The Financial Lives of the Poets

By: Jess Walter

Narrated by: Jess Walter

Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Meet Matt Prior. He's about to lose his job, his wife, his house, maybe his mind. Unless...

In the winning and utterly original novels Citizen Vince and The Zero, Jess Walter ("a ridiculously talented writer" - New York Times) painted an America all his own: a land of real, flawed, and deeply human characters coping with the anxieties of their times. Now, in his warmest, funniest, and best novel yet, Walter offers a story as real as our own lives: a tale of overstretched accounts, misbegotten schemes, and domestic dreams deferred.

A few years ago, small-time finance journalist Matthew Prior quit his day job to gamble everything on a quixotic notion: a Web site devoted to financial journalism in the form of blank verse. When his big idea - and his wife's eBay resale business - ends with a whimper (and a garage full of unwanted figurines), they borrow and borrow, whistling past the graveyard of their uncertain dreams. One morning Matt wakes up to find himself jobless, hobbled with debt, spying on his wife's online flirtation, and six days away from losing his home. Is this really how things were supposed to end up for me, he wonders: staying up all night worried, driving to 7-Eleven in the middle of the night to get milk for his boys, and falling in with two local degenerates after they offer him a hit of high-grade marijuana? Or, he thinks, could this be the solution to all my problems? Following Matt in his weeklong quest to save his marriage, his sanity, and his dreams, The Financial Lives of the Poets is a hysterical, heartfelt novel about how we can reach the edge of ruin - and how we can begin to make our way back.

©2009 Jess Walter (P)2009 HarperCollins Publishers

So funny, but it shouldn't be

This book shouldn't be funny--unemployment, indiscretion, drugs, foreclosure, infidelity--none of these are funny topics. And yet in this honest journey through reality Jess Walter writes in a style so rich and poignant, so real, that I couldn't help but laugh out loud as our hero Matt reacts to problems he didn't create, but then creates even more. Matt is so hopelessly flawed, and so charmingly real that I was drawn to him in the same twisted way he was drawn into the drug world. I mean, why not go along for the ride and see what happens. Jess Walter is fast becoming one of my favorite authors.

Exceptional

I've just recently found Jess Walter, through "Beautiful Ruins". I got this novel next, and was delightfully surprised. It is completely different from Ruins.
Walters narration is so very good, lending the perfect timing, poignancy, bewilderment, frailty, naivete, hopefulness to his own words. I so agree with professional reviewers that he is a "... rediculously talented writer".
That being said, despite the great humor throughout, I had to leave the story occasionally to digest the prose, or go to sleep. This isn't a simple, drift me off to sleep story. I had to pay attention, wanted to pay attention.
I think you're probably not supposed to fall asleep while listening to classic, beautiful writing, so I had to turn it off.

Riotously Relevant

Plug it in and you're off at about 100 mph, caught up in a blast of creative energy--and laughter. A few minutes in, the protagonist (Matt) makes an hilarious attempt to convince his mother that the debris ball of pot, lint, and a few pennies, that she just pulled out of a pair of his jeans, is not his; another 5 minutes, he catches a glimpse of a soccer-mom's thong and he's off on a childhood memory about having to fold the clothes each week--including his mother's huge, full-coverage panties. And so it went...Financial Lives of the Poets is almost like listening to a good comedian doing very smart stand-up (just remember: most comedians draw on personal tragedy for inspiration).

Walter has a contemporary and offbeat style, as well as keen journalistic senses and originality; he is easily a major literary voice of the post-boom era (at least in my mind). With Financial Lives he manages to explain this "McMansion" culture with insight, cynical humor, and heart, orchestrating just enough of an emotional balance to keep you from being distracted by your own laughter. I saw mention of a comparison to Bazell's Beat the Reaper; very much the same energy and rapid-fire wit, but less caustic and more relevant and realistic (and Walter is the better writer). The *star* rating might be proportionate to age, or coolness...(which should make me want to give this 5 stars), it's a matter of relevancy. Very fun, well written, and an above average performance by Walter himself. Recommend.

