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20th Century #3
Love and Money
ONE IS RICH, THE OTHER POOR -- TWO SISTERS, IN LOVE WITH THE SAME MAN
DOLORES DAHLEN: Dubbed "The Million Dollar Baby," she grew up fearing no one would love her if she wasn't rich - even after she found a man who adored her...
SLASH STEINER: From humble beginnings, he created himself in Gatsbyesque style, made a fortune on Wall Street and won Dee Dee Dahlen - until their differences drove him to love another woman...
LANA BANTRY: Abandoned to poverty by her real father, she rose to the top in the glamorous cosmetics business. But money couldn't fill the void left by her father....
DOLORES DAHLEN: Dubbed "The Million Dollar Baby," she grew up fearing no one would love her if she wasn't rich - even after she found a man who adored her...
SLASH STEINER: From humble beginnings, he created himself in Gatsbyesque style, made a fortune on Wall Street and won Dee Dee Dahlen - until their differences drove him to love another woman...
LANA BANTRY: Abandoned to poverty by her real father, she rose to the top in the glamorous cosmetics business. But money couldn't fill the void left by her father....
404 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
337 people are currently reading
637 people want to read
About the author
Ruth Harris
23 books36 followersRuth Harris is a New York Times and Amazon bestselling author and a Romantic Times award winner for “best contemporary.” Ruth’s emotional, entertaining fiction has topped Amazon’s Movers and Shakers list and her highly praised novels have sold millions of copies in hard cover, paperback and ebook editions, been translated into 19 languages, sold in 30 countries, and were prominent selections of leading book clubs including the Literary Guild and the Book Of The Month Club. In their e-book editions, Ruth's novels have been featured on Ereader News Today, Pixel of Ink and Kindle Nation Daily.
Ruth writes about strong, savvy, smart and witty women who struggle to succeed and, when sometimes they don’t get what they want, they find something even better along the way. Critics have compared Ruth to Nora Ephron and Joan Didion and called her books "brilliant," “steamy,” "stylishly written," ”richly plotted,” “first-class entertainment” and “a sure thing.”
With her husband, Michael, Ruth indulges her wild side and writes bestselling thrillers with vivid characters, international backgrounds and compelling plots. Their thrillers have made numerous appearances in the top 3 of Kindle’s prestigious Movers & Shakers list; in the Top 100 in the Kindle Store; Hooked has appeared continually on three Medical bestseller lists since its publication; #1 and #2 on two different Political bestseller lists; #14 on the Thrillers bestseller list.
Publisher’s Weekly called Ruth's and Michael's thrillers "Slick and sexy [with] all the sure elements of a big seller written by pros who know how to tell a story.” Readers have raved, calling their books “awesome,” “gripping,” “chilling,” “a must-read,” and “a real page-turner.”
It's no surprise Ruth is a writer. Her Mom was an RN who had a trove of big-city hospital stories—some funny, some sad, some touching—and told them with great style. Her Dad loved words, word play and language (Ruth still has his collection of dictionaries) and he is remembered by those who knew him as "always reading." Ruth's paternal grandfather was noted for his extensive library and both her parents were avid readers: her Mom loved popular fiction and her Dad bought four or five newspapers every day and subscribed to what seemed to be every magazine published—from Life and Look to BusinessWeek and Organic Gardening.
As a girl, Ruth wanted to be a professional ice skater. In her teens, she wanted to be a lawyer—a summer job in a law office cured her! After college, she got a beginner's job in publishing and her career path—first as an editor and then as a writer—was set.
Ruth writes about strong, savvy, smart and witty women who struggle to succeed and, when sometimes they don’t get what they want, they find something even better along the way. Critics have compared Ruth to Nora Ephron and Joan Didion and called her books "brilliant," “steamy,” "stylishly written," ”richly plotted,” “first-class entertainment” and “a sure thing.”
With her husband, Michael, Ruth indulges her wild side and writes bestselling thrillers with vivid characters, international backgrounds and compelling plots. Their thrillers have made numerous appearances in the top 3 of Kindle’s prestigious Movers & Shakers list; in the Top 100 in the Kindle Store; Hooked has appeared continually on three Medical bestseller lists since its publication; #1 and #2 on two different Political bestseller lists; #14 on the Thrillers bestseller list.
Publisher’s Weekly called Ruth's and Michael's thrillers "Slick and sexy [with] all the sure elements of a big seller written by pros who know how to tell a story.” Readers have raved, calling their books “awesome,” “gripping,” “chilling,” “a must-read,” and “a real page-turner.”
