The Widow of Wall Street: A Novel

Wow this novel did not disappoint. I'm obsessed with Bernie Madoff this fictional book resembles closely the real story. Full of great conversations and awesome details of what it might have been like to Jane been the wife of such a man. Definitely recommend.

I read this book in one day. I became immediately involved in the lives of the characters, Phoebe and Jake. The story was relevant to today and the happenings in the world. I am looking forward to more books from this author.

From its brilliant first sentence - “Phoebe never hated her husband more than when she visited him in prison.” - this book never lets up. It's a mesmerizing story about honesty,dishonestly, emotional abuse, love and recovery. With heart, Meyers tells a story that kept me reading all day and all night. Bravo!

This compelling fictionalization of the Bernie Madoff scandal is told from the point of view of the scam artist's wife, "Phoebe" in this narrative. It asks (and answers) the question so many ask when confronted with such scandals: how could the wife of such a man NOT have known what he was doing? Is she guilty merely by association? We travel back in time to see the genesis of their relationship, the ways in which they fit together, for better or for worse, and we come to understand that Phoebe trusts because, at every turn, she feels she has no alternative. It's a compelling portrait of a woman entrapped by her own lifestyle, not by willful blindness but the almost incidental isolation of great wealth. We come to sympathize with her and see this as a very personal betrayal. Is she culpable? Should she be condemned? Read the book and judge for yourself!

Randy Susan Meyers has come up with another winner! This time Meyers has used her boundless powers of imagination and empathy to tell the tale of a Ponzi schemer’s wife who must rebuild her life after her husband’s fall from grace. An early read showed that “Widow” accomplishes what only great fiction can: it examines large societal issues like changing marital mores and the dangers of corporate greed while never losing sight of the very human character at the center of the storm. A must-read!

I thoroughly enjoyed this fascinating novel and consider "The Widow Of Wall Street" to be Randy Susan Meyers at her best. This story is not so much about Madoff, but about a complex marriage built on lies. How much loyalty do you owe your spouse? How does one justify behavior like this to family and the world? As a financial advisor, I was extremely impressed with her research. She subtly writes about investment strategies and industry regulations with a deft skill that you may not even realize you are learning about Wall Street. The plot thickens skillfully as complex characters jump off the page. I stayed awake at night savoring every word and did not want this book to end.

Because of this novel, I found myself drawn back into the Madoff story all over again, and I felt MORE empathetic with those that were victims.

I highly recommend this novel!

What a rich portrait of an evolving marriage over the years! You see these career criminals revealed at last and wonder how they could justify their actions, how their families could have loved and supported them. Meyers provides an intimate and compelling answer in THE WIDOW OF WALL STREET. Phoebe and Jake are totally believable in their actions and reactions. I completely understood why she was so reluctant to abandon him even at the end, and how Jake came to believe he was owed success. I loved how his anxiety betrayed how he knew what he was doing was wrong but he just couldn't stop anyway. He was sympathetic even as he was behaving horribly. The book is filled with cleverly observed character insights, but my favorite line was the zinger about how those who spit downward lick upwards. I devoured this book in a day, as it was totally engrossing, wonderfully imagined read!

The Widow of Wall Street is a fictionalised accounting of the Bernie Madoff type scandal told from the POVs of the wife, Phoebe, and the mastermind, Jake. The Madoff Ponzi scheme ruined too many lives, catapulting his family to infamy and to the top of the "most hated people in America".

With the story in the headlines for years and with at least a half-dozen fiction and non-fiction accounting of this debacle, I wonder: did we need another reimagining of this? Even if it was to give an insight into the family behind the man.

I'd say no. This story serves only to rip the scabs off wounds that have barely healed, attempting an unconvincing rationalisation of how a wife of 40-odd-years would insist she had little to no knowledge of her husband's illicit wealth. Most women- if we're sincere - know when a spouse or partner is being suspect, whether you choose to acknowledge such, is another matter

Phoebe was the wife who neither saw nor heard any evil and despite having gone to college, her role as a human being devolved to nothing more than stroking her husband's ego and living the quintessential upper-class life. Her kids, Kate and Noah, also lived on the ill-gotten gains notwithstanding they had zero knowledge of who their father was.

When the house of cards toppled the kids were the first to leave; that Phoebe stayed was not indicative of a person in remorse or even as penance. No, she was shamed into doing it. Still, I'm not judging.

In all, I feel for those that lost their life savings to this scheme; I even have a smidgen of pity for Jake and Phoebe who lived a life of greed, lies, and deceit.

