumbles with him.

Readers who enjoy women's fiction, drama, and a strong female character will enjoy this book. 

Ms. Meyers' marvelous writing pulls the reader into the high stakes of Wall Street, the power and lives of the wealthy, and reminds us of the saying: “Money is the root of all evil. “



I enjoyed THE WIDOW OF WALL STREET along with its tense moments and a truly thoughtful ending.

ENJOY if you read this book.  5/5



This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.

[Holly B (Short break!) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this financial fast paced and addictive read! If you liked The Firm, you'll like this one too.

It follows Phoebe and Jake who meet as teenagers and end up getting married. The story continues until after their children are grown and he lands himself in prison.

Phoebe also has a love interest with one of her college professors. Rob, "You are the satin of youth and I must possess you." This isn't going to turn out well!

After marrying Jake, Phoebe wonders constantly about whether her mother would ever be proud of her. Her mother, Lola, concerning Jake "All he talked about was who owned what house, what boat, etc." Do you think Jake could be a bit greedy??

Phoebe becomes suspicious about Jake's exclusive "finance club" and tries to figure out his bullshit (her words).

And then it all falls apart..... a story about what we really "value" in life. Greed is a vicious thing!

[Bj · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 "Hate the Sin but Love the Sinner?" stars!

With Wall Street headlines of Ponzi schemes constantly making the news over the last few decades, my curiosity of getting an inside view at the humanity shrouding the inconceivable greed and lack of moral compass that could fuel such a disaster compelled me to read The Widow of Wall Street. And what a ride it was! I particularly enjoyed the roller coaster of emotions that fueled such disparate feelings of the heroine in this book (the wife of a former Wall Street god turned monster thief). Lovers of complex women's fiction titles will not want to miss this tale that focuses on the lengths that someone will go to reap success, with the sobering morale being in the end that family and true love reign supreme even when competing with all the comforts that unparalleled wealth can buy.

Please note that this book is not a romance. This is a general fiction or non-romance women's fiction title as the primary subject relates to family, including motherhood, and friendship. As most of the titles I read are romance, I felt compelled to add this warning before describing the book below.

The Wall Street Widow is a story told over numerous decades that span the heroine's life. Starting in the 1960s when the heroine (Phoebe) is a teenager and concluding close to the present day. The story is also told from alternating chapters told both from Phoebe's perspective and the perspective of her high school boyfriend's turned husband (Jake).

Growing up in the 1960s in Brooklyn, Phoebe was born into a middle class family of Jewish descent. Jake, who lived in the neighborhood, had a similar upbringing, though it was tainted with his father's past bad business dealings. Jake always knew he would do whatever it took to overcome this taint and become truly rich and acceptable in New York's highest social circles. His obsession with appearances and need for material trophies of success fuel nearly all of his life goals and actions.

While Phoebe attended college herself and toyed with thoughts of her own career, a decision she makes, that includes her own sin, paves the way for her and Jake's eventual union in marriage. Once married, Phoebe's role in life completely changes and her sole objective becomes serving as Jake's perfect hostess wife and the mother of her children. So ensues two intertwined fates as Jake climbs to impossible investment successes and Phoebe raises their two children and eventually devotes herself to charitable endeavors.

When Jake's "miracle" investments, which seem to avoid even the most drastic of Wall Street's downturns, begin to unravel, and the world realizes his Ponzi scheme, the search for the truth, true motivations, and friendships and people you can truly count on begins. Will Phoebe stick by Jake? And at what cost? Do you ever get a second chance at new beginnings in family, love, and careers?

All in all, this book had me mesmerized. It caused me to question just how far one will go for family, success, and self-validation. And whether a sinner's redemption is ever truly possible. Moreover, a mother's plight in the battle between her husband's needs and her children's is heartbreaking in this story. If you love books that cause you to question how you would handle the circumstances that the characters of the book are mired in, as well as, the limits of your own moral compass, then I recommend that you give the Widow of Wall Street a read!

Source: Review copy provided for review purposes.

