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Boomerang

The Meltdown Tour

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Boomerang

By: Michael Lewis
Narrated by: Dylan Baker
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About this listen

The unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Boomerang: The Meltdown Tour, Michael Lewis' brilliant tragi-comic romp across post-crash Europe. Read by the actor Dylan Baker.

Having made the U.S. financial crisis comprehensible for us all in The Big Short, Michael Lewis realised that he hadn't begun to get grips with the full story. How exactly had it come to hit the rest of the world in the face too? Just how broke are we really? Boomerang is a tragi-comic romp across Europe, in which Lewis gives full vent to his storytelling genius. The cheap credit that rolled across the planet between 2002 and 2008 was more than a simple financial phenomenon: it was temptation, offering entire societies the chance to reveal aspects of their characters they could not normally afford to indulge.

Icelanders wanted to stop fishing and become investment bankers. The Greeks wanted to turn their country into a piñata stuffed with cash and allow as many citizens as possible to take a whack. The Irish wanted to stop being Irish. The Germans wanted to be even more German. Michael Lewis's investigation of bubbles across Europe is brilliantly, sadly hilarious. He also turns a merciless eye on America: on California, the epicentre of world consumption, where we see that a final reckoning awaits the most avaricious of nations too. This is the ultimate book of our times. It's time to brace ourselves for impact. And, with Michael Lewis, to laugh out loud while we're doing it.

©2011 Michael Lewis (P)2011 Penguin Audio
21st Century Economic History Europe International Global Financial Crisis
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Critic reviews

"Fascinating... the book could not be more timely...a sharp-edged narrative that leaves readers with a visceral understanding of the fiscal recklessness that lies behind today's headlines." (Michiko Kakutani, New York Times)
"Lewis is the finest storyteller of our generation." (Malcolm Gladwell)
"He is so good everyone else may as well pack up." ( Evening Standard)

What listeners say about Boomerang

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

I listened twice

This is an extremely entertaining overview of the sovereign debt crisis. My only criticism is that it appears to draw a lot of its comedy, and worryingly some of its conclusions, from national stereotyping. Despite this, Boomerang is a great and very accessible summary. Dylan Baker's narration suits it very well.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another great roller-coaster from Michael Lewis

If you could sum up Boomerang in three words, what would they be?

Edge Of Seat

What was one of the most memorable moments of Boomerang?

Its all good

Have you listened to any of Dylan Baker’s other performances? How does this one compare?

NA

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The Dumbest Guys In The Room

Any additional comments?

I am learning that anything by Michael Lewis is a laugh-out-loud roller-coaster, that will have you yelling "No-Freaking-Way!!!!" on more than one occasion. Who knew a post-mortem could be so entertaining?

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

good book but wish it was narrated by the author!

A decent listen and some very interesting bits but it's definitely not on the same level as liars poker or the big short. It would be really good to hear it read by Michael Lewis like the other books are though.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating Read and great narration

I’m a big Michael Lewis fan, and as ever he makes sense of big ideas in a clear and engaging way. The narration for this title is one of the best I have ever heard - Dylan Baker has a brilliantly distinctive voice and he captures the tone and the often sarcastic nature of Lewis’s writing wonderfully.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Typical Michael Lewis novel - well written, easy to follow and explains complex topics in easy to understand language.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

fascinating

trip through the minds of the enabling countries embroiled in the crash of 2008. Well spoken and engaging voice.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great and scary book

Good book I bought it after watching The big short film. I selfishly wish he had visited a few more countries such as Spain or Portugal. But the book is a great help to understand the different reasons for the crash in the Eurozone which I thought weren't so heterogenic. Highly recommended.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Who new finance could be such fun

This is the first Michael Lewis book and book on finance I've ever listened to or read, so I wasn't sure what to expect. This an entertaining take on the fallout of the financial crisis in Iceland, Ireland, Greece, Germany and California. There's a degree of stereotyping in the book, but it's never belittling or nasty. I found the book humourous and informative and highlights the mistakes each nation/state made before the crash.
I'll definitely be reading more by the author.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Case Histories in Financial Madness

Michael Lewis goes on a post Financial Crisis tour of Iceland, Greece, Germany and California. He meets interesting people who did dubious things between 2002 and 2007, and he gets them all to tell him their amazing stories of stupidity and hubris. Mr Lewis writes entertainingly and with insight, rounding up each episode with his own wry observations that aim to throw light on what really happened in that period, on what happens when different types of people or societies are offered as much money as they want to borrow (essentially). It is all a bit worrying, as with interest rates still as low as ever, I'm pretty sure this whole debt show is still rambling on. Enough to keep the wonderful Mr Lewis usefully employed for the rest of his life.

Narration. Perfect, slightly excitable at times, but fitting to the content, and no silly accents for the foreign people.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Macro Economics Made Fun!

Loved this audiobook. Got to learn whilst enjoying the economic post 2008 trip. Great stuff

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