198 reviews for:

Private Equity

Carrie Sun

3.63 AVERAGE


The part about capitalism in the nov 18 chapter >>>
fast-paced

Very good and nice insight into the world of hedge funds. I found myself grappling with similar issues that the MC grappled with. Ethicality and our responsibility to it over surviving/making money, individual impact on our world and how we can change the path we are headed down… or can we even, what we desire as adults vs what we thought we would, and how much does making a buck really matter? More than family? More than our social responsibility? Great themes I pondered along w Carrie. Loved hearing about how the ultra rich spend their days and it made me feel bad for them— they haven’t realized life greatest pleasures aren’t everything at our fingertips but the human and earth connection. Overall great writing style but found her a bit abrupt and choppy when switching topics - childhood present day private equity facts. I get why she added the childhood stuff mbut maybe could have been done more succinct or in a different book or format. Great read! Def rec come me and glad to see u break free from the constraints of our own brain Carrie. 
challenging informative relaxing sad fast-paced

Carrie Sun, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, is no newbie when it comes to hard work, corporate ladders, and striving for the “American dream”. As the assistant to a billionaire inside one of Wall Street’s top firms, Carrie descends down her own path of self-discovery as she is thrusted into investments, weatlth, and a hustle work culture. 
 
I have absolutely no background in finance, and my knowledge of stocks is minimal, but that did not deter me away from reading this novel. Carrie Sun writes in a way that is matter of fact. So much so, that some things written in her memoir will make you cringe, yet other things are written so beautifully you want to go back and read the sentence again. 
 
I really enjoyed her deep self-reflection woven within the events happening throughout her life. The timeline would often jump back and forth, but I never felt confused. I do wish she would have dropped her unhealthy significant other way earlier than she did, but alas, that’s just part of her story. 
 
I think you’d enjoy this memoir if you are interested in hedge funds, self-discovery journeys, or simply a good memoir. I enjoyed Carrie Sun’s writing greatly, and I would easily pick up something else she’s written just on her writing alone. 
 
Favorite Quote: “Lately I’ve been thinking my most shameful secret is that I knew all along the life I wanted to live, and did not have the courage to live it.” 

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adventurous challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced
tense medium-paced

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of Private Equity in exchange for this review.

Carrie Sun recounts the story of her personal assistant job working for the head of a world-class hedge fund in this at once relatable and unbelievable memoir. Anyone who has ever felt overworked and under appreciated (is that all of us?) will find the broad strokes of this story familiar, though the specifics of the high-pressure and high-stakes intensity of Carrie’s position are surely unusual.

In the early months on the job, Carrie was focused on whether she could perform at the level demanded of her, always striving for more: more efficient, more effective, more intuitive. As time went on, however, she seemed to realize that the question should really be whether she should instead of whether she could.

This was an excellent read and I would recommend it to anyone contemplating their career trajectory, or just curious about how the other half lives. Watching Carrie move through her process of self discovery can lead us all to better identify our own values and begin to assess how our work aligns with our ideals.
informative reflective slow-paced
magpiereading's profile picture

magpiereading's review

3.0
medium-paced