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Opening Belle
Listening Length: 10 hours and 20 minutes
A whip-smart and funny novel told by a former Wall Street insider who reveals what it’s like for a working woman to balance love, ambition, and family in a world of glamorous excess, outrageous risk-taking, and jaw-dropping sexism.
In 2008, Isabelle—a self-made, thirty-something Wall Street star—appears to have it all: an Upper West Side apartment, three healthy children, a handsome husband, and a high-powered job. But her reality is something else. Her trading desk work environment resembles a 1980s frat party, her husband feels employment is beneath him, and the bulk of childcare and homecare still falls in Belle’s already full lap.
Enter Henry, the former college fiancé she never quite got over; now a hedge fund mogul. He becomes her largest client, and Belle gets to see the life she might have had with him. While Henry campaigns to win Belle back, the sexually harassed women in her office take action to improve their working conditions, and recruit a wary Belle into a secret “glass ceiling club” whose goal is to mellow the cowboy banking culture and get equal pay for their work. All along, Belle can sense the financial markets heading toward their soon-to-be historic crash and that something has to give—and when it does, everything is going to change: her marriage, her career, her world and her need to keep her colleagues’ hands to themselves.
From Maureen Sherry, a prize winning writer, a former Managing Director on Wall Street (who never signed a nondisclosure agreement when she left), Opening Belle takes readers into the adrenaline-fueled chaos of a Wall Street trading desk, the lavish parties, the lunch-time rendezvous, and ultimately into the heart of a woman who finds it easier to cook up millions at work than dinner at home.
A whip-smart and funny novel told by a former Wall Street insider who reveals what it’s like for a working woman to balance love, ambition, and family in a world of glamorous excess, outrageous risk-taking, and jaw-dropping sexism.
In 2008, Isabelle—a self-made, thirty-something Wall Street star—appears to have it all: an Upper West Side apartment, three healthy children, a handsome husband, and a high-powered job. But her reality is something else. Her trading desk work environment resembles a 1980s frat party, her husband feels employment is beneath him, and the bulk of childcare and homecare still falls in Belle’s already full lap.
Enter Henry, the former college fiancé she never quite got over; now a hedge fund mogul. He becomes her largest client, and Belle gets to see the life she might have had with him. While Henry campaigns to win Belle back, the sexually harassed women in her office take action to improve their working conditions, and recruit a wary Belle into a secret “glass ceiling club” whose goal is to mellow the cowboy banking culture and get equal pay for their work. All along, Belle can sense the financial markets heading toward their soon-to-be historic crash and that something has to give—and when it does, everything is going to change: her marriage, her career, her world and her need to keep her colleagues’ hands to themselves.
From Maureen Sherry, a prize winning writer, a former Managing Director on Wall Street (who never signed a nondisclosure agreement when she left), Opening Belle takes readers into the adrenaline-fueled chaos of a Wall Street trading desk, the lavish parties, the lunch-time rendezvous, and ultimately into the heart of a woman who finds it easier to cook up millions at work than dinner at home.
Audiobook
First published February 2, 2016
262 people are currently reading
8911 people want to read
About the author
Maureen Sherry
6 books155 followersRecently added to the 2010 American Booksellers Association list of Best New Voices, Maureen Sherry was born in New York City and raised in Rockland County, New York. She graduated from both Cornell and Columbia Universities and went on to work on Wall Street, retiring as a managing director after twelve years. Raising four children has made her skilled in all things action-figured, sugary, mysterious and pink.
When moving homes brought feelings of melancholy, Maureen left behind clues to tell the next family about their time within those beloved walls. Taking this a step further, she also embedded messages in her new home, clues that will eventually lead a future homeowner to a good story. This idea of the walls of a home being a living, breathing thing is the basis of this action adventure through the nooks of New York City.
Currently Maureen volunteers in public after-school programs both in Harlem and Brooklyn and is grateful for the lively, hopeful voices she gets to listen to on a regular basis.
She can often be found standing on her hands.
When moving homes brought feelings of melancholy, Maureen left behind clues to tell the next family about their time within those beloved walls. Taking this a step further, she also embedded messages in her new home, clues that will eventually lead a future homeowner to a good story. This idea of the walls of a home being a living, breathing thing is the basis of this action adventure through the nooks of New York City.
Currently Maureen volunteers in public after-school programs both in Harlem and Brooklyn and is grateful for the lively, hopeful voices she gets to listen to on a regular basis.
She can often be found standing on her hands.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 614 reviews
December 15, 2015
I really wanted to like this book. So much so that I requested a review copy to review on my site. Unfortunately I was left feeling a bit disappointed and will ultimately have to mark this one as DNF at 50%
I had high hopes especially after hearing about the fact that Reese Witherspoon has expressed interest toward making it into a movie. Sure, the feminist, stick-it-to-the-man anthems might be a bit played out at this point but still a small part of me hoped that this one would be different enough to not fall into that category.
Unfortunately, the thing that really did it for me was just how hung up on money the main character was. I know, it's wall street and money is the name of the game but it got exhausting trying to decipher whether money was the issue or just an extreme level of pretentiousness. The story itself is about a woman who joins a group of other women who are hoping to shed light on the fact that men can't walk all over their female coworkers. And yet, if the main character wasn't sizing up everyone she met based on how much money they made, she was talking about how she ONLY made one million dollars this year as if that was such a terribly disappointing thing. I mean, she has children for god's sake!