It's no surprise Ruth is a writer. Her Mom was an RN who had a trove of big-city hospital stories—some funny, some sad, some touching—and told them with great style. Her Dad loved words, word play and language (Ruth still has his collection of dictionaries) and he is remembered by those who knew him as "always reading." Ruth's paternal grandfather was noted for his extensive library and both her parents were avid readers: her Mom loved popular fiction and her Dad bought four or five newspapers every day and subscribed to what seemed to be every magazine published—from Life and Look to BusinessWeek and Organic Gardening.
As a girl, Ruth wanted to be a professional ice skater. In her teens, she wanted to be a lawyer—a summer job in a law office cured her! After college, she got a beginner's job in publishing and her career path—first as an editor and then as a writer—was set.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
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October 25, 2017FREE on Amazon today (10/25/2017)!
May 20, 2012
Love And Money is the 3rd book in the 20th Century Series by Ruth Harris and again I am effortlessly transported back in time. The dazzling world of Wall Street comes to life as we enter the world of the Dahlen family in the 1950’s and their journey into the 1980’s. It is a stunning portrait of a family obsessed with love, money and fear. A family rich in wealth yet devoid of emotional stability and love. A family that is headed down an unforeseen path of great wealth and prosperity. A family full of secrets and betrayal on a collision course of emotional upheaval and destruction.
Deedee Dahlen was born with the proverbial “Silver Spoon” in her mouth. A million dollar heiress who learns that money can’t protect her from the trials and tribulations of life.
Lana Bantry was born poor and never knew her father as a child. She is strong and tenacious and her story reflects a time when women were struggling for their rightful place in the business world. She is fueled by anger and resentment that keeps her emotionally void of love in her life.
Slash Steiner was adopted from an orphanage by a wonderful family and always vowed that he would be rich one day. He is determined and strong yet struggles to find his place in the business world as well as in the Dahlen family.
The characters are brought to life by the tremendously descriptive writing as you take on their journey as they progress and grow throughout the story. The dialogue between characters is real and believable and the historical events of the time period are woven into the story with compassion and ease.
This is a highly charged emotional story that spans decades of the Dahlen family. It is fast paced and full of twists and turns that will keep you engaged in the story. It is a tale of a family that is perceived to the outside world as having it all yet behind closed doors face tremendous hardship, scandal and ultimately love and survival.
I highly recommend this book to all readers; I totally enjoyed and was swept away with the story.
Deedee Dahlen was born with the proverbial “Silver Spoon” in her mouth. A million dollar heiress who learns that money can’t protect her from the trials and tribulations of life.
Lana Bantry was born poor and never knew her father as a child. She is strong and tenacious and her story reflects a time when women were struggling for their rightful place in the business world. She is fueled by anger and resentment that keeps her emotionally void of love in her life.
Slash Steiner was adopted from an orphanage by a wonderful family and always vowed that he would be rich one day. He is determined and strong yet struggles to find his place in the business world as well as in the Dahlen family.
The characters are brought to life by the tremendously descriptive writing as you take on their journey as they progress and grow throughout the story. The dialogue between characters is real and believable and the historical events of the time period are woven into the story with compassion and ease.
This is a highly charged emotional story that spans decades of the Dahlen family. It is fast paced and full of twists and turns that will keep you engaged in the story. It is a tale of a family that is perceived to the outside world as having it all yet behind closed doors face tremendous hardship, scandal and ultimately love and survival.
I highly recommend this book to all readers; I totally enjoyed and was swept away with the story.
November 7, 2017
Such lives!
It is hard to imagine people living lives like those in this book but it was fun reading. My only complaint is that there were too many repeated storylines, almost summaries of what had already been told.
It is hard to imagine people living lives like those in this book but it was fun reading. My only complaint is that there were too many repeated storylines, almost summaries of what had already been told.
October 27, 2017
Love and Money by Ruth Harris
Plot - good, ending disappointing. Characters - two dimensional. No clear point of view makes them fake, not believable. Writing - poor. Mixing points of view between universal and third person points of views. The writer tells rather than shows. Recommendation: Not really.
Plot - good, ending disappointing. Characters - two dimensional. No clear point of view makes them fake, not believable. Writing - poor. Mixing points of view between universal and third person points of views. The writer tells rather than shows. Recommendation: Not really.
May 7, 2024
This is the 3rd book in the series. It's a series in that it deals with common themes -- 20th century life, professional women, gender roles, money (and the lack of it), etc. By this point, Harris has plumbed this ground extensively and her ideas for the plot feel somewhat lacking.