What a romp!

I have never read anything by Jess Walters and so was truly taken by surprise by the sheer intelligence of this guy! The metaphors, the rich, snappy banter of his writing is a treat after some of the bad sitcom-like books I sometimes download by mistake. The story is straightforward and also very touching amid all of this verbal acrobatics. Loved it.

Excellent Story with Ingenius Moments

Would you listen to The Financial Lives of the Poets again? Why?

No. Because I don't listen to any book twice. But if I had to...it wouldn't be sheer torture. I'd survive. The other person would survive (I can only expect listening to it again because I am locked in a room or car with someone and they want to listen to it). Both these survivable points means that it's actually a pretty good book.

What other book might you compare The Financial Lives of the Poets to and why?

Oh that book, what is it called...Beat the Reaper. That's it. Reason is they are both light and fun and yet dark and serious. But The Financial Lives of the Poets wins because he does what I see so rarely: he treats "bad" people as just everyday people with crap lives or crap choices. They're human, not caricatures.

Which scene was your favorite?

Dave crying. Hands down. Oh..but also Jamie's comment of "outgrowing your life". Nicely done.

If you could rename The Financial Lives of the Poets, what would you call it?

Nope. It's a good name.

Any additional comments?

Enjoy. I did. It's laugh out loud funny on occasion. I may have looked stupid in my car: but I don't care.

Like I know this guy!

What made the experience of listening to The Financial Lives of the Poets the most enjoyable?

The turn of the phrase with 'moments' that I had to stop listening, pause and contemplate the magnitude of the protagonist's statement. Also Jess Walter reading it the way he wrote it is truly significant.

I've read all of Jess' works - the Zero was most disturbing until this one - the reality of the guy's experience - especially the angst coupled with resignation in regard to his job and most pointedly, his perception of his wife's affection for him - wow. So real I felt a little nauseated - like my best friend was telling me of the demise of his marriage - ouch.

What other book might you compare The Financial Lives of the Poets to and why?

Land of the Blind - for character development - the man is a master.

Have you listened to any of Jess Walter’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

From Dylan - "When you think you've lost everything....you find out you could lose a little bit more."

Any additional comments?

Bravo Mr. Walter! I can't listen to this book while doing my cardio at the gym - makes me want to stop, towel off my sweat and stumble to the bar to drown my sorrows - or smoke weed for the first time! In my wet socks.

Relevant and entertaining

Would you listen to The Financial Lives of the Poets again? Why?

Yes. This is a simple story, well told. I also liked the way Jess Walter read this work. Very engaging.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Matt Prior is the only fully developed character.

Which scene was your favorite?

At the police station.

Who was the most memorable character of The Financial Lives of the Poets and why?

Earl. He reminds me of most out of touch business professionals that I know.

I loved this story.

Good narration of a wonderfully funny, and at times hilarious, story. It gives us a really good look at what's really important in the crumbling upper middle class, and how easy it is to crash and burn to the bottom.

Love it

My type of dry and always bad timing humor. Very well written and just a great book.

I listened to this one almost straight through.

This is a story about a middle-aged couple who hit bottom financially, and the stupid decisions they make to try to recover, and then how it all falls apart. But while that sounds boring, it is anything but. I didn't want to stop listening and always looked forward to getting back to the story to find out what happened next. The narration by the main character Matt is fast and witty, kind of like a hyperactive kid all giddy about his topic. The poetry is corny, but sort of endearing because you're rooting for the guy but at the same time shaking your head at how effed up his reasoning is. And that's another thing that makes this such a good story - it gently shows how tiny stupid decisions can lead to big fallout, but at the same time, that sometimes the fallout isn't such a bad deal after all. It just helps to put things into proper perspective, if only for a time...