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Very Old Money
The enormously wealthy Durie family occupies a gigantic baroque turn-of-the-century mansion on Manhattan's Upper East Side. The family, whose fortune was established in Colonial times, is traditionally shy of all public notice and proud that no scandal has ever touched its name.
Newly married Michael and Amy Lloyd, bright young teachers in a private school, suddenly find themselves unemployed and apparently unemployable. When all cash and credit are gone, Michael and Amy decide to take up positions on the Durie household staff. But as the Lloyds learn to cope with their positions as servants they slowly become aware that the seventy-year-old matriarch Margaret Durie is, for her own unexplained reasons, enlisting them as her helpless accomplices in a subtly designed series of events that will ultimately lead to a thunderous scandal . . . and a ghastly death.
Newly married Michael and Amy Lloyd, bright young teachers in a private school, suddenly find themselves unemployed and apparently unemployable. When all cash and credit are gone, Michael and Amy decide to take up positions on the Durie household staff. But as the Lloyds learn to cope with their positions as servants they slowly become aware that the seventy-year-old matriarch Margaret Durie is, for her own unexplained reasons, enlisting them as her helpless accomplices in a subtly designed series of events that will ultimately lead to a thunderous scandal . . . and a ghastly death.
- GenresMystery
Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 1985
17 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Stanley Ellin
162 books40 followersStanley Bernard Ellin was a mystery writer of short stories and novels. He won the Edgar Allan Poe Award three times and the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere once, and in 1981 he was awarded with the Mystery Writers of America's highest honor, the Grand Master Award.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 1, 2020
Downton Abbey meets Dolores Claiborne? I dunno - how does one grapple with this strange novel?
It has 5-star spirit, that is for sure, but I choose brake-pumping as I do thought-coalescing. Mike and Amy, fresh from hard knocks causing dire financial straits, become servants in the awesome Durie home: Mike as chauffeur, Amy as the first-ever secretary to blind, seventy-year-old Margaret Durie, who has decided, apparently, after fifty-two years of self-imposed isolation, to live some kind of life. It turns out that she has a lot on her mind, and Amy gets caught up in some sinister, specific agenda. Or is it all that sinister?...Margaret can be ferocious, but Amy feels a bond form, and withstands much mainly due to a sympathy she must conceal. Margaret abhors sympathy; Margaret loves strange machinations involving strange rendezvous, and hidden cash transactions. The Lloyds become reluctant helpers of whatever Miss Margaret is up to, and curiosity blends with worry over what exactly they are helping to bring to fruition.
The ending is explosive and satisfying, after a slow-burn build-up weaving in clues. I clicked to something probably looming ‘down the road’, but don’t feel the book is the lesser for it since figuring things out in this one, while the ending approaches, did - in my case - up my feelings of dread and perfect completion of stretched-out tragedy.
Weaknesses of the book (well, to my mind, anyway): Lots of underused characters, masses of staff and Durie clan sort of just there for quick scenes, as more and more the plot only cares about Amy, Margaret and Mike. It’s also a very talky, dialogue-infested novel - not as padding that really should be penalized...but, again, if there had been some way we could have had less talk, and that space filled in with some juicy subplot that would have used extended family and servants better? One heavily-hyped sister of Margaret finally flies in for an appearance - bringing cool metaphorical baggage - nothing really comes of that. Dorothy, Craig, Glendon, Camilla - lots of characters get a decent scene but don’t blossom. Mrs. McEye (wonderfully named!) is a notable exception, and gets to contribute, but Mabry the cook - shining bright at the beginning, also sort of fades away but is still there, lurking when needed for quick ‘let’s take a breather’ scenes away from the main, admittedly compelling, trio of characters. I guess there was no way for the author to fully utilize the entourage put in place to emphasize ‘Very Old Money here’. Thankfully, the main plot - the Amy and Margaret plot (yes, even Mike winds up a bit of a supporting cast member) - including that finale, really makes the book a treat.
Gormenghast meets Psycho? No, not quite, that one is kind of off-target (and Gormenghast sort of met Psycho anyway) - but recommended as a strange family-tragedy novel, with unsuspecting new servants roped in, and the money available to move them about the chess board any way desired, along with anyone else needed to facilitate catastrophe.
