Leave it to me to start in the middle of a series and not be aware that it was a true story until I read the epilogue. After realizing it was a true story, it all began to fall into place for me. Up to that point, I was enjoying the story line but kept feeling like it wasn't reading like a good fiction book should. The case is solved.

This book is of several written about the Durant family; this one, in particular, dances around siblings William and Ella Durant. Their father owned and developed a large portion of the Adirondacks with homes, hotels and railroads. He lost a great portion of his wealth and his son, William felt obligated to pick up where his father left off in an attempt to rebuild the family fortune, respectability and public opinion. But in real life, as it is in fiction, money and power usually breed greed, unhappiness and a sense of longing. This story bounces back and forth between William and Ella's account of the struggle that ensued for years over their father's estate, the shady deals entered into to deceive family and friends and the eventual destruction of the Durant Family.

I found this to be an interesting story - even more so once I opened my eyes to the true intentional pain inflicted by family members to one another and the realization that money can weight a tall man's pockets to the point of decreasing his stature.

There were some very insightful paragraphs throughout the book, but none resonated as loudly and clearly as these:

"To be happy in life for any length of time, one must first learn to live on less than one makes. This applies to all men except those who have so little manhood that they can happily allow others to support their idleness."

"If you show a man you believe in him, he will, in return, try to show that you are not mistaken."

It is true accounts like this one about the spoils of wealth that make me glad I am content with what I have, able to enjoy locations and the world around me, have a beautiful family and can rise each day with a desire to prove that I am a person worth believing in. I hope this feeling and philosophy in life continues with me each day and until The Night is Done.