April 9, 2020
This is the first novel I've read from American author Ruth Harris. I've read an ebook version of it.
From the start, this book reminded me "The great Gatsby", which I saw the movie, but didn't read the book. Although the stories are set several decades apart, it shared many similarities in the way opulent life styles is described as well as the fight between 'old money' and 'new money'and other subjects.
In this book, the story is about a family saga of 3 generations with each member of the family receiving too much or too little love and/or money during childhood. Thus, the author was also ebing able to develop the analysis of the impact of having too little or too much love or money on an individual's life as an adult, his interrelationship with other people whom are their opposite, and especially with those who gave them too little love and too little money.
While the book might look as a long written commercial for the Riches and Famous, there are real psychological analyses and lessons of life to learn in this book. The main reason that I didn't give a 5th star is because the story is too straight forward with no suspense no intrigue. The story is predictable, but still worth reading.
From the start, this book reminded me "The great Gatsby", which I saw the movie, but didn't read the book. Although the stories are set several decades apart, it shared many similarities in the way opulent life styles is described as well as the fight between 'old money' and 'new money'and other subjects.
In this book, the story is about a family saga of 3 generations with each member of the family receiving too much or too little love and/or money during childhood. Thus, the author was also ebing able to develop the analysis of the impact of having too little or too much love or money on an individual's life as an adult, his interrelationship with other people whom are their opposite, and especially with those who gave them too little love and too little money.
While the book might look as a long written commercial for the Riches and Famous, there are real psychological analyses and lessons of life to learn in this book. The main reason that I didn't give a 5th star is because the story is too straight forward with no suspense no intrigue. The story is predictable, but still worth reading.
October 31, 2017
Follow the dream!
From the great-grand parents down to the newest grand child, follow the stock market through a family and all of its trials and tribulations. From blue blood to the babies born on the wrong side of the blanket, all the ups and downs, the back stabbings and underhanded dealings in the world of high finance. Read and learn.
From the great-grand parents down to the newest grand child, follow the stock market through a family and all of its trials and tribulations. From blue blood to the babies born on the wrong side of the blanket, all the ups and downs, the back stabbings and underhanded dealings in the world of high finance. Read and learn.
March 12, 2018
Excellent!
This has been the second book I've read from the Park Avenue Collection. The other was The last of the romantics. Both have powerful characters . Even in their flaws they are so within human nature. Looking forward to read the others. You truly are one of my favorite authors.
This has been the second book I've read from the Park Avenue Collection. The other was The last of the romantics. Both have powerful characters . Even in their flaws they are so within human nature. Looking forward to read the others. You truly are one of my favorite authors.
November 15, 2017
Maybe it should be love or money
Great story about the twists around money and love. Can you have both of do you have to choose? Is it possible to make yourself a wealthy person if you are born into poverty?
To find out you will have read the book. Good read.
Great story about the twists around money and love. Can you have both of do you have to choose? Is it possible to make yourself a wealthy person if you are born into poverty?
To find out you will have read the book. Good read.
April 19, 2018
I couldn't finish this book, I found it boring and hard to get into. I spent more time researching real history mentioned in the book than I did reading the book. I only got as far as chapter 8 before I gave up. It was a free offer through BookBub, at least I didn't waste my money.
January 14, 2018
I enjoyed this book. It is the first of a series and I might read the rest but need to give it a break for now.
March 27, 2019
.
Was a very good book. Enjoyed reading it and will probably read more of this author's books in the future.
Was a very good book. Enjoyed reading it and will probably read more of this author's books in the future.
October 20, 2019
good story but disappointed plot, but to be honest I liked it.
December 5, 2019
Love and Money
A thought provoking book that highlights the unintended consequences of family secrets. A tribute to strong, ambitious women. Excellent read.
A thought provoking book that highlights the unintended consequences of family secrets. A tribute to strong, ambitious women. Excellent read.
December 15, 2022
The overall plot would have been more intriguing had the prose been less boring!
Want to read
August 4, 2024dr phil recommendation
July 29, 2025
About a poor girl a rich girl and a poor guy and the rich girl’s family. if you want revenge dig two graves. Story of love and money and what it does to you.
May 29, 2012
Two words that come to mind to describe Love and Money are archetypical and epic. The story of a child born to privilege who ends up raised by poor parents is as old as Oedipus. I have vague memories, although I haven’t been able to dredge the details from the recesses of my memory, of a kid’s folk tale with two sons of a king, one raised in the castle and the other by peasants. These character types can be the basis of a great story, comparing the differences in the lives and personalities of the two characters.