[Ann Marie (Lit·Wit·Wine·Dine)]

You can read this and all of my reviews at Lit·Wit·Wine·Dine

I’m going rogue here. I’m going to do something I’ve never done. I’m going to talk about a book without giving it a rating. I’ll try to explain. I knew when I began reading The Widow of Wall Street that there would be parallels to the life of Ruth and Bernie Madoff. I didn’t realize just how closely related the stories would be. This book is basically a fictionalized retelling of the rise and fall of Ruth and Bernie. Almost every single detail and event are identical or unquestionably similar. I was unable to separate the stories in my mind. As someone who has a very negative bias toward Bernie Madoff, I found it difficult to read this book with my usual open mind.

That said, I was compelled to keep turning the pages and would not dissuade anyone from reading it. In fact, I’d recommend it. Especially to those who may not have followed the story closely as it was unfolding and read and watched all related material since. It’s a fascinating story and I think Randy Susan Myers did a fabulous job with Phoebe’s character. She subtly answered the big question of how and why a woman can remain committed to a man even after learning their entire life was built on lies. That’s not to say Phoebe’s character was perfect; there are times I just wanted to scream at her. But flawed as she was, I also found some empathy for her. She effectively lost her husband. She lost her status, her worldly possessions, and her relationship with her children was completely fractured. She became a media spectacle. Nevertheless, she learned to cope with a quiet dignity I appreciated.

As for the pilfering and philandering Jake, I think Ms. Meyers was absolutely spot-on in rendering his character. In this book, as in real life, we are left with the question of why??? Psychopathy, machismo, narcissism, evil nature? What causes someone to willfully act in a manner that has the potential to cause such complete devastation to practically everyone he comes into contact with?

There were a couple of elements that were unique to this story that I really enjoyed. One is the relationships Phoebe forms at Mira House, where she volunteers. The other is too much a spoiler to mention but I think was a good call on the part of the author.

There are some excellent book club discussion questions at the back of the book. This would definitely be a great book club club pick! I would have loved to read about the author’s research in writing this book. She clearly did a great deal. And kudos to her for writing about Greenwich with such accurate detail. The only think missing was a trip to Conor’s Soul Cycle class!

The takeaway: This is an excellent book choice for anyone fascinated with the Madoff scandal, financial crimes, or crappy husbands.

Many thanks to Washington Square Press via Getred PR for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Jennifer Blankfein · Rating 4 out of 5]

To see all my reviews go to https://booknationbyjen.wordpress.com.

Inspired by the Bernie Madoff scandal in 2008, author Randy Susan Meyers takes us on an emotional journey inside a fictional Wall Street investment firm to witness how a Ponzi scheme could actually play out and the destruction of lives it could leave in its wake. The Widow of Wall Street begins when Phoebe is visiting her incarcerated husband, Jake, in jail. We then start at the beginning, when the couple meets as teenagers, and follow their relationship as the get married, raise children and grow a successful business and a nonprofit. Phoebe is a hardworking mother of two and a trusting wife of her high school sweetheart. Jake dreamed of financial success and dedicated himself to have the means to provide the conveniences and luxuries wealth brings. Throughout his career he was focused, put in long hours and provided well for Phoebe, their children, and others close to him. When he was charged with fraud upon the discovery of the Ponzi scheme he developed, Phoebe’s life was in shambles. So many trusting friends and colleagues lost their fortunes, businesses lost funding and families lost their nest eggs. Did Phoebe know what her husband was doing all those years?

I thoroughly enjoyed The Widow Of Wall Street. With her thoughtful, well developed characters, Randy Susan Meyers recreated the tragedy of the real life scandal from the perspective of the woman behind the criminal.

I felt Phoebe’s devastation as her life crumbled; the happiness she embodied was built on lies and Jake’s crime caused her to lose her husband, her money, family, friends, home, and her identity, essentially her entire life as it once was. She trusted him, hoped he was doing the right thing, and had been content in her life enough to choose not to inquire about things she wasn’t sure she really wanted to know about…finances and other women. This is a cautionary tale as well as a story of love, trust, success, failure, betrayal and destruction. For some, the need for success becomes a compulsion and morality can fall by the wayside. Relationships, emotions and commitment can cloud logic and truth and unfortunately the ripple effect is devastating. With suspenseful storytelling and insight into the illusion of what seemed like a storybook marriage Randy Susan Meyers definitely delivered; I highly recommend this book!