For me, if a book doesn't make me WANT to read, I have to move on. This time I got halfway, but I just can't make myself continue. I can see where someone with tastes that differ from my own might enjoy this one, but I personally just found it too annoying and pretentious to be enjoyable.
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I had high hopes especially after hearing about the fact that Reese Witherspoon has expressed interest toward making it into a movie. Sure, the feminist, stick-it-to-the-man anthems might be a bit played out at this point but still a small part of me hoped that this one would be different enough to not fall into that category.
Unfortunately, the thing that really did it for me was just how hung up on money the main character was. I know, it's wall street and money is the name of the game but it got exhausting trying to decipher whether money was the issue or just an extreme level of pretentiousness. The story itself is about a woman who joins a group of other women who are hoping to shed light on the fact that men can't walk all over their female coworkers. And yet, if the main character wasn't sizing up everyone she met based on how much money they made, she was talking about how she ONLY made one million dollars this year as if that was such a terribly disappointing thing. I mean, she has children for god's sake!
For me, if a book doesn't make me WANT to read, I have to move on. This time I got halfway, but I just can't make myself continue. I can see where someone with tastes that differ from my own might enjoy this one, but I personally just found it too annoying and pretentious to be enjoyable.
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December 6, 2017
1.5 Stars
Opening Belle is the type of novel that had so much promise, Isabelle (nicknamed Belle) is a Wall Street Managing Director that is attempting to juggle an all consuming career while being a mother to three kids (if your including the unemployed lay about husband). Everyday Isabelle has got to strap on her mental armour as she enters her office in the finance world and has to endure the countless sexist remarks and unwarranted touching. The far and few between women at this company have had enough with the crude remarks, the hostile work environment, and the limits in their careers simply based on the fact they are women. It is infuriating! So they decide to form an after work group called the Glass Ceiling Club aka GCC.
Isabelle our protagonist is at first hesitant to take part in this feminist fight club, because unfortunately with most women in high power positions the act of rocking the boat can seem frightening. At the beginning of this novel I gave Belle a bit of leniency after all she is trying to reverse her default response from years of institutionalized sexism. The sad truth is as females we have adapted to sexism especially in our work environment we have learned strategic tactics in order to stay professional, employed, and eventually promoted. Ignore the groping, pretend you have a boyfriend, laugh off the remarks, wear whatever you need to not draw attention to your butt and boobs like it’s a surprise for men every time that we have these physical attributes, on and on the list goes of the way we as women try not look like the office "Bitch" for merely standing up for our rights and Isabelle is no different.
So I gave Belle the benefit of the doubt and waited for her to become that ball busting feminist I assumed the story was building too. With the amount of horrific sexism the reader had to helplessly trudge through, I though we would be rewarded with a big grand stand of: Fuck you! You self righteous man child, right? WRONG! Instead of becoming stronger and more determined she excused her colleagues sexist remarks, let her husband take advantage of her, trade her dignity for her job and the reunite with an ex-lover that treated her like garbage. And the GCC wasn't any better do you know what was their first order of business? Was it talking about the barely there maternity leave? Or the constant sexual harassment? No don't be silly!! These group of strong powerful women decided to talk about a fellow female employee they labelled "naked girl" and say how she dresses inappropriately for work and is making them all look bad. Well done ladies, let's not talk about how men use your asses as a pit stop for their overly tanned hand, no let's talk about someone's skirt length. Good use of time!
The author then swiftly changes the focus from the worst feminist group in the history of life to the mortgage crisis of 2008 and so who care about female rights anymore become economic turmoil took a front seat right? It's as if the author didn't know what to do with feminist storyline so she abandoned it half way through and tried to distract the readers with the crisis despite it not adding anything to the story or being explain in any interesting depth.
Overall, as I neared the final chapter I thought maybe I'd get a conclusion to the story of women attempting to be treated like equals on Wall Street and instead our protagonist Belle delivered this line. "I said good-bye to the Glass Ceiling Club, which, while well-meaning represented nothing in the end." If I wasn't already on the last chapter I would have DNF'd it right then and thrown this book out the fucking window.
Opening Belle is the type of novel that had so much promise, Isabelle (nicknamed Belle) is a Wall Street Managing Director that is attempting to juggle an all consuming career while being a mother to three kids (if your including the unemployed lay about husband). Everyday Isabelle has got to strap on her mental armour as she enters her office in the finance world and has to endure the countless sexist remarks and unwarranted touching. The far and few between women at this company have had enough with the crude remarks, the hostile work environment, and the limits in their careers simply based on the fact they are women. It is infuriating! So they decide to form an after work group called the Glass Ceiling Club aka GCC.
Isabelle our protagonist is at first hesitant to take part in this feminist fight club, because unfortunately with most women in high power positions the act of rocking the boat can seem frightening. At the beginning of this novel I gave Belle a bit of leniency after all she is trying to reverse her default response from years of institutionalized sexism. The sad truth is as females we have adapted to sexism especially in our work environment we have learned strategic tactics in order to stay professional, employed, and eventually promoted. Ignore the groping, pretend you have a boyfriend, laugh off the remarks, wear whatever you need to not draw attention to your butt and boobs like it’s a surprise for men every time that we have these physical attributes, on and on the list goes of the way we as women try not look like the office "Bitch" for merely standing up for our rights and Isabelle is no different.
