Ponzi's Scheme
The True Story of a Financial Legend
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Ponzi's Scheme
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Narrado por:
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Grover Gardner
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De:
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Mitchell Zuckoff
You’ve heard of the scheme. Now comes the man behind it. In Mitchell Zuckoff's exhilarating book, the first nonfiction account of Charles Ponzi, we meet the charismatic rogue who launched the most famous and extraordinary scam in the annals of American finance.
It was a time when anything seemed possible - instant wealth, glittering fame, fabulous luxury - and for a run of magical weeks in the spring and summer of 1920, Charles Ponzi made it all come true. Promising to double investors’ money in three months, the dapper, charming Ponzi raised the “rob Peter to pay Paul” scam to an art form and raked in millions at his office in downtown Boston. Ponzi’s Scheme is the amazing true story of the irresistible scoundrel who launched the most successful scheme of financial alchemy in modern history - and uttered the first roar of the Roaring 20s.
Ponzi may have been a charlatan, but he was also a wonderfully likable man. His intentions were noble, his manners impeccable, his sales pitch enchanting. Born to a genteel Italian family, he immigrated to the United States with big dreams but no money. Only after he became hopelessly enamored of a stenographer named Rose Gnecco and persuaded her to marry him did Ponzi light on the means to make his dreams come true. His true motive was not greed but love.
With rich narrative skill, Mitchell Zuckoff conjures up the feverish atmosphere of Boston during the weeks when Ponzi’s bubble grew bigger and bigger. At the peak of his success, Ponzi was taking in more than $2 million a week. And then his house of cards came crashing down - thanks in large part to the relentless investigative reporting of Richard Grozier’s Boston Post.
In Zuckoff's hands, Ponzi is no mere swindler; instead he is appealing and magnetic, a colorful and poignant figure, someone who struggled his whole life to attain great wealth and who sincerely believed - to the very end - that he could have made good on his investment promises if only he’d had enough time. Ponzi is a classic American tale of immigrant life and the dream of success, and the unexpectedly moving story of a man who - for a fleeting, illusory moment - attained it all.
©2005 Mitchell Zuckoff (P)2005 Books on Tape, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
Reseñas de la Crítica
"Zuckoff...tells Ponzi's story amicably and briskly, and keeps the complicated financial intricacies understandable." (The New York Times Book Review)
"Zuckoff's biography of Ponzi is meticulously accurate, based on memoirs and newspaper accounts of the day, weaving the story of the rise of this small-time Italian immigrant with that of Richard Grozier, second-generation editor of the Boston Post." (Booklist)
“For Charles Ponzi, a poor Italian immigrant with big dreams and grand schemes, the streets of America truly were paved with gold. In Mitchell Zuckoff’s hands, the get-rich-quick saga of Ponzi is a portrait of America in the Roaring Twenties - a time of innocence and greed, of rogues, rascals, and reformers. It’s hard not to root for Ponzi as he tiptoes along a financial high wire of his own creation, high above his immigrant investors cheering him on and the Boston Brahmins hoping for him to fall. Zuckoff spins a tale rich in intrigue, corruption, betrayal - and love. It is a story that resonates today, in an age of financial scandals ranging from Enron to Martha Stewart.” (Mike Stanton, author of The Prince of Providence)
Featured Article: Catch Our Grift with These Tales of Female Frauds, Scammers, and Cons
When it comes to cons of the criminal variety, women often fly under the radar. And when it comes to pulling off high-level, multifaceted schemes, women continue to be underestimated. But with enough confidence to remain undetected, female con artists, fraudsters, and grifters have scammed their way to infamy, racking up dollars, favors, and fame along the way. The stories they leave behind make for some of the most intriguing cases of all time.
If you like incredulity that is true, a love story that is always just out of reach and an ending that begs the question, “what if”, then this is a no miss for you. Happy listening!
An Odyssey, a Love Story, a Comedy and a Tragedy
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From start to finish I just couldn't put this book down.
Fascinating!
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What made the experience of listening to Ponzi's Scheme the most enjoyable?
The way Mitchell Zuckoff takes these characters who you believe to be secondary or tertiary in nature to the story and develps them as if they were major players. The research that was presented in the book was scrupulousw and masterful. It takes you from having Ponzi being a poor immigrant bon-vivant with dreams and ambitions much larger than life to an enterprising businessman/scoundrel that still has a heart of gold. I still don't understand his donation of skin to someone he did not know... almost as if he was buying "postal coupons" for heaven. All I had heard or read about Ponzi to date has been negative, this book opened up a human window into the person.Who was your favorite character and why?
The reporters and editors of the Post, who believed enough on themselves to risk embarrassment and finacial ruin exposing Ponzi.Which scene was your favorite?
Ponzi discovering the International Postal reply coupons and the follow up scheme.Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
If there was, I suppose the arrival of Ponzi's mom at Boston.Any additional comments?
An excellent, well researched book Thank you Mr. Zuckoff.Actually made a human out of Ponzi.
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Interesting
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Where does Ponzi's Scheme rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
About the second or thrid best book I've listened to.Who was your favorite character and why?
It is hard not to sympathize with Charles Ponzi, who had a brilliant idea put forgot to put the paperwork in the mail. And forgot to do the real work too. But by selling his efforts as "Helping the little man", became everyone's hero.What about Grover Gardner’s performance did you like?
His reading speed is brilliant, and the subtle way in which he emphasizes important quotes makes listening very easy and entertaining.Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes.Surprise yourself! Sympathize with a crook!
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Loved It
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Mitchell Zuckoff does it again - Great Listen
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Excellent if you like history and business
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The narration was also really good - as good as it gets in my opinion. Some narrators are really boring to listen to, but this guy (Grover Gardner) did such a great job I felt that his narration added to the interest of the story. Some narrators sound like they just got woken up from a nap to do a reading, but Gardner's treatment is upbeat and lively.
I felt listening to this book was time well spent and worth the purchase/credit.
A Business Biography that Reads Like Novel
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Overly Kind Story of Ponzi
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