[Judy Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Susan Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Widow of Wall Street is a compelling story about a man, determined to provide "the best" for his family, who finds himself caught up in a whirlwind of finances that he can't escape. When Phoebe marries Jake Pierce, he promises her that he will always take care of her, and he stumbles upon a scheme to become richer than he could ever have imagined. On the surface he looks like a genius, a businessman with a Midas touch, but in fact he's a master of deception; building an empire which has no where to go but down. For years Phoebe has been his devoted wife, working with a non-profit organization to help disadvantaged women, but when Jake's crimes are revealed to the world, she is perceived as being guilty as well. Has she been naive, blind to all he's done? Or is she a willing partner in his scheme? This book is a fascinating look at a marriage, at a family who, on the surface, are living the American dream of wealth and success; but which in reality is just an illusion.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

" Fortunate are those who can dry the tears of others and blessed are those who can hold their family and friends close" I really enjoyed this book. Even though after a hundred pages or so I could tell where the plot was taking me, I was intrigued by the well rounded characters, financial scandal, family ties and heartbreak. Lastly I felt the authors writing style was phenomenal. 5 Stars !

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The novel opens with Phoebe readying herself to visit her husband at a Federal Corrections Institute. Author Randy Susan Meyers starts her story with the reader possessing the knowledge that Phoebe’s husband has been convicted of a federal crime involving thievery and lying. Phoebe herself is in the cross hairs of public anger for being his wife. How did she get to this place?

So begins the early years, in the 1960’s and the courtship of Phoebe and Jake. Meyers takes the reader from the strong neighbor-crushes of teens, to college life, to early marriage, childbearing years, and grandparent years. Meyers, in her acknowledgments, said she wanted to explore “knowing when to question that which seems too good to be true; fighting to stay above water; balancing love, money, family, and friends; finding the line between trust and watchfulness; and then staying in line with what we know to be doing the right thing.” Through Phoebe the reader feels those explorations. Phoebe isn’t a likable character, more frustrating than not. But I suppose that’s because we know the end before she does. As the reader, one can see where she’s turning a blind eye; where she’s deep down knowing something seems to good to be true, but not wanting to get to the revelation. Phoebe becomes complacent and doesn’t want the struggle of finding the truth.

I couldn’t help but think of the recent Bernie Madoff scandal while reading this. As most people, we question how the wife and family didn’t understand what was truly going on. As with the Madoff offspring, Phoebe’s children got involved in the family business, with dire consequences.

It’s Randy Susan Meyers’ writing that keeps the reader involved. It’s not a twisted story line. It’s more a study of how innocent family members can become enthralled in illicit criminal behavior and of the aftermath of that involvement. Meyers doesn’t make Phoebe a victim; rather she makes her human. It’s a good read.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Widow Of Wall Street
By
Randy Susan Meyers





What it's all about...

I believe that this is a book about a totally dysfunctional couple...Phoebe and Jake. They met when they were really young and married while they were really young. Phoebe has that trusting personality that causes her to believe everything that Jake says. Jake is just a really kind of insecure obsessed person...not obsessed in a psychotic way but he is just "not nice" in spite of trying to do "good" things for family and friends. All of his "dogoodedness" sort of bites him in his you know what! He is a broker who establishes what can only be called a Ponzi scheme...a secret investment Club that can only crumble and fail in the end. When that happens Phoebe and Jake crumble, too.

Why I wanted to read it...

I thoroughly love this author's writing and this book did not fail to entertain!

What made me truly enjoy this book...

The lives of Phoebe and Jake were the lives of a dysfunctional fairytale couple...both of them were always in denial. Phoebe never listened to her inner voice...she preferred to believe in Jake. Every suspicion she had was tamped down as she wore thousand dollar shoes and went to party after party. This was maddening and made the book so much fun!

Why you should read it, too...

Readers who love books like this...books with irritating characters and fascinating situations and unputdownable premises...should love this book!

Thank you Netgalley for my copy!

[Marialyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel confirms the old adage that money is the root of all evil. Add greed to the mixture and you produce man such as Jake. While this is definitely taken from the pages of the life of Bernie Madoff, it is told through the wife's perspective.

Phoebe, the unsuspecting wife, eventually comes to the realization that her husband Jake is a scoundrel. While she lives a life of luxury beyond belief, her husband philanders his way to amass a fortune. Problem with his fortune is that it is built on a Ponzi scheme.