So I gave Belle the benefit of the doubt and waited for her to become that ball busting feminist I assumed the story was building too. With the amount of horrific sexism the reader had to helplessly trudge through, I though we would be rewarded with a big grand stand of: Fuck you! You self righteous man child, right? WRONG! Instead of becoming stronger and more determined she excused her colleagues sexist remarks, let her husband take advantage of her, trade her dignity for her job and the reunite with an ex-lover that treated her like garbage. And the GCC wasn't any better do you know what was their first order of business? Was it talking about the barely there maternity leave? Or the constant sexual harassment? No don't be silly!! These group of strong powerful women decided to talk about a fellow female employee they labelled "naked girl" and say how she dresses inappropriately for work and is making them all look bad. Well done ladies, let's not talk about how men use your asses as a pit stop for their overly tanned hand, no let's talk about someone's skirt length. Good use of time!
The author then swiftly changes the focus from the worst feminist group in the history of life to the mortgage crisis of 2008 and so who care about female rights anymore become economic turmoil took a front seat right? It's as if the author didn't know what to do with feminist storyline so she abandoned it half way through and tried to distract the readers with the crisis despite it not adding anything to the story or being explain in any interesting depth.
Overall, as I neared the final chapter I thought maybe I'd get a conclusion to the story of women attempting to be treated like equals on Wall Street and instead our protagonist Belle delivered this line. "I said good-bye to the Glass Ceiling Club, which, while well-meaning represented nothing in the end." If I wasn't already on the last chapter I would have DNF'd it right then and thrown this book out the fucking window.
February 21, 2016
Author Maureen Sherry brings her real-life experience as a former Wall Street Managing Director to this fictional tale of Isabelle McElroy, an over-worked, under-appreciated, Wall Street Managing Director who is also the mom of three young children, and wife to a husband who has lost interest in working (or carrying his share of the load at home).
As with most books in the working-mom genre, Sherry delivers comical episodes of "overwhelmed mom trying to do too much," usually taking place at the kids' school in front the "Barbie" moms. Of course, unfairness at work abounds (Sherry's descriptions of Wall Street's sexist antics won't make any friends among those already distrustful of the group). What makes this book a bit unique among others of its type is a pretty good lay-person's description of the 2008 financial meltdown (useful for those who haven't read or seen "The Big Short," and even those that have) as well as a look at the way class plays a role among the American rich (self-made millionaires vs. those who have been groomed for the family way of life).
This book is an entertaining diversion for readers for looking for a highly-readable book to zoom through in a couple of days.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
As with most books in the working-mom genre, Sherry delivers comical episodes of "overwhelmed mom trying to do too much," usually taking place at the kids' school in front the "Barbie" moms. Of course, unfairness at work abounds (Sherry's descriptions of Wall Street's sexist antics won't make any friends among those already distrustful of the group). What makes this book a bit unique among others of its type is a pretty good lay-person's description of the 2008 financial meltdown (useful for those who haven't read or seen "The Big Short," and even those that have) as well as a look at the way class plays a role among the American rich (self-made millionaires vs. those who have been groomed for the family way of life).
This book is an entertaining diversion for readers for looking for a highly-readable book to zoom through in a couple of days.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
April 11, 2016
This book had so many issues that I honestly wish I had DNFed it and moved onto something else.
There really isn't anything here that makes this particularly book great. Ms. Sherry does try to explain the finance world by way of her character, but every time she tries to things fall flat. She should have taken a page out of "The Big Short" and had a celebrity break the fourth wall to explain things that are happening at particular parts of the book.
The main character of "Opening Belle" is Isabelle (known as Belle) who is a managing director at an investment firm. She is trying to juggle her three kids (though it changes from three to one and back to three again during the course of the book) her unemployed husband, her clients, and the male dominated world of investment banking.
Belle should have been a character I could root for. I am also employed in a male dominated industry so I was hoping to see what has she done in order to get promoted up the ladder without having to give in to things she knows is wrong. However, Belle goes around making a lot of excuses for every male in her direction vicinity. She makes excuses for why her husband doesn't work, why certain partners go around touching women and making lewd comments, why certain women don't get promoted.
It begins to get tedious and then we have the mother of all excuses for Belle, why in the world she chooses to make excuses for her ex fiancee (Henry) who dumped her in the cruelest way in this book. I really wanted to shake Belle at that point, because we go into what happened between the two of them in this book and she still doesn't demand an apology and even puts up with this man's flirting.
We don't get much traction on other characters. We have Belle meeting here and there with a so called glassed ceilings group that consists of women getting together to discuss how to improve things, but Sherry really doesn't follow up with it at all. We get a couple of asides made by a mysterious person who writes letters to the entire investment firm calling out certain behaviors/people but that once again is not followed up with since we have so many side plots with Belle to work through.
Belle's husband was merely there to move the plot. I could not see what attracted her to this character, let alone why she stayed with him. Sherry could have said so much more there about a woman who was the primary breadwinner of her family, who was expected to still do housework and drop off the kids even though her husband was home all day with the kids. I would have loved to see Belle ever stand up for herself or just call out the crap that her husband was getting away with.
