The Privileges

by Jonathan Dee

Book Overview

Smart and socially gifted, Adam and Cynthia Morey are perfect for each other.
With Adam's rising career in the world of private equity, a beautiful home in
Manhattan, gorgeous children, and plenty of money, they are, by any reasonable
standard, successful. But for the Moreys, their future of boundless privilege is not
arriving fast enough. As Cynthia begins to drift, Adam is confronted with a choice
that will test how much he is...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812980794
• ISBN13: 9780812980790
• Release Date: October 2010
• Publisher: Random House Trade
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.3" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Beautifully written and utterly engrossing

This is Jonathan Dee's fifth novel, following the incredible Palladio, and well worth the wait. Dee is a writer who takes on the cultural issues of the day, in his earlier work, advertising, materialism and fame, and weaves beautiful, lyrical narratives of the human lives that are affected by those themes. Dee is one of those rare writers whose sentences beg for a second read, so lovely and unexpected that one is happy to linger over them. There are those who will quickly dismiss these engrossing characters because they are rich, but the thoughtful reader will see beyond the superficiality of that sort of review and realize this is an unexpected and completely timely portrayal of people upon whom the obsessions of our culture have been visited with devastating effect.

Pure pleasure, author's rolling language pulls you along...

Reading this book is like riding the crest of a gentle wave. Every sentence rolls you forward to the next sentence, to the next paragraph, page, chapter... before you know it, you're halfway through the book. At the book's end, you glide on this riveting prose to a breathtaking stop. If you read like I do, you might feel like you're blinking awake after that final page. The ride is that swift and hypnotic. The author has this addicting method of moving and shifting his 'camera' seamlessly from character to character, so the reader is drawn from one character's perspective to the next, expertly controlled. The book is cool and wry and witty -- and in some places utterly outrageous -- all of which is perfectly suited to the story of this golden family. Without giving too much away, I want to praise the book as well for what a fascinating and charming teacher of lessons it can be. By creating characters who manage to be more "fabulous" than any of us middle-class normals could ever be (ha ha) and showing us their sometimes astonishing angst, the author makes us quite reflexively regard our own less fabulous lives, and, despite ourselves, feel what we might be taking for granted. The gentle shock I felt at being (gladly) manipulated to this epiphany made the book even more of a pleasure.

Chilling Portrait of the Ultra-Rich Living in Their Own Isolated World

Meet the Moreys: Adam, Cynthia, April, and Jonas. Adam and Cynthia married young (just barely out of college), and April and Jonas are their now college age offsprings. Soon after their marriage and graduation, Adam went to work for a Wall Street firm, and Cynthia for a magazine as an editorial assistant. When Adam was passed over for a promotion because he didn't have a Masters degree, he jumped ship to work for a hedge fund instead, where the founder and head honcho took an immediate liking to him because he thought they shared similar backgrounds and personalities (both were not born into wealth, but both had the intellect, people skills, and drive to succeed). With the birth of Jonas soon after April's, and unable to find a nanny to her liking, Cynthia decided to quit her job to become a full-time mother. By this time, Adam's single wage-earner income had become large enough to enable Cynthia to quit her job and for them to live in a nice New York City apartment and to send their kids to a private school just a few blocks from their home. Meanwhile, Adam's boss -- the founder of the hedge fund -- had recently surprised Adam with a $250,000 bonus check and hinted that someday Adam could inherit the entire business. Instead of being overjoyed, Cynthia actually expressed some disappointment to Adam that their wealth had not been growing much faster because soon they would need to find bigger living spaces so that their children wouldn't have to share a bedroom, and there were other things that were bothering her as well, such as being able to live her own life apart from taking care of the children, etc. Surprised that the "epic love" of his life had been unhappy, Adam was moved to spring into action, getting involved in on-the-side insider trading that lasted for years and netted him riches that before even turning 40 years old, he could have quit his job and retired, and his entire family of four would still be fully provided for for the rest of their lives. Were it not for a turn of events that forced him to stop cold turkey in order to hopefully avoid getting discovered by law enforcers, Cynthia would have been kept in the dark about their ill-gotten riches. In order to prepare her for any eventualities, however, Adam decided to confess to Cynthia. Cynthia's complete lack of moral indignation at what her husband had done should probably have caused the book's author to condemn her and Adam at this juncture, but the author had something else in mind. Instead, we're told that Adam successfully eluded discovery. What follow next are chilling and inexplicable accounts of obsession gone mad, living life in denial helped by moral relativism, and seemingly predictable portraits of the ill effects of money on children of the ultra-rich. We learn that despite knowing full well he never had to work again, Adam went on to run his own hedge fund, anyways, making even more money. But why? Why does he feel compelled to do so? We also lear