As the story and Jake's life unravel, we see the ultimate destruction of family, values, friendship, and morals that the overwhelming desire for money does oftentimes bring. Why did Jake need to do this? His obsessive compulsive behavior coupled with being a raging narcissist produced a man who dug a deep hole around all who came in contact with him. There was no digging out and into that hole went all the lives of ever so many.

How Phoebe learns to deal with her life, the loss of everything, and the ultimate realization that she does not need Jake is the impetus of this book. When finished I thought of the old saying "It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor."

[debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

3rd time If it does a runner again -I are through!
Audio really enjoyable. Story obvi based on Madoff, but authors skillful writing kept me engaged and interested all the way through.

Read the excellent reviews written by Deanna and Christine. That is- if this friggin review referral stays around long enough for anyone to read. "One never knows..."

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An evocative story full of deception and greed, and a woman's ability to survive the devastation.

SUMMARY
Phoebe hates visiting Jack in prison. Phoebe and Jack Pierce have known each other since they were fifteen-year-old teenagers in Brooklyn. They eventually married, when Phoebe was nineteen-years-old. Jack starts up an investment brokerage firm, Jake Pierce Equity, and he promises Phoebe wealth and riches. And he delivers. They move out of Brooklyn, to a house in Greenwich Connecticut on the ocean, and then to a Manhattan penthouse. Phoebe doesn't really care about the expensive lifestyle, she would rather be working at the nonprofit, Mira Stein Settlement House on the Lower East Side. But Jake has an image to keep up, he doesn't want her to work, and over the years, she grows accustom to the high life.

Jakes clients are happy with the returns from Jake's investments. The financial community is amazed at the returns he's able to achieve. No one can figure out how he's doing it and he's not telling anyone his secret. Even when the economy collapses Jake's investors are still getting returns, good returns. It doesn't make sense. Nor should it. It's all a Ponzi's scheme, and it had gone on for years. But when the Feds finally start asking questions, everything falls apart. Now he is where he is after swindling all their family and friends.

But what about Phoebe? Did she know what he was doing? How did Jake's dishonesty affect her and their two children? How could Jake do this? Why did he do it?


REVIEW
Randy Susan Meyer has written a compelling and powerful story, just like something out of the headlines. But the real story is not Jake's deception and greed. It's about Phoebe and their two children and the effect of his actions on them. How can they ever raise their heads and look at their friends again. It's so immensely humiliating. You feel it.

THE WIDOW OF WALL STREET at its core is intensely thought-provoking. Phoebe faced difficult decisions. She had been married to this man for over 45 years. They had raised two children together. She had always stood by his side. But could she continue to do so? What will it cost her if she does? How much would you be willing to forgive?

A well-written book that will keep you reading until late into the night! I listened to the Audible version of this book and thought the narrator, Susan Bennett's performance was fabulous .

This was my first book by Randy Susan Meyer, but I'm intrigued enough by her writing and subject matter to read more. She's also written: Accidents of Marriage (2015), The Comfort of Lies (2014) and the Murderer's Daughter (2011)

[Donna Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was invited to read and review this title by Net Galley and Atria Books. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I wanted to read it. What, Wall Street? What does that have to do with the real lives most of us lead? But when I noted that the story involves an enormous tumble off that golden pedestal, I was intrigued. I am really glad I accepted the offer to read, because it contains a feminist subtext that I had no idea would be here. This story will be available to the public April 11, 2017.

I had to read the reviews of others to learn that this is a fictionalized version of the Bernie Madoff scandal, but if you approach it as straight fiction it’s just as good. The premise is that Phoebe marries Jake when she is very young, and she’s grateful to him, because she’s in the early stages of pregnancy with a little gift planted in her by a college professor who groomed her, screwed her in the upstairs lounge at school, and then dumped her so he could move on to the next nubile young lady in her class. It’s a time in history when becoming a single mother was an absolute taboo for any Caucasian woman of the middle class. Perhaps you had to be there, but I am telling you it was simply unthinkable. Not only would she have lost friends; her entire family would have lost friends, and maybe relatives also. The social stain was one that did not wash out.

