Belva Plain - Treasures

53. Treasures by Belva Plain (1992)
Length: 517 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Started: 11 September 2010
Finished: 17 September 2010
Where did it come from? From Bookmooch
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 11 September 2010
Why do I have it? I like Belva Plain as an author and have read and enjoyed several books by this author in the past.

Sweeping from a small midwestern town in Ohio to Manhattan's Wall Street; all the way from elegant Fifth Avenue to a starkly cramped prison cell...Treasures is the story of a simple family - united by blood but torn apart by vastly different dreams. The Osborne family had always been incredibly close, yet with the deaths of Vernon and Peg Osborne; their grief-stricken children - Lara, Connie and Eddy - soon decide to go their separate ways. However, while their dreams of success, and the separation of time and distance may very well take its toll - will the strength of their family bonds ultimately keep the Osborne siblings together?

The eldest child is twenty-eight-year-old Lara, the self-styled 'mother hen' of her family. Having cared for her siblings from a relatively young age, Lara has become something of a homebody - happily married and still living in her childhood hometown. Although Lara is ostensibly a contented young wife, married to a loving and successful husband, she still holds a secret longing deep within her heart: she dreams of having a family of her own one day; a child to ultimately make her feel complete - a child that will make herself and her husband's life together wholly worthwhile.

Vernon Edward Osborne, Jr. is the financial wizard of the family. While the twenty-five-year-old middle child of the family may prefer to be called Eddy by his friends and family - he soon begins to realize that when it comes to the business of making money, personal preferences matter very little. Eddy is bright and ambitious, and is dedicated to making a name for himself as the rising star of Wall Street. Yet even though Eddy is ready to seize all that life has to offer, does Wall Street's own 'wonder boy' ultimately have the qualities that he needs in order to make millions - or the ruthlessness to use his family and friends to become successful in life.

The youngest child is twenty-year-old Connie, a wild and lovely young woman whose vibrant personality is much closer in temperament to her brother Eddy, rather than her sister Lara. Connie's dreams may be similar to those of her sister, yet she doesn't feel that she can be as patient as Lara when it comes to achieving those dreams: she is ultimately looking for wealth - either to make it for herself or to marry into it. However, will Connie's choices in love and life make her truly happy?

Theirs is a family ultimately caught up in the tides of scandal; alternately rocked by waves of infedelity, betrayal, shame and prison. Although they are torn between conflicting loyalties and devotion to their loved ones - the Osbornes will finally discover what is truly important to themselves and those they love most, as they are all swept toward a fate where dreams must inevitably end or be reborn anew.

Despite already having a copy of this book somewhere on my bookshelf, I seem to have lost track of it, so Mareena recently requested a second copy for me to read. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. In my opinion, Belva Plain is such a fabulous author; she is so creative and capable of developing such believable characters, as well as remarkably thoughtful and poignant stories. I would give this book a definite A+!

A+! - (96-100%)

Till we Meet Again, Glow Brightly as Moonlight