The stars shine down by Sidney Sheldon

"The stars shine down" by Sidney Sheldon - World of real estate!

This edition of book is published by Harper in 2005 and has 448 pages. 

Lara Cameron is beautiful and successful business woman who has achieved everything in her life. She has created everything from nothing. On her 40th birthday, she is standing on the brink of financial crisis.

What drives her? What sacrifices did she make? Who helped her? Why is she in financial crisis? Is there a way out?

The story starts with Lara's arrival for birthday party and then takes us back into flash back starting from her childhood to present day. It takes us through the life of this ambitious lady, her aspirations, her techniques, her modus operandi. It shows a very interesting character. She makes a name for herself in a man's world. However, at times this ruthless business woman also looks naive and vulnerable. 

The story has a flow. Characterization is good, however, most of the space is occupied by Lara and what remains is shared by Howard Keller, Paul Martin and Philip Adler. The book raises some questions like even if a lady becomes successful, will her beauty and body will be perceived more important than her intelligence,  by the world?

The book also takes us through the world of construction. Leverage, borrowing, making deals, land acquisition, regulatory hurdles, junk bonds (all the words we repeatedly heard during subprime crisis) are integral to the story. 

The convergence towards end, however, appears a bit convenient. Some threads, like Howard's memory loss & Lack of checks and balances in orders etc, remain loose. Nevertheless author ends the book on a fantastic note. Can't imagine any other ending. 

Why did I read this book? Author. 

What I didn't like? Lose ends. Convenient convergence. 

What did I like? Flow. 

Recommend reading.