Windfall
Buy the Book:Amazon
Published by: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: January 1, 1991
Pages: 333
ISBN13: 978-0671690281
Synopsis
Harriet Braintree is a New York literary agent involved with a man perfect in every way except for the Dreaded Disease of the ‘90’s . Commitment Phobia. But all that is about to change when Harrie Suddenly inherits a Long Island Gatsby-like mansion and seven million dollars from a deceased friend and neighbor. Overnight, she is transformed form a thirty-two-year-old struggling career woman of solid middle-class stock to Lade of the Manor.
Her first order of business is to restore the now-dilapidated Blackfern castle to its original glory, despite boyfriend Dean Carrothers’ apprehension about so “romantic” a use for her newfound wealth. Dean is a wanna-be Wall Street whiz kid who lives under the heavy weight of his overbearing tycoon father’s stock portfolio. Convinced that his ethereal, refined late mother made the crucial difference in his father’s destiny, Dean too is waiting for Ms. Right (right name, right schools, right bloodline) to steer him to fame and glory, even though in his heart he knows he could do no better than Harrie.
Harrie, meanwhile, caught up in a whirlwind of floor plans and fantasy, dreams of a happily-ever-after ending to their two-year relationship. But the house doesn’t cast a romantic spell that sends the couple rushing to the alter; instead, Dean finds himself more confused and less in control of a situation he is certain is doomed to fail. So while the mansion comes to life again, the foundation of Harrie and Dean’s relationship begin to crumble. Until Fortune intervene in more unexpected ways than one…
Praise
"Paetro's third (following Babydreams, 1989, and Manshare, 1986) is a larkish tidbit that goes nicely with pi§a coladas and beach umbrellas—a trendy fantasy for the sorts of girls who invariably give their hearts to altar-shy guys. Harriet Braintree is a New York City literary agent with a cute apartment in the Village, lots of fun friends, and Dean—a handsome Wall Street investment broker who's been the light of her life for two years. Clearly, she's got marriage on her mind, but he's a tangle of modern male confusions, including the requisite Oedipal complex, dyslexia, career inadequacies (since handling his rich dad's portfolio is the only reason he's kept on at his brokerage house), and some big doubts about Harrie. Things only get worse between them when Harrie's dear old neighbor, Mr. Tuckman, dies, leaving her a pink elephant Long Island mansion called Blackfern and a couple of million to restore it with. The pressure of handling her dough drives Dean over the edge, sending him into svelte Laura Taft's bed, though Harrie retaliates by shacking up with her architect, Roger Mayhew. Alas, Roger turns out to be just as incapable of commitment as Dean, but in the time it takes Harrie to find it out, Dean turns over a new leaf. And before you can say ``I do,'' Dean banged Harrie's door with 200 roses and a connubial gleam in his eyes. It's all neatly poised between flippancy and sentiment: a smooth, wish-fulfilling ride for thirtysomething-ish females."
– Kirkus Reviews
"Did you ever wonder what happened to those jubilant folks you see winning the Florida lottery or the Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes? Maxine Paetro gives you an excellent, if fictional, way to find out with her story of Harriet Braintree, A New York Literary agent who gets richer than rich faster than fast.
In her head, Harriet is living in a castle on a hill, the distaff half of Prince and Mrs. Charming. In her life, she’s living in a cramped apartment, unable, at 32, to get her lover Dean to say the “m” word out loud. You’d think fantasy would become reality when she inherits $7 million and a Gatsby-esque mansion on Long Island. Well, you’d think wrong. Ms. Paetro puts a sophisticated comedic spin on the an old axiom, “Be careful what you wish for, for you will surely get it."
- The Atlanta Journal
"This novel follows its protagonist, Harriet Braintree (a literary agent for romance novels), through the ups and downs of a very 1990s romance. Paetro creates engaging characters who are mostly thirty-something living in Manhattan and struggling with family issues, career woes, and the C word (commitment). Harrie has to contend with a highly skittish, WASPish boyfriend and a multimillion-dollar inheritance complete with a magnificent if decrepit mansion, which further complicates her already tenuous love relationship. An enjoyable and at times, fanciable romp that will have readers cheering on a wonderfully earthy and lovable heroine."
– Alice Joyce
Excerpt
“Yes, ma'am,” Dean said. He covered her hand with his and gave her a sidelong glance. Harrie looked terrified, he thought. But that was OK. That made two of them. Although he was terrified for completely different reasons. Harrie was having a good kind of terror. Unexpected bounty. Seven million dollars in a dream house. She was afraid of being rich and happy, or to be fair, Harrie had a basic fear of the unknown.
He was having an entirely different fear, or maybe a bunch of fears. What would people think about her seven million in his hands? He was managing her money, right? So he was making money from her. She was, in effect, paying him. What would that make him? A gigolo? A mooch? An opportunist? He clamped his jaws tightly closed. No matter how honestly he managed her account, people would always be looking at him a little funny—human smarmy nature.