It is epic, in that it follows the story of the sisters from birth until well into adulthood. The story covers a lot of ground, both in time and experience of the main characters. Think of something by Alex Hailey and the like. At more than 125,000 words, Love and Honor isn’t a quick read.
Although I largely enjoyed the book, I did a double take when a new product took poor-girl Lana’s company from “a regional business” to a player nationally or internationally three different times, with no indication the company had fallen on hard times in between. And the two sisters were described as step-sisters in at least one spot, which wasn’t technically true (they’re half-sisters). But these are just nitpicking. Overall Love and Honor was a fun, entertaining, and at times, thought provoking read.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
It is epic, in that it follows the story of the sisters from birth until well into adulthood. The story covers a lot of ground, both in time and experience of the main characters. Think of something by Alex Hailey and the like. At more than 125,000 words, Love and Honor isn’t a quick read.
Although I largely enjoyed the book, I did a double take when a new product took poor-girl Lana’s company from “a regional business” to a player nationally or internationally three different times, with no indication the company had fallen on hard times in between. And the two sisters were described as step-sisters in at least one spot, which wasn’t technically true (they’re half-sisters). But these are just nitpicking. Overall Love and Honor was a fun, entertaining, and at times, thought provoking read.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
March 19, 2015
This is the tale of three people born at the end of WW2, in the US, in wildly different circumstances. DeeDee is a Million dollar baby, endowed with a trust fund at birth back when a Million Dollars was really something. Gold was $35 / ounce and American's couldn't own any. On the same day a another baby girl is born to a poor single mother in a small NE town. What almost no one knows is that DeeDee and Lana are half sisters; one an American heiress, the other a nameless bastard. A few years earlier another nameless bastard was born to an actress / dancer in USO shows. After struggling for several months she took him to an orphanage and left him to be raised by the priests and nuns. His first name is indicated by a “/” so he adopts the name Slash and is eventually adopted by a middle class family from Long Island.
When Slash's father is fired from DeeDee's father's firm; Slash seeks retribution and succeeds in having his father reinstated and getting a job for himself. While Lana struggles to build a career for herself in the beauty industry, Slash sets out to marry DeeDee and take over Wall St. These characters intersect repeated in obvious and less than obvious ways. There is a lot of tragedy, angst and pain, one-upmanship & revenge
When Slash's father is fired from DeeDee's father's firm; Slash seeks retribution and succeeds in having his father reinstated and getting a job for himself. While Lana struggles to build a career for herself in the beauty industry, Slash sets out to marry DeeDee and take over Wall St. These characters intersect repeated in obvious and less than obvious ways. There is a lot of tragedy, angst and pain, one-upmanship & revenge
did-not-finish
December 25, 2017I give up.
I have thought I was going to finish it after a break, but I have changed my mind. There are too many other books to read.
I still think that the story was interesting. Nonetheless (as I wrote earlier) the storytelling is fatiguing. It reminded me more of a newspaper than a novel. In other words: I was reading with interest a few paragraph, pages, after which reader expects dialogues, interactions, descriptions which make able painting a picture in my mind. But in this book, there weren't coming. Or there were so short it was frustrating.
Moreover, the characters were too fitted to the story. Like Ruth Harris was forming them (changing conceptions of them) during reading the book. It should be the way around. A writer should have had first rather characters than the story.
I am not saying I will never ever try to finish it, but it is unlikely.
[It was free pick from Amazon.]
I have thought I was going to finish it after a break, but I have changed my mind. There are too many other books to read.
I still think that the story was interesting. Nonetheless (as I wrote earlier) the storytelling is fatiguing. It reminded me more of a newspaper than a novel. In other words: I was reading with interest a few paragraph, pages, after which reader expects dialogues, interactions, descriptions which make able painting a picture in my mind. But in this book, there weren't coming. Or there were so short it was frustrating.
Moreover, the characters were too fitted to the story. Like Ruth Harris was forming them (changing conceptions of them) during reading the book. It should be the way around. A writer should have had first rather characters than the story.
I am not saying I will never ever try to finish it, but it is unlikely.
[It was free pick from Amazon.]
August 25, 2015
Did it bother anyone else that Slash Steiner seriously referred to himself as "Slash" and NO ONE thought it sounded like a serial killer???!!!
Despite that, this book was a typical chick lit--- super rich people mixing with the bad boy (Slash) and bad girl (Lana) from the wrong side of the tracks. This book held my attention and I was entertained by it. But the one thing that bothered me was that I didn't really connect with any of the characters. Slash was a jerk, Deedee was stuck up, Lana was an idiot, the rest of the Dahlens/Lancomes were a bunch of pretentious assholes.
