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First Born
Spanning twenty tumultuous years, and moving from the glittering world of Paris high-fashion to the headquarters of luxury hotel conglomerate, from the set of a prime-time TV sizzler to a major Senate race, First Born unfolds the lives of four fascinating women whose destinies compel them toward a violent clash of ambition and love.
691 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
40 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
About the author
Doris Mortman
34 books44 followersI was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico—before it was chic. My family moved to the East when I was three. I grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey and went to Skidmore College when it was still an all girl's school.
Being a lifelong wordsmith led me to such jobs as writing copy at ad agencies and doing sales promotions at Mademoiselle magazine. My first book, Circles, was published in 1984 as a paperback original and stayed on The New York Times Bestseller List for three months. Since then, I've published First Born, Rightfully Mine, The Wild Rose, True Colors, The Lucky Ones, Out of Nowhere, Before and Again, Shades of Red, and recently The Nest, the first in a series: Country Club Crimes. With both the hard and soft cover publications, I've resided on Bestseller Lists many times and have nearly twenty million books in print worldwide, with translations in fourteen languages.
I've been married for thirty-one years to a classic Type A personality who works hard, plays hard, sleeps fast, thinks deeply, and believes that commuting is a form of vehicular combat. I have two grown children, a daughter-in-law and two gorgeous grand girls!
My hobbies include golf, bridge and raising funds for breast cancer research.
Being a lifelong wordsmith led me to such jobs as writing copy at ad agencies and doing sales promotions at Mademoiselle magazine. My first book, Circles, was published in 1984 as a paperback original and stayed on The New York Times Bestseller List for three months. Since then, I've published First Born, Rightfully Mine, The Wild Rose, True Colors, The Lucky Ones, Out of Nowhere, Before and Again, Shades of Red, and recently The Nest, the first in a series: Country Club Crimes. With both the hard and soft cover publications, I've resided on Bestseller Lists many times and have nearly twenty million books in print worldwide, with translations in fourteen languages.
I've been married for thirty-one years to a classic Type A personality who works hard, plays hard, sleeps fast, thinks deeply, and believes that commuting is a form of vehicular combat. I have two grown children, a daughter-in-law and two gorgeous grand girls!
My hobbies include golf, bridge and raising funds for breast cancer research.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 28, 2015
It's beyond my understanding how this novel was never optioned for a television mini-series. Throw in Lisa Hartman Black, Lindsay Wagner, maybe Pamela Sue Anderson and you've got the ingredients for a sudsy soaper of a three night event. At 691 pages, nowhere did this chunky feast of 80s yumminess disappoint. There's the usual backstabbing, cat fights, deaths, births, and other assorted drama jeopardizing the four central female characters. But Doris Mortman handles the plot with grace and fleshes each character out with finesse. This one will not disappoint.
March 9, 2013
I highly recommend this book! I am not into lengthy descriptions usually but this book really captured my attention. I really cared about the characters and what happens to them. It's a bit like watching a soap opera tv show like Dallas but much better. Satisfies my chick lit craving LOL
July 2, 2015
It read like an 80's TV drama..think Dynasty. Great character development and quite an involved and engaging plot. If you're into drama, like descriptive narratives and want to get swept up in the land of the wealthy and opulent, this is the book for you. Thoroughly enjoyed the 600+ page read!
May 5, 2014
As usual, Doris Mortman delivers a wonderful tale. I'm so glad I found this author. Her books would make for great mini-series. I really had a hard time putting the book down because the story shifts from one character to another. I couldn't wait to see what would happen from chapter to chapter. All the characters were very well written. Loads of emotion! You cheer for the over-comers and grin when the wrong-doers get their due. This is not a short book (around 700 pages), but it flies by. Such a talented author!!!
March 29, 2020
I’ve read more ‘80s soap opera, family dynasty type of books than I care to admit. I picked this one up feeling a little nostalgic and wanting some escapist fake drama. Well, I got the fake drama, but I can’t believe I wasted so much time dragging myself though this. Just because you take your characters through ludicrously contrived conflicts, spread out over about 20 years, doesn’t mean they’re actually round or dynamic.
