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El Jugador
Una novela sobre John Law, inventor del papel moneda y considerado el hombre más rico de la Historia. Dotado de una prodigiosa capacidad para el cálculo, el elegante y mujeriego escocés John Law adquiere prestigio social gracias a sus habilidades en el juego. Sin embargo, cuando las circunstancias lo obligan a huir a Francia, Law encuentra allí el escenario idóneo para desarrollar su singular peripecia vital. Mientras perfecciona su original «sistema Law» para regenerar la economía, Law frecuenta los ambientes más elevados de una sociedad asolada por la inanidad de sus gobernantes y las maquinaciones de los banqueros y los grandes señores. Así pues, al compás de los vaivenes sociales y políticos de una época decisiva para el futuro de Europa, John Law vivirá su propio ascenso, auge y caída arropado por el amor de una mujer, que lo acompañará sin cejar en los mejores y peores momentos de su vida. Sólidamente documentada, la novela presenta una rica galería de personajes de la corte francesa en los últimos años de Luis XIV y durante la regencia de Felipe de Orleans. El duque de Saint-Simon, el marqués d’Argenson, Montesquieu y Daniel Defoe son, entre otros, protagonistas de una historia en la que los lances de honor, intrigas palaciegas, traiciones y, sobre todo, los avatares del juego y las apuestas, resultan determinantes en el amor y la política.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
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155 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 30, 2022
Opinión
Así de primeras uno piensa que va a leer un libro peñazo, pero nada más lejos de lo contrario. La vida de este hombre de firmes convicciones y grandes capacidades para nada fue una vida aburrida entre números y libros. Nos describe una Europa dividida entre católicos y protestantes (aunque en este libro la iglesia no es para nada protagonista), donde la mayoría de los pueblos pasaban grandes necesidades derivadas de las continuas guerras y de unas monarquías completamente depravadas y corruptas.
En resumen, un libro muy entretenido sobre el inventor del dinero en papel.
Así de primeras uno piensa que va a leer un libro peñazo, pero nada más lejos de lo contrario. La vida de este hombre de firmes convicciones y grandes capacidades para nada fue una vida aburrida entre números y libros. Nos describe una Europa dividida entre católicos y protestantes (aunque en este libro la iglesia no es para nada protagonista), donde la mayoría de los pueblos pasaban grandes necesidades derivadas de las continuas guerras y de unas monarquías completamente depravadas y corruptas.
En resumen, un libro muy entretenido sobre el inventor del dinero en papel.
July 7, 2014
Paper Money .... and a great adventure!
You think a book about the start of the financial markets would be boring? Reader, beware! You are in for a wild ride! You will meet John Law of Lauriston, son of a Scottish goldsmith and the man who invented paper money. And who did cause the first economic crash. You will meet him at the tender age of twelve, already with sexual appetites, already a mathematical genius. You will see him gamble, and you will see him loose once and you will see him gaining riches. And you will see him mature. As a man, so never giving up gambling, as a lover, finding true love, so never giving up on a little bit on the side. You will see him killing. You will see him in prison. You will see him living in different countries, being expelled more than once from different countries. And never, ever, giving up on his ideas, only to see them crashing when they finally worked out. On the way, you will meet some characters from history you already know about, as the Sun King, Louis the fourteenth of France, Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe or many, many others. You will also be drawn into a time of history when poor people were dying from hunger, neglect, lack of money, freezing while the rich gambled their future away. Enjoy this wild romp into the history of the 17th and 18th century like I did. And when looking into your purse for some notes, remember John Law, The Great Gambler.
You think a book about the start of the financial markets would be boring? Reader, beware! You are in for a wild ride! You will meet John Law of Lauriston, son of a Scottish goldsmith and the man who invented paper money. And who did cause the first economic crash. You will meet him at the tender age of twelve, already with sexual appetites, already a mathematical genius. You will see him gamble, and you will see him loose once and you will see him gaining riches. And you will see him mature. As a man, so never giving up gambling, as a lover, finding true love, so never giving up on a little bit on the side. You will see him killing. You will see him in prison. You will see him living in different countries, being expelled more than once from different countries. And never, ever, giving up on his ideas, only to see them crashing when they finally worked out. On the way, you will meet some characters from history you already know about, as the Sun King, Louis the fourteenth of France, Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe or many, many others. You will also be drawn into a time of history when poor people were dying from hunger, neglect, lack of money, freezing while the rich gambled their future away. Enjoy this wild romp into the history of the 17th and 18th century like I did. And when looking into your purse for some notes, remember John Law, The Great Gambler.
August 1, 2014
I read the English version.