The writing wasn't that great, and I was bored at certain times. I mentioned in my updates there were typos here and there. Belle's voice was grating and I was really sick of reading her justification for a lot of things that this book showcases. Belle was just a doormat plain and simple, and I was not running around thinking I am woman, hear me roar, when it came to her. Heck we didn't even realize she had any family until the tail end of the book when we had a scene between her and her sister.
What really drove me crazy was the structure of the book. We had a "present" day Belle (2008) talking about herself back in college, back in 2008, back when she broke up with her fiancee back to 2008, back to how she met her husband, back to 2008, back to how she tried to get her first child into an upscale pre-school, back to 2008, and oh time jump in the end.
The setting of Wall Street in 2008 could have been interesting. Instead it was not utilized enough until the very end when we got some paragraphs here and there about how the firms on Wall Street and some of the big banks were left reeling. I really wanted to read more about families that Belle knew from her preschool were affected, what about certain clients? All of that seemed glossed over and could have provided more of a punch to the book.
The ending just left a lot of things up in the air with Belle and her family. I really would not recommend this to anyone.
There really isn't anything here that makes this particularly book great. Ms. Sherry does try to explain the finance world by way of her character, but every time she tries to things fall flat. She should have taken a page out of "The Big Short" and had a celebrity break the fourth wall to explain things that are happening at particular parts of the book.
The main character of "Opening Belle" is Isabelle (known as Belle) who is a managing director at an investment firm. She is trying to juggle her three kids (though it changes from three to one and back to three again during the course of the book) her unemployed husband, her clients, and the male dominated world of investment banking.
Belle should have been a character I could root for. I am also employed in a male dominated industry so I was hoping to see what has she done in order to get promoted up the ladder without having to give in to things she knows is wrong. However, Belle goes around making a lot of excuses for every male in her direction vicinity. She makes excuses for why her husband doesn't work, why certain partners go around touching women and making lewd comments, why certain women don't get promoted.
It begins to get tedious and then we have the mother of all excuses for Belle, why in the world she chooses to make excuses for her ex fiancee (Henry) who dumped her in the cruelest way in this book. I really wanted to shake Belle at that point, because we go into what happened between the two of them in this book and she still doesn't demand an apology and even puts up with this man's flirting.
We don't get much traction on other characters. We have Belle meeting here and there with a so called glassed ceilings group that consists of women getting together to discuss how to improve things, but Sherry really doesn't follow up with it at all. We get a couple of asides made by a mysterious person who writes letters to the entire investment firm calling out certain behaviors/people but that once again is not followed up with since we have so many side plots with Belle to work through.
Belle's husband was merely there to move the plot. I could not see what attracted her to this character, let alone why she stayed with him. Sherry could have said so much more there about a woman who was the primary breadwinner of her family, who was expected to still do housework and drop off the kids even though her husband was home all day with the kids. I would have loved to see Belle ever stand up for herself or just call out the crap that her husband was getting away with.
The writing wasn't that great, and I was bored at certain times. I mentioned in my updates there were typos here and there. Belle's voice was grating and I was really sick of reading her justification for a lot of things that this book showcases. Belle was just a doormat plain and simple, and I was not running around thinking I am woman, hear me roar, when it came to her. Heck we didn't even realize she had any family until the tail end of the book when we had a scene between her and her sister.
What really drove me crazy was the structure of the book. We had a "present" day Belle (2008) talking about herself back in college, back in 2008, back when she broke up with her fiancee back to 2008, back to how she met her husband, back to 2008, back to how she tried to get her first child into an upscale pre-school, back to 2008, and oh time jump in the end.
The setting of Wall Street in 2008 could have been interesting. Instead it was not utilized enough until the very end when we got some paragraphs here and there about how the firms on Wall Street and some of the big banks were left reeling. I really wanted to read more about families that Belle knew from her preschool were affected, what about certain clients? All of that seemed glossed over and could have provided more of a punch to the book.
The ending just left a lot of things up in the air with Belle and her family. I really would not recommend this to anyone.
February 8, 2016
If you follow Reese Witherspoon on Instagram you know she is all about posting amazing books that she is currently reading. When I saw Opening Belle by Maureen Sherry pop up I knew I had to read. I mean if Reese recommends it then it has to be good and this was no exception. I would say this book is a cross between Wall Street, Working Girl and Legally Blonde. Maureen Sherry, a former Wall Street managing director, writes a funny, poignant take on what it means to be female in the male driven finance world in New York. At times laugh out loud to moments of frustration and emotion, Opening Belle is a book fit for the big screen.