Despite that, this book was a typical chick lit--- super rich people mixing with the bad boy (Slash) and bad girl (Lana) from the wrong side of the tracks. This book held my attention and I was entertained by it. But the one thing that bothered me was that I didn't really connect with any of the characters. Slash was a jerk, Deedee was stuck up, Lana was an idiot, the rest of the Dahlens/Lancomes were a bunch of pretentious assholes.
March 28, 2016
Not bad but not good either
When I read the plot I thought it would be quite an involving read but although the story covers quite a few years I struggled to identify with any of the characters. The only way I can explain it is that it felt cold, I didn't feel like I really got to know anyone in the story so found it hard to care about what happened to them. It's a shame as the plot had real potential. As a whole it felt like a bit of a history of the family rather than a character driven story.
When I read the plot I thought it would be quite an involving read but although the story covers quite a few years I struggled to identify with any of the characters. The only way I can explain it is that it felt cold, I didn't feel like I really got to know anyone in the story so found it hard to care about what happened to them. It's a shame as the plot had real potential. As a whole it felt like a bit of a history of the family rather than a character driven story.
March 19, 2016
This story is about two sisters, while born in different worlds, still have to deal with long reaching affects that their decisions have. Deedee is born to privilege and Lana wasn't.
This book is about how far our decisions can go and how they can have disastrous affects that will leave you with such deep regret.
It will make you think about your own decisions and who they affect and maybe even making different ones.
This book is about how far our decisions can go and how they can have disastrous affects that will leave you with such deep regret.
It will make you think about your own decisions and who they affect and maybe even making different ones.
September 11, 2016
An excellent chronicle of family twists & high finance
Love & Money is the story of a family born with a silver spoon in their collective mouth, and the other side of the coin: an illegitimate daughter raised without ever knowing her real father was not the drunk who raised her, but was a wealthy man. And then there's an orphan who uses his wits to make a huge financial splash. And he loves 2 women, who are actually (& unknown to one of them) sisters.
Love & Money is the story of a family born with a silver spoon in their collective mouth, and the other side of the coin: an illegitimate daughter raised without ever knowing her real father was not the drunk who raised her, but was a wealthy man. And then there's an orphan who uses his wits to make a huge financial splash. And he loves 2 women, who are actually (& unknown to one of them) sisters.
August 2, 2015
I couldn't put it down!
I loved this book because it reminded of the books I read and loved in the past, books that transported me to another time and place. Books written by Sidney Sheldon and Jacqueline Susann, loving and hating the characters but always knowing that everyone would get what they deserved in the end.
I loved this book because it reminded of the books I read and loved in the past, books that transported me to another time and place. Books written by Sidney Sheldon and Jacqueline Susann, loving and hating the characters but always knowing that everyone would get what they deserved in the end.
August 9, 2015
Totally predictable in a Danielle Steele kind of way. Two half-sisters who don't know about each other's existence until later in life. One has a silver spoon; the other has to make a success of herself starting with a cosmetology degree. They both end up fabulously wealthy and love the same man. I think I saw this on Dynasty in the 80's!
November 12, 2015
This was a good book. A lot of twists and turns. I hadn't read any others in the series so I can't compare. But it was a stand alone novel. It is difficult to not say too much without revealing some of the plot twists. I woul recommend this book and will read other books from this author. The characters were well developed, interesting and you want them to succeed.
May 31, 2020
Love and Money (Park Avenue Series, Book #3)
The love story of Slash and Deedee. The Dahlens are a rich Wall Street family that Deedee is a part of, but she is not what they want. Slash was born on the wrong side of the track. He is a Wall Street wolf and he want Deedee. Great story of love and family dynamics.
The love story of Slash and Deedee. The Dahlens are a rich Wall Street family that Deedee is a part of, but she is not what they want. Slash was born on the wrong side of the track. He is a Wall Street wolf and he want Deedee. Great story of love and family dynamics.
April 2, 2016
This is my first time reading this author, and i was pleasantly surprised. This was the 3rd book in her series, I will definitely look forward to reading her first two, which by the way are stand alones, no need to read them in order.
November 13, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. The saga has something for everyone. I hated, loved, wanted to cry with /for some and others just wanted to erase them completely. Once I started I didn't want to put down to do anything. Sad to finish, but I love when a story really wraps up the loose ends. Thank you
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews