Fun enjoyable read. Easy to guess what happened. ( )

The Darlings are one of new York’s most famous families. Carter Darling’s investment company makes tons of money, mother Ines is still the most stunning woman at all gala events and their two daughters Merrill and Lily have found perfectly fitting husbands and fulfil their roles of the clever and the beautiful also impeccably. When one of Carter’s business partners commits suicide, the family has to face a crisis they have never seen before and, first and foremost, they have to admit that some things are just not what they pretended them to be: Carter is not the honest businessman, Ines is not the wife who still loves him after all those decades together, and family does not come first, when they feel threatened. What starts with one man taking his life, ends in one of the biggest finance scandals New York has ever seen and the Darlings are at the very centre of it.

Cristina Alger’s novel is a combination of a highly complex financial fraud thriller and a very personal family drama in which almost all characters are put to a test: what are their values, how far are they willing to go to protect their loved ones, how much more important can money be than the lives of people? The mechanics of both, the financial world and a family with their closest friends, are laid open and show the darkest corners of human nature.

Admittedly, “The Darlings” is not a fast paced thriller which keeps you alert all the time. Even though the plot covers just a couple of days and actually moves quite quickly, the author chose to rather go into depths with her characters which I liked a lot since it gives a lot more insight in their thoughts and makes their decision-making a great deal more comprehensible. The sheer number of characters wasn’t easy to manage at the beginning and understanding the connection between them took some time, but in the end, it was all very cleverly connected and set up and no questions was left unanswered. This might be difficult for some readers who prefer a speedy thrill, yet, for those who like stories about human beings and their nature, it is a great read. ( )

Set in New York City at the height of the financial crisis, The Darlings is the story of a wealthy American family. After the firm he works for is brought down during the Wall Street meltdown, Paul Ross accepts the position of general counsel at the financial firm headed by his father-in-law, Carter Darling. While other firms are struggling to stay alive, Darling's business has weathered the financial crisis relatively unscathed and Paul is happy to be employed by a stable company. It is not long after he starts his new position, however, that Paul and the Darling's worlds are threatened with collapse. The tragic actions of Carter Darling's closest friend and business associate serves to throw the Darlings into the media and regulatory spotlight. Paul soon learns that the SEC has been investigating the firm's most significant partner fund and finds out the truth about what's really been going on there. Despite this knowledge, Paul is torn over what to do as joining forces with the SEC investigators would mean betraying his wife's family and the company for which he works.

The Darlings is a well-written, fast-paced and engaging novel, one that is guaranteed to evoke a lot of emotion from the reader. At the novel's outset I had quite a bit of sympathy for both Paul Ross and Carter Darling, neither of whom appear to have had anything to do with the actions of their associates yet would seemingly be brought down by them anyway. As the story unfolds, however, my sympathy turned to disappointment with Paul and anger towards Carter. Despite the fact that their investors face losses of hundreds of millions of dollars, doing what's right because it is the proper thing to do never seems to factor into either man's decision-making process. Both men are really only interested in saving themselves and their families. While this is understandable, the fact that so many other families stand to be ruined simply because they placed their trust in the wrong financial firm negates any sympathy I might have otherwise had for Paul Ross and the Darlings. The only characters who are portrayed as wanting to do the right thing are the SEC investigators, and seeing how their efforts are continually stifled by their own management was maddening to read. The elements of the narrative that stir up the most emotion, however, are those that detail the despicable steps some were willing to take to keep the wrongdoing hidden and to discredit those trying to bring it to light. I found this aspect of the storyline to be infuriating. Indeed, it's been a long time since I've read a novel that evoked such strong emotion in me. I'm looking forward to reading more from Cristina Alger.

The Darlings is recommended to fans of contemporary novels, especially those interested in a fictional account of the financial crisis.

Note: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. ( )

I'm back, for the moment, fresh with impressions of The Darlings by Cristina Alger, a novel that is a rough equivalent of (Gossip Girl Edith Wharton - romantic drama) x Bernie Madoff Bonfire of the Vanities (Damages - murder schemes).

With the elite of the 1% and the financial tailspin of 2008 as subject matter, it would be easy to dismiss this novel as something to avoid, but you really shouldn't. It's a compelling read, driven by the interplay of characters not only from inside the upper echelons of Manhattan "royalty," but also by those lingering on the outside, less mired in glittery facades. Though I was put off by some of the characters in the beginning, many managed to grow on me. None perfect, but none completely villainous either. All human... Full review here. ( )

Normally, I probably would not have picked this up, despite the lovely cover. When offered a review copy from Penguin, I figured why not, since I can be a bit narrow in my reading tastes these days (YA, YA, YA). Yet again, I am glad I did. The Darlings was a good read, even for one such as myself, who does not follow anything about the economy (more than my own bank account anyway).

The entirety of the story, with the exception of the epilogue, takes place within just one week. I love that Alger set it up this way, because it really drove home how quickly a situation can devolve to a snafu. On Monday, everything was good, and in a matter of days two companies were pretty much destroyed (or likely to be so).

Also, I want to give Alger props for managing to write sympathetic characters. I was definitely out to hate everyone in this book, because I can likely never (realistically) dream of having as much money as these guys would still have if the company bit it. I know life's not fair, but that does not mean I have to like it.

Actually, pretty much every character in here was at least a little bit likable. Certainly, by the end, there were some folks I was not a huge fan of, but I didn't hate anyone entirely (except maybe for Jane, who didn't get much screen time). I couldn't hate Carter because of how much he cared for his family, and because he apparently resembles Cary Grant. My favorite characters were definitely Paul and Merrill, who seem least messed up by the world they're living in. I would also really like to find out what happened to Marina.

The Darlings is a well-written story set in the economic landscape of post-9/11 New York City. Expect love, betrayal, and plot twists. Enjoy!
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