Silver Girl

Elin Hilderbrand
Reagan Arthur Books (2011)
ISBN 9780316099660
Reviewed by Tracey Rock for Reader Views (4/11)

 

Meredith Delinn has been married to Freddy Delinn, a success financial investor, for thirty years.  Their glamorous life was full of expensive jewelry, parties, trips, and plenty of friends who adored them.  All of this came to an end when Freddy was convicted of one of the largest ponzi schemes in history and sentenced to one hundred and fifty years in prison.  Since Meredith was married to him, she too was under investigation for her participation in the scheme, along with one of their sons who worked in Freddy’s company.  Not having anywhere to turn, Meredith calls her oldest and dearest friend Connie Flute, whom she hasn’t spoken to in three years.  She grew up with Connie, and even dated Connie’s brother Toby back when they were all in high school; but the two of them had exchanged unfavorable words about Freddy that had all but ended their friendship. 

While the whole world believed Meredith was guilty, Connie knew Meredith would never do such a thing.  Feeling alone after her husband died a few years ago and not sure where her daughter was at the moment, Connie reluctantly invites Meredith to come with her out to her house in Nantucket for the summer.  At first, Meredith tries to get her husband to help her with the pending charges against her and their son, but then she realizes that he has no interest in helping them.  He wants her to go to prison too and the evidence against her is not favorable.   Meredith realizes that for the past thirty years, her life was not what she thought it was.  Now she needs to use what pieces she remembers of her to save herself and her son from going to jail for crimes they didn’t commit.  Connie thought her life was over.  Now, she realizes with Meredith coming here, it would just be all about Meredith.  For the most part and especially in the beginning, that was true.  Her house had been spray painted, they were being stalked, there were reporters everywhere and they were in constant communication with the police chief.  The surprise for Connie came when she met and began dating Dan Flynn.  Connie did not believe she had any more love to give.  In the end, Meredith and Connie realized that they must work through their pasts in order to have any chance of future.

The primary character in “Silver Girl” was Meredith and Connie was her best friend.  The book, however, was being told from both Meredith and Connie’s perspective in alternating chapters of their past and present lives.  Although Connie was not the main character in the story, I liked her character better.  Meredith and Freddy’s character reminded me too much of Bernie and Ruth Madoff.  They just didn’t have the most favorable image for me and it seemed like their story was already told.  So, there was not a whole lot there that held my interest.  The writing itself was good but was a bit stale in that Meredith’s storyline didn’t really go anywhere.  It begins with Meredith losing everything - so now what?  The book began with that and it didn’t progress much.  However, Connie’s storyline was great.  Her husband died and she ends up not accepting her daughter for who she is so technically, she lost her daughter too.  She struggles to love herself, find love and also find her daughter.  Now, that’s a story.  Elin Hilderbrand missed that golden nugget.

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