From Publishers Weekly "[M]oney changes things，" Delbanco's saga allows， as it slips across generations to examine the bonds of inheritance， fiscal and otherwise， linking three siblings. When the scattered Saperstones—coddled Claire， drifting David and down-on-her-luck Joanna—return to their childhood home in Saratoga Springs， N.Y.， upon their mother's death， they discover they've been left a sizable sum of money. The inheritance began with a batch of General Electric stock， bequeathed by a cadre of adventure-smitten， self-styled "vagabonds": no less towering figures than Thomas Edison， Harvey Firestone and Henry Ford. After a cad in Firestone's employ impregnates a young girl in 1916， the three give the shares to provide for her illegitimate progeny. Over two generations， the shares and their intangible presence increase; Alice， the Saperstones' mother， cognizant of her own demons， leaves the trust untouched so that it might fulfill her children's lives in ways she could not. Each child ponders how to channel the windfall into something meaningful: courage， security， a new life. As their futures reconfigure， they draw together in their new history， especially when tragedy undermines Claire's charmed existence. While the vagabonds relished the country's open roads and boundless opportunity—a colorful bit of history animated here—generations later， the Saperstones yearn for a more rooted certainty. Delbanco (What Remains) creates a lyrical narrative showing a palpably American faith in reinvention as he weaves nostalgia-tinged memories into a grittier reality. Copyright © Reed Business Information， a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From AudioFile The three Saperstone siblings return to New York when their mother dies. Their mother， they learn， was the beneficiary of a trust of 15 shares of stock given to their grandmother by Henry Ford， Harvey Firestone， and Thomas Edison， who called themselves "the vagabonds." In the nearly 90 years since its creation， the trust has grown to nearly two million dollars. The novel tells the story of how this influx of riches alters the children's relationships. Paul Boehmer reads with a soothing， understated style that meshes well with the novel. His depiction of the vagabonds is especially effective in conveying their strong， distinctive personalities. Inexplicably， the Saperstone children fail to search for the reason behind the gift， never learning that it was compensation for a Firestone employee's indiscretion that caused their grandmother to become pregnant (and subsequently lose the child). D.J.S. © AudioFile 2005， Portland， Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile， Portland， Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. See all Editorial Reviews