This book was very interesting and kept my attention. It didn't delve too far into some of the darker parts of the Asian market traders, which might have been even more interesting.

This book was very exciting. I read it on a plane ride to the east coast. It was a 5 hour flight and I didn't put the book down once - not even to grab a bag of peanuts. Now, I don't read all that much so, that says a lot.
It wasn't so much about the writing as the true story of these young, impressionable, filthy rich boys who were immersed into a culture they could hardly grasp.
If you have any interest in the stock exchange, I suggest this book.

A whole new view of both American business and the seeded side of life in Japan.

Eh. It was a slow read, until almost the end. I guess I was expecting more, since I enjoyed Bringing Down the House so much.

It's billed as a 'True story....' but it's so fictionalised you'd have to wonder sometimes.

A better title could have been 'Ugly Humans' because apart from Malcolm's mother and his girlfriend Sayo, there wasn't a decent human being among them. Bill Sammons summed most of them up with "I'm just your run-of-the-mill evil capitalist pig"

Revolting greed, the root of their existence, I warmed to none of them, and may I never meet anyone remotely like them!
Could not understand why the main character was "hidden" with a fictional name, when most of the others weren't, surely easily identifiable eventually anyway.

Chapter 25 had the strangest extract relating to Malcolm having to unzip his pants to prove he wasn't a cop before he could enter the brothel. Didn't get this at all, unless I'm being naïve about NYC cops and their "unique" dicks.

If you don't understand anything about the world of trading on the stock markets then you will be none the wiser after your read, as it's assumed the reader is au fait with the "science" of it.

I read it as research and therefore stuck with it to the end, if for no other reason. It didn't answer my questions but that's not the fault of the book, just an error in my book choice.

The book was a temporary diversion from the more serious-topic books I normally read. The storyline was interesting, the structure of the story was loose and quick-paced, and short on dates for an allegedly true story. All the same, it was a fun ride.

Mezrich has created his own genre of writing. It's the Look at How These Young People Made an Obscene Amount of Money in Semi-Legal and Immoral Ways genre. He isn't really the best writer, but his books are quick and certainly give you the instant gratification you're looking for when you pick them up.

Enjoyed the book and having lived in Japan through that period I could recognise the archetypes, the foreigners in Tokyo in the late 90's really could be a bit OTT. The story moves along at a good pace and I really got involved in all the little side elements of the story and that (unfortunately) is what let me down in the end. Just as I feel the book is coming to a climax it ended, leaving me with a handful of unanswered questions. In all though, a good read, and would recommend it if you have a passing interest in trading or the expat experience.

Gripping!

This tale follows the characters from Princeton to Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Bermuda. The things that were done are so out of my realm of thought.

i know i can always count on ben mezrich to deliver a fun, hard-to-believe story about a group of ivy leaguers trying to make $$$. i cannot think of his name & am too lazy to look it up right now but it is unbelievable that the one guy is not still in jail. how ridiculous is our criminal justice system?

it was a good read but i didn't really like all the fake identities although i understand why some of these people wouldn't want to reveal themselves.

Interesting plot apparently based on real life, although formulaic. Where I know a bit from other sources about the real life events described though it seems that Mezrich has radically simplified a lot of the detail to the point where I would not consider it a realistic portrayal.

Also, can someone tell Mezrich that Osaka isn’t in South East Asia and Nick Leeson was a working class English boy, not a posh Englishman???