Opening Belle centers around the career driven Isa”Belle” who has it all- great career, wonderful husband and children and beautiful home within New York City. Belle works long hours and is the sole breadwinner for her family. She makes great money and sometime wonders is this all worth it? Each day she enters into the male dominated finance world, a place that is not easy for a woman to survive in. She sees the discrimination and derogatory work place they are in but knows nothing will change. A group of her female co-wrokers also see the terrible circumstances and decide they want to make a difference and start a revolution. They want Belle to head this “glass ceiling” group. Together they meet and discuss the issues at hand but know it is going to take something drastic to get the men to listen and heads to turn. Belle agrees but knows this is risky not just for her career but for her family as well. At the same time, Belle starts to work with her ex-fiacee, Henry, on a big account which makes her work life even more difficult. With the pressure of her female co-workers to make a change and the awkwardness of working with Henry, Belle starts to feel the pressure. At the same time she starts to sense change in the finance world and fears for the crash of the market. Will she be able to make a change for her fellow ladies or will the downfall of the market cause a crash in her perfect life?Opening BelleMaureen Sherry
I loved Belle and all she stood for. Although I am not in the finance world I respected the fact that she stood for what she believed in and united this group of women to make a difference for themselves and all future women to come. I will say that not being a finance person I was lost a little in the jargon but Sherry wrote such a fabulous character within a great story that, that was easy to move through (my husband is in finance so I had lots of questions for him). I do not think you have to be in finance to read this “shero” story. If you are strong and like to fight for what you believe in then you will love this story. If you are lost within the inner struggle of work-family-life balance then you will love this story. It truly has something for everyone and it had an great ending to leave me satisfied. There is no doubt this will be a great film as Reese Witherspoon is adapting into a film. It’s a laugh out loud and cheer for the underdog tale that will leave you wanting to conquer your biggest mountain.
Opening Belle centers around the career driven Isa”Belle” who has it all- great career, wonderful husband and children and beautiful home within New York City. Belle works long hours and is the sole breadwinner for her family. She makes great money and sometime wonders is this all worth it? Each day she enters into the male dominated finance world, a place that is not easy for a woman to survive in. She sees the discrimination and derogatory work place they are in but knows nothing will change. A group of her female co-wrokers also see the terrible circumstances and decide they want to make a difference and start a revolution. They want Belle to head this “glass ceiling” group. Together they meet and discuss the issues at hand but know it is going to take something drastic to get the men to listen and heads to turn. Belle agrees but knows this is risky not just for her career but for her family as well. At the same time, Belle starts to work with her ex-fiacee, Henry, on a big account which makes her work life even more difficult. With the pressure of her female co-workers to make a change and the awkwardness of working with Henry, Belle starts to feel the pressure. At the same time she starts to sense change in the finance world and fears for the crash of the market. Will she be able to make a change for her fellow ladies or will the downfall of the market cause a crash in her perfect life?Opening BelleMaureen Sherry
I loved Belle and all she stood for. Although I am not in the finance world I respected the fact that she stood for what she believed in and united this group of women to make a difference for themselves and all future women to come. I will say that not being a finance person I was lost a little in the jargon but Sherry wrote such a fabulous character within a great story that, that was easy to move through (my husband is in finance so I had lots of questions for him). I do not think you have to be in finance to read this “shero” story. If you are strong and like to fight for what you believe in then you will love this story. If you are lost within the inner struggle of work-family-life balance then you will love this story. It truly has something for everyone and it had an great ending to leave me satisfied. There is no doubt this will be a great film as Reese Witherspoon is adapting into a film. It’s a laugh out loud and cheer for the underdog tale that will leave you wanting to conquer your biggest mountain.
February 8, 2016
I have read some depressing books in my day, but I found this novel extremely sad. There is a difference between books were the events are out of the protagonist control ( The Kite Runner, A Little Life, and Cutting for Stone) and those where the events are well within the main characters control.
Opening Belle is an fictional account of a fairly high level Wall Street Investment Bank female employee pre-financial meltdown. Our protagonist is a 30 something wife, mother and highly paid executive who very much loves her job.
There are several themes running through this novel
*The discrimination women face in this predominately male industry.
*The struggles of balancing young children, a home and a position with considerable responsibility.
*An insider’s view of the events leading up to the financial crisis of 2008.
*A look at greed and how it impacts both the individual and family.
As with most chick-lit, most of these struggles are resolved by the conclusion-but it was the protagonist’s choices along the way that made me so very sad.
On the positive side, author Sherry has some contemporary witty metaphors and if you lacked any understanding of the events precipitating the great recession, she does an adequate job of explaining the role investment banks played in the whole mess.
Opening Belle is an fictional account of a fairly high level Wall Street Investment Bank female employee pre-financial meltdown. Our protagonist is a 30 something wife, mother and highly paid executive who very much loves her job.
There are several themes running through this novel
*The discrimination women face in this predominately male industry.
*The struggles of balancing young children, a home and a position with considerable responsibility.
*An insider’s view of the events leading up to the financial crisis of 2008.
*A look at greed and how it impacts both the individual and family.
As with most chick-lit, most of these struggles are resolved by the conclusion-but it was the protagonist’s choices along the way that made me so very sad.
On the positive side, author Sherry has some contemporary witty metaphors and if you lacked any understanding of the events precipitating the great recession, she does an adequate job of explaining the role investment banks played in the whole mess.
April 5, 2016
Maybe 3.5 stars, but I'm rounding up.
Overall, I liked it. It's basically chick lit with a side of market discussion. It kept me interested because it volleys between the two well; when's the bottom going to drop out of the mortgage market, what's going to happen with Henry, is her marriage salvageable, will anyone file a damn sexual harassment suit? But at the core the most important question is can women really have it all - the high-power career and the happy family? Are there just some jobs that don't lend themselves to that? I liked seeing her work it out.
Overall, I liked it. It's basically chick lit with a side of market discussion. It kept me interested because it volleys between the two well; when's the bottom going to drop out of the mortgage market, what's going to happen with Henry, is her marriage salvageable, will anyone file a damn sexual harassment suit? But at the core the most important question is can women really have it all - the high-power career and the happy family? Are there just some jobs that don't lend themselves to that? I liked seeing her work it out.
