A Questionable Life

By Luke Lively

Book Overview

"A good story; especially vibrant are tense scenes of corporate greed and deceit.​" -- Publishers Weekly

Jack Oliver had it all-a wife, kids, mistress, and a cut-throat career. He was no stranger to making tough choices and sacrifices to achieve success, but when his midsized banking group is bought out by a mega-chain, the Philadelphia banker finds himself back at the bottom rung of the ladder. The stress of the merger lands him in the hospital where he soon realizes that not only does his own family hate him, but the woman he's been seeing on the side is only interested in the zeroes at the end of his paycheck.

When Jack is approached by Benny, the old-fashioned president of a small-scale Virginia bank, Jack doubts he could ever settle for a modest career, but he's left without any other choice. Jack has to try to reclaim what he had taken for granted and attempt to lead a new kind of questionable life.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0825305217
• ISBN13: 9780825305214
• Release Date: October 2009
• Publisher: Beaufort Books
• Length: 310 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

a questionable life

This is a wonderful book. It covers every emotion. You will not want to put it down.

A superbly written and riveting good read

Fiction novels have a long history of dealing with real-life issues in ways often more effective than any textbook presentation. Author Luke Lively clearly draws upon his more than twenty-five years of professional experience in the banking industry to write "A Questionable Life", a compelling novel that introduced Philadelphia banker Jack Oliver, a man who built his career on making hard choices and pragmatic sacrifices. When his mid-sized banking group is acquired by a financial industry mega-chain, all his career goals and progress are cut out from under him as he finds himself relegated from the heights of success to the lowest rung of the newly reorganized corporate bank. This disaster bank merger lands Jack in the hospital from stress, reveals that he has pretty much failed as a husband and father, and that his mistress valued him only for his formerly high status income. When the opportunity of starting over again in a small Virginia bank is afforded him, it may prove to be his way out of the arrogance of his former life-style and into a new chance to redeem himself, his family, and his future. A superbly written and riveting good read, "A Questionable Life" is a first rate, highly recommended novel laced with echos of the kinds of moral and ethical dilemmas that nearly wrecked the American financial system not so long ago.

This is an enjoyable inspirational drama

The job comes first to Philadelphia Trust & Guaranty banker Jack Oliver as he climbs the ladder of success. He ignores his wife Tina and two children Joshua and Jessica except when he needs them to promote his career. His friends are only buddies if they matter in his business life as does his colleagues. When PT & G is purchased by the Merchants bank, Jack, twenty-seven years there and second highest in rank is stunned as he is kicked to the bottom of the food chain and maybe out the door if he is not careful. The stress and disappointment leads him to a hospital stay in which he learns who cares about him: no one as his family and his mistress fail to visit him. A friend John Helms introduces Jack to Benjamin "Benny" Price, the old-fashioned president of the small local Citizens Bank in Roanoke, Virginia, who hires Jack, but also mentors him on what matters in life even when Merchant Bank comes to town with its avaricious bottom line ledger. This is an enjoyable inspirational drama that is It's A Wonderful Life meets Scrooge in a modern but somewhat remote setting. The story line opens each chapter with poignant questions and related but somewhat clichéd citations, but the running theme throughout the plot is that it is never too late to change from a life evolved around the seven deadly sins to a caring loving person. Although the tale is obvious where it is going, readers will enjoy the journey. Harriet Klausner

a great read

This was a very well written book. The story was very inspirational, it had well rounded characters and a good plot. The conclusion was very well written- one of the best I have read. The author does a wonderful job of taking you along on Jack's personal and professional journey.

"A Questionable Life" - A must read!

The book is so well written and a page turner. There is a life lesson in each chapter. It can be life changing. A must read for young adults right out of high school or college. For that matter, a must read for anyone that needs a reminder of what life is really all about.