Confessions of a Wall Street Shoeshine Boy: A Novel

by Doug Stumpf

Brazilian–born Gil is trying to find the American Dream. In the meantime, he polishes the shoes of the super–rich and powerful on Wall Street––high rolling traders as uninhibited as they are ruthless. Gil sees things as few other people do–from the ground up!–and his perspective on the day–to–day insanity of the trading floor is priceless. But this fly–on–the–wall overhears one or two things that maybe he shouldn't. And when a glossy magazine journalist desperate for a big break persuades him to be an undercover source for what may be the biggest insider trading scam in Wall Street history, Gil is catapulted into a danger zone darker than anything he or the journalist could have imagined. Part comedy–of–manners and social satire, part hard–boiled business expose, Confessions of a Wall Street Shoeshine Boy, like Bonfire of the Vanities, Liar's Poker, and Blood on the Street, pulls back the curtain on the professional habits and private lifestyles of Manhattan's money mandarins. The story, while entirely fictional, is infused with the ring of truth, and in Gil, fresh and captivating, we meet a true original, a sort of latter–day Huckleberry Finn. After you share his hilarious but wise world–view, you may never look at Wall Street–and America––in quite the same way.

Genres: Fiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2007

Reviews

[Kent · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was the worst book I've ever read by a serious author. If I wasnt stuck on a plane wasting time, I would ask for my six hours of my life back. Mediocre book, not much character development, trite use of the shoeshine boy's dialect, and typical Wall Street bad guys add up to a pedestrian effort. Formulaic, pretentious, uninspired, dramaless - I cannot think of enough words to say how juvenile was this work.

I'm almost ashamed to donate it to Goodwill.

[Brandon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried to want to like it... it seemed like it would be good. I understand the writing style for the main character. It's just A LOT to take in. It's being inside someone's head and every paragraph is a different thought and was just too all over the place for me to stay interested.

[Erin Eckert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't finish it. The writing is really disjointed. I know this is basicslly transcribed from the show shine guys PIG, but no effort was put into making it coherent.

[Mackenzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn’t finish it. The chapters with Gil were awful to read and I couldn’t get into his character at all.

[Mary Lou Dyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not my typical book to read. I did not enjoy it.

[Javer Hernandez · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author Doug Stumpf takes us in a high moving roller coaster from the perspective of a boy, Gil a shoeshine boy from Brazil. The novel has a slow pace and then it develops into a more suspense and thrill theme. The author brings out the glamour and the hidden secrets of Wall Street and puts them into a mix of mystery and greed that take the reader for a ride. The combination of dialogue and narration captures my attention because as I read the scenes come to life and evolve around in a swift manner. The way the characters are develop inside the story itself is also something to appreciate. The author leads us into a believe that a shoeshine boy, Gil, is an innocent creature that will get "eaten" by New Yorkers, specially those in Wall Street, but Gil is street- smart and knows his shares of trick as well. The way the author develops the characters is what I found the most interesting and something I feel I can apply to my own style of writing.

[Ice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brazilian-born Gil is trying to find the American Dream. In the meantime, he polishes the shoes of the superrich and powerful on Wall Street—high-rolling traders as uninhibited as they are ruthless.

Gil sees things as few other people do—from the ground up—and his perspective on the day-to-day insanity of the trading floor is priceless. But this fly on the wall overhears one or two things that maybe he shouldn't. And when a Glossy magazine journalist, desperate for a big break, persuades him to be an undercover source for what may be the biggest insider trading scam in Wall Street history, Gil is catapulted into a danger zone darker than anything he or the journalist could have imagined.

[Homehealth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a good read. I have had it for some time but never got a chance to read it. It was funny, whitty and although a fiction / non-fiction type the author did well in giving the reader a good look at the gritty "Street" in a humorous way. Gil the main protagonist, kept me laughing with his immigrant dialect as he tried to make sense of a world clearly out of his league or was it??

Ike.

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was not worth my time. It was difficult to read since it was mainly written the way a young Brazilian man supposedly talks - lots of 'I was like, he was like, they were like' over and over again. Some 'dirty' stories thrown in, seemingly just for shock value. The worst part? The ending. It ended with two story lines, one so unbelievable it was ridiculous, and one that basically said 'and after all this build up, nothing at all happened - the end'. Ugh. This was a waste of time.

[Lily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good insight into the corrupt competitive edge of Wall Street. I thought that the immigrant perspective (protagonist "Gil") was an interesting facet that allows the reader to make their own judgment of the various bigotries and arguable caste system within America's elite. That said "Gil's" broken english made for tedious reading.

[Sonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a fun book! I liked that the author realized the main character with his fresh brazilian accent and all! I laughed quite a bit here and i enjoyed as well the descriptions of wall street brokers and scandal, which i know to be factual from personal experience! LOL..If your not laughing with me then you probably need a new job ;D

[Arthur · Rating 2 out of 5]

首先，這是一本小說。其次，它不談投資理財，企圖要從裡面挖出什麼心得，那註定是要失望的。

以故事來說，個人以為很弱，現實世界中發生的投資事件比這精采的隨便抓都一大把，實在沒必要浪費時間看它。

[Julaine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Chapters flip back and forth between the shoeshine boy and a reporter. Found the chapters by the shoeshine boy to be extremely difficult to follow at times because of the phrasing. Never got invested in the characters.

[Delia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining read along the same vein of The Firm, but a little better. Told by a shoeshine boy with low self-esteem and a struggling magazine writer -- is said to be a true story that was ficitionalized... Worth picking up for a fun beach read.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

more mediocre output from one of the gang at vanity fair. what makes it worth three stars, however, is how well stumpf manages to pull of his characters voices. good for the beach or the bathroom.

[Chad Sipkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

so thats what those folks do all day....hmmm?

[Mariane · Rating 3 out of 5]

the shoe shine boy is brazilian, so that got me. the story is quite weak, but the author was very good at writing how brazilians who are learning english talk.

[M]

A dear friend of mine D. Stumpf.. I swear I will read this!!!

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

enjoyed it and even more real w/ what is now happening on Wall Street, etc.

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't finish this book. Just couldn't get into it. It didn't hold my interest.

[Carolyn Stanley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many characters to keep track of....
Not as sensational as promised.

[Ilena]

This book was terrible.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting.

[EffinghamPL]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13622903

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The suspense plot was decent, but the author made gender, race and class such central components of the story and then completely bombed in all those areas.