The Ex-Mrs. Hedgefund

by Jill Kargman

A tale inspired by the ultra-wealthy hedgefund society of the Upper East Side finds Holly, a wife of an elite investment company owner, becoming increasingly disenchanted within a sheltered world of snobby women and interfering in-laws; a situation that is further complicated by her husband's infidelity.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, New York, Romance, Adult, Divorce, Adult Fiction

290 pages, Hardcover

First published February 12, 2009

About the author

Jill Kargman is deathly afraid of clowns. And mimes. Wait, mimes are worse. She lives in New York City where she writes magazine articles and trashy novels and enjoys wrap sandwiches. She is the author of teen books Bittersweet Sixteen, Summer Intern, and Jet Set, plus some excellent grown-up books. And by grown-up books she doesn't mean porn; she means not young adult but plain old adult. Her articles have appeared in Vogue, Teen Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Town & Country, Travel + Leisure, Elle, Elle Décor, and a bunch of British magazines you've never seen. She went to Yale where she did not study writing and has three children who keep her young. And exhausted.

Reviews

[Kara Babcock · Rating 1 out of 5]

I began this book fairly sceptical and remained ambivalent throughout. Chick lit isn't a genre I read too often, so I'm not sure what made me pick this book up off the library shelf--perhaps a combination of the title and the promise of a glimpse into the world of New York high society.

This book made me extremely aware of how young I am. Growing up, all the books I read talked about technology commonplace to my parents' world: television, radio, cars, and computers. Hence, it's become noticeable when I read a newer book that treats more recent technological developments like they're commonplace: in The Ex-Mrs. Hedgefund, it's iPods, iMacs, mobile phones, DVD-player-equipped cars, and Google. I got the sense that the book, through its narrator, was trying awfully hard to impress me by dropping brand names and using abbreviations I couldn't even understand. And I can't help but wonder how dated this book will seem ten years from now.

As modern as this novel is, its story is the same one they've been telling for ten thousand years now:

* Girl Meets Boy
* Girl Marries Boy
* Boy Cheats on Girl
* Girl Divorces Boy and Takes His Apartment
* Girl Falls for Jerk Who Can't Take No for an Answer
* Girl Falls for Boy(Redux)
* Girl Forgives Boy When He Screws Up Big
* Girl Marries Boy

While I'm aware that no story is ever original, The Ex-Mrs. Hedgefund doesn't even try to avert the standard romantic comedy tropes. The moment Holly met her eventual second husband, I knew he was Mr. Right (Redux) and that the other guy she was contemplating dating would turn out to be a loser. Because, you know, in Real Life, you never have to choose between two decent guys; one will always turn out to be a jerk. Uh-huh.

There's far too much exposition. Holly should spend more time doing something instead of stopping to explain, with graphs and "math", the intricacies of her little world. I don't particularly care about the secret formula used to name hedge funds. I don't particularly care about the "scale of blondness." And no, I don't care about how your charity functions work and which guests get what table assignment. How about you try some character development instead? No?

Few of the characters in The Ex-Mrs. Hedgefund ever attempt to come out of their one-dimensional shells and show us a good time. I shouldn't blame them, however; it's not their fault that they have stilted dialogue and regularly SHRIEK IN CAPITAL LETTERS because it's TOTALLY going to make you sound more hip and enthusiastic. I think my favourite character was the evil mother-in-law (you knew that was coming), simply because she's an unapologetic frigid bitch. My least favourite character was the kid, because he seems to have been imported from Stepford: not one temper tantrum in the entire book. Not one. This is the most balanced, grounded, mature, well-behaved fictitious six-year-old I have ever encountered. He is perfectly understanding of Mommy and Daddy's divorce, doesn't blame them, and doesn't mind that Daddy is sleeping with a different blonde and Mommy's seeing another guy.

Oh, it's not all bad. Once and a while, the book seems to remember that Kargman probably wants to say something pithy about how fake and stifling all this high society is. So it puts on the brakes and allows Holly to observe the hollow lives of her former fellow hedge-fund wives compared to Holly's new life of blissful freedom and single motherhood. There are moments when the tour bus stops and Kargman emphasizes the double standard: "Boys. Will. Be. Boys. You didn't have to go and call him out on it.... Women have been looking the other way for millennia." That's actually kind of what I wanted when I started reading this book, and occasionally that's what I got. For instance, I laughed out loud when Holly's nonconformist best friend challenges a rich couple because their horse has a massage therapist. So if Kargman is playing her characters over the top to mock New York high society, I can forgive her for that. Except that then I wonder why the rest of the book is so shallow and predictable.

