Adam the King

by Jeffrey Lewis

The wedding of billionaire Adam Bloch and Maisie Maclaren is the event of the year in Clement's Cove, Maine–a town in which the mansion-like "cottages" of the summering elite sit side-by-side with the modest homes of working-class locals. Adam, a shy, tentative man with a terrible tragedy in his past, has, at fifty-four, reached the moment in his life when he feels he is finally ready to live–and yet he doesn't quite know what to do with himself. When Maisie asks for a lap pool so she can strengthen her body, debilitated by years of Hodgkin's disease, Adam approaches his neighbor with a generous offer to buy the plot of land on which her trailer sits to make room for the pool. She refuses, and a chain of events is set in motion that pits Adam against his neighbors, the new rich against those scraping by, outsider against old-timer, in an escalating struggle that can only end in catastrophe.


Taut, swift, and startling, Adam the King depicts the inexorability of fate against the backdrop of the money-mad '90s, the emptiness of raging ambition and the fallout of the drift toward conservative politics and values.

Genres: Fiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published May 20, 2008

Reviews

[Fredsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book first, not knowing it was the final novel of a quartet. Then I read the others as I could get them. It's probably better to begin at the beginning, but out of order they were shocking. There's a lot here and I think it's brilliant. Teachers, teach this quartet.

[Kathy Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. I had no idea that it was part of a quartet. It easily stands alone.

Having spent a portion of time on the coast of Maine, I think the author was super at catching the feel for the local mentality as well as the late comers .. those who have not yet felt a passion for that rocky land. The divide between those who have money and those who don't, became a serious theme in this book. I may have to go back and read the first three to get a full understanding of the people living on the coast of Maine.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It is part of a series, which I didn't know. It can be read separately, there may be things I missed, but for the most part I felt I understood what was going on. This was a thought provoking book. Lots of messages, and tragic. I enjoyed the story.
There is some language you might find objectionable.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this would be very interesting - a novel about a rich couple who move into a small costal New England town (reminiscent of Manchester-by-the-Sea, among others), and the relationship that they (and
"the rich") have with "the locals" (i.e. the poor, for the most part). It could have ben so good, but it just wasn't. Eh.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started reading before I knew it was part of a series. It seems you don't have to read them in order. A little slow moving at first, but got pretty interesting with a twist at the end. Character development was so-so. I may have connected with them more had I read the other books in the series first.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really ended up enjoying this book. At first, I was very skeptical and found it slow going. But in the end it was very moving -- an involving look at insiders and outsiders and greed and love. Not the epic life changer depicted in the blurb copy but an enjoyable read.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fourth and final book in Lewis' Meritocracy series, Adam the King is fine. Some parts move a little slowly for me, but the end is quite unpredictable and jaw-dropping. I like that kind of surprise. I'm not sure, after reading this book, that I'm interested in reading the others.

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read - definitely reminded me of The Great Gatsby in that it was focused on social class issues

[Leeanne]

we create our chaos and sadness by dwelling on the past, rather than living the life we currently are in.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I was empathetic with Adam's search to belong, I did not quite connect with him and any of the other characters as well as I would have wished to. Perhaps the style was just too spare for me.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not really enjoy this book. It tried to be a bit too Gatsby-esque.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lewis has such a great ear for the way people talk. This last part of the quartet brings the tragic theme to an acute point - heart-breaking.