January 26, 2016
I'm not sure what exactly was supposed to happen in this book, but I stopped reading about 25% through. I simply didn't see anything happening in the story besides Belle complaining about her lazy husband, judgmental ex, and creepy coworkers. It got boring.
The character if Belle herself was fine enough. A mother with a high stress job and a number of kids made me picture her in my mind as Laura from the Mysteries of Laura. This kept me reading until I realized I wasn't seeing much development beyond that. It ended up feeling like the author picked a character out of a hat but didn't have any real plot in mind.
I'm sure this book is a great fit for someone with more patience. From what the synopsis can tell me there's supposed to be a love triangle ahead between her husband and ex husband. But those who know my reviews know I don't count "love triangle" as an actual plot.
My Recommendation: Skip it.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
February 28, 2020
“Humiliation takes my relatively thick skin and morphs it into full-grain leather,”
― Maureen Sherry, Opening Belle
This book is not bad at all. And it was fun to read the adventures of a female Wall Street executive. Yet for some reason I could not get into this book as much as I thought I would.
I think that maybe more my issue then anything to do with the writing. I have found in the last few years that I have this issue when reading any book about Wall Street including the widely known "Wolf of Wall street" so it maybe just a subject that I do not find compelling enough. One thing that I will say is I admire the writer's courage. I cannot think of anywhere less appealing to work then on Wall Street and the book did nothing to change my mind on that score but it is interesting to read about this subject through the eyes of a female which I had not done. So even though it wasn't a book for me it may well be a book for someone more interested in the subject matter.
― Maureen Sherry, Opening Belle
This book is not bad at all. And it was fun to read the adventures of a female Wall Street executive. Yet for some reason I could not get into this book as much as I thought I would.
I think that maybe more my issue then anything to do with the writing. I have found in the last few years that I have this issue when reading any book about Wall Street including the widely known "Wolf of Wall street" so it maybe just a subject that I do not find compelling enough. One thing that I will say is I admire the writer's courage. I cannot think of anywhere less appealing to work then on Wall Street and the book did nothing to change my mind on that score but it is interesting to read about this subject through the eyes of a female which I had not done. So even though it wasn't a book for me it may well be a book for someone more interested in the subject matter.
February 15, 2016
Hilarious . . Audio entertaining. Can't wait for the film. Review to follow!
March 31, 2022
So. Fucking. Good. Absolutely adored our heroine who was so smart and such a force in finance.
February 5, 2016
Review originally posted at
All Books Considered: 2.5 STARS
Where do I start? This very well might be a case of it's not you, it's me. My first status update when reading this book was: I didn't know anyone hated their life this much. And, truly, I could never comprehend, not during the entire course of this book, why someone would continue to live a life that made them so unhappy -- Belle is incredibly unhappy in her job, mostly because she is in a thankless situation with no room for advancement and feels like a bad mother since she is never home, hates almost everyone she works with because they are horrible to women and the culture is beyond hostile and misogynistic, is unhappy in her marriage and the fact that her husband doesn't really work but that she still has to do 90% of their children/home tasks, and still she is a slave to the absurd amount of money that she brings home every year, even though all she wants is more money and feels like she will never have enough money. Even though Belle figures out that her job is essentially ruining the lives of ordinary Americans, it's all about her and how she can make more money. And then there is her new biggest client -- he ex-fiance who left her on the street without telling her why. It was the most bizarre "break-up" scene I have ever read and the book never explains it. I will say that there was good social commentary in this book about the crash as well as being a woman in a male dominated career but it just left me depressed. The ending was also pretty terrible -- everything resolves albeit in a tidy, if not ridiculous, way but I felt like something was missing.
I would recommend this to fans of books like The Knockoff or BIGLAW, both also about different industries but they have that same frantic New York pace and what it means to be a woman who should be able to have a career, whether it be in a male dominated world or a youth dominated field. Many of the issues I had with this book may not be an issue for you, at all, and the writing is crisp.
Where do I start? This very well might be a case of it's not you, it's me. My first status update when reading this book was: I didn't know anyone hated their life this much. And, truly, I could never comprehend, not during the entire course of this book, why someone would continue to live a life that made them so unhappy -- Belle is incredibly unhappy in her job, mostly because she is in a thankless situation with no room for advancement and feels like a bad mother since she is never home, hates almost everyone she works with because they are horrible to women and the culture is beyond hostile and misogynistic, is unhappy in her marriage and the fact that her husband doesn't really work but that she still has to do 90% of their children/home tasks, and still she is a slave to the absurd amount of money that she brings home every year, even though all she wants is more money and feels like she will never have enough money. Even though Belle figures out that her job is essentially ruining the lives of ordinary Americans, it's all about her and how she can make more money. And then there is her new biggest client -- he ex-fiance who left her on the street without telling her why. It was the most bizarre "break-up" scene I have ever read and the book never explains it. I will say that there was good social commentary in this book about the crash as well as being a woman in a male dominated career but it just left me depressed. The ending was also pretty terrible -- everything resolves albeit in a tidy, if not ridiculous, way but I felt like something was missing.
