by  Girl Banker®

Apr-2012 rating: 4.6 out of 5

I read this book in the one month of garden leave that I had between moving from Goldman Sachs to HSBC back in 2007. 

Aug-2007 review:
I loved it, loved it, loved it. Their thoughts on the bidet had me ROFLOL: Troobie and Rolfe wonder why Europeans won’t take a bath but insist on having the cleanest asses in the world! 

Very good explanantion of what the world of banking is like. Read this book before going into investment banking. It will really help you understand what is going on in that world.

I recommend Monkey Business in To Become an Investment Banker.

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by  Girl Banker®

Apr-2012 rating: 3.8 out of 5

I read this book in the one month of garden leave that I had between moving from Goldman Sachs to HSBC back in 2007. From my clipped review I must have thought that this was a book worth reading because it was good to know rather than being 'unputdownable'.

Aug-2007 review:
Shows what happens when you get too greedy and you think you are too clever. Recommend it to those who are getting too confident in their own abilities. Reads very much like an account of a historical event but is a compelling read nonetheless.

I recommend When Genius Failed in To Become an Investment Banker.

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by Girl Banker®

Apr-2012 rating: 4.5 out of 5

I read this book in the one month of garden leave that I had between moving from Goldman Sachs to HSBC back in 2007. I have seen an abridged version of it on Audible.com so I might re-read it to see whether my view of it remains the same today.

Aug-2007 review:
Very good read. Very informative regarding the world of investment banking and what a dominant force Salomon Brothers was in the 1980s / 1990s. I liked the character of John Meriwether in this book. When he’s approached by John Gutfreund for “one hand, one million dollars, no tears” and he replies, “no John, if we’re going to play for those kind of numbers, I’d rather play for real money. Ten million dollars. No tears.” I thought he was the DON. 

But by the time I read When Genius Failed, I don’t think he is portrayed as such a God. I was much more spell bound by Meriwether in Liar’s Poker than in When Genius Failed. Fantastic in explaining how mortgage backed securities developed. Very well worth a read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I recommend Liar's Poker in To Become an Investment Banker.

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