When a $250,000 Bonus isn't Enough.........

This is an interesting novel, reminding me of F. Scott Fitzgerald who portrayed the affluent and John Updike who revealed inner lives of Americans who respond to personal turmoil and obligations. But Jonathan Dee moves beyond typical with Adam and Cynthia who prove throughout the book they are a superbly well-matched couple. They view themselves as invincible and only need each other. They marry young, the story opens with their wedding, and they both exude rare confidence. Cynthia has meager feelings for anyone except Adam and her elusive father. Adam appears to have stepped out of his blue collar family and has found Cynthia, a true partner to help him triumph. What they both lack in conscience is made up in their aspirations for wealth and power. Adam is the star at a small investment firm where he does well every year earning large salaries and larger bonuses. But it is not enough for him. He steps out of the legitimate realm, hooks up with a small time crook and sets up a separate operation which boosts his income making him a rich man, who does not get caught. His timing is perfect; he shuts down this venture and later starts a hedge fund where investors beg him for inclusion, reminiscent of Bernie Madoff. They have two children, the daughter is the stereotypical spoiled brat who can do anything and her parents will bail her out no matter what. The son has more depth and some despair. Dee's characterizations of this family are rich with significant milestones in their lives. This could have been a trite story of how the rich live and it's never enough, but Dee's writing is excellent and I know people like Adam and Cynthia. They are real to me. Nothing dreadful happens to them, they in truth don't care about anyone. Adam believes one should leave a mark in this world or it's as if you never were here. I believed Adam's obsession with his success, Cynthia's obsession with his success and their strong belief they did no wrong. Everyone dances to their wishes and they live happily ever after in their privileged world.

Terrific writing

Set primarily in New York City, this novel begins with the wedding of Cynthia and Adam who are fresh out of college and very confident with who they are as a couple and where they want to go in their lives. Just by reading about the wedding, the reader is given insight into these characters and their relationship with each other as well as their families of origin. Relationships are strained with their birth families but the two of them fit together perfectly and view themselves as an island, only needing each other. Adam becomes very successful on Wall Street and Cynthia stays home to raise the two children born early in the marriage. The story continues across many years as the children grow into young adults who have very different reactions to being born into wealth and privilege. This was a story that I found to be engrossing. I found myself not wanting to stop reading when I really needed to and being sad when I realized I was coming to the end of the book. With this type of novel, the writer had the choice to let the characters become stereotypes or he could create characters who where just living their lives the best way they knew how and he chose the latter. The evolution of the couple from their middle-class roots to elite, super-rich power couple they become is handled brilliantly. While they may be oblivious and in their own little bubble, he doesn't portray them as inherently evil which is refreshing. Some of the angst Cynthia goes through in trying to raise the children the best way she knows how and being scared to death she is doing it wrong will resonate with all parents who read this novel - it crosses socio-economic barriers and is common to all parents who love their children. Watching how the children are molded by such an extreme life of privilege is fascinating and, at times, heartbreaking to read. The decisions they make and their life choices are a reaction to the environment in which they are raised. While often not likable, these characters are so three-dimensional that I was able to find some way to relate to them even while having a vastly different life style and family situation. I found myself thinking about the story when going about my day to day activities and that's the mark of a good writer for me. One of the best books I have read lately.