And that is ultimately the fatal flaw of The Ex-Mrs. Hedgefund; it can't decide what type of chick lit it wants to be. By refusing to choose between a serious satire of hedge-fund-wife society and a silly romantic summer read, Kargman undermines her own story, transforming it from something with great potential into just another mediocre romantic comedy. Pandering to everyone just won't work. Good literature has to take risks, even if they don't pay off, and even if they alienate one audience in favour of another. The Ex-Mrs. Hedgefund has a couple of moments of shining glory tarnished by the absence of any element of risk.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very unrealistic and predictable read. Wife gets dumped for younger model. She finds new love of her life with minimal effort and time. Seems to have no financial worries and is always out dating and partying with a few references to puting her child to bed...... Motherhood in Manhattan (?) At the end she gets married to her new love, who just so happens to be wealthy as was her last husband. In between all that, she finds a fabulous, cool job with again little effort. Also, her ex husband loses most of his money and the younger model. If you are looking for a mindless read that does not ring true at all, here you go.

[Jessica Stern · Rating 1 out of 5]

All I wanted was a mindless, entertaining summer read. Turgid writing and a plot lifted from a junior high school essay alone weren't enough to kill this book for me, but the heaping helping of moralizing and condescension rendered this one unreadable. I gave up one third of the way through and still resent the author for wasting that much of my time.

[Marlathemom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, fast, and flirtatious, Kargman's narrator Holland "Holly" Talbott walks us through the life of a hedge-fund wife who gets unceremoniously dumped. The novel reads like an episode of Odd Mom Out, Sex and the City, and Bridesmaids, rolled into one big love letter to female friendships and the joy of self-reliance. You'll definitely want to claim her best friend as your own (and sure, maybe a couple of her diamonds too). A sweet, sparkly read.

[JH · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book didn't start out too bad. But it ended up being awful! The characters were all one-dimensional and the plot was so predictable. I didn't care about Holly at all, even though she was supposedly down-to-earth compared to all of the other hedge fund wives. I didn't have a favorite character, except maybe the slutty best friend because she was such a Long Island stereotype (who was somehow supposed to be super classy despite her trashy wardrobe and fowl mouth).

The worst part (and this is becoming a refrain for everything Good Reads has recommended to me lately) was the writing! The weird, casual, train-of-thought style of writing was peppered with pop-culture references that are going to be meaningless in less than a decade. I'm obviously not looking for Dickens when I pick up a book like this, but has this author ever taken a creative writing class? She tells you everything and shows you nothing. Whole conversations are summed up in a paragraph time and time again, i.e. "We talked about everything from…." blah blah blah. When Holly suddenly falls in love I was left wondering why. The 6-year-old son comes across as fairly slow. I also wondered how the cheating ex-husband managed to stay with his new girlfriend for so long. Considering Holly skipped the (million dollar) divorce settlement outlined in the pre-nup in favor of keeping her apartment, and she doesn't work outside the home, I was left wondering how she manages to jaunt off to Italy, or even ride in cabs daily.

I was looking for escapism that embraced a little glitz and glamor and this wasn't it.

[Lisa Wells · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started out shakey, I thought it was going to be another one-dimentional character...but she turned out to have some hard moments and some great descriptions of heart ache. In the end it was perfect...but I guess thats what people want....I thought I was one of those people too, but I next I would love to find a real-life book. Where things do not end perfect buttercup. Cause the beggining to end story structure gets repetitous when you read a lot...

[S · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.1 stars. This was fine, nothing special. I liked other books by this author better.

[Lawren M. Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much. I am usually not into romance novels but this one was refreshing and relatable.

[Melinda French · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was right up my alley. Holly reminded me so much of myself and freinds that I have that have gone through divorces and found themselves, again. I wish it would have been a little longer so we could hear more about Elliott and Holly. I loved how she treated her son. I loved how close they were and that for a little one, he was super intuitive. In alot of ways, Holly reminds me of myself (as far as the rebuild you do after a divorce). I hope to read more books by this author!

[SwagggerLove · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Rozwód od Armaniego" wpadł mi w ręce podczas porządkowania zbiorów w bibliotecznym magazynie i postanowiłam dać mu szansę. Kiedyś czytałam książki tej autorki, jednak były to pozycje bardziej młodzieżowe, które w tamtym czasie bardzo mi się podobały. Historia o Holly zła nie jest, ale wow też nie ma. Taka akurat pozycja do jednokrotnego przeczytania. Choć muszę przyznać, że różne wstawki - tabelki przypadły mi do gustu, dodają plusów książce. Powieść dobra na nadchodzące ponure wieczory :)

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

My life is just too short to read books like this. The protagonist is absolutely perfect - no flaws - except she married an arrogant asshole. She lived a life filled with shallow (by her own words) people and still she is shocked when things go sour.

I did not like her at all. I didn't care about what happened to her. I stopped the book about 1/4 of the way in.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner

This is my second book by Jill Krugman and did not disappoint. It has characters you can't help but fall in love with and root for. Of course it also has characters that make you cheer when they get their comeuppance . I am so grateful to the author for giving us updates on some of the characters at the end of the book instead of making you wonder what happened.