Sad, really.

A blatant rip off of the Bernie Madoff story, right down to the minor details of the book & characters. I could have appreciated this book if there was any originality in the storylines, but the author strayed from the facts only in insignificant ways (for example, the type of charity his wife was involved in or changing Madoff’s memoir-writing mistress from a lawyer to a secretary). Seriously, did she think that we would forget the Madoff story now that it has been 10 years?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I was surprised that I truly liked Phoebe and could understand how she did not know what her husband was doing. I've read all of Randy's books but this one might be the best one yet.

Randy Susan Meyers paints a portrait of these characters and then fills in emotional details that grip us into the story.
It's hard to put down, filled with compassion and humor for these flawed people. Meyers does it again!

I found this book fascinating. Ms. Myers fills in the blanks of the whole Madoff madness in a way that really makes you think. Her characters come to life in a multi-faceted way. A great beach/vacation read!

In my humble opinion only......
YOU KNOW, AND I KNOW THAT THIS BOOK DOES NOT REFLECT AT ALL, THE CREATIVE TALENT THIS AUTHOR HAS BEEN FORTUNATE TO BE GIFTED WITH.
IT IS MADOFF, AND IT IS HIS STORY. NO FICTION, NOR CREATIVE LICENSE THERE.

I WAS THERE, AND AM STILL THERE. SIMPLY ONE OF THE MANY VICTIMS.
I BELIEVE IT IS SELFISH THAT THE AUTHOR WRITES A BOOK CAPITALIZING ON THE MISFORTUNES OF OTHERS.
MANY OF THE VICTIMS DID NOT INVEST ON THEIR OWN VOLITION. MANY DID.
I CAN NOT UNDERSTAND THE LACK OF EMPATHY OR THOUGHT PROCESS OF WHY A PORTION OF THE PROCEEDS FROM THIS BOOK AS WELL AS THE TRIBECA FILM "THE WIZARD OF LIES" COULDN'T BE ALLOCATED, OR GIFTED TO THOSE VICTIMS WHO HAVE YET TO RECOVER...
AS WELL AS FROM THE MOVIE "THE WIZARD OF LIES"
THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE WHO NOW, HAVE BECOME RECIPIENTS OF THE CHARITIES THEY USED TO CONTRIBUTE TO.
I AM NOT ASKING FOR ME. I DON'T WANT IT. I AM HELPING AS MUCH AS I CAN.
HAVING READ THE AUTHORS BIO, IT IS SURPRISING THAT SHE DIDNT ACT ON HER LAURELS REGARDING FAMILY CRISIS AND SOCIAL INJUSTICE.
THAT SAID, JUST MY OPINION,
I WOULD BECOME A CHEERLEADER OF HER HUMAN CHARACTER IF SOME ALLOWANCE WERE GIVEN. .
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

I want a refund! This book is completely unoriginal and basically retells the Bernie & Ruth Madoff story, only changing the lead characters' names. Probably the most egregious instance of a plot being "ripped from the headlines" - this book is completely uninspired. Randy Susan Meyers essentially plagiarized every Madoff TV movie, The Wizard of Lives and half the stories that have come out on this subject over the last few years. Do not waste your time on this book, I wish I hadn't.

Meyers drills deep into the core of a marriage - the compromises, trade offs, and deals we negotiate without even knowing - to answer the the all-but-unanswerable: Why did she stay? A thrilling page-turner I couldn't put down.

First up....I am a Financial Advisor. Woman. This book simply did not ring true to me. I am very familiar with the Bernie Madoff story...as are most of us. Phoebe, main character...don' t believe she had no knowledge. She chose not to know. Not plausible, in my humble opinion.

This is exactly the Bernie Madoff story! What the hell? You change the characters names make the children a boy and girl instead of two boys and think no one will see you've copied a story. There is an HBO movie telling the same story based on a book by the reporter who interviewed Madoff. This "author" just copied her book. Disgusting.

If you are going to write a character-driven novel, you must establish a believable family dynamic. To me, this is the strength of Randy Susan Meyer's novel. The Bernie Madoff connection is interesting, but showing why our protagonist made the decisions she did is far more interesting. At its heart, this is a story of a woman's struggles to conquer her guilt and believe in her strengths.

Both story and writing will pull you into this book, which is full of intriguing and well-drawn characters. Meyers brilliantly carves out the nuanced relationship of a toxic man and his susceptible wife. Highly recommended!