Bank Street

A Novel

Fiction - Historical - Event/Era
340 Pages
Reviewed on 10/10/2019
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

I spent forty years in the banking industry (36 of them at Citibank in NYC), before retiring in 2016. Born and raised at the Jersey Shore, I attended college in Virginia and then returned to my home state for my first job with a regional bank based in Newark. The inspiration for this story grew out of a desire to relate my initial experiences in the workplace and to strike a nostalgic chord with the "baby boomer" generation. Bank Street is a coming-of-age story set in the late 1970s during a period of rapid social change.

I thought a lot about potential plot points and characters during my lengthy commutes to and from Manhattan, especially the last few years of my career. Once retired, I got to work on writing my novel. It took me three years to complete, but it was a labor of love. A lot of the characters in the story are a composite of many co-workers I had met over the years. I hope to follow up with a sequel, set in the 1980s-1990s, and perhaps more beyond that.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite

Bank Street: A Novel by Peter Cavalier is a mesmerizing story of love, a tale that features an interesting cast of characters and set against the backdrop of a world undergoing strong social changes. Twenty-two-year-old Jerry Flanagan joins a group of young and passionate trainees to start his banking career in 1976. Just like his peers, he is ambitious and determined to succeed. But succeeding means working together with other trainees. He is smitten by Maria DeMarco, another trainee who is as intelligent as she is beautiful, and he intends to win her heart. But how can he do so without proving himself? An opportunity presents itself for him to prove himself, but it invariably leads him to put the life of the one person he loves deeply in danger. Can he uncover the brain behind the fraud in the bank, redeem himself, and win her heart?

Peter Cavalier has crafted a story with a powerful setting, exploring the social changes taking place in Newark, N.J. and characters that are real and compelling. This author knows the workings of the banking world or else he has simply done his job well because the setup and the events that build the plot feel real. The writing is exceptionally good, and the author’s unique phraseology skillfully combines short sentences and timely paragraph breaks for dramatic effect. The dialogues are well-written so that they feel natural and the author uses them to deepen character, move the plot forward, and enhance the elements of the conflict. Bank Street: A Novel is an interesting story that entertains readers with strong characters, professional writing, and ingenious plot lines. It is fast-paced and gripping.

Wendy K. Williamson

I couldn't agree with the review -- from Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite -- more. His ability is surprising given he is a first time novelist. I hope he keeps writing because I would love to read more of his books. Bravo! Well done!