Customer Reviews

Confessions of a Wall Street Shoeshine Boy: A Novel

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

A friend of mine gave me a copy of "Confessions of a Wall Street Shoeshine Boy" after he came upon it in the bookstore. He said he couldn't put it down and I had to read it. He was right--what a fantastic read! This book has it all: a fast-moving plot full of intrigue and unexpected twists, a hilarious and original voice in Gil, the charming and unexpected hero of the story (think the kind of error-prone but rich English-as-second-language narration of Everything Is Illuminated), and subtle satire that throws the class disparities of America and the moral abandon of Wall Street into stark relief. I highly recommend to anyone looking for a quick summer read that packs a punch.

Ditto all the other one-star reviewers. For those who gave it 5 stars, what are you smoking and how can I get some? This book should be standard reading for all Al Qaeda detainees--by the third Gil chapter they'll have either killed themselves or divulged any secrets they might have in order to avoid reading chapter 4. Truly amazing a) books like this get 1) read by editors, 2) accepted by editors, 3) edited by editors, 4) published by huge corporations and b) media outfits like NPR and CNBC hawked this book on-air as if it was the next Liar's Poker. David Halberstam, RIP, even blurbed it on the back cover.... Shame on him.

I read this book this week, and can't believe I even finished it. It was awful. I finished it because I wanted to find out what the big insider trading "secret" was , as alluded to on the flap if the book jacket. What a waste of my time as there is no big payoff in the book.

The author writes in the "voice" of Brazilian Gil, the shoeshine boy, and it is hard work to read through his dialogue. Mostly because the author cannot stay true to the voice of Gil, so it seems like a pampered white guy is writing as he thinks an uneducated Brazilian/immigrant would speak. His white-guy voice and arrogance peeps through the character of Gil by using words that Gil wouldn't use, as well as Gil's commentary on the type of shoes his customers choose.

And his sexy scenes just aren't.

I read this book because I love a good wall street insider trading yarn. What this book was, more than that, was insight on how men of all socio-economic backgrounds bond, by denigrating and objectifying women! If all of Gil and the trader's sex romps were dropped, the book would be half as long.

Interesting topic: enjoyed the chapters narrated by the shoeshine boy, found the chapters narrated by the "reporter" extraneous and unnecessary. Seemed like the editor and writer were both lazy--could have done a better job elegantly interweaving the necessary information with one narrator. The title promised more than the book delivered.

The trick of writing much of the novel in the broken English of a Brazilian immigrant gets old quickly. The caricatures of venal wall street types has been done before (Barbarians at the Gate, Liar's Poker, Turn of the Century) and much better. What's surprising is the number of positive reviews from normally reliable sources (like The New Yorker magazine). Skip it.

lacked insight into wall street beyond what anyone somewhat familiar with it would already know. Book jacket makes the book seem more intriguing than it actually is. Broken English style gets old very quickly, annoying to read. Too repetitive and is not well developed.

This is the worse book i have ever read . How could the publisher allow this trash to be printed .

As you realize this book has an element of truth in it, you come away with a sense that there is more wild imagination and fiction then truth. Putting that aside, read as fiction the story is weak. The chapters alternate between the shoeshine boy and magazine reporter. The shoeshine boy is narrated in "ebonics" (via Brazil) style and is very painful to read. Much is lost in the style and story. Skip this book.

The narrator's voice is incredibly keenly observed and accurate....a fast-moving read and very true to its NY setting.