A Dangerous Fortune by Ken Follett

[DennisK]

I just finished Ken Follett's A Dangerous Fortune. Its story takes place in London during the times between 1870's and 1890's. The book's depiction of that time and place's culture is well described, and the characters seem quite real. It is an easy read, and entertaining enough to take me away from some of my chores – be forewarned. I give it a 3 our of 4.

[Fran]

It's a few years but I remember reading this book around the time we, in Ireland, were in the midst of our banking collapse and I recall ironically wondering why we didn't have someone of the moral stature of Hugh Pilaster & instead we were surrounded by a multitude of male versions of the venal Augusta!
It was an entertaining read but I'm a confirmed Follett fan so I may be biased!

[DennisK]

Because of deposit insurance, bank runs are not very common today. We have had our share of bank crises here in the U.S. as well. In this story, Mr. Follett takes us through the reasons deposit insurance came to be.
I have had the good fortune of knowing a few Hugh Pilasters (of both genders) in my time. They do seem to swim in an ocean of Augustas though …