Patricia Beard

A very disappointing biography of the longtime newspaper publisher, editor and reporter. Even aside from the fact that the book is riven with strange glitches (like calling Vichy France "Free" France, and having Eisenhower elected in November, 1953), the book treats Howard, for the most part, with kid gloves. For example, Howard's connections with Joseph McCarthy are disposed of in one anodyne paragraph. Given that a Howard family member introduced the book, you know nothing went into this show more that would blacken his name. Not recommended. show less

A CERTAIN SUMMER is a bittersweet story set just after the end of World War II. It’s 1948, and on the summer getaway island of Wauregan, the residents are having a difficult time adjusting to the new normal. Men back from the war are silently suffering from the horrors they experienced, and their wives feel helpless. Widows are grieving the deaths of their husbands and trying to forge ahead as single parents, and the wives of men missing in action are living in an agonizing limbo.

Helen show more Wadsworth’s husband Arthur went missing during the war, and she longs for closure for herself and her teenage son, Jack. As she waits for word on Arthur, Helen has two men vying for her attention – Frank, her husband’s OSS partner, and Peter, a Marine who fought in the Pacific. Helen’s character was strong, and she was easy to sympathize with. This book was a journey of discoveries for Helen – uncovering the truth and rediscovering love.

The plot moved slowly at first, but it really grabbed me at the halfway point. There were a few nail-biting scenes that kept me flipping the pages, and the ending was amazing. The author presented a memorable and moving account of life post-WWII through the eyes of her characters. With the island setting, a bit of romance, and a bit of mystery, this was a satisfying summer read.

Source: Review copy from NetGalley show less

This life and times of James Hazen Hyde, ill-fated heir to the Equitable Life Insurance Society, is as much a study of shady business practices as it is a slice of life of the cream of Edwardian-era society in America. A friend of the Hyde family, Beard examines step-by-step the descent into turmoil of James Hyde, as he inherited a position that he was little trained to hold, until betrayed by the men Hyde's father thought would do his bidding even after his death. The one question that show more Beard really can't answer is how much was the executive plot against Hyde simply a palace coup, and how much were these men put up to it by outside interests. All in all a good little read, that fortuitously happens to mirror our own social conditions. show less

I've been reading books on Wall Street and its people since Karen Ho's excellent Liquidated, but this is the first one that revolved around a single firm. In short, Morgan Stanley had an extremely rigid culture that its longtime employees took very personally, and as a result they were largely horrified when their first CEO from the outside started making changes. It was relatively interesting to see the machinations that went into eventually ousting him, but unless you are especially show more interested in the i-banking culture, you probably wouldn't want to start with this very specific title. show less