Title: The Financial Lives of the Poets
Author: Jess Walter
Publisher: Harper Perennial; Reprint edition
Publication Date: September 7, 2010
Paperback: 320 pages
ISBN: 978-0061916052
Genre: Fiction
What happens when small-time reporter Matthew Prior quits his job to gamble everything on a quixotic notion: a Web site devoted to financial journalism in the form of blank verse? Before long, he wakes up to find himself jobless, hobbled with debt, spying on his wife’s online flirtation, and six days away from losing his home. . . . Until, one night on a desperate two a.m. run to 7-Eleven, he falls in with some local stoners, and they end up hatching the biggest—and most misbegotten—plan yet.
My Review:
I enjoy a good satirical novel and the premise of looking at the harsh realities of life as the market crashed, while homes were being foreclosed and people were losing their jobs, marriages were on the rocks and life was at best rather bleak, is intriguing. The promising premise for the novel The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walter, while a dark look into bleak times, was one I did not enjoy. The protagonist, Mathew Prior is about to lose his home, a fact he has yet to share with his wife who may or may not be cheating on him. His father lost all his money to a stripper by the name of Charity and now the protagonist, a father of two, husband and once respected albeit small time reporter has decided to hook up with drug dealers he meets outside a 7/11 while buying milk. I am all for a good satire, I have read some brilliant satires over the decades, yet this one did not resonate well with me. It is quite possibly due to the fact that I have no tolerance for drugs, especially when a middle aged married father of two decides to sell drugs in a spur of the moment, goes by nickname is Slippers, speaks the drug dealer lingo, and in case the reader does not catch on in the first twenty pages, Matthew Prior drives a Nissan Maxima, a point repeated quite often and apparently lost on this reader. There is tremendous promise in The Financial Lives of the Poets, yet I just did not care for the book as a whole. What I enjoyed most was reading the author’s “how the book came about” at the end of this story. I strongly suggest following the tour and reading other opinions about The Financial Lives of Poets before deciding if this is indeed a book for you.
Jess Walter is the author of five novels, including The Zero, a finalist for the 2006 National Book Award, and Citizen Vince, winner of the 2005 Edgar Allan Poe Award for best novel. He has been a finalist for the L.A. Times Book Prize and the PEN USA Literary Prize in both fiction and nonfiction. His books have been New York Times, Washington Post, and NPR best books of the year and have been translated into twenty languages. He lives in Spokane, Washington.
For more reviews of the book, please follow the book tour.
I received a complimentary copy of The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walter from TLC Book Tours to be a part of this tour and offer my honest review of the book. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned book.
Hmmm….I’ve read such mixed things about this one. I think I’ll still give it a try, but I’ll keep your reservations in mind. Thanks so much!
I too read very diverse reviews after I wrote mine.
This kind of sounds like the premise of Weeds. I’ve read mixed reviews, too, so I’m not sure it’s for me.
I have not read Weeds, but after writing my review I looked over other reviews and noticed many refernenced to Weeds. I really, really wanted to truly have fun with this cook as the cover blurbs suggested. I did not find the subject matter amusing.
I really enjoyed this one..I think it’s very interesting how each reader brings something different to the reading experience. Great review.
Satire is a tricky genre for me – it’s hard to know if a book is going to be a good fit or not. I’m sorry this one wasn’t right for you, but thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I am glad I read the book and I passed it on to a friend for whom it is an excellent fit.
I haven’t read this one yet, but I actually worked with Jess Walter at a writer’s conference and he was so incredibly helpful and nice (maybe that skews my view of his work!).
Good review though
I want to read his other works, just because this one was not what I thought it would be, I think he has talent and look forward to his other books.
I read this last year and it was ok but not wonderful.
It just was not what I thought it would be. I think either someone will really like it or just be “meh” about it, as I was.
This book has been on my radar for a while. Thanks for the review. I still think I might like it. Worth a try, at least.
Absolutely! I do so hope you enjoy it.