April 22, 2022
Ich bin zurück von einer unglaublichen Reise ins 17. und 18. Jahrhundert. Ich habe John Law kennengelernt, ein genialer Zahlenjongleur, der an Spieltischen alle seine Gegner ruinieren konnte, der aber brannte für ein neues System im Geldwesen und sich mit seinen neuartigen Ideen, so z.B. mit der Erfindung des Papiergelds, nicht nur Freunde machte. Claude Cueni porträtiert diesen charismatischen Mann und zeichnet gleichzeitig ein Bild einer Zeit, das geprägt war von Kriegen, Armut, Völlerei und Orgien der Reichen, aber auch von einem Entdeckergeist und dem Glauben, dass Menschen alles erreichen können, wenn ihnen Gott und die Monarchie nicht im Weg stehen. Es war die Zeit, in der Louis XIV noch an der Macht war, das Volk sich aber immer mehr gegen dieses ungerechte Regime zu wehren begann. Eine Epoche im Wandel, daran lässt uns Claude Cueni teilhaben und er tut dies in einer klaren und elaborierten Sprache, die es mir leicht machte, meine Zeitreise zu starten - toll.
May 23, 2020
This sounded like a great story - and it really was but here's the thing. The translation leaves something to be desired. An editor should have checked it! The story dragged at times. What John Law accomplished (who the book is about) and how it impacted the entire world is amazing!
February 7, 2017
Well I'm normally not a fan of this style of history but Claude Cueni does a fantastic job at depicting the characters in this time period. I'll be honest and say that I am not sure how accurate things are but I will trust that he did as much research on the people that he could to recreate them in his novel. John Law is a fascinating human being and I was surprised by how much his monetary theories have effected our modern world. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in this time period.
February 12, 2015
Based on the life of Scottish economist John Law, the "father of paper money", this was an interesting story, with historical detail that evidenced solid research into the period. The characterizations were well-developed and the pacing fast enough to drive the plot forward.
However, the writing itself was quite amateurish - wrong words used for the intended meaning; same words used too often in a paragraph; exposition unnecessarily repeated - whether the translation or the original is to blame, I can't say. Perhaps a better English-language editor could have saved it.
I'm not a dreadful pedant about such things in general, but I have to say that in this case, while I was interested to see where the story would go, at a certain point it just became a chore to slog through.
However, the writing itself was quite amateurish - wrong words used for the intended meaning; same words used too often in a paragraph; exposition unnecessarily repeated - whether the translation or the original is to blame, I can't say. Perhaps a better English-language editor could have saved it.
I'm not a dreadful pedant about such things in general, but I have to say that in this case, while I was interested to see where the story would go, at a certain point it just became a chore to slog through.
June 24, 2015
Ein Mann - ein System (und sagt bloß nicht NUR eine Idee oder Vision)
Ich hatte mir ein bisschen was anderes vorgestellt, aber die Charaktere sind mir sehr sympathisch, zumindest mag ich Laws Art sehr und wie der Autor schreibt. Das Zeitalter wird gut vermittelt und interessiert mich sowieso sehr, wodurch ich jedes Detail aufnehme. Ein bisschen habe ich es, wenn es genauer ums Finanzwesen ging, nicht verstanden, aber man versteht das gesamte Buch auch ohne Kenntnis davon zu haben. Zudem ist das Thema immer aktuell und faszinierend, wie das Münzgeld gegen das Papiergeld umgetauscht wurde. Empfehlenswert!
Ich hatte mir ein bisschen was anderes vorgestellt, aber die Charaktere sind mir sehr sympathisch, zumindest mag ich Laws Art sehr und wie der Autor schreibt. Das Zeitalter wird gut vermittelt und interessiert mich sowieso sehr, wodurch ich jedes Detail aufnehme. Ein bisschen habe ich es, wenn es genauer ums Finanzwesen ging, nicht verstanden, aber man versteht das gesamte Buch auch ohne Kenntnis davon zu haben. Zudem ist das Thema immer aktuell und faszinierend, wie das Münzgeld gegen das Papiergeld umgetauscht wurde. Empfehlenswert!
January 10, 2017
Ich glaube nach bestimmt 5 oder 6 Jahren habe ich wieder ein Buch gelesen. Das Buch ist ok. Nichts besonderes. Es hat mich nicht wirklich gepackt und gefesselt aber es war dennoch unterhaltsam. Vor allem weil es auf einer wahren Begebenheit aufbaut. Und diese war für mich auch vielmehr der Grund dieses Buch anzupacken.
March 8, 2013
Good read. A mix of learning about the start of banking as we know it, laced with intrigue, sex and some fencing. If that sounds interesting and you wouldn't mind to know more about how people lived in London and Paris in the 1700s, both poor and rich, then you'll like this. A mix between Süskind's 'Perfume', history of banking and a beginners guide to gambling and survival in high society.
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August 10, 2011gut geschrieben, sehr interessant, sehr empfehlenswert. ich fand eigentlich keine langatmigen passagen, ich klebte förmlich daran. ich ziehe den hut vor john law und natürlich claude cueni.
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August 7, 2011Het grote spel by Claude Cueni (2008)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews