Barbarians at the Gate

By: Bryan Burrough

Narrated by: John Helyar

Length: 3 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

Barbarians at the Gate has been called one of the most influential business books of all time, the definitive account of the largest takeover in Wall Street history. Bryan Burrough's and John Helyer's account of the frenzy that overtook Wall Street in October and November of 1988 is the story of dealmakers and publicity flaks, of strategy meetings and society dinners, of boardrooms and balls. It gives us not only a detailed look at financial operations at the highest levels but a richly textured social history of wealth in the twilight of the Reagan era.

©2003 Bryan Burrough and John Helyar (P)2007 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic Reviews

"A superlative book...steadily builds suspense until the very end." (Los Angeles Times Book Review)

Great book, not so great audiobook

The book has lost a lot in transcription, the original is far too heavily abridged. It is too linear, and has lost a lot of its journalistic depth. The book itself, however, is an absolute must.

14 of 14 people found this review helpful

Abridged and Poorly Read

What disappointed you about Barbarians at the Gate?

It's only 3 hours long and the narration (done by the authors) is poor at best.

12 of 12 people found this review helpful

Abridged version does not build enough story

This is stated as one of the all time greats, but after reading it seems the story dosnot come out in an abridged version. Not worth the credits to use on this one.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

3 hour audiobook for a 600 page book?

well told, but only recommend listening if you have read or plan to read the actual book

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

A little too brief

I have read the full book at least three times. This was a good abridgment but not perfect. The personalities never really got developed completely and the stories that really demonstrated Ross Johnson's extravagance (the dog at the golf tournament) didn't make the cut. If you have read the book you will enjoy this version.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

simplified

I am surprise to find out that the audiobook was a cut-down version from the original book. No wonder it is only 3 hour long. I am abit disappointed..

7 of 9 people found this review helpful

Barbarians

interesting story. makes me wsnt to see the movie. The LBO process became confusing in how it was executed, but it sounds like it WAS confusing.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Wall Street Machinations, Corporate Greed and Big

I missed this one when it first came out. Great view into the machinations of Wall Street investment banking firms, corporate executive greed and hubris and over-sized egos.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great read

Compelling story delivered well by the performers. A great look into the dog eat dog world of business and LBOs

Did Anyone listen before publishing?

This is BY FAR the worst reading I've ever heard done in any audio medium of communication professionally published that I've ever heard, sounds like John has marbles in his mouth and his retainer in. It's both too fast and inaudible, forcing me to drop to .75x speed. No joke I'm stopping listening after 20 minutes and I'll just put this book on my physical reading list. Waste of $8, John Helyar should find a career that doesn't involve speaking.

A great book really poorly narrated

The narration is very poor and a lot of the nice details are left out, I wouldn’t bother if I were you.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Lost in translation

I was disappointed to find that the full version was not available on audible so was forced to go with this abridged version on the off chance. Bearing in mind the original was critically acclaimed as being an engrossing thriller as well as a thought-provoking business book. The resulting narrative here is pallid and uninspiring. All excitement and compelling material has been boiled out leaving the listener with one of the most dull and tedious descriptions of a business deal ever written.

The narration is at least authentic, but even their authoritative tones cannot resuscitate this dead dog of an audiobook.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Fascinating subject - poorly served.

What did you like best about Barbarians at the Gate? What did you like least?

Anyone interested in the machinations of corporate excess, skulduggery and the financial world should benefit from this. A classic illustration of how the business world has changed from emphasising producing goods of quality and looking after their employees and the communities in which they operate into rapacious profit machines which care only about enriching directors and large shareholders.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The authors are far from being natural or accomplished narrators. Dull and monotonous - although care would need to be taken to ensure that another narrator did not attempt to be too dramatic!

Do you think Barbarians at the Gate needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No. The story has been told. No doubt there are many similar cautionary tales - but it was the sheer size of the deal and the place Nabisco held in American consumer culture which made this tale worth telling.

Any additional comments?

Buy the book instead!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Entertaining account of a crazy time.

I really enjoyed the film, and I enjoyed the book as well. A vivid and colorful account of the men and the maneuverings that symbolized the revolution in the culture of American business of the 1980s, whose strengths and weaknesses still resonate for better and for worse today.

At times the book, with it's larger than life characters driven by personal rivalries as much as by business logic at the height of the LBO boom: reads more like a novel than history. And you has to remind yourself that this is actually true.

Author is fine.

Relevant Today

Reads more like a fiction novel than a business book.

A case of history repeating itself. A good general cautionary tale for the business world!

0 of 1 people found this review helpful