It has 5-star spirit, that is for sure, but I choose brake-pumping as I do thought-coalescing. Mike and Amy, fresh from hard knocks causing dire financial straits, become servants in the awesome Durie home: Mike as chauffeur, Amy as the first-ever secretary to blind, seventy-year-old Margaret Durie, who has decided, apparently, after fifty-two years of self-imposed isolation, to live some kind of life. It turns out that she has a lot on her mind, and Amy gets caught up in some sinister, specific agenda. Or is it all that sinister?...Margaret can be ferocious, but Amy feels a bond form, and withstands much mainly due to a sympathy she must conceal. Margaret abhors sympathy; Margaret loves strange machinations involving strange rendezvous, and hidden cash transactions. The Lloyds become reluctant helpers of whatever Miss Margaret is up to, and curiosity blends with worry over what exactly they are helping to bring to fruition.
The ending is explosive and satisfying, after a slow-burn build-up weaving in clues. I clicked to something probably looming ‘down the road’, but don’t feel the book is the lesser for it since figuring things out in this one, while the ending approaches, did - in my case - up my feelings of dread and perfect completion of stretched-out tragedy.
Weaknesses of the book (well, to my mind, anyway): Lots of underused characters, masses of staff and Durie clan sort of just there for quick scenes, as more and more the plot only cares about Amy, Margaret and Mike. It’s also a very talky, dialogue-infested novel - not as padding that really should be penalized...but, again, if there had been some way we could have had less talk, and that space filled in with some juicy subplot that would have used extended family and servants better? One heavily-hyped sister of Margaret finally flies in for an appearance - bringing cool metaphorical baggage - nothing really comes of that. Dorothy, Craig, Glendon, Camilla - lots of characters get a decent scene but don’t blossom. Mrs. McEye (wonderfully named!) is a notable exception, and gets to contribute, but Mabry the cook - shining bright at the beginning, also sort of fades away but is still there, lurking when needed for quick ‘let’s take a breather’ scenes away from the main, admittedly compelling, trio of characters. I guess there was no way for the author to fully utilize the entourage put in place to emphasize ‘Very Old Money here’. Thankfully, the main plot - the Amy and Margaret plot (yes, even Mike winds up a bit of a supporting cast member) - including that finale, really makes the book a treat.
Gormenghast meets Psycho? No, not quite, that one is kind of off-target (and Gormenghast sort of met Psycho anyway) - but recommended as a strange family-tragedy novel, with unsuspecting new servants roped in, and the money available to move them about the chess board any way desired, along with anyone else needed to facilitate catastrophe.
March 5, 2017
Due to dire financial circumstances a young, well-educated, middle-class couple are forced to take jobs as servants to a somewhat eccentric, old money family. He becomes the family chauffeur while she serves as personal secretary to the family matriarch. As they settle into their new jobs they become more and more suspicious about the strange and secretive goings on within the family.
Very Old Money by author Stanley Ellin is not a thrill ride by any means. It is a slow, slow build to a final unexpected conclusion. Less traditional mystery than a social commentary on the lives of the rich elite... people who have been so insulated from the real world for so long that they no longer have a firm grasp on reality.
Due to its age (it was first published over 30 years ago) the book has lost much of its bite. Taken in context of today's reality show obsessed culture, where it seems everyone wants to be famous however they can, for as long as they can, the idea of a wealthy dynasty that shuns the spotlight, publicity, and any hint of scandal or controversy to protect the family name comes across as more quaint than compelling.
I have only recently become aware of the work of author Stanley Ellin (who died in 1986) and I have been very impressed with his unique writing style which tends to focus more on developing character and creating the atmosphere of the story rather than on traditional plot. When it works, it works very well, but unfortunately it doesn't always work. Very Old Money is a case of it not working all that well.
So much time is spent setting up the premise that it ends up hurting the overall story. It drags to the point of tediousness for much of the novel. I give it a two and one-half star rating (bumping it up to three stars since half stars don't register).
While I have enjoyed several of Stanley Ellin's novels I wouldn't recommend this particular book.
*** Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book.
Very Old Money by author Stanley Ellin is not a thrill ride by any means. It is a slow, slow build to a final unexpected conclusion. Less traditional mystery than a social commentary on the lives of the rich elite... people who have been so insulated from the real world for so long that they no longer have a firm grasp on reality.