I would recommend this to fans of books like The Knockoff or BIGLAW, both also about different industries but they have that same frantic New York pace and what it means to be a woman who should be able to have a career, whether it be in a male dominated world or a youth dominated field. Many of the issues I had with this book may not be an issue for you, at all, and the writing is crisp.
Bruce entwines his fingers behind his head and starts doing sit-ups. He's done speaking but now it's me who is agitated. There are glimmers of something that deep down I've already known to be true about my line of work. It's something I'd rather not think about and now I have to. I lie next to him and we synchronize our sit-ups. Brigid comes and sits on my middle to help. We go up and down without speaking, just thinking. Woof starts licking the salt off Bruce's face. Together we grunt, contracting our soft bellies in uncomfortable crunches and exhaling with temporary relief. We do this over and over while we both wonder what is real and what is not. Do I have a great job or am I wrecking people's lives? Do we have a great marriage or are we just getting by? We overflow with questions we can neither ask of each other nor answer ourselves.
November 8, 2022
This book has been sitting on my TBR and I nearly got rid of it several times due to the poor Goodreads reviews, but I am glad I stuck with it. It was a very interesting view into the investment banking world in the 2000s. Several parts were relatable - working in a male-dominated industry and being a working mom during this same time frame. I really enjoyed it.
February 5, 2016
Review
In 2008 Isabelle, a high-powered woman on Wall Street who seems to have it all - husband, kids, great Upper West Side apartment. However she works in an awful environment - especially for women, doesn't get to see her kids or husband enough and still has so many of the household duties to do. While the women in her firm try to come together to make a change and Isabelle's ex-fiance comes into the picture she can sense a something bad coming in the markets. Can she figure out how to really have it all instead of just pretending?
First things first - it took me a painfully long time to get the title. I was like, Opening Belle? Like she will open herself up? OMG, she is a trader and the opening bell on the stock market. God, I felt dumb.
Second, I had super mixed feelings on this one. I will say it got better as it went on and I loved the ending so much. I usually would do a things I like and things I didn't like so much list in a case like this. BUT in this case, a lot of those things are the same. So I will do my thoughts on reading Opening Belle.
It's All About the Benjamins
Especially in the beginning but throughout the whole thing Isabelle is super focused on money and materialistic things. It is crazy pants, to be honest. She talks salaries, bonuses, preschool tuition, name brands, blah, blah, blah. Now I get someone in this job with that kind of money this may be normal. But man she was so focused on it, it bordered on unhealthy. It also didn't help me like her (which totally isn't necessary in a book but I wanted to like her). Also, at one point she talked about "just getting by". This so didn't sit right with me. Like lady in no way should you ever just be getting by when you talk about your six to seven figure salary and bonuses.
Market Crash of 2008 101
Now I will say I have some background with this going in. In my former life I was an auditor that was working during and after the crash so I have a basic working knowledge of the events and the aftermath. The book goes into more detail than what I would expect about the events leading up to it, subprime mortgages, CMOs (collateralized mortgage obligations) and CDOs (collateralized debt obligations), things like what a road show is and some of the consequences of the crash and various banks affected. Sounds like fun right?? Again a lot of this I was familiar with myself or some through my husband and his job. I do think she did a great job breaking it all down though. While I found it interesting, I can see some not being into it.
Mommin' Aint Easy
Truth. I think whether you are a working mom or a stay at home mom it is tough. Especially when your partner is never gonna grow up type who doesn't pitch in the way they should (insert her husband). So Isabelle is always worried she doesn't see her kids enough, they aren't eating the right things, dressed ok, doing enough activities, that the house wasn't clean enough for them and on and on and on. And I can relate to that. I also understood that the times she was out of town for work while she missed the kids that she was in a clean quiet place she could have to herself. This is the thing (the mom thing in general) I related to the most with her.
The Old Boys Club
Another main focus was the working environment where she worked. The guys were a bunch chauvinist, entitled assholes. They didn't treat the women with any respect, there was ass pinching, too close for comfort encounters, deplorable language used, strip clubs gone to as entertaining the client - you get the picture. I have no idea how women work in places like that.Bless their souls. But I understood Isabelle. While the other women were trying to get change she was nervous. She had three kids and husband she was supporting. If she were to do anything to crazy she could be fired or something else that could affect her negatively. With this she tried to stay out of the fray of it all. She mostly ignored what was going on or just took it. But the longer it went on I think she started to see that certain things were just too much to overlook.
Overall, I did like a lot of the elements here and loved how it all wrapped up. I think it would make a really good book club book since there are so many facets to the story from the mom perspective, working environments and the relationships in it.This review was originally posted on Rebel Mommy Book Blog
In 2008 Isabelle, a high-powered woman on Wall Street who seems to have it all - husband, kids, great Upper West Side apartment. However she works in an awful environment - especially for women, doesn't get to see her kids or husband enough and still has so many of the household duties to do. While the women in her firm try to come together to make a change and Isabelle's ex-fiance comes into the picture she can sense a something bad coming in the markets. Can she figure out how to really have it all instead of just pretending?
First things first - it took me a painfully long time to get the title. I was like, Opening Belle? Like she will open herself up? OMG, she is a trader and the opening bell on the stock market. God, I felt dumb.
Second, I had super mixed feelings on this one. I will say it got better as it went on and I loved the ending so much. I usually would do a things I like and things I didn't like so much list in a case like this. BUT in this case, a lot of those things are the same. So I will do my thoughts on reading Opening Belle.
