Inheritance

by Judith Michael

Laura Fairchild enters a charmed world when eccentric patriarch Owen Salinger takes her in as his protegee and confidante. In the patrician circles of Boston's Beacon Hill, she acquires grace, culture - and a passionate lover in Owen's nephew, Paul. But Owen's death shatters her dreams. Favored in his will, she now faces the wrath of his family, who close ranks against her. Disinherited, Laura vows to recapture all that has been ruthlessly taken away.

With brilliance and flair she builds a hotel empire. Yet beneath her successful facade lives the outcast girl, longing for the home and family she has lost. as long-buried secrets rise like threatening clouds, Laura has to fight to regain her love, her family, and to claim her true inheritance!

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, Adult Fiction, Mystery, Relationships

695 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Judith Michael is the pen name of husband/wife team Judith Barnard (b. 1934) and Michael Fain (b. 1937).

Reviews

[Areesah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a teenager when this book came out, and it was one of my mom's beach reads. I read it, because I read EVERYTHING I could get my hands on, and am still obsessed with the drama and grandness of this story. Any woman who loves an amazing story of love, work, family, drama, and redemption will love this story.

And I don't agree that it's too long. I think it's well crafted, structurally, and can't imagine any sections or parts of the story being omitted. And their writing style is clean and intriguing.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Judith Michael is a husband/wife team who wrote Inheritance together. It is 695 pages in paperback and it will keep you turning the pages.
The plot is solid. The characters are well drawn. It is a a rich vs. poor story but the protagonist has the ambition to be a big player in the hotel empire that she deserves. Obviously, this is a beach book with no lasting substance--but a good read.

[Adrienne Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little long but an interesting story. This is an old book I read years ago and just finished reading again.
Definitely FICTION! A book about love and loss, families-their hidden secrets and sins, mentoring, success and failure, wealth and poverty,
lies, betrayal and romance. There are characters you'll love and those you will detest.

[Karen Margosian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am about 1/3 of the way through this novel. It was tucked away in a stack of books in my cellar, probably destined for the "donate" box. My sister had passed it on to me. Since we do not read the same types of books, it's been around a long time--unread. I picked it up because I wanted a change from the dark books I usually read. I am pleasantly surprised at how much I am enjoying this book. It's not a romance novel (thank Goodness), although there is some romance in it. It's a story about a woman who gets off to a bad start and how she struggles to succeed in life. I'm really engrossed in this novel, although I never expected to be. It is a fast read, and I find it engaging. Great summer beach read. Looking forward to finishing it.

[TinaNoir · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

So I am still revisiting the books that I like to call 80s nighttime soap novels.

And this one... oh yeah... this one was the stuff.

Laura and her brothers are grifters. They infiltrate the home of a very rich family as workers, intent to make a big score. They target the Salingers against whom Laura's brother Ben has a major grudge against. Only the patriarch, Owen, takes a shine to Laura and takes her under his wing. She decides she wants to go on the straight and narrow and learn to make a better life for herself.

As time goes on, she learns the ins and out of running a luxury hotel at the feet of Owen and falls in love with Paul, Owens great nephew. She becomes poised and perfect, miles away from the scrappy little grifter.

When Owen dies he leaves Laura quite a bit of an inheritance. But her past comes to haunt her and the family successfully contests the will leaving Laura nothing.

What I liked about this, other than the glossy night time soap opera style story telling, is the structure of the plot. Owen leaves Laura a list of things and they are all taken away from her. But she goes away, beaten down with nothing. But she starts from the bottom and slowly, slowly, step by step, brick by brick gets back everything that was hers. It was just very exciting storytelling. And at 600-something pages I appreciate the time and attention the authors took to tell a meaty, rich, messy, satisfying story, complete with a triumphant ending.

[Khadijah Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonderful story.

[Debbie Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I really enjoyed this book and recommend. A little slow moving at times, but easy to get into “knowing and feeling “ the characters.

[Kathy Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give thud wonderful read more than 10 I would. Found this on my bookshelf had not read this book in years. Copyright 1988. This story is about Laura Fairchild's journey to her dreams, of a powerful family pitted against an orphaned family; of a passionate love, won and lost and regained. This is a powerful story of one woman's dream.

[Kelly James · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book as a selection in a friend book circle I'm in. In the beginning I thought it was a romance book, which i'm not crazy about, then it moved in a new direction and I liked it until about 1/3 the way in. It then became predictable and lacked any kind of depth. Would not recommend this book. It could have been much shorter.

[ROCKY · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book yrs ago & it was great, I loved it!!!

[Susan Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was long but the ending seemed rushed to me.