Due to its age (it was first published over 30 years ago) the book has lost much of its bite. Taken in context of today's reality show obsessed culture, where it seems everyone wants to be famous however they can, for as long as they can, the idea of a wealthy dynasty that shuns the spotlight, publicity, and any hint of scandal or controversy to protect the family name comes across as more quaint than compelling.
I have only recently become aware of the work of author Stanley Ellin (who died in 1986) and I have been very impressed with his unique writing style which tends to focus more on developing character and creating the atmosphere of the story rather than on traditional plot. When it works, it works very well, but unfortunately it doesn't always work. Very Old Money is a case of it not working all that well.
So much time is spent setting up the premise that it ends up hurting the overall story. It drags to the point of tediousness for much of the novel. I give it a two and one-half star rating (bumping it up to three stars since half stars don't register).
While I have enjoyed several of Stanley Ellin's novels I wouldn't recommend this particular book.
*** Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book.
October 26, 2023
Like an American version of Gosford Park. Fun peek inside the logistics of working for a stunningly wealthy family.
July 24, 2017
This was another re-read. I don't know why I like this book so much but I do. Puts me in mind of Upstairs Downstairs or Downton Abbey.
April 10, 2013
I took a step out of my comfort zone for this one. I don't just walk into HPB and pick up a mystery and read it. I usually stick with authors I know, or read recommendations by friends. Sometimes you get bad recommendations, like Midnight by Dean Koontz, and sometimes you get something good. Well, this time I did that. I was interested in branching out and checking out something completely different. I walked into Half-Price Books, saw this one, the flap interested me, I bought it, I took it home, I smiled at my red-haired wife, and then I read it.
I read it and it was good.
I had trouble at first keeping up with who was whom, as there are quite a few names in the family. It wasn't destructive though. I quite enjoyed the style, and certainly the POV from the servants. These were well-educated people who lost their jobs and had to go to work as servants in this mansion. It's a really cool concept, and you get a good peak inside the lives of rich people. A very original idea, in my book. Well, not my book but... You know what I mean.
I had a good time reading this, and was very interested in the servants and their ascendancy as they get to know the family and learn how to make themselves invisible. The end was predictable but still worthy, and well thought out. I will probably read this again in the future. Overall, I give it three-and-a-half stars.
I read it and it was good.
I had trouble at first keeping up with who was whom, as there are quite a few names in the family. It wasn't destructive though. I quite enjoyed the style, and certainly the POV from the servants. These were well-educated people who lost their jobs and had to go to work as servants in this mansion. It's a really cool concept, and you get a good peak inside the lives of rich people. A very original idea, in my book. Well, not my book but... You know what I mean.
I had a good time reading this, and was very interested in the servants and their ascendancy as they get to know the family and learn how to make themselves invisible. The end was predictable but still worthy, and well thought out. I will probably read this again in the future. Overall, I give it three-and-a-half stars.
March 18, 2016
Fantastic - vivid characters, shocking ending, wonderful setting.
A married couple in their 20s leave teaching and work for a family of the very rich, so that he can write. BUT the rich are not like us, and it doesn't work out as expected.
The descriptions of how those with Very Old Money live are fascinating, and ring true.
There is of course a great mystery, which is the other point of the book. I have re-read it more than once, with great enjoyment, even though I know the plot - a masterclass in writing.
A married couple in their 20s leave teaching and work for a family of the very rich, so that he can write. BUT the rich are not like us, and it doesn't work out as expected.
The descriptions of how those with Very Old Money live are fascinating, and ring true.
There is of course a great mystery, which is the other point of the book. I have re-read it more than once, with great enjoyment, even though I know the plot - a masterclass in writing.
April 8, 2013
Slow pace with lots of description, but that drew me in to the world of great inherited wealth and privilege. And that almost prepared me for an climax that was creepy and vicious and vengeful. It's a book that stays with you whether you like it or not.
February 25, 2012
Excellent writing, very well written characters.
April 16, 2016
I read that Stanley Ellin is a mystery master. It is true. I am glad I finally discovered him. Absolutely chilling book.
Want to read
April 25, 2019Synopsis: newly married Michael and Amy Lloyd take positions with the Durie family, but then learn a ghastly death is planned.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews