Extravagance: A Novel Hardcover – 1 Oct. 2002

Few books are entirely original, there is nothing wrong with this, for a talented writer can find something new to bring to a genre or a given theme. This is decidedly not the case with, "Extravagance". To be fair, if this is the first book you have ever read about irrational human behavior of any kind, perhaps you will enjoy this read. Bad judgment by humans is not confined to financial matters, greed just happens to be easy to write about, and examples are almost constantly in the news.There have been entertaining novels written about English financial markets of centuries ago, and bookshelves sag under the weight of fiction and non-fiction accounts of the avarice that took place in the 1980's and 1990's. This author has taken one story and stretched it by having his protagonist stumble and stagger between two time frames in history. To suggest this book involves time travel is unfounded for the protagonist is ignorant of any movement, and if there was to be some manner of travel, an explanation should have been offered however weak.In the last year there has been a massive amount of information and breaking stories about the most recent incarnations of greed and abominable behavior in the financial markets, men and women already rich beyond any possible need continuing to cheat for meaningless amounts of money at the expense of people who have been severely damaged. People whose only fault was to believe these modern day snake oil salesmen and women. If a writer wants to lampoon stupidity he or she needs to look no farther than several billionaires who have set a course to court and probably jail over insider trading worth twenty or thirty thousand dollars. That is a good deal of money, to a billionaire willing to break laws and face jail, that amount of money is pocket change and is indicative of not only massive greed and arrogance, but by a diminutive IQ as well. Net worth and good sense seem to be inversely related.The other part of this book that was exceptionally annoying was the paternalistic morality tale offered to the reader as though those reading this book are simpletons. Trust that is violated does not make a fool of the person who placed faith in another. Those who are the violators may have amassed wealth at the expense of others, and then made decisions worthy of greed-fogged thought processes, but kindly don't lecture readers. Why not lecture those that are in a position to place these thieves in jail for meaningful periods of time, and then see that they never again may hold a position where they have a fiduciary responsibility to the public?This book has some memorable banter and that is why I gave it 2 stars.

Witty and fun!

A friend's writing group suggested reading this book. While not great literature, the way Krist depicts the financial excesses of 1690s London and 1990s New York through the same-named characters kept my interest. A very unique approach and I think he carries it off well.