And while we are talking about the time period—starting in 1960—I need to point out that Myers has nailed, with brilliant yet discreetly woven detail, the settings of the time periods between then and now in a way that’s undeniable and that draws me further into the story. Some authors try to use shortcuts in writing historical fiction, and when they do it you can tell they don’t have a grasp of the period: they toss in the names of popular celebrities, clothing styles, and other prominent bits of pop culture that they could glean from a ten-minute web crawl. Myers does the opposite. She focuses on the story and character, character, character, but the time period comes out in the background, as it should, with every aspect from the slang of the period, to its social mores, to every aspect of daily living. This reviewer grew up during the 1960s and 1970s, and as the story progresses, I find myself thinking, “I remember that!” I highlighted a hundred references that won’t fit into this review just out of sheer admiration.

Those that just want a beach read can get this book and use it as such, but for those that want to peel off the layers and look for what’s underneath it, the feminist message is one we can relate to today easily. The assumptions that are made about her as a wife, that she is an appendage, and the way her family treats her speak to me. In some ways, I find myself thinking of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”, in which a woman simply becomes part of the home environment; at one point Phoebe notes that her family doesn’t want to hear her talk, and they don’t even really want to share their own stories with her, but she’s like a lamp that should be present when desired for whatever purpose suits the moment.

In the end, when her husband goes to jail for having stolen every penny from his investors, Phoebe has a choice to make. She can stand by her man, trying to eke out a little stash for his prison account so that he can buy candy bars and stamps, or she can live her life without him. To some it might seem to be an obvious decision, but by the time he is jailed, she is past sixty; she has lived her entire adult life with this man, and the mind of a senior citizen is not as flexible as a younger one. The way she works through it is riveting.

Read it as a feminist folk tale or read it as a beach read; one way or the other, this novel is highly recommended.

[M.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

From its brilliant first sentence - “Phoebe never hated her husband more than when she visited him in prison.” - this book never lets up. It's a mesmerizing story about honesty,dishonestly, emotional abuse, love and recovery. With heart, Meyers tells a story that kept me reading all day and all night. Bravo!

[Heather~ Nature.books.and.coffee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to atria books and getredpr for this free book, in exchange for my honest review. I enjoyed this book although I felt it started out slow. But that was needed for the character development which Randy Susan Meyers did and excellent job. I found her writing easy to follow and she did a fantastic job building the story. I felt a connection to these characters. I felt anger FOR Phoebe. I felt bad for her. Why would she stayed with such a horrible man?!! I wanted to yell "LEAVE!!!". Jake was despicable. The kind of man I hate. If you like a good family drama then I would recommend you pick up this book!

[Kathryn in FL · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a very similar fictional account of Bernie Madoff's wife's account after he is sent to prison for defrauding millions of Americans of all their funds via financial fraud that was much better and released in the mid 2000's. Likewise, this tale is loosely based on Bernie Madoff's ponzi scheme and its ultimate collapse.

I listened to the audio and frankly had such a flagging interest, I gave up after 2nd CD or around 20% ish. I don't necessarily fault the audio but the unapologetic telling by the wife made me just completely disconnect from her as she came off as so entitled and disdainful, that for me, I disliked her too much to continue. Or to look at it from a different perspective, the narrator's interpretation of the character and her presentation may have been too on point and the character was just too intolerable for me.

If you never heard of Bernie Madoff, this may be an entertaining and a bit educational read of how our financial system rewards scamps (although Madoff went to jail, I don't think those who helped him did nor have many others did not engaged in similar schemes). Let it be a lesson to all, if you invest money, understand what you are doing and who is involved.

[Caro (Bookaria) · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absorbing book about a long-term marriage with a man involved in a Ponzi scheme and what happens to the family and the relationship after the fraud is discovered by the authorities during the economic crisis of 2008. Wonderful!

[Basic B's Guide · Rating 3 out of 5]

“All the Botox and other poisons she’d injected, keeping herself perfect for him…the tweaks she’d gotten to look younger. Jake smiled wider. Words from his eyes burned from across the courtroom. The noose tightened.”

The mastermind goes to jail but what happens to the people that are left behind? The Widow of Wall Street gives us a fictionalized look at a family similar to the Madoff’s. Do not pick up this book expecting surprises. We know what happens. It’s the story behind it that the author is sharing with us.

