Customer Reviews

Man Who Tried to Buy the World

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

 

 

"The Man who tried to buy the World..." may sound like hyperbole yet either through the writers' work or their bias we have Monsieur Messier likened to Napoleon Bonaparte. A man who achieved alot in a short time yet crossed a bridge too far. Invariably this was the single detracting element in the book, a less than complete portrayal of a complex man and his motives. Otherwise the span of the book is excellent, summarising the French psyche, education system and government as Messier's career was heavily indebted to each. Likewise is the generous rendering of the peculiarities of French business which includes shared boards, weakened corporate governance structures, cross shareholdings and the clandestine workings of senior management. Maybe a little light on Messier's time at Lazard but the only book read by this reviewer that shines a light on French business. Now how about a book on Societe Generale and its rogue trader Jerome Kerviel?

This is a fascinating story of the rapid rise to international fame of French businessman Jean-Marie Messier, the founder of Vivendi Universal, and of his subsequent, equally fast decline from worldwide favor. The book is extremely well written in a clear, brisk style. I did know anything about the Vivendi empire until I read "The Man who tried to buy the World" but it seems to be supported by solid and reliable research. The authors, Jo Johnson and Martine Orange, do an amazing job of keeping the reader interested in what could have been a very dry account of a French wannabe American and his conglomerate gone bust.
My only (minor) criticism concerns a few spelling mistakes I spotted. On pages 17 and 167, for instance,"president-directeur general"(French for chairman/managing director/CEO) is misspelled as "president-directeur-generale"- a mistake that should have been caught considering the topic of the book. Aside from that, this is a great read.