The Heirs By: Susan Rieger

Book Description.....

"Brilliantly wrought, incisive, and stirring, The Heirs tells the story of an upper-crust Manhattan family coming undone after the death of their patriarch 

Six months after Rupert Falkes dies, leaving a grieving widow and five adult sons, an unknown woman sues his estate, claiming she had two sons by him.  The Falkes brothers are pitched into turmoil, at once missing their father and feeling betrayed by him.  In disconcerting contrast, their mother, Eleanor, is cool and calm, showing preternatural composure. 

Eleanor and Rupert had made an admirable life together -- Eleanor with her sly wit and generosity, Rupert with his ambition and English charm -- and they were proud of their handsome, talented sons: Harry, a brash law professor; Will, a savvy Hollywood agent; Sam, an astute doctor and scientific researcher; Jack, a jazz trumpet prodigy; Tom, a public-spirited federal prosecutor. The brothers see their identity and success as inextricably tied to family loyalty – a loyalty they always believed their father shared. Struggling to reclaim their identity, the brothers find Eleanor’s sympathy toward the woman and her sons confounding. Widowhood has let her cast off the rigid propriety of her stifling upbringing, and the brothers begin to question whether they knew either of their parents at all.

A riveting portrait of a family, told with compassion, insight, and wit, The Heirs wrestles with the tangled nature of inheritance and legacy for one unforgettable, patrician New York family. Moving seamlessly through a constellation of rich, arresting voices, The Heirs is a tale out Edith Wharton for the 21st century."

Title:  The Heirs

Author:  Susan Rieger

Publisher:  Crown

Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean

Rating: Five

Review:

"The Heirs" by Susan Rieger

My Thoughts....

What a story that tell of the well to do family [the heirs of Rupert Falkes] and oh my what is found out after this patriarch passes.  I thought this novel was well written with such a incredible character development that will certainly keep your attention to the end. I liked how this author tell of the wife Eleanor who was Rupert's wife and their five sons [ Will, Sam, Tom, Jack and Harry] who were Princeton educated and so successful and all the grands are girls. What happens when a letter arrives with a women saying that she had two sons by Rupert and wanted them to share in the inheritance?  As Rupert's past is questioned and his secrets surface that simply smears his families reputation what will happen?  How will the family members treat this information?  In the end  as the mystery comes out was there any truth to any of this?    

The author gives the reader quite a good read of family and the lives it touches as it goes through 'marriage, parenthood, fidelity, infidelity, Eleanor's past, even giving the reader some incredible dry wit' along with some surprises.  In the end the reader gets a good  page turner read  of a wonderful saga that is even juicy, entertaining, somewhat humorous times.   

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. So exciting!