Publisher: McArthur & Company
Publish Date: April 5, 2011
ISBN: 1552789500
ISBN-13: 9781552789506
Synopsis: Edie Quentance is the ugly duckling in a family of charming conformists. For generations, Quentance Bank has managed the wealth of its rich and aristocratic clients, and when Edie is pushed into joining the family bank, she finds the work very dull indeed. She passes the time trying to uncover the truth about her great-grandfather Kit, whose love of the sea she has inherited. Kit Quentance was rumoured to have carried a fortune into the Titanic lifeboat with him – money that has never been found. Edie’s excavations in the family archive unearth some shocking and far more recent secrets. She realises that Quentance Bank is not the paragon of old fashioned probity it pretends to be. As she tries to right her family’s wrong-doings, Edie’s position becomes increasingly dangerous. Her twin brother, her parents, her uncle – she no longer knows whom she can trust.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Edie was born into a life of privilege and luxury, but instead of embracing the glamor and riches, she spends her time fascinated with the Titanic. Working on her doctorates, she dives into the captain’s log, historical articles, and other material that uncovers the moments before Titanic’s famous end.
Edie, or Edith, comes from the famous Quentance family who runs an exclusive bank for the rich aristocrats of the world. While the family business is exclusive and secured, Edie feels the opposite with her family. Her twin and herself have come from generations of privacy along with the wealth, but Edie soon discovers that there are also secrets, ugly family secrets.
While Edie uncovers the truths about the Titanic, she also learns about the secrets of her family. What she felt was safe and secure has turned out to be bitter and ugly. A kidnapping, a scandal, and a secret so big that it could destroy everything she has ever known about her family. Will Edie crumble like the remains of the Titanic, or will she be “good as gold.”
Edie seems like a weak character, but really is rather strong emotionally. She does not follow the grain in the Quentance family and with that, she feels like she does not belong. She feels odd with her looks, her interests, and her passions. In her world where appearances and reputation matter, the only comfort she has in herself lies with her twin, with her work with the Titanic, and the love of the sea.
Patten has filled this story with mystery, secrets, and romance. She starts the story taking you to the last moments on the Titanic. She introduces you to Kit, Edie’s great grandfather, and she ties in Edie’s fascination to the sea. Patten brings you from family drama to a little soul searching, and then around the bend for some romance. I didn’t expect so much to be in this book. There were some parts where I was lost in too much detail, too many subplots, but in the end, Patten brought it all together and made sense of it all. Her writing is detailed and brought the different characters to life.
Good as Gold is what it says it is. Pick it up and give it a try.
