Anna L. (annalovesbooks) reviewed on
ISBN 0440234743 - Troy Phelan is a self-made multi-billionaire who, on the last day of his life, outsmarts everyone around him, sticks it to his 3 ex-wives and six living children by means of a well thought out and executed plan, before he flings himself from the balcony of his building. The book isn't about him.
His 3 ex-wives and their children are, overall, pretty rotten people who have only one reason to be interested in the old man - his money. So when his plan works and they are all left out of his final will, they all lawyer up to do battle for what they believe is due to them. The book isn't about them, either.
Troy's final will leaves everything to his illegitimate and, until now, unheard of daughter. Rachel was the result of an office affair and was given up for adoption when she was born. Years later, Troy made contact, which ended abruptly when Rachel finished college. She is the only one of his children who has turned out reasonably well: she is not interested in money, she has made a career of spreading God's word and she is happy. She is also living in the jungles of Brazil. Oddly, the book isn't about her either.
Sent to find Rachel, Nate is fresh out of rehab - for the fourth time. Behind him are two ex-wives, four neglected children, innumerable affairs, countless malpractice suits (filed by him, not against him!), drugs and alcohol and about 20 years as a lawyer. He's facing problems with the IRS and his return to practice isn't exactly welcomed at the office. This all makes a jaunt in the jungle to find the probably reluctant heiress to the world's largest fortune seem like a perfectly reasonable idea. The book is about him.
Nate's journey, the goal of which is to find Rachel, leads him to find himself and his purpose, just as his life really seems to have slipped too far out of his control for him to recover from. He does find Rachel, of course - and everything about her, from her reaction to her father's will to the life she has chosen and is happy with, makes Nate realize what does (and doesn't) really have value.
One thing bugged me - the back cover says "Nate is crashing through the Brazilian jungle, entering a world where money means nothing, where death is just one misstep away, and where a woman - pursued by enemies and friends alike - holds a stunning surprise of her own..." This is nonsense. Her only secret seems to be that she's Troy Phelan's child, which is revealed in the will on page 27, so that hardly counts as her "stunning surprise". She changed her name from Lane to Porter, and the reason was never really explained, other than to indicate she didn't want Troy to find her again. Maybe that's her "stunning surprise", but since the reason is never brought up... I don't think so. I read the whole book waiting for the stunning surprise and it never materialized.
- AnnaLovesBooks
His 3 ex-wives and their children are, overall, pretty rotten people who have only one reason to be interested in the old man - his money. So when his plan works and they are all left out of his final will, they all lawyer up to do battle for what they believe is due to them. The book isn't about them, either.
Troy's final will leaves everything to his illegitimate and, until now, unheard of daughter. Rachel was the result of an office affair and was given up for adoption when she was born. Years later, Troy made contact, which ended abruptly when Rachel finished college. She is the only one of his children who has turned out reasonably well: she is not interested in money, she has made a career of spreading God's word and she is happy. She is also living in the jungles of Brazil. Oddly, the book isn't about her either.
Sent to find Rachel, Nate is fresh out of rehab - for the fourth time. Behind him are two ex-wives, four neglected children, innumerable affairs, countless malpractice suits (filed by him, not against him!), drugs and alcohol and about 20 years as a lawyer. He's facing problems with the IRS and his return to practice isn't exactly welcomed at the office. This all makes a jaunt in the jungle to find the probably reluctant heiress to the world's largest fortune seem like a perfectly reasonable idea. The book is about him.
Nate's journey, the goal of which is to find Rachel, leads him to find himself and his purpose, just as his life really seems to have slipped too far out of his control for him to recover from. He does find Rachel, of course - and everything about her, from her reaction to her father's will to the life she has chosen and is happy with, makes Nate realize what does (and doesn't) really have value.
One thing bugged me - the back cover says "Nate is crashing through the Brazilian jungle, entering a world where money means nothing, where death is just one misstep away, and where a woman - pursued by enemies and friends alike - holds a stunning surprise of her own..." This is nonsense. Her only secret seems to be that she's Troy Phelan's child, which is revealed in the will on page 27, so that hardly counts as her "stunning surprise". She changed her name from Lane to Porter, and the reason was never really explained, other than to indicate she didn't want Troy to find her again. Maybe that's her "stunning surprise", but since the reason is never brought up... I don't think so. I read the whole book waiting for the stunning surprise and it never materialized.
- AnnaLovesBooks
