Paradise (1991) (edit title/settings)

Characters edit see section history

• Meredith Bancroft: beautiful heiress and executive at Bancroft & Company, her family's firm.
• Matthew Farrell: (Matt); extremely rich and handsome (self-made) business tycoon.
• Parker Reynolds: banker; family founded Bancroft & Company, large Chicago bank.
• Lisa Pontini: Meredith's best friend.
• Philip Bancroft: Meredith's father.
• Stuart Whitmore: Meredith's close friend and lawyer.
• Gordon Mitchell: vice-president at Bancroft & Company; petty, malicious and good looking.
• Peter Vanderwild: former Harvard "whiz kid" with a genius I.Q., who specialized in reviewing companies for Intercorp to acquire, analyzing their potential for profit.
• Julie Farrell: Matt's sister.
• Patrick Farrell: Matthew Farrell's father; began drinking when his wife died.
• Phyllis Tilsher: Meredith's secretary.
• Caroline Edwards Bancroft: glamorous actress; Meredith's mother.
• Eleanor Stern: Matt's personal secretary; privately called nicknamed "The Sphinx"; stick-straight, skinny wire-haired tyrant/busybody; arrives at the office before anyone else and leaves after everyone else.
• Sally Mansfield: newspaper columnist.
• Dave Levinson: one of Matt's high powered lawyers.
• Joel Bancroft: Cyril Bancroft's legally adopted son.
• Mark Braden: Director of Security and Loss Prevention at Bancroft & Company.
• Stanislaus Spyzhalski: shady lawyer, guilty of fraudulent legal practices
• Jonathan Sommers: Parker's country club friend, conceited and malicious
• Alicia Avery: spoiled, rich socialite.
• Tom Anderson: Intercorp executive; plain-spoken, giant bear of a man with a gift for negotiating.
• William Pearson: one of Matt's high powered lawyers.
• Joanna Simons: office secretary at Intercorp.
• Joe O'hara: Matt's chauffeur; unofficially, his bodyguard; looks like a sumo wrestler and drives like a maniac.
• Sam Green: Bancroft's chief legal counsel.
• Stanton Avery: tough, blunt, down-to-earth business man; Alicia's father.
• Jason Bancroft: Cyril Bancroft's legally adopted son.
• Allen Stanley: chief financial officer of the Bancroft Corporation.
• Mrs. Ellis: Bancroft family housekeeper.
• Fenwick: Bancroft family chauffeur.

Quotes edit see section history

show spoilers

• “You can't outwit fate by trying to stand on the sidelines and place little side bets about the outcome of life. Either you wade in and risk everything to play the game, or you don't play at all. And if you don't play, you can't win.”

  Matthew Farrell

• “. . . old money could learn something from new money. You people keep things until they're worn out. If I ever get engaged and the guy tries to foist off his grandmother's worn-out ring on me, it's all over right then.”

  Lisa Pontini

• “It is any object with deep sentimental value that is too ugly to sell and too valuable to throw out.”

  Matthew Farrell

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• St. Stephen's: a private Catholic school run by the Benedictine nuns in Chicago.
• Bensonhurst: all girls boarding school in Vermont.
• Glenmoor Country Club: exclusive country club in Chicago.
• Edmunton, Indiana: Matthew Farrell's hometown.
• Litchfield Prep: all boys boarding school close to Bensonhurst.
• Carmel, California: location of Matthew Farrell's palatial home overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Organizations edit see section history

• Intercorp: Matthew Farrell's massive conglomerate that controls businesses as diverse as pharmaceutical research laboratories and textile mills; headquartered in Los Angeles.
• Bancroft and Company: A chain of retail stores that Meredith's great-grandfather founded, of which Meredith's father is currently the President. The main store is located in Chicago.

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Series & Lists edit see section history

Followed by Perfect.

Preceded by The Raven Prince, and followed by As You Desire.

Preceded by Honor's Splendour, and followed by Almost Heaven.

Preceded by Kiss an Angel, and followed by A Kingdom of Dreams.

Preceded by A Knight in Shining Armor, and followed by The Shadow and the Star.

Preceded by Romancing Mister Bridgerton, and followed by Lord Perfect .

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Judith McNaught (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
• Dewey: 813.54

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Add a note to help parents select a book for a child.

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Romance › Authors, A-Z › ( M ) › McNaught, Judith
• Books › Romance › Contemporary
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Contemporary