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|  | Author: William D. Cohan
Publisher: Doubleday
List Price: $27.95
Buy Used: $7.69
as of 11/23/2009 16:11 CST details
You Save: $20.26 (72%)
New (51) Used (60) Collectible (1) from $7.69
Seller: eves-books
Rating:  78 reviews
Sales Rank: 3470
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Edition: First Edition
Pages: 480
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6 x 1.3
ISBN: 0385528264
Dewey Decimal Number: 332.660973
EAN: 9780385528269
ASIN: 0385528264
Publication Date: March 10, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: B. In excellent condition, ships with delivery confirmation
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 26-30 of 78
 Reads Like A Thriller June 22, 2009
Mike Cunha (Boston)
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
William Cohan's "House of Cards" is a nonstop thriller. For a story on the collapse of a Bear Stearns and its incredibly complex financial dealings, Cohan's work reads like a thriller novel. Despite various editing errors and a future need for updated versions as more information comes to light, "House of Cards" is well worth the effort.
The book has an odd structure, with the reader immediately launched into a hundred-plus page prologue of the last days of the Bear Stearns investment firm. Part Two then follows with the history of the firm and the book's main characters, followed by Part Three that covers the buildup to and the crash of the US and world economies in the second half of 2008. "House of Cards" suffers some for lack of photos, as it is pleasant to put a face to the names in the book. The lack of photos adds an air that the book was pushed to press to gain maximum coverage during the ongoing roil of the markets.
But Cohan's writing is a pleasure to read. A glossary for all the financial terminology is practically required but reading does provide a gist of the various terms' meanings. The story of insatiable greed and the arrogant investment bankers beholden to it is deftly written with otherwise clear prose and a riveting storyline. Despite a hefty 480 pages, Cohan's "House of Cards" is a page-turner that will keep the reader immersed until the end. It is well worth the effort.
 DRM destroys this product on Kindle June 22, 2009
Bryan Copeland (Houston, TX USA)
8 out of 11 found this review helpful
The DRM on this product disables text-to-speech on the Kindle and keeps you from switching between your Kindle and your iPhone to read it. Additionally I was informed by a message that if I wanted to download this book again I could pay for it again despite the fact I haven't read it yet. This single incident has taken my Kindle from favorite gadget status to keeping me from purchasing a DX because I know that more of this type of silliness is coming. Additionally I won't be buying any more of Mr. Cohen's books or Doubleday books on the Kindle unless I can verify they are not crippled. I'm very disappointed.
 Disappointing June 18, 2009
John Cole
5 out of 8 found this review helpful
Having worked at Bear Stearns, I was very much looking forward to this book. Bear is a relatively small firm and I was close to some of the characters. Ultimately, however, I was very disappointed. This book was definitely rushed to market and is excruciatingly long and redundant. It also gives far too much of a voice to Cayne - which definitely skews the story. I know that Cohan could not get Greenberg, et al. to participate, but Cayne's credibility is such that using him as a source puts too much fiction in the book.
I also feel sorry for readers who are not in the banking business because there is a decent amount of technical detail. The book also lacks any flow whatsoever and would have been better served with a single and distinct timeline. Without having read it, I can still guarantee that Kate Kelly's book is better.
A long boring read but the facts and information are here June 10, 2009
Bobby D. (Cerritos, CA)
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
I really looked forward to reading House of Cards. My hope was that it would be up to the standards of one of Kurt Eichenwald's books, namely "Conspiracy of Fools" which was about Enron. Unfortunately, this was not to be. My policy for writing reviews on Amazon.com has been that I must complete the book. Thus many books that I lost interest in finishing for one reason or another never found there way on to this list. The point is that I did read HOUSE OF CARDS from beginning to end although I did finish two other books before completing the task. And what a task it was. This may be the most dysfunctional, disorganized, overstuffed narrative I have read in a long time. So why did I finish the book if its so poorly written? The answer is "information", no doubt there is a lot of good information presented plus Part two "Why it happened: Eighty-five years" is extremely well done. It reads as if from a different book as it primarily tells the human side of the story. Too bad the rest of the book was not as well done as this section, which in my opinion should have started the book. (Did the publisher not have an editor review the text?) All and all this should have been a long "New Yorker" article. No doubt those guys on Wall Street should be ashamed of themselves as this was not just acts of hubris... but dishonesty as many participants just plain lied. My question is did they also lie to themselves. This is a story that needs telling, the facts and information are presented here but you darn well should be prepared for a long boring read if you want to get at them.
 Reads like a novel June 10, 2009
Joey J. Falco (Lees Summit, MO)
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book, although non fiction, reads a lot like an exciting novel. It's easy to understand what happened to Bear Stearns (and the financial world at large) after reading this book, even for a newcomer to finance with limited knowledge and vocabulary like me.
Showing reviews 26-30 of 78
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