8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
Right on target!, 2002-06-05
I flipped through this fast paced novel in almost one day! It was so engrossing that I couldn't put it down and just kept on reading, rescheduling appointments and lunch plans around this book! Jean Stone's description of life on the two islands of the Atkinson's (Manhattan AND Martha's Vineyard) is impeccable. The carefully depicted Nikki and Mary Beth and the subtley mysterious Gabrielle capture your imagination and the adorably Molly captures your heart! Read it!
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
Well..., 2002-05-28
PLEASE REFER TO THE BASIC "AMAZON" REVIEW IN READING THE FOLLOWING:
TRUST FUND BABIES has a fascinating premise, this premise being that three first cousins who have inherited a significant fortune have had that fortune embezzled by their joint business manager. The novel explores how the loss of a fortune this size impacts each of these three women. In the course of telling her story, author Jean Stone offers some fascinating insights into the way that the very rich live their lives.
Some of this story is set on Martha's Vineyard, and Stone communicates a wonderful sense of place. Though her writing is excellent, and TRUST FUND BABIES is fast-paced, there are many conceptual flaws that ultimately make this book seem pointless, however.
First of all, there's the mystery of the little girl who is abandoned by her family and the eventual explanation of why the abandonment took place. There is the couple who stayed together for no obvious reason, except maybe that they had a child together, and then split up in the weeks immediately preceeding that child's wedding, compromising the social aspects of the event. Too, there is the man who turns out to have married his wife knowing the deep, dark secrets she thought she had concealed, with no reason offered for his over-riding love for her. And, finally, there is the way in which the socialite friends of one of the cousins drop her when word gets out that she has lost her fortune. I find it difficult to imagine an entire clique abandoning someone solely because of a change in net worth.
Also, none of the characters are developed as thoroughly as they deserve to be, though the socialite does come the closest to being a real person. And an "Agnes Gooch" type personal assistant, a la AUNTIE MAME, never grows into the fuller formed personality that author Stone hints that she will come to be.
As interesting as is the premise with which TRUST FUND BABIES starts off, the story itself quickly becomes strained and implausible. This is a pity, because Jean Stone is an excellent writer.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
A great, great book, 2002-04-02
This is an excellent book for anyone looking for a good read and a real page-turner. Jean Stone's writing is excellent, I couldn't put the book down for a minute. Her character details are unmatched and she really "paints the picture" of each character from their personality quirks to the style of shoe they prefer. Her characters are hilariously rich and arrogant and yet pathetic at the same time. The story will keep you constantly guessing and has a great ending!
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
insightful look at three individuals, 2002-03-31
On Park Avenue in Manhattan, secretary Carla DiRoma separately informs face to face the shocked Atkinson cousins (Mary Beth, Nikki, and Gabrielle) that their investment banker Lester Markham absconded with their trust funds. The trio know that they are broke and used to a golden spoon from having inherited their respective money. Now the cousins needs to find a way to earn money for basic sustenance.
Surprisingly, though somewhat estranged over the years, the threesome come together planning to survive this crisis. With the encouragement of Carla, they also chart a course to find, prosecute, and get their money back from Lester. However, to succeed they must forget that tragic summer years ago that sent them on their separate paths and stay united in their quest to regain what they lost, which they will learn is much more than a mere fortune.
TRUST FUND BABIES is an insightful look at three individuals struggling with a sudden reversal in their lives. The cousins are warm engaging protagonists, but they adapt too easily to their change in fortune (what's a million here - soon the cousins will be talking real money). Carla is a wonderful "mother hen" and friend to the not enough beleaguered Atkinson women. She enables Jean Stone's novel to remain a fascinating tale.
Harriet Klausner