Returning to the milieu of the New York German-Jewish families he profiled in Our Crowd , Birmingham here creates the fictional "magnificent Myersons." And with the exception of his heroine Mireille "Mimi" Myerson, director of the Miray cosmetic empire, a nastier group would be hard to find. The founder of the dynasty, Mimi's arrogant, snobbish tyrant grandfather Adolphe, is dead, but his widow, nee Fleurette Guggenheim, and his surviving children, pederast Edwin (called Edwee) and kleptomanic Nonie, are equally rapacious. About to launch a multimillion-dollar campaign to introduce a new perfume, Mimi is distracted by the discovery that her husband, WASP lawyer Bradford Moore, is having an affair, and that her son, Badger, despises his Jewish relations. At the same time, she finds that her first (and never forgotten) love, Michael Horowitz, an aggressive, nouveau-riche industrial raider, is buying up Miray stock, possibly for a hostile takeover. The narrative gains further suspense from several mysteries, including the disappearance of Adolph's old diaries, which hold the key to sordid events in the company's past.
Mireille "Mimi" Myerson is the elegant, charming and ambitious president of Miray Corporation. As Mimi attempts to achieve her dreams for the company, family jealousies, dangerous deceptions and marital pitfalls threaten to compromise her goals.
Battling forces from within and without, Mimi struggles to make difficult choices to determine her own - and the company's - destiny.
Battling forces from within and without, Mimi struggles to make difficult choices to determine her own - and the company's - destiny.
Mimi Myerso Moore, born into a family that fought its way from the immigrant shores to the most prestigious avenues of Manahattan. Married into a family with an illustrious history and impeccable social standings. Now, the glamous and ambitious president of the Miray Cosmetic empire must struggle to keep it all from crumbling around her
