Human Capital : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Fell in love with the characters...
Review: Absolutely loved all of the characters in this book. I became so involved with them! I was laughing, crying and everything else, right along with them. I couldn't even say who my favorite character was, but each one was so complex and human.
The story and writing were very good as well, but the main thing that really stuck out to me about this book is how vivid Stephen Amidon's characters are.
I am looking forward to more from him.

Rating:
Summary: A Compelling Read
Review: I began this book expecting a light-ish suburban drama -- and was hugely, pleasantly surprised to find so much more. Amidon gets deep into the underbelly of suburban class insecurities, and deep inside each of his characters. These are very real people with their own unique histories and desires, whose lives intersect at parties, at high school, in the grocery store, over business, and then suddenly converge in more sinister ways. Nothing is quite what it seems in Totten Crossing. This is a great story, but it's also a beautifully written look at the people who inhabit a certain kind of town at a very specific time in the United States.

Rating:
Summary: An insightful, beautifuly written novel.
Review: I happened upon Human Capital and the first thing I was intrigued by was it's colorful, sensual cover. Believe me, this book does not dissapoint. Amidon's prose is direct and yet very artistic, able to convey a range of human emotions. Not only does this book provide the reader with an amazing story and several beautifully written character studies, but it is also real food for thought, an amazing commentary on our society.
I highly recommend this book, especially for more intelligent readers.

Rating:
Summary: Another excellent novel by Stephen Amidon
Review: I read Amidon's "The New City" and I was blown away by the detailed characters, the plot twists . . . it was truly one of the best books I read, and I entered "Human Capital" with similarly high expectations. All in all, I found it to be an engaging read, full of everything that you come to love about Stephen Amidon. While I was a little disappointed with the ending (hint: the story revolves around stockbrokers in the summer of 2001), it was still very satisfying. As an aspiring writer myself I hope to one day come with in a hair of Amidon's talent.

Rating:
Summary: a bold book with a great story
Review: i was highly impressed by this book. believe me, once you pick this book up, you won't be able to put it down. he writes about bored housewives, teenagers and professional men on top of their game with exceptional skill and wit, he knows how to really explore a character. i was very moved by the end of this book.

Rating:
Summary: Almost Perfect
Review: Maybe I am just too sensitive, being the manager of a small hedge fund, but the scenes in which Drew, a small investor who does nor have a clue about the risks and rewards of investing in a hedge fund, is sure he will make 44% per year without any risk of loss, do not ring true. In addition, the focus on dividends is almost unheard of with respect to hedge funds. Finally, a big time hedge fund manager like Quint would not take in an individual investor with a mere $250,000 investment. He would be running a fund for "qualified" investors, which is not limited to 99 investors.

Other than the flawed presentation of hedge fund basics vis-a-vis small investors, the book is compelling reading. Nevertheless, the unbelievable premise that a small investor could ever invest in a mega hedge fund gnaws at me like a sitting on a thumbtack on a beautiful sofa.

Amidon should have let some hedge fund managers read through the manuscript first. Maybe he tried but couldn't get anyone to do it. Most of them are rather secretive, thinking (with some justification) they need to protect their trading strategies from competition.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, heartbreaking and thought-provoking
Review: Talk about a book you cannot put down!
Part social comment, part mystery and flawlessly written,
it is a novel you will not soon forget.
I never heard of Stephen Amidon before, but I am going to check out his previous novels.
The characters are all too believable, and you really cannot anticipate the ending.
This is one of those rare books you can't put down, but sorry when it has to end.


Rating:
Summary: Misleading Title & Cover - The book is an utter bore
Review: This book has all the right ingredients to make it sound very interesting: rich people, high-finance, Connecticut neighborhoods, privileged kids, infidelity, etc... but there is no real story. You read half the book and nothing has happened..and when it seems like something interesting is going to happen, the author writes 10 pages on the background of the character which delays the action that was just about to take place...This book is a good read if you skip the first 150 pages and then skip every 5 pages..Actually, I take that back, just skip the whole book.