Rightfully Mine

by Doris Mortman

For Gaby Cocroft, home and husband are everything-until the day she is suddenly left alone, without work, without money, without love. Summoning the courage to start over, she gambles all on the tantalizing lights of New York-only to discover that for a woman like her, the doors of the city remain firmly closed.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary Romance

736 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

I 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.

Reviews

[Maria Zapanta · Rating 5 out of 5]

the novel, i dare say, is outright fascinating. for all i know, it never crosses my mind whenever i get to hear about tapestries, antiques, dinants and whatnot. but not until i've read this book. i grew interested with auctions and just about everything that the book has to offer. doris mortman is vehemently an amazing and a brilliant writer. it's as if the characters in the story are nothing but real and living. :)))

[Minty McBunny · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an old drugstore purchase from the 80s, I don’t know why I still have it and why it’s survived multiple purges. It’s not very good, the only interesting bits is the lack of technology we take for granted now like DNA testing and women’s rights. But the overall story (rich antique dealers hinting ancient tapestries) isn’t very interesting or engaging and Gaby’s son is such a brat, I have a similarly aged son and if he treated me the way Stephen treats Gaby I’d definitely blame myself.

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book around the time if came out. It’s on of my top 10 books of all time. I learned all about antiques, auction houses, and tapestries in this book. And I love Gaby…she’s such a great heroine. I love stories that deals with a character pretending to be who they are not. I wish there were more scenes with Max…more romance. It’s a long book and wish it was twice as long!

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mom sent me this book while I was on bed rest and I never got to it. I was without a book club book to "have" to read and hadn't picked up any others so I grabbed this one and WOW am I glad I did! It's a long one, but I LOVED it! It's not a newly published book so you might need to search for it, but you will be glad you did!

[Nancy Brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, read this Mortman novel many years ago, but it is the story of a woman who re-invents herself after her husband leaves her financially and emotionally bereft. Gaby becomes an antique dealer and her specialty leads her to love. Another complex, mesmerizing tale by Mortman--it was the first of hers that I ever read, which convinced to read more of her novels.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great recommendation by my mom! It took me a bit to read because it's over 600 pages and dense with details, but I really enjoyed this story of a woman who had to reinvent herself as an antiques professional after her divorce and taking care of her ailing aunt left her deep in debt. There are several mysteries to solve, crimes committed, questionable characters and villains you can't wait to fall. And in the middle of everything, you're rooting for Gaby to show them all what a determined woman can accomplish. Took away one star because it was slow in places and a bit heavy on the art/furniture/antique details. But overall a great read!

[Evelina Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book at my local library and couldn’t put it down. I absolutely loved it!! Great characters, great story line and wonderful descriptions. Some people prefer to read stories with minimal descriptive prose, but the research that went into creating this was not thrown at the reader, it was woven across several storylines and created a vibrant work of fiction. I definitely want to read Mortman’s other novels.

[Yhana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second Mortman novel I've read. Themes are the same: wealthy NY families, usually tied to Jewish faith, plots crossing the pond from NYC to Western Europe and a central female character that's fighting in some way for her own independence. Despite the sameness of the two books I've read thus far, it's still easy to get lost in her epic tales. Entertaining read.

[Constantina Golfi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed it so much as also the information about antiques.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kept my interest. One of those downtrodden women who has a horrible life, not her own fault, is forced by life to pick things up and use her talents and personality.

[Kelly Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great game

[Blane Rivera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully written

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A journey of mystery, reinvention, and wealth. Such an intriguing read!! Get ready to invest some time in reading with this 705 page turner!

[Jodi Rose Crump · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains everything that has the makings of a fabulous movie with a great plot.

Antiques, art, forgeries, love triangles, affairs, unrequited love, high stakes auctions, Interpol, smuggling... The Louvre, Paris, Geneva, dangerous skiing... Even a suicide and the reasons why it was committed.

Such a great book. Feels a lot like "The DaVinci Code." Yet this book predates that one, if I am not mistaken.

I hope a good director wakes up and turns this into a great movie at some point.

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sheesh! I finally finished this book....new author for me. I liked the plot and the characters, but personally, I found the endlessly detailed descriptions of rooms, furnishings, antiques, colors, annoying and distracting, which made the book way too long for me. But, probably, that was the author's point.........the rich furnishings.

That being said, I did learn a lot about high end antiques, the dealers, brokers and auction houses.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novel about a woman who works to remake her life. It weaves together a wonderful combination of romance, intrigue, and mystery, from past to present. Great for those curl up on the couch, rainy days.

[Rosalyn Mcmillan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an intriguing book. Her prose is excellent, as are her descriptions. I love the fact that she has strong female characters.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this author.

[Alicia Tompkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of detail about the art and auction world. Perhaps too much going on in the book but a good light read. I had really enjoyed her Wild Rose novel because of the Hungarian history and setting.

[Susan Moody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, lots of intrigue

I loved this book and Gabrielle Didier. All the characters were interesting and had their own stories within Gabriel's story.

[S Miller]

Used - Acceptable (Loose and torn front cover; Back cover intact; Many creases in spine)

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it when it first came out in 1988. It left such an impact on me I still have my hardcover copy (and I rarely ever keep books!)