If I ever want to trip down memory lane again, I’ll go back to Judith Krantz. That woman could write some great escapist melodramatic smut. :-)
If I ever want to trip down memory lane again, I’ll go back to Judith Krantz. That woman could write some great escapist melodramatic smut. :-)
June 16, 2012
One of the best I've read in a long time. Engaging characters and situations. Touches even the heartstring. Here's the full review:
http://sleaze-factor.blogspot.ca/2012...
http://sleaze-factor.blogspot.ca/2012...
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February 7, 2011I enjoyed reading this book. It exposes the fact of sibling rivalry, and living a priviledged life. I understood these characters and could identify with them.
August 24, 2013
Enjoyed this family saga of cousins who share the same name yet have very different lives.
December 13, 2024
"First Born" is a family saga centered around four women, all named Frances Rebecca, after their grandmother who passed away in 1939. The original Frances Rebecca had five children: Molly, Jacob, Tessa, Benjamin, and Lillie. From these siblings, four daughters were born to carry on their grandmother's legacy, and luckily, they all had nicknames. Tessa's daughter is Cissie, Benjamin has two daughters named Becca and Jinx, while Lillie's daughter is Frankie.
The story is filled with drama reminiscent of 1980s soap operas, similar to the works of Barbara Taylor Bradford, Jackie Collins, and Danielle Steel. The characters are strikingly beautiful, fabulously wealthy, and often burdened by despicable personality traits. The plot is intricate and well thought out, weaving the characters together in ways only a classic soap opera could achieve.
Though the themes of broken relationships, the backstabbing fueled by ambition, and the soul-sucking jealousy are somewhat intriguing, I found the motivations behind many of the characters' actions trivial and implausible. I suppose that's part of the entertainment. Ultimately, I wish I had saved myself the time spent reading 728 pages.
The story is filled with drama reminiscent of 1980s soap operas, similar to the works of Barbara Taylor Bradford, Jackie Collins, and Danielle Steel. The characters are strikingly beautiful, fabulously wealthy, and often burdened by despicable personality traits. The plot is intricate and well thought out, weaving the characters together in ways only a classic soap opera could achieve.
Though the themes of broken relationships, the backstabbing fueled by ambition, and the soul-sucking jealousy are somewhat intriguing, I found the motivations behind many of the characters' actions trivial and implausible. I suppose that's part of the entertainment. Ultimately, I wish I had saved myself the time spent reading 728 pages.
July 27, 2020
Not a bad story. First it may come boring with the lengthy descriptions and such but eventually got used to it. I would love to see this book on tv! since it gave off that feeling. Anyways there were many times i "wtf" because really.... 3 dudes just died in this story. I actually thought Frankie would be next but gladly she wwasnttt. The ending was satisfying. Tho I was kinda hoping for the sisters reunion together but Becca was just ruining it so no thanks lol.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2017
it was a great book . I recommend this book
June 26, 2021
A look at four successful cousins and how their lives intertwine and clash. Escapist fun.
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January 14, 2022Read in French: 'La Fille Adoptive'.
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December 30, 2022Read 1989
March 18, 2024
Great book
Want to read
November 25, 2025Detroit Free Press
A Fabulous Novel
A Fabulous Novel
February 20, 2011
I would give this book a 2.5 if I could - maybe I'll change my mind by the time I finish it. (It is 691 pages of small, dense type/paperback)
Mortman is good at creating characters that, if you can't care about them, they at least interest you. She is also able to create an intricate, often unseen (by the characters) connection among them. Her writing style is solid, good vocabulary, nice exposure to other countries. But .... unless you really, and I mean reeeaaalllly, get into minute descriptions of not only the general surroundings, but of every gown, hairstyle, jewel and make-up effect; of descriptions of parties that would make the society columnist's eyes glaze over: every type of china, crystal, damask; chandallier (is that 3 stories up or 4? and is that 150 bulbs or 1050?); furniture grouping; whether the banister was sanded down and refinished in its original mahogany or gilt was added ... and I haven't even gotten to the scenery! LA, Vail, Phoenix, New York, Paris, London, Thailand, Saigon ... Fortunately the author doesn't seem to be enamored by cars, so we are spared detailed descriptions of them.