Phoebe was loyal to a fault. I found myself going back and forth on whether or not I empathized with her character. She was driven from a young age and went after what she wanted, so why didn’t she walk away? Did Phoebe know about Jakes scheming? Would you know? Would you walk away? Even the investors that saw the numbers going up when everyone else’s were going down. Did they really think they were just the lucky ones? Sometimes people turn a blind eye when it benefits them.

I think the author does a great job portraying a family torn apart by a greedy man’s actions. Jake was such a despicable man and I absolutely detested him. Randy Susan Meyers is a fabulous storyteller so pick up this complex story in paperback on June 26th.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

"When was enough enough? He didn't only want to consume, he needed to swallow the world whole."

I wasn't sure how I was going to end up feeling about The Widow of Wall Street - for some reason I thought it was going to be a mystery (nobody led me to think this & it was not marketed as this; it's just what I thought). It is definitely not a mystery. It's mainly a family drama with betrayal & secrets. I'm not always into those stories, but I enjoyed this one.

This book is a slow burn. It took me a bit to get into it, but I was totally hooked once it happened. There isn't a ton of action in the first half of the book, but all the build-up ends up weaving together, and I found the pay-off to be worth it.

Parts of the book were hard to read because the relationship between Phoebe & Jake is so damn toxic. Nothing really bad happens, but it was just stressful because money can blind someone to who their partner really is. Jake's dialogue is also really cheesy sometimes, and I rolled my eyes quite a few times. I think that was the point, though.

Sometimes I was irritated by how much attention Jake got in the book - he's an awful person, and it was a struggle to read his chapters sometimes. If I have to spend that much time with a villain, I want it to be someone I love to hate. I just hate Jake with no love. Most of the characters in the book were unlikeable, and I felt way more sympathy for the kids than for Phoebe.

I was worried about the financial stuff being too far over my head, but Randy Susan Meyers writes in an understandable way that isn't talking down to the reader, and I was grateful for that.

This is a fairly sad story, especially once you get invested in the family by the end of the book. I feel like everything wrapped up well, and I enjoyed the book as a whole. Thank you so much to GetRedPR & the author for sending me a copy to review!

[The Blonde Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll be honest, Wall Street and any kind of investments/stock trade goes totally over my head. When I first picked up The Widow of Wall Street, I was a little scared that I wouldn't understand it. I soon found that wasn't the case at all as this novel is more about relationships and family than it is about Wall Street. After doing a little background research, it seems as though the novel is based on the true story of Bernie Madoff and his life. I found that quite interesting because I read it as a fictional story.

Throughout the novel, the reader follows the Pierce's from their teen years to their later adult years. We learn so much about each of the character's personalities and I found myself constantly nervous around Jake. He seemed like he was always on edge and would crack at any moment. Phoebe, on the other hand was strong willed and kind hearted, but she allowed herself to be pushed and pulled in whatever direction Jake pleased.

I always enjoy when novels share what it is like in the lives of the rich and famous. It is a lifestyle that a very small percentage of people get to enjoy. Jake and Phoebe lived and extravagant life that most of us couldn't even imagine. At one point, Phoebe mentioned that she felt she couldn't spend money fast enough. Even though Phoebe had more money than she knew what to do with, she seemed to remain grounded. She helped those in need and wanted to give back to her community. This made me care for Phoebe and her character, and it made Jake's money hungry attitude appear even more arrogant and selfish.

I quickly found myself sucked in to the powerful world Meyers created and I loved the constant fear of not knowing when everything was going to blow up, as we all knew it would. I wasn't expecting to feel heartbreak in this novel, but I longed for Phoebe to rise from the ashes and leave Jake behind. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed stepping out of my comfort zone and would definitely recommend The Widow of Wall Street.

[Juliette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meyers drills deep into the core of a marriage - the compromises, trade offs, and deals we negotiate without even knowing - to answer the the almost-unanswerable. Why did she stay? A thrilling page-turner I couldn't put down.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book kept me up way past my bedtime last night. It's that rare combination of page-turner and thought-provoking. Meyers brings a wonderful sense of tension and timing to well-drawn characters, and the result is like watching a train-wreck. You can't look away. I loved it.

[Patty · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am tired of making myself finish a book when it just isn't doing a thing for me. I found this book nauseating, they female main character was just wining, unhappy, unfulfilled and I just wanted to yell, STOP.