Customer Reviews

The Leap: A Memoir of Love and Madness in the Internet Gold Rush

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I read this in about two days...could barely put it down. I actually cried at a couple places late in the book, which is absolutely weird for a business book, but Ashbrook's tale is poignant, beautiful, and wonderful, as much a story of indefatigable spirit and the human appetite for risk and glory as it is a business case study. And this book worked on a different, more personal level for me, too. I've lived a teeny bit of "The Leap" myself -- my husband founded a small financial magazine with his childhood friend and eventually quit his job to make a go of it, doing the venture capital route, etc. He wound up selling the little company to an Internet company (in the process, he actually met with some of the same people who Ashbrook talks about), and got a tidy little sum as well as the satisfaction of seeing it live on online. I never knew quite what he was going through then, and admittedly I could have been more supportive, but now I think I know. Wonderful, wonderful book...not just for Internet fans or business book people, but for anyone.

The Leap is a book that tells the story of the launch of a business but, the story is told through the lense of the author's relationships. The author's journey is powerful and his experiences are palpable. The writing is vivid and powerful. In addition, Ashbrook truly captures the restlessness and angst of his generation. I could not put it down and I learned a great deal...a most unusual experience and a most extraordinary book.

I loved the leap. Read this even if you have no interest in the internet, the new economy, business etc. The story is not about starting a business or how to make millions on the internet. It is about a regular guy's unchartered, frightening, exciting and emotional journey into a world he knew he had join. Tom Ashbrook's story is funny, romantic and crazy. Most of all it is inspiring. After reading it, I was compelled to evaluate my own life choices - we should all hope to be as courageous And driven as Ashbrook in our search to be challenged, motivated and successful.

"The Leap" is a fun, accessible and page turning foray into the world of e-commerce wannabes, especially if you happen to be clueless but intrigued by the phenomena of web start-ups and the preternatural sums of money required for so many of them. A friend lent me this book unsolicited. More out of courtesy than curiosity, I thought I'd skim the first few pages and return it. Wrong! Until I read it, I didn't think I was particulary interested in e-commerce matters, especially yuppie-sounding ones. But I found instead that Tom Ashbrook's book resonates on multiple levels, so that someone like me who'se not likely to be interested in what goes into starting 'just one more cyber company' is in for a big suprise. "The Leap" is an edgy mixture of personalities, relationships, families, mid-life crises, risk taking, and lots more. It's a quick and suspenseful read. Given the fickle nature of these companies, there's no final ending. Since completing this book, I've found that I pick up on media stories about other similar ventures undertaken by people with little or no capital and have a more fully informed (albeit of a 'cyber start-up 101' nature) idea and appreciation for what's involved. While people like Tom and his partner, Rolly Rouse (the obsessed and original brains behind the entire Homeportfolio venture) may not be entirely like you and me (they are after all Yale educated and know lots of people with potential deep pockets) they and their families are enough like lots of us that their story is simultaneously exciting and frightening. Enjoy your leap into their leap!

As someone who "took the leap" myself, I was expecting to see a book with business insights that I could compare with my own, or with others found in, say, "High Stakes, No Prisoners." I figured there'd be "do's and don'ts" about leaving your job in midlife to try an Internet business.

Instead, this book is in a completely different genre. To me, it reads like an inspirational autobiography of someone who once was a drug addict or a prisoner of war. It's a tale of pain, degradation, and ultimate redemption.

You see how this comfortable, middle-class guy lets his need to join the entrepreneurial crowd take him lower and lower and lower. He goes past the threshold of pain that I could have taken and past what he would have believed he could take.

Once my expectations adjusted, I loved the book. He writes so powerfully! Anyone with a soul will find the book to be thrilling and moving.

It's not about success. It's not about arriving. It is simply about the journey--and a sweet one at that. A perfect read for this Saturday night.

Wow. What a book! What a storyteller! Ellen Goodman says this book delivers the mega-buzz of a double latte, and she is sooooo right. Finally we get an honest to god dotcom love story. Ashbrook delivers the passion worthy of this huge change in the economy and its thousand deep effects on our lives and loves. His wife Danielle is an amazing hero. What should you do when your husband/spouse goes off the deep end with a wild vision? It's all here: romance, terror, and a relationship reborn. Get this book for her, and read it for yourself, big guy. This is a brave, gifted writer who is not afraid to be richly human and real.

I can't remember the last time I read such an extraordinary book!

The Leap is the story of a successful journalist who risks everything he holds dear to follow an Internet dream. Tom Ashbrook allows you to live vicariously through the eyes of someone who dares to do what so many of us merely dream about. This richly crafted book is both a thrilling page turner and a beautifully written story where each chapter, each sentence is treasured.

I guarantee you will love The Leap! Don't miss out on the first book by the best American author to come along in a generation.

I started this book at 8pm and finished at 4 the next morning. Could not put it down. An absolutely wonderful, compelling story and storyteller. Beautifully written. The Leap reads almost like poetry sometimes, then slams you into passages of incredibly gripping action. I opened it doubtful that the Internet startup setting would capture me, but the Internet world is only the beginning with this book. It is really about having the courage to grow and change. And to take risks even when it's not convenient. If you have ever thought about turning your life upside down for a fresh start, read this book. It's a challenging, passionate adventure story that will keep you thinking long after you've gulped it down. Highly recommended.

Tom Ashbrook has written the book that my partner and I have talked about--a hard look at the reality of living the entreprenuerial dream (or sometimes nightmare). "The Leap" portrays the emotional rollercoaster of a startup, from the exhilarating highs of the early wins to the long dark nights of the soul when there seems to be no way out of the box in which you've put yourself and your family. With his reporter's skills, Ashbrook tells the story with style, insight, and a narrative drive worthy of Raymond Chandler.

The cast of characters is familiar to all who have fought these battles, although it appears that Ashbrook and Rouse managed to avoid the "bad guys" and charlatans most of us encounter along the way. Every entreprenuer knows the "wannabes" who jump in early but are unable to stay the course, the selfless contributors who provide critical feedback, contacts, industry knowledge, or just emotional support, and the dedicated employees who catch the dream early and stay committed to pursuing it whatever the cost. Most important, however, the author vividly portrays the burdens placed on friends and family. I came away from this with a much stronger appreciation for, and insight into, the toll that the last seven years have taken on my wife and sons. I look forward to a sequel chronicling this never-ending story.

This book should be required reading for anyone considering "the leap", and for their spouse as well.