This could have been a very good book. (In my opinion) it needs to be about one-third its original length - everything vital and interesting could be said and shown in that amount of space. As it stands, her characters are drowning in the minutiae of her descriptions, which add little, if anything, to the real story. One reviewer said "Filled with romance, intrigue and suspense..." (AP) I saw that and thought "What???!!! Yes, romance and intrigue, but my gosh, any suspense that might be lurking in there is so well buried beneath adjectives and adverbs that I'll nod off before my heart has a chance to raise a beat!"
Next, if she wanted to describe a way of living, and an era gone by (which is what I'm guessing her goal was), I would have loved it if she had done it through the events of the times rather than the fashions. She covers the tail end of WWII, and then sort of jumps to the Vietnam War. Her characters are intimately involved/tied to these events.
UPDATE:
I finished the book because I wanted to see how the characters' relationships and lives resolved. I don't regret it but I doubt I'll be reading anything by this author again. If you enjoy detailed descriptions of everything, then this is the book for you; there are certainly many authors out there who have been successful with this style of writing (of course, I haven't read many of them LOL).
Mortman is good at creating characters that, if you can't care about them, they at least interest you. She is also able to create an intricate, often unseen (by the characters) connection among them. Her writing style is solid, good vocabulary, nice exposure to other countries. But .... unless you really, and I mean reeeaaalllly, get into minute descriptions of not only the general surroundings, but of every gown, hairstyle, jewel and make-up effect; of descriptions of parties that would make the society columnist's eyes glaze over: every type of china, crystal, damask; chandallier (is that 3 stories up or 4? and is that 150 bulbs or 1050?); furniture grouping; whether the banister was sanded down and refinished in its original mahogany or gilt was added ... and I haven't even gotten to the scenery! LA, Vail, Phoenix, New York, Paris, London, Thailand, Saigon ... Fortunately the author doesn't seem to be enamored by cars, so we are spared detailed descriptions of them.
This could have been a very good book. (In my opinion) it needs to be about one-third its original length - everything vital and interesting could be said and shown in that amount of space. As it stands, her characters are drowning in the minutiae of her descriptions, which add little, if anything, to the real story. One reviewer said "Filled with romance, intrigue and suspense..." (AP) I saw that and thought "What???!!! Yes, romance and intrigue, but my gosh, any suspense that might be lurking in there is so well buried beneath adjectives and adverbs that I'll nod off before my heart has a chance to raise a beat!"
Next, if she wanted to describe a way of living, and an era gone by (which is what I'm guessing her goal was), I would have loved it if she had done it through the events of the times rather than the fashions. She covers the tail end of WWII, and then sort of jumps to the Vietnam War. Her characters are intimately involved/tied to these events.
UPDATE:
I finished the book because I wanted to see how the characters' relationships and lives resolved. I don't regret it but I doubt I'll be reading anything by this author again. If you enjoy detailed descriptions of everything, then this is the book for you; there are certainly many authors out there who have been successful with this style of writing (of course, I haven't read many of them LOL).
February 19, 2017
An older book I came across in a 2nd hand book dealer place.
This is a large book, covers the stories if the first born daughters of an immigrant couple.
I did enjoy the book, I did find it a bit hard to remember which one of the Francis's was which.
Found the Frankie character really annoying, and her ultimate betrayal of her cousin was terrible.
The illegitimate daughter had a sad life, even when she eventually found love and had a daughter, her life turned again.
Some horrid characters in this story, some very feeble characters too, but as a whole it works.
This is a large book, covers the stories if the first born daughters of an immigrant couple.
I did enjoy the book, I did find it a bit hard to remember which one of the Francis's was which.
Found the Frankie character really annoying, and her ultimate betrayal of her cousin was terrible.
The illegitimate daughter had a sad life, even when she eventually found love and had a daughter, her life turned again.
Some horrid characters in this story, some very feeble characters too, but as a whole it works.
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May 18, 2009Easy reading
August 16, 2016
A very enjoyable book. Great story, good characters.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews