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jgirl105's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
katykelly's review against another edition
5.0
This grew and grew on me, and I can't think of a reason not to give it 5 stars. Absolutely bizarre, but at the same time very carefully structured and paced, with the very different feelings threads pulling together to make sense.
Normally I wouldn't touch a book about bankers, finances and the banking crisis with a bargepole. I didn't manage to finish Murray's first book, but something about the synopsis appealed to me, and the book, despite its length, didn't at any point feel like a chore.
Yes, it's about a banker - the french Claude, living and working in Dublin, with no parents, no partner, only his job as an investment banker. His life takes a turn when he finds a man who has been following him around is a writer, wanting to make his next book about 'Everyman' Claude, giving the public insight into the real world of a banker. Paul begins to follow Claude around in his day-to-day activities, and the banker's vision of his life begins to change as he attempts to explain what he does to the writer. The writer who has his own secrets...
As soon as you see the writer is called 'Paul', you wonder if this is the author placing himself in his own book. In a 'book within a book', the story is self-referential, cleverly referring to genre conventions and storylines that might take place in a book, that Claude then wants to take place in his own story - can he make them happen?
It's a complicated plot, and with the financial side too, much too difficult to explain any further. In some ways, I was reminded of The Wolf of Wall Street, with its insider look at banking and its tricks and dodges. The book is full of them. The financial crisis is explained, and Murray manages to squeeze a lot of humour out of it.
I thought this was genius. There are some fantastic characters in Claude's bank, some created to be stereotypes, some more human (especially Claude's female colleague), and I did feel more aware of what happened to bring the world's banks to their knees.
Claude really is an Everyman in the author's book - he's only a pawn in the grand scheme of the banking world, though his work does contribute to the problem, it's not of his creation. He observes it both from a step away but also from the middle of the sweating, shouting greed machine.
Highly recommend this, it's a lot funnier that you'd have expected, you don't have to understand finance to enjoy it, and it's a multi-layered story that entertains.
Normally I wouldn't touch a book about bankers, finances and the banking crisis with a bargepole. I didn't manage to finish Murray's first book, but something about the synopsis appealed to me, and the book, despite its length, didn't at any point feel like a chore.
Yes, it's about a banker - the french Claude, living and working in Dublin, with no parents, no partner, only his job as an investment banker. His life takes a turn when he finds a man who has been following him around is a writer, wanting to make his next book about 'Everyman' Claude, giving the public insight into the real world of a banker. Paul begins to follow Claude around in his day-to-day activities, and the banker's vision of his life begins to change as he attempts to explain what he does to the writer. The writer who has his own secrets...
As soon as you see the writer is called 'Paul', you wonder if this is the author placing himself in his own book. In a 'book within a book', the story is self-referential, cleverly referring to genre conventions and storylines that might take place in a book, that Claude then wants to take place in his own story - can he make them happen?
It's a complicated plot, and with the financial side too, much too difficult to explain any further. In some ways, I was reminded of The Wolf of Wall Street, with its insider look at banking and its tricks and dodges. The book is full of them. The financial crisis is explained, and Murray manages to squeeze a lot of humour out of it.
I thought this was genius. There are some fantastic characters in Claude's bank, some created to be stereotypes, some more human (especially Claude's female colleague), and I did feel more aware of what happened to bring the world's banks to their knees.
Claude really is an Everyman in the author's book - he's only a pawn in the grand scheme of the banking world, though his work does contribute to the problem, it's not of his creation. He observes it both from a step away but also from the middle of the sweating, shouting greed machine.
Highly recommend this, it's a lot funnier that you'd have expected, you don't have to understand finance to enjoy it, and it's a multi-layered story that entertains.
carolyn0613's review against another edition
3.0
This is a strangely hilarious book about the financial crisis of the late 2000s and one man's quest to find some inner meaning through writing. It's quite clever but it does go on a bit. i found the middle quite hard going but made it to the end.
laura_reads_'s review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
haudurn's review against another edition
5.0
funny, compelling, endearing characters, great simplification of the banking industry and why the little guy can never get one over on the rich guys.
baileybb's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
0.25
annie1's review against another edition
There are very few books I don’t finish, but I just couldn’t get into this book.
jellie23's review against another edition
4.5
absolute riot due to Claude’s high tolerance for bad behavior and antics (probably more so his obliviousness). murray captured the nuances of finance more than I thought he would.
rnicaogain's review against another edition
challenging
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0