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Truth and Consequences

Life Inside the Madoff Family

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 In December 2008, the world watched as master financier Bernard L. Madoff was taken away from his posh Manhattan apartment in handcuffs, accused of swindling thousands of innocent victims-including friends and family-out of billions of dollars in the world's largest Ponzi scheme. Madoff went to jail; he will spend the rest of his life there. But what happened to his devoted wife and sons? The people closest to him, the public reasoned, must have known the truth behind his astounding success. Had they been tricked, too?

With unprecedented access to the surviving family members -- wife Ruth, son Andrew and his fiancéee Catherine Hooper -- journalist Laurie Sandell reveals the personal details behind the headlines.

How did Andrew and Mark, the sons who'd spent their lives believing in and building their own families around their father's business first learn of the massive deception? How does a wife, who adored her husband since they were teenagers, begin to understand the ramifications of his actions? The Madoffs were a tight-knit and even claustrophobic clan, sticking together through marriages, divorces, and illnesses. But the pressures of enduring the massive scandal push them to their breaking points, most of all son Mark, whose suicide is one of the many tragedies that grew in the wake of the scandal.

Muzzled by lawyers, vilified by the media and roundly condemned by the public, the Madoffs have chosen to keep their silence -- until now. Ultimately, theirs is one of the most riveting stories of our time: a modern-day Greek tragedy about money, power, lies, family, truth and consequences. Business Economic History Economics Entertainment & Celebrities Professionals & Academics True Crime White Collar & Corporate Crime Marriage Crime Celebrity Exciting Inspiring
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Bernie Madoff had it all. Everything, it seems, except integrity, charm, manners, or class. So he had money, - but then again - that was other people's. I was really excited to start this book. It is well written and narrated. However it doesn't take long to realise you are being fed the "Madoff" light tale. Mama Ruth is portrayed as a loyal, down to earth wife and mother to whom family is infinitely more important than money, power or prestige. Really? I would love to get the skinny on the Madoffs before the Empire fell (any disgruntled servants out there?). Bernie's sons at best come off as gormless (Andrew "I knew nothing") or Mark, a narcissistic copy of their father (bombastic and volatile, he tragically ended his own life in the presence of his toddler son). The plight of Madoff's victims -and there are many - is glossed over. For me, the elephant in the room is that the author portrays Andrew as some kind of hero for turning his father in. The cynic in me is inclined to believe that the house of cards was collapsing anyway, and the Madoff brothers' 'heroism' was really just an opportunity to jump before they were pushed or implicated. A self serving and not very insighful story about an obscenely rich criminal's family.

The truth is inconsequential

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Good book, Good story wether you believe the Madoffs knew nothing about this ponzi scheme is a little hard to believe, but that's up to the individual listener to decide for themselves. The only downside to this audio book is having to listen to the author and narrator impersonating Ruth Madoffs queens accent it was so annoying I got to the point where I nearly stopped listening to it (but maybe that's my problem).

Annoying

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