I disliked that Laura hooked up with someone 30 yrs her senior. To me that is gross. Then Wes ends up with Laura's future mother-in-law and they all end up happily ever after. Really?

I did NOT find the ending satisfying, mainly because NO ONE said that Felix needed to repay Laura for the purchase of the four hotels and the stocks. They were hers by right and she should not have had to pay for them. Felix should have been required to reimburse Laura for the costs plus interest she incurred by giving her the equivalent in stocks. Then there's the house. It's hers. All that should have been resolved.

Also, everything ended up hunky-dory with Laura and the Salingers. That's incredibly unrealistic.
And why did Owen, who is incredibly intelligent, not anticipate Felix's reaction to his codicil and prepare for it? Why did he not insist Laura keep the letter? Why did Owen's lawyer not get in trouble for lying?

There were just too many loose ends.

[Paula Galvan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inheritance is the first novel I've read by this husband and wife team, and I must say it was engaging. In the vein of Barbara Taylor Bradford, it's the sweeping love story of Laura Fairchild, a poor orphan, and her epic love for Paul Janssen, a wealthy member of the Salinger family. Although somewhat stereotyped, the characters are deeply flawed, making them authentic and believable. The plot is complex and sometimes wanders, yet not too far-fetched if you let your imagination go. I did have a slight problem with the conclusion. It wasn't quite as rewarding as I'd hoped, but all in all, a good—if not lengthy—read.

[Bernadette · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mom forced me to read this book right after she’s done with it (tho i love to read 🤣) The book was thick and with very small font i was like taking the task negatively because it will take me forever to finish the book. But it moved me. Gave me hope and inspiration to really go on with whatever surprises life has to offer ...

[Arto Mutka · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first Judith Michael novel I had read. It is a good light read... Family drama pot boiler about stolen inheritances and secrets from the past. Some of it is a bit far fetched but it is a nice holiday read... I read it will holidaying through Italy!

[Kelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lordy it was long, and the smallest possible font...however, it was very engaging. It was a good read. The end was a little too...unlikely with all of its we all forgive all, but apparently I have gotten cynical since 1989.

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really miss this kind of storytelling by moern authors today. Long, engaging story with lots of complex characters that you can curl up and really get involved with. Makes you appreciate how vacuous storytellers are now..

[Isolde Oneil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. Lots of story lines and likeable characters. Couldn't put it down.

[Gauri Kulkarni · Rating 5 out of 5]

All elements combine beautifully to make this the perfect guilty pleasure!!

[Hallie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read. The characters were captivating to the very end

[Rayan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started this book a while ago and been reading it really slow,I enjoyed this book but to me the ending was so rushed like their could have been more to it

[Kelsie · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10, could not put down!! So well written and such a great story. Can’t wait to read their other books!!

[Karlie Griebel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5🌟

[Bernadine Grona · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent story!

[Barbara]

Lee's

[KarlaFake · Rating 4 out of 5]

The dramaaaa 🤌🏽

[Cathy Stanton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written

I could not put this book down. I was brought into the plot and the background was wonderful. I felt as if I was in each locale.

[Sorcha]

This is a saga of a family pitted against an orphan and of a woman's fight to recover her reputation. A household help to the Salingers befriends the family patriarch and when he dies she inherits. The family contests the will and wins, uncovering the secret Laura has hidden for years.[return]perhaps a little long (748 pages), nevertheless this was a decent "beach read" kind of book - woman overcomes adversity through hard work to find true love and the business she always wanted.[return][return]Reference was made to Ben's hatred for the Salinger family, but perhaps wasnt explored enough to explain why he does what he does....

[Giada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Questo libro mi è piaciuto, non è il solito libro che racconta una storia. Racconta una vita, la vita di Laura e dei suoi amici\ famigliari. All'inizio la lettura era lenta e noiosa, ma quando conosci i personaggi entri nel loro mondo e "vivi" con loro. Le loro emozioni, le loro avventure fai parte della loro famiglia. Laura è la donna che tutte vorrebbero essere o che vorrebbero essere almeno un giorno. Forte, bella, ricca e sicura di se.

[Martha Cheves · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about a 3 young people who support themselves by stealing from the rich. They turn their lives around and one character ends up inheriting a group of hotels only to have them taken away by the other heirs. It's an ok story but very slow and long. The story is also not very believable.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I totally enjoyed this book. It had the exact right cadence and flow for me. To me this is my perfect type of book. I like books set in this time period that involve the aristocrat. The story had just enough twists to keep me interested to the very end. It is a book I did not want to come to an end. I must go find another book to read from this author!