Ghosts of Manhattan

A Novel

By: Douglas Brunt

Narrated by: George Newbern

This instant New York Times bestseller offers a withering view of life on Wall Street from the perspective of an unhappy insider who is too hooked on the money to find a way out, even as his career is ruining his marriage and corroding his soul.

It’s 2005. Nick Farmer is a thirty-five-year-old bond trader with Bear Stearns clearing seven figures a year. The novelty of a work-related nightlife centering on liquor, hookers, and cocaine has long since worn thin, though Nick remains keenly addicted to his annual bonus. But the lifestyle is taking a toll on his marriage—and on him.

When a nerdy analyst approaches him with apocalyptic prognostications of where Bear’s high-flying mortgage-backed securities trading may lead, Nick is presented with the kind of ethical dilemma he’s spent a lifetime avoiding. Throw in a hot financial journalist who seems to be more interested in him than in the percolating financial Armageddon and the prospect that his own wife may have found a new romantic interest of her own, and you have the recipe for Nick’s personal and professional implosion.

By turns hilarious and harrowing, Ghosts of Manhattan follows a winning but flawed protagonist as he struggles to find the right path in a complicated urban heart of darkness

Average novel

I wasn't excited to finish it, although I did. It wasn't bad but it wasn't great.

Not the worst book I’ve ever read.

The story moved slowly and has a bunch of unfinished plot lines. I wouldn’t recommend it.

Thoroughly enjoyed!

Recommended to me by friends. I am glad I took the time to listen to this.

Loved this book!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would definitely recommend this book to a friend. The narrator was great--best I've ever heard. The main character was complex and interesting.

Which character – as performed by George Newbern – was your favorite?

Nick, of course.

Too Light

Would you try another book from Douglas Brunt and/or George Newbern?

No

What could Douglas Brunt have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Provide new insights about Wall Street..Funny yuppie conversations and insecurities were just not enough to define a plot.

What three words best describe George Newbern’s voice?

clear, pleasant, familiar

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Ghosts of Manhattan?

NA-needed to add