[Glasgowgal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Big fan of Jill Kargman, but I couldn't relate to almost anything in this book, except for maybe when they were considered "slumming" it. That's my life and compadres! Oh, to have rich people problems!

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

bez ogródek i pruderii a z dużą ilością ironii, dystansu, miłości i po prostu życia;
wraca mój ulubiony temat życia w luksusie materialnym ale biedzie duchowej
jest jak wielki ciepły koc i kubek herbaty, nawet przy schematycznej i przewidywalne fabule

[Elizabeth Gilliard · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, really. I didn’t think the book would go the way it did. I putted through it a few pages at a time, for days - it was slightly underwhelming. But then from page 50ish, I read the rest in one sitting. It was quick and I liked the story. You want Kiki & Holly to win.

[Tricia Toney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Holly Talbott is a happy housewife and mother. She and her husband Tim are living their best lives. Then she discovers that Tim is a lying cheat. After her divorce, she gets out into the world of dating. Along with her friend Kiki, they search for their new happily ever after.

[Elka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cheerfully trashy, but the plot was too thin even for this genre

[Nathalie Morén · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wanted to like this so much because of Odd mom out, but sadly it was a disaster. DNF.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frothy fun - much better than Momzillas.

[Kathryn Andrews · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately this book has too many swear words to listen in the car or the kitchen on CD I'm disappointed

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fluffy, soapy fun... but with some big ol’ truth nuggets. This won’t change anybody’s life, but it was an enjoyable read.
2.5 stars

[Julie Bradsher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted something light and bubbly and the book did not disappoint. Could I predict the plot and ending? Pretty close but again, looking for a little distraction. I enjoyed it!

[Carlee Neumann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Way too much language…. But a semi decent plot. I won’t read any more of her books because of the language- but it kept my attention for a beach read type book.

[Kailene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, again this was a book to lose myself in.

[Stefanie Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

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[Leonel · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://leonelescota.wordpress.com/20...

I decided to give Jill Kragman a second chance after writing my thoughts the other day on her Bravo show. I mean, there must be something about her that people like for her to have gottan at development deal at Bravo. So I went to read one of her books, "The Ex-Mrs. Hedgefund." Okay, so I now kind of get it. I like this big much better than her television show. It's a story of Holly, who is married to one of those hedge fund guys, so she lives the rich life. And then she catches him cheating and gets a divorce. And she starts to lose the glamorous life. What happens next is a mix of how she deals with that, and part dating book of guys she meets after. It seems a bit unfocused, and action at times run too fast (I bet the original manuscript is longer) but there's enough going on that you just go along for the ride. Its mindless summer read fare, and on a Summer Solstice day does its job.

[Melinda Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Ex Mrs Hedgefund should have been more ‘First Wives Club’ and less ‘Eat, Pray, Love’.

The story limps along, and it really doesn’t hit any great notes along the way. Holly is rather affected and woe is me, and doesn’t really grow a pair. She complains about everything. Her age. Her lack of a job. Her circumstances. Her loss of friends from school. The list goes on! However for all her complaining, she really doesn’t grab life by the balls and do anything to change it.

When there’s a ‘love gone wrong’ story and you’re meant to invest in the wronged party and their pursuit of a change in the equilibrium, you really need to give the readers a character that you can get behind. There’s plenty of opportunities for Holly to get back into the game, and wreak havoc on all those who have wronged her, but alas we never really see this eventuate.

[mark · Rating 1 out of 5]

Finally, a female author makes it to the "Really bad books" shelf. This is Chick-lit at its worst. Terrible writing that relies on every cliche and every currently "hip" phrase to fill out the page; and even uses GRAPHS! Which make no sense at all. There are quotes that lead each chapter, which are amusing, BUT, the relation to the chapter content is obscure. If you come across this book at your favorite bookstore, or the library, please turn to page 150, Chapter 25, and see if you don't agree. The women described in this book deserve the men described in this book ... and if they're real ... well, no wonder America is such a mess. I couldn't finish it. Who published this?

[Micah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not a huge "chick-lit" fan but I decided to read this because I enjoyed Kargman's other novel, The Rock Star in Seat 3A. While this book was not awful, I was not impressed. It was a quick and easy read, which everyone needs every once in a while, but it was also rather predictable and flat. I have one more of Kargman's books that I picked up at the library and I am debating whether I am going to give it a shot or assume it ends the same way as The Ex Mrs. Hedgefund. I appreciate how Kargman seems to always implement her love of music in her stories, so i guess there is something to look forward to in the next novel that is staring at me from my desk. :)

[Cindy Bokma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just dont understand this! The character was married, her husband out of town. She was getting ready to head out with her friends for dinner, then suddenly with no explanation or segue into the next scene, she's at a party with her former sister in law, saying she's ready to party and meet someone new since she's single and divorced.

Ive read books with typos and thats okay but there was a whole chapter or several paragraphs missing...?

I never give two stars and Im sure the book was very good and funny but I was so confounded that I had to put it aside.

Huh?