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The Night is Done: A Durant Family Saga Kindle Edition

by Sheila Myers (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 50 ratings
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- Awarded the 2017 Best Book of Fiction by the Adirondack Center for Writing-

"... the Durant saga....remarkably parallels Greek tragedy. It's a truly engrossing story, and Myers does it justice." - Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review).

William and Ella Durant, heirs to a bygone fortune, are recounting the events that led to the Durant family downfall during the Gilded Age. In 1931 William returns to visit the estate he once possessed in the Adirondacks to speak with the current owner, copper magnate Harold Hochschild, who is writing a history of the region and wants to include a biography of William. Simultaneously, Ella is visiting with an old family friend and former lover, Poultney Bigelow, a journalist with Harper's Magazine, who talks her into telling her own story.William recounts the height of his glory, after his father’s death in 1885 when he takes control of the Adirondack railroad assets, travels the world in his yacht, and dines with future kings. However, his fortune takes a turn during the Financial Panic of 1893 and amid accusations of adultery and cruelty.Ella’s tale begins when she returned from living abroad to launch a lawsuit against her brother for her fair share of the Durant inheritance. The court provides a stage for the siblings to tear each other’s reputation apart: William for his devious business practices and failure to steward the Durant land holdings, and Ella for her unconventional lifestyle. Based on actual events, and historic figures, The Night is Done is a tale about the life-altering power of revenge, greed, and passion.
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  1. Book 3 of 3
    Durant Family Saga
  2. Print length
    278 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    August 16, 2017
  6. Reading age
    15 - 18 years
  7. File size
    881 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
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  10. Enhanced typesetting
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  11. See all details
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From the Publisher

Based on historical figures and true events - a family rebuilds their fortune in the Adirondack Wilderness

Durant family members

Editorial Reviews

Review

Myers satisfyingly concludes her historical trilogy set in the Gilded Age by presenting the detailed downfall of ruthless real estate mogul William West Durant; his exasperated wife, Janet; and his estranged sister, Ella. ... Readers will enjoy the historical details that bring this Gilded Age soap opera to life. Publishers Weekly

Myers writes with skill and has chosen well in deeply researching the Durant saga, which remarkably parallels Greek tragedy. It's a truly engrossing story, and Myers does it justice. ....A well-wrought, classically inspired riches-to-rags tale. - Kirkus Review (Starred Review)


Watching William and Ella try to outwit not only each other but those around them was fascinating, and I particularly enjoyed Ella making her way in a male-centric world that didn't quite support an independent woman on her own yet.
Judge, 28th Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B074WG1QTG
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ (August 16, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 16, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 881 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 278 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 50 ratings

About the author

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Sheila Myers

Sheila Myers

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I'm an award-winning author of historical and contemporary novels. I like to venture out into the wilderness, swim in lakes, climb mountains, and make the occasional trip to a cemetery to find inspiration. Human failures and passions are always good starting points for a plot and there is plenty of that to go around.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
50 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Teach_Positive
5.0 out of 5 stars Durant family continues to capture our attention!
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2018
Verified Purchase
After visiting the Adirondacks, Antlers, Huntington, Great Camp Sagamore, and taking every available tour, this book and the whole 3 book series was a necessity. Meeting the author t a speaking engagement also hooked me before I ever saw the books. This author is a great storyteller.The different perspectives of each of the books enriched the story line and this third book was a pleasure to read. A great piece of historical fiction with lots of family drama. I was struck by how I wanted to route for both William and Ella (Heloise). Who will be your hero/heroine? Continue to enjoy this story.
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Reality tourist
4.0 out of 5 stars fiction account of a million family
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2018
Verified Purchase
this book wasn't what i expected but it was interesting nonetheless. The story is told of the durant family in New york, how they made their millions, along with the family intrigue and their fictional house in the adirondacks. it speaks of many of those millionaires of the early 20th century for certain,
the story is a bit melancholy however, it is written well and flows nicely.
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Ginger
5.0 out of 5 stars History That May Go Unnoticed...
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2021
Verified Purchase
Charmingly told. Not history we find in school text. Most interesting to move back & forth between characters. Total good read, has me eager to research a few of the many real personalities.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2020
Verified Purchase
I thoroughly enjoyed this book because I was familiar with the setting and wanted to know more of the history.
Anyone who loves and enjoys the Adirondacks should read this book.
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nancy
4.0 out of 5 stars A great family story about the perils of wealth
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2018
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.
2 people found this helpful
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kathleen l bullis
5.0 out of 5 stars It’s a book
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2019
Verified Purchase
Great read
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Jypsy Lynn
4.0 out of 5 stars A sad story of wealth
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2020
Thank you HFVBT for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Night Is Done
A Durant Family Saga
By: Sheila Myers

REVIEW ☆☆☆☆
The Night Is Done is actually the last of a series, but I read it first. This story is told by siblings William Durant and Ella in two different perspectives and two time periods of the1890s and the1930s, as they recount the highs and lows of their lives. Their father owned half a million acres of Adirondack property and the Adirondack Railroad Company, and obviously, he was a wealthy man. Upon his death, William was in charge of distributing the inheritance properly. You can probably guess what happened. The wealth caused a rift between William and Ella. Enough was never enough, despite the lifestyle of luxury. Ella accused William of cheating her. Did he, or was it just greed? These two destroyed their characters in court, each trying to prove their right to the fortune. This story is about the evil of money. William and Ella were both unhappy with their lives in different ways, and living in bitterness and hatred must have been exhausting. Being a true story makes this even sadder. To have the world and lose it-can you imagine? Wealth is not worth the cost. The author did a great deal of research to craft this story and put it all together with different perspectives and time periods. This was an interesting compelling story that fascinated me. If you read historical fiction, I suggest trying this book.
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