The Boozer Challenge

The contemporary dilemma of pushing adult children out of the parental nest is delightfully combined with a cheeky parody of the rich 'n' famous lifestyle in this very entertaining read. Eighty-three-year-old Henry Boozer, millionaire entrepreneur, mustard king and new owner of the last-place New York Mohawks, has four children in their 20s: ""None of them has earned a dime. Need to give 'em a prod. Can't let them ruin their lives like this,'' he decides. Before the start of the baseball season, Henry summons his dilettante offspring, Robert, Emily, Boo and Sally, to Treetop, the Boozer mansion on the Hudson, and establishes the ground rules for the Challenge. Each of the Boozer siblings will be given $5000 seed-money at the beginning of the season, and must return with $100,000 by the end of the World Series or lose claim to Treetop. The young Boozers go off to make their fortunes, each concentrating on his or her individual talents, which though unconventional are potentially lucrative. Their unorthodox quests involve them with other deftly drawn characters,in the course of pursuing tricky business machinations. Although Gill's presentation of the Boozer myth gets a bit thick, the sentimentality is cut by a persistently engaging bawdiness and vivid wit, and the narrative rollicks along vigorously. (November 18)