Write your own review!
Rose N. (Saginaw, MI)
Buying In by Laura Hemphill
"Buyiing In" is an absolutely fascinating portrayal of the inside wheeling and dealing of the fictional Wall Street investment bank, Sterling. The main characters are fully developed...from the shrewd veteran to the wide-eyed newly hired. Having spent seven years working on Wall Street, Ms. Hemphill certainly understands and capably shares with her readers what it takes for a young, ambitious woman to make her stand in this complex world. Even with complete ignorance of this type of high finance, I was utterly drawn into this exciting, dramatic, and totally readable novel. The story gives one good insight into
…more the rise and fall of investment banks such as that which our country has recently experienced. An excellent choice for any reader and for any book club. (less)
Mal H. (Livermore, CA)
Buying In
I enjoyed this debut novel from Laura Hemphill. Buying In came across as more non-fiction than fiction. A very realistic glimpse into the world of investment baking. The politics, the interactions, the competitive nature and the not so flattering sides of people and the banking industry as a whole all portrayed very well.
Hemphill does a wonderful job with the main protagonist Sophie, as well as demonstrating the obstacles and challenges a female faces in this predominately male field. Her writing style is well formed for a newbie author.
Hemphill presents an absorbing story in a field that was once held in high
…more esteem, with a great cast of characters in a wonderfully presented narrative. A few twists and turns strength the integrity of the plot/characters.
If you are in the finance or business sector you will really appreciate this novel. If your not in the business field this will give you a great feel for the topsy turvy would of business and a storyline that is rather enthralling. Great debut novel, looking forward to future efforts from Laura Hemphill. (less)No, it's not a thriller or a horror novel, but it's scary, nevertheless. The writing is excellent, I like Sophie, but I'm not sure I agree with reviewers who praise her for outfoxing the men around her. Is this what banking is about? Fooling and manipulating people, including co-workers, clients, and the public? This book is quite thought-provoking and I do recommend reading it. You may, like me, wonder if Sophie's success is worth the sacrifices she makes, and what the long-term consequences of staying in the field will be. My favorite character was Vasu, and I'd love to read a sequel with Vasu as the main character.
Sandy P. (Gainesville, FL)
Very promising new author
Overall this was a very well written and enjoyable book. I liked it because I'm fascinated with the volatility of the market. I was impressed with the plot development from Sophie's naïveté when she first arrives in NYC to her becoming a successful realist and taking charge of her own life and future. I liked her mentor's insightful comment of "don't go all Pollyanna on me". I'm not sure why she thought a high profile job of analyst wouldn't make huge demands on her time and, ultimately, cost her relationship with Will. The other thing that bothered me (and seemed out of place) was why a new hire would risk
…more everything by rifling through co-workers' desk drawers (her boss included). It came across to me as "oh, it's after hours, I think I'll go see what I can find in Ethan and Vasu's desk drawer". It seemed like a more plausible way of snooping could have been developed, perhaps with an employee on the 'inside' feeding her the information she wanted. Every company has its share of 'loose lips' to be exploited.
The ending built to a surprising climax and yet managed to tie up the loose ends. Sophie seemed torn when it came to her loyalty between with Hutch or Ethan. Good to see that in the end she managed to survive the chaos and gain leverage and an upper hand on Ethan and ultimately get what she wanted. Sophie's naiveté seemed to evaporate a bit and be replaced with a healthy dose of reality and skepticism.
Looking at the author's background I always commend people for writing what they know about first hand, and Ms. Hemphill definitely succeeded. I'll look for her next work. (less)Initially, this book is highly reminiscent of "The Devil Wears Prada." Fresh, naive, ambitious young woman, with a sweetly altruistic boyfriend, family pressure, long hours, predatory colleagues, etc., but the protagonist, Sophie, is a very different character indeed. She manages, sometimes by luck, but more often by sheer determination and what can only be called manipulation - which in her investment banking job is not a bad thing - to make a name and a place for herself. And all at the time of the Wall Street implosion of a few years ago.
I did find myself slogging through some of the book, particularly the
…more factual parts about how deals are actually made, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be interesting to others. I was more interested in, and held by the various characters, who are not all what they first seem to be.
Also, the book jacket describes the story as a woman's struggle in a man's world, but this is misleading. The genders of the characters are essentially irrelevant. Yes, Sophie is a young woman, and yes, her bosses are mostly men, but that just seems to be a reality of the business. Nobody is all bad or all good, male or female.
I was actually somewhat surprised by the ending, which is much more complex than the beginning chapters would lead you to expect. Since it was written by a woman who spent some years in this business, I think it is probably pretty accurate - which is a little scary. (less)Buying In tells the entertaining story of Sophie's adventures as a first-year analyst with Sterling and Sons, a brokerage investment bank. Sophie is from rural Massachusetts and has a lot to learn on her job dealing with mergers and the idiosyncrasies of big-named corporations in a male-dominated profession. Sophie's ideas of a 9-5 job with anticipated sight-seeing adventures are quickly replaced by reality. She works all-night for most of the five difficult months making changes in merger documents for early morning meetings. Events take place where Sophie quickly matures and applies the advice given by her
…more boss Ethan, surprising both him and the reader. Wall Street, high finances and rigorous deals in a male-dominated profession all pique my interests, so I look forward to her next adventure. (less)A young, ambitious woman lands her first post-college job as an analyst with a New York investment bank in 2007. She learns quickly that trust in anyone is a dangerous thing and that in order to succeed one must pretty much give up one's humanity (one must buy in before one can sell out). The irony, of course, is that the book ends just before the banking world implodes, so the reader knows some things about her future that the character does not. The book could use some good editing, but it is well-written enough to keep the reader's interest.
Karen M. (Great Falls, VA)
A familiar tale with a twist
Laura Hemphill's debut novel, Buying In, does not following in the tradition of the Nanny Diaries, The Devil Wears Prada or Bridget Jones. It is not chick lit. But it does share some of the elements of these books in its character; a bright, ambitious twenty-two year old from a small west Massachusetts town comes to the big city to make money in a prestigious New York investment bank. The year is 2007, right before the banks collapse. Sophie, the main character, plays haunting tapes in her head of lectures by her disapproving parents, best friend and hipster boyfriend. The latter has no interest in her obsession
…more pursuit of the vapid glitz and glamour she craves surrounding her new job and workmates. The question presented is will she "Buy In" to this world, and abandon everyone else? Even after experiencing the profession's ugly underbelly?
The author follows the old adage "write what you know." Like Sophie, Ms. Hemphill graduated from Yale and spent seven years in the N.Y. banking world. If you are not familiar with this life, this book will provide plenty of fast-paced action and investment banking background to acquaint you with this profession and it's ego, greed, dishonesty, risks and sacrifices. And it shares the rush that comes from the deal. Her story rings true to me. Even her addiction to copius amounts of Starbucks to work 23 hours per day, seven days per week, for months, in order to make the deal happen. The book ends as the first investment bank, Lehman Brothers, fails. (less)
.gif)
