The Trade Off

A Novel

By: Samantha Greene Woodruff

Narrated by: Helen Laser

A brilliant and ambitious young woman strives to find her place amid the promise and tumult of 1920s Wall Street in a captivating historical novel by the author of The Lobotomist’s Wife.

Bea Abramovitz has a gift for math and numbers. With her father, she studies the burgeoning Wall Street market’s stocks and patterns in the financial pages. After college she’s determined to parlay her talent for the prediction game into personal and professional success. But in the 1920s, in a Lower East Side tenement, opportunities for women don’t just come knocking. Bea will have to create them.

It’s easier for her golden-boy twin brother, Jake, who longs to reclaim all their parents lost after fleeing the pogroms in Russia to come to America. Well intentioned but undisciplined, Jake has a charm that can carry him only so far on Wall Street. So Bea devises a plan. They’ll be a secret team, and she’ll be the brains behind the broker. As Jake’s reputation, his heedless ego, and the family fortune soar, Bea foresees catastrophe: an impending crash that could destroy everything if she doesn’t finally take control.

Inspired by the true story of a pioneering investment legend, The Trade Off is a powerful novel about identity, sacrifice, family loyalties, and the complex morality of money.

©2024 by Samantha Greene Woodruff. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“A truly memorable novel raised to an impressive level of literary excellence, this edition of The Trade Off by author Samantha Greene Woodruff deftly incorporates the elements of identity, sacrifice, family loyalties, and the complex morality of money.”—Midwest Book Review

“This richly nuanced story, its fast pace, and Bea’s fiery character make The Trade Off an exciting read.”—Historical Novels Review

“The Trade Off paints a portrait of women finding their way in a man’s world…It’s notable how a book about extreme wealth, and the day-to-day struggle of the impoverished in New York City in the late 1920s, could just as easily take place today.”—Jewish Book Council

Loved the historical notes

This was such a great read from a woman’s perspective in the 1920s. Loved hearing her story and how she felt in the way the market worked in those days. Fantastic narrator!!

So engaging!

I loved learning about the crash from a woman’s perspective. The narrator made the story come to life.

The title doesn’t do it justice.

Captivating historical novel that I could stop listening to. Set in the time of my grandmother’s life!

My 2024 favorite

This is the best book I have listened to this year. I appreciate the depth of research undertaken by the author to capture the exquisite details of the fashion, the neighborhood, the relationships, and market dynamics which were woven together beautifully. After a few chapters, I could envision this becoming a limited series or movie.

Very interesting and well written

I enjoyed the book. The writing is very clear and keeps me very engaged. The story is great and were very detailed about the 1920s in NYC. I loved this story