The Family Fortune : A Novel
Author(s): Laurie Horowitz
Jane Austen in Boston: a modern retelling of Persuasion in which the sensible daughter of a flighty Brahmin family finds love against all odds
Jane Fortune's fortunes have taken a downturn. Thanks to the profligate habits of her father and older sister, the family's money has evaporated and Jane has to move out of the only home she's ever known: a stately brick town house on Boston's prestigious Beacon Hill. Thirty-eight and terminally single, Jane has never pursued idle pleasures like her sibling and father. Instead, she has devoted her time to running the Fortune Family Foundation, a revered philanthropic institution that has helped spark the careers of many a budding writer, including Max Wellman, Jane's first—and only—love.
Now Jane has lost her luster. Max, meanwhile, has become a bestselling novelist and a renowned literary lothario. But change is afoot. And in the process of saving her family and reigniting the flames of true love, Jane might just find herself becoming the woman she was always meant to be.
Review(s):
“The Family Fortune is rich with divinely dysfunctional contemporary characters who could have stepped from a Jane Austen novel. With this sharply observed first novel, Laurie Horowitz has indeed earned her literary license.”
“The Family Fortune is like a delicious white wine, lively and dry, with just a hint of oak, bursting in your mouth and enveloping your body in warmth.”
“This first novel’s wicked wit, impeccable timing, and ear for dialog sparkle. Light without being fluffy and warm without being sappy, Horowitz’s contemporary spin on Jane Austen’s Persuasion is sophisticated and funny, striking just the right note of romance, social commentary, and sibling rivalry.”
“Horowitz has finely captured the bored silliness of WASP high society, creating a stylish portrait of an endangered species.”
“[Protagonist] Jane’s voice is natural and lively....Horowitz captures her ‘lifestyles of the rich and literary’ milieu.”
“The Family Fortune is a delight; I love the romance, the comedy, but mostly the fact that this “family” bears no resemblance to my own. A lovely debut.”
“An entertaining debut.”
“Horowitz nicely captures the sense of fading gradueur in her Boston and Martha’s Vineyard settings....nuanced...enjoyable.”
“Horowitz has a restrained, wry style and an appreciation of the little details that separate old money from new money from no money.…Entertaining.”
“The book balances social satire with emotional intelligence and romanticism—the patented Austen formula. It worked for me.”
ISBN: 9780060875275