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It has been a while since I ventured into a paperback
original like this spotlighted novel here. Almost a year, I believe. I’ll go even
further and state that it has been a long time since I ventured into anything
trashy. Sure, I’ve read the obligatory novel for the obligatory review on my
blog, but to really pick up something just for the fun of it, well, it seems
like decades. That’s why Davidyne Mayleas’ THE
GARDINER WOMEN (1993) feels like heaven-sent. Besides being quite good, it also reminds
me how exhilarating these reads can overall be, and Mayleas next to last novel
for Avon pushes all the right buttons.
As the title suggests, THE GARDINER WOMEN focuses on female protagonists, three of them. First
there’s Millie, the aging screen legend now owner of an independent TV station.
She is plagued with a future of uncertainty and needs to make sure that her
fortune goes to the right kin. Enter Nora, the headstrong TV executive granddaughter
caught between the past and the present. She wants it all: love and career, but
at what cost? Following in her footsteps there’s Ali, the wild and scheming second
granddaughter who’s an ace at getting what she wants. Until she is knocked out
of her pedestal in a no holds barred confrontation that will leave her shaken
to the core. All three women flourish and then fall but rise up again, amidst
the hectic world of the entertainment industry.
Yes, I must admit, novels about the biz have always been
my thing, and this one does it justice indeed, though the plot veers more on personal
problems than on the ABC of the business. The most absorbing of those inner
struggles are of Nora, the exec, and with good reasons since she is the story
main focus. She is what you call the
good gal, the one the reader wants to root for. The author aptly does that via
a tight-woven plot which also involves Wall Street. You see, Nora is linked to
a rising power broker, so part of the story is centered on such terms as stocks,
acquisitions, selling points...
If you have looked over at my additional blog entries regarding
Mayleas’ work you probably know that the world of finance is a big part of the
author’s territory. Other than her novel THE RICHEST GIRL IN THE WORLD the topic,
however, is relatively toned down to make room for the more involving drama.
Her narrative is always sharp, to the point, with enough character development
and description of wealth and romance to quench fans thirst for the sex and
shopping novel. I say grab THE GARDINER
WOMEN if you ever see a copy in the wild or online. Until Davidyne Mayleas
ends up going digital that is the only way you can read her stuff.
Until next post—Martin
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