One Hundred Miles from Manhattan

In the rarified town of Wellington, N.Y., the “absurdly wealthy” ride horses, live well, and turn to the community’s less affluent for diversion and recreation. Journalist turned novelist Orcutt (the Dakota Stevens series) gives nine Wellington residents—plus one visitor—each their own chapter in this novel, which reads more like a collection of short stories. Insulated by their wealth, these idle rich knowingly embrace the all-too-foreseeable consequences of their actions, revealing a town where selfishness is a way of life. Orcutt has a good grasp of his characters, but several of them are almost interchangeable: men and women who drift into affairs just to pass the time. A few stand out, such as Victoria, a working single mother eager to find a new partner, and Holbrook, who can’t wait to find someone with whom to share his recently acquired millions. Reappearing characters drift in and out of these events, but Wellington itself is ultimately the strongest character in the book. (BookLife)