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The Master Stroke by Elizabeth GAGE

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Francie Bollinger gets caught in the middle of a ruthless battle between father and son for control of an international business empire Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly In this predictable and superficial tale of greed, passion, incest and revenge during the early days of computer technology, Gage ( A Glimpse of Stocking ) relies heavily on platitudes and little on believable characters. Soon after naive, beautiful Francie Bollinger begins to work for Magnus International, her first brilliant idea is stolen by her boss. A little wiser, she offers her second one, a plan to link the European divisions under one computer, to Jack Magnus, son of CEO Anton. She and Jack have a torrid affair and he asks her to marry him, but says they must keep their betrothal a secret. After the computer link is operational, however, Jack marries the girl his father has chosen for him and Francie is fired. Francie starts her own company and plots the Magnuses' destruction. Interspersed with Francie's story is that of Jack's sister, Julie, the black sheep of the Magnus family. Told in short sentences, Julie's and Francie's romances and explicitly described bedroom escapades are fare--often overheated--for sexually sophisticated adolescents. Literary Guild and Doub le day Book Club selection. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Kirkus Reviews The title is appropriate: powerful characters and an utterly captivating plot make this 50's-era business-world romance a true masterstroke by the author of A Glimpse of Stocking (1988) and Pandora's Box (1990). Born in rural Pennsylvania in simple circumstances, Frances Bollinger's startling beauty and genius for mathematics propel her into the world of international business at an unusually young age, though 1950's sexism stands in her way from the start. Determined to work for Magnus Industries, an all-powerful international conglomerate based in New York, 21-year-old Frances circumvents a disapproving personnel officer to snag a job redesigning the basic structure of the corporation's European division--using a recent invention, mainframe computers. Frances's originality and beauty soon attract the attention of handsome, virile Jack Magnus, son of evil industrialist Anton and heir to the Magnus throne. While stationed at the Paris office, Frances is seduced by Jack and eagerly agrees to marry him, only to find herself out on the street days later while Jack goes to the altar with a handpicked high- society debutante instead. Understanding that Anton is behind this humiliation, and that Jack was too weak to withstand his father's Machiavellian maneuverings, Frances responds by founding her own computer consulting firm. A bitter battle to defend her growing business and her personal welfare from Anton's casual attacks follows, while the extent of the paterfamilias' evil intent makes itself felt in the lives of his daughter, Julie, whose romantic life he destroys; his wife, Victoria, whom he reduces to an ineffectual ninny; and even in Jack, who is revealed to resemble his father all too closely. A delicious tale of injustice and revenge, further enhanced by its exciting, nascent-computer-industry backdrop. -- Copyright 1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Publication Details

Title: The Master Stroke

Author(s):

  • Elizabeth GAGE

Illustrator:

Binding: Hardcover

Published by: Pocket Books: , 1991

Edition:

ISBN: 9780593024768 | 0593024761

359 pages.

  • ENG- English
Book Condition: Very Good
1332o

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Foxing - Wikipedia
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Age tanning, or browning, occurs over time on the pages of books. This process can show up on just the edges of pages, when this occurs it is sometimes referred to as "edge tanning." This kind of deterioration is commonly seen in books printed before the advent of acid-free paper in the 1980s.
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  • Trade Name: Book Express Ltd
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  • NZBN: 9429031911290

       

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