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cover
2.5 

Title: Heirs, The
Authors: Rieger, Susan
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 254
Year: 2017
Language: English
Description: Compounding the recent loss of their patriarch, the wealthy Falkes family of Manhattan suffers another blow: an unknown woman sues the estate claiming that Rupert was also the father of her two sons. Eleanor, Rupert's widow, and their five adult sons are thrown into turmoil, the unwelcome development calling into question their understanding of themselves as individuals and as a family. This richly drawn saga examines the vexed question of inheritance and how well we can really know someone.

With its excellent character development and portrayal of family dynamics, this is an emotionally satisfying read, and a superlative rags-to-riches story.
Categories: Fiction, Family Saga, Grief/loss, Morals/Ethics, Relationships, Religion, Social commentary/perspectives, America, 2020 Titles

Reviews

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By: CHCH 185 2025-08-11 09:47:44
3.5 
The majority of the group enjoyed this book. An absorbing read about wealthy educated New Yorkers.

By: WINT 001 2025-07-24 16:33:32
3.5 
Mixed comments about this book with members feeling it was easy to read but not memorable. A close up look at the lives of very wealthy New Yorkers.

By: HAVE 005 2023-11-13 11:24:52
3.5 
Without exception, our group was a bit underwhelmed by this book. We thought it was very well-written, however we felt we didn't get to really know the characters, and this was partly because the storyline jumped around so much. It was hard to keep track. However, it did provoke another lively discussion.

By: TEKUI 001 2023-11-13 10:41:37
4 
Mixed comments on the book. A family tree might have made it easier to work out who was who.

By: KATIK 002 2023-11-13 10:40:42
3 
A polarizing book for readers - mixed opinions. We were really impressed with the way in which the mother coped with everything. While we didn't rate this book very highly there was lots of discussion - a real family saga.

By: DUNED 033 2023-11-13 10:38:17
4 
Everyone enjoyed this book and we had a good discussion.

By: DUNED 089 2023-11-13 10:36:39
3 
There was a wide cross-section of opinion within the group, ranging from a "who-dunnit with no ending" to "upper-class tripe"!! However the majority recognised it as "a good read".

By: WARK 005 2023-11-13 10:33:02
4 
A story of loyalty.

By: WELL 093 2023-11-13 10:32:20
5 
The group really enjoyed this book.

By: AUCK 234 2023-11-13 10:31:38
2 
Our group found the book very slow to start with. It was hard to relate to the characters. People were tired of "rich people's problems". Generally we felt the book was somewhat "odd".

By: KAUKA 001 2023-11-13 10:29:20
3 
Very mixed reaction - some loved, some did not.

By: AUCK 055 2023-10-19 14:40:19
3 
We loved the structure and the individualism of the characters. An interesting look at wealthy American society.

By: TAUR 028 2022-04-22 14:19:26
4 
An entertaining novel - we all enjoyed it.

By: AUCK 171 2021-11-17 12:01:33
3.5 
We all enjoyed reading this novel of differing social values and personal ambitions.

By: HAMIL 003 2021-09-10 11:48:06
4.5 
4.5 average. One thought "too many characters", and "only a narrow slice of New York society".

By: CHCH 319 2021-08-27 12:57:26
5 
Everyone liked this book. Enjoyed the way the author developed the characters/story.

By: WINT 002 2021-06-30 12:11:07
4 
Great story, enjoyed by all. Interesting format. Kept the reader interested with lots of "ah" moments!

By: RICH 005 2021-04-14 14:38:44
4.5 
'The Heirs' was enjoyed by the majority of our group, and all loved the style of writing. Felt there was a lot of information re characters to digest in the first couple of chapters, and really only got to 'know' a couple of the characters in depth by the end of the book.

By: LOWER 009 2020-11-09 14:58:52
3 
The story was sometimes confusing with all the characters. Thought-provoking, but probably too much sex:-)

By: PAPA 001 2020-08-10 13:50:27
2.5 
Generally found to be a disappointing book. A gossipy style of writing, with too many characters. They became bland and forgettable. Rupert was the only character with a background history that developed and created interest.

 
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