It's All About the Benjamins
Especially in the beginning but throughout the whole thing Isabelle is super focused on money and materialistic things. It is crazy pants, to be honest. She talks salaries, bonuses, preschool tuition, name brands, blah, blah, blah. Now I get someone in this job with that kind of money this may be normal. But man she was so focused on it, it bordered on unhealthy. It also didn't help me like her (which totally isn't necessary in a book but I wanted to like her). Also, at one point she talked about "just getting by". This so didn't sit right with me. Like lady in no way should you ever just be getting by when you talk about your six to seven figure salary and bonuses.
Market Crash of 2008 101
Now I will say I have some background with this going in. In my former life I was an auditor that was working during and after the crash so I have a basic working knowledge of the events and the aftermath. The book goes into more detail than what I would expect about the events leading up to it, subprime mortgages, CMOs (collateralized mortgage obligations) and CDOs (collateralized debt obligations), things like what a road show is and some of the consequences of the crash and various banks affected. Sounds like fun right?? Again a lot of this I was familiar with myself or some through my husband and his job. I do think she did a great job breaking it all down though. While I found it interesting, I can see some not being into it.
Mommin' Aint Easy
Truth. I think whether you are a working mom or a stay at home mom it is tough. Especially when your partner is never gonna grow up type who doesn't pitch in the way they should (insert her husband). So Isabelle is always worried she doesn't see her kids enough, they aren't eating the right things, dressed ok, doing enough activities, that the house wasn't clean enough for them and on and on and on. And I can relate to that. I also understood that the times she was out of town for work while she missed the kids that she was in a clean quiet place she could have to herself. This is the thing (the mom thing in general) I related to the most with her.
The Old Boys Club
Another main focus was the working environment where she worked. The guys were a bunch chauvinist, entitled assholes. They didn't treat the women with any respect, there was ass pinching, too close for comfort encounters, deplorable language used, strip clubs gone to as entertaining the client - you get the picture. I have no idea how women work in places like that.Bless their souls. But I understood Isabelle. While the other women were trying to get change she was nervous. She had three kids and husband she was supporting. If she were to do anything to crazy she could be fired or something else that could affect her negatively. With this she tried to stay out of the fray of it all. She mostly ignored what was going on or just took it. But the longer it went on I think she started to see that certain things were just too much to overlook.
Overall, I did like a lot of the elements here and loved how it all wrapped up. I think it would make a really good book club book since there are so many facets to the story from the mom perspective, working environments and the relationships in it.This review was originally posted on Rebel Mommy Book Blog
May 30, 2019
Something about this book hit a lot of the right notes with me. Since I've been in a reading slump, I was pretty thankful for it, too.
Set on Wall Street just before the market crash, this novel follows the trials and trevails of Isabelle, an outwardly successful director on a trading floor. However, as we get to know more about Isabelle behind the scenes we see that she is butting her head up against a very firm glass ceiling, her work environment resembles a frat party, and her home life is full of chaos.
On the one hand, Isabelle has money and some perks in life. On the other hand, her stay-at-home husband is largely disengaged (and expects her to do the lion's share of emotional labor and housework) and her professional life has started to stagnate and become frustrating. As I watched her navigate the various pitfalls of her life, I found the story resonating with me.
I work in a different industry, but I'm quite familiar with glass ceilings and negative attitudes that professional women face. For that reason, I greatly appreciated how this book handled those issues. The author showed how speaking out at work often comes with a cost, and that different people are going to do a different cost-benefit analysis before deciding whether and how to speak up, file suit, etc... So many people believe that labor laws are an absolute protection against discrimination and this story illustrates the error in that without ever once preaching.
I also liked the moment in time shown in this story. Yes, Isabelle's professional life revolves around earning targets, bonuses and amounts of money most readers will never see. However, the author does a fantastic job of showing what drew her to this job and why she sees her work as important and interesting. I learned a lot seeing things from Isabelle's perspective even if I don't share it.
And then there was the key arc of this book - Isabelle hitting her stride and figuring out what she really wants out of life. Some of her missteps are a little cringeworthy, but watching her get there in the end was satisfying.
Set on Wall Street just before the market crash, this novel follows the trials and trevails of Isabelle, an outwardly successful director on a trading floor. However, as we get to know more about Isabelle behind the scenes we see that she is butting her head up against a very firm glass ceiling, her work environment resembles a frat party, and her home life is full of chaos.
On the one hand, Isabelle has money and some perks in life. On the other hand, her stay-at-home husband is largely disengaged (and expects her to do the lion's share of emotional labor and housework) and her professional life has started to stagnate and become frustrating. As I watched her navigate the various pitfalls of her life, I found the story resonating with me.
I work in a different industry, but I'm quite familiar with glass ceilings and negative attitudes that professional women face. For that reason, I greatly appreciated how this book handled those issues. The author showed how speaking out at work often comes with a cost, and that different people are going to do a different cost-benefit analysis before deciding whether and how to speak up, file suit, etc... So many people believe that labor laws are an absolute protection against discrimination and this story illustrates the error in that without ever once preaching.
I also liked the moment in time shown in this story. Yes, Isabelle's professional life revolves around earning targets, bonuses and amounts of money most readers will never see. However, the author does a fantastic job of showing what drew her to this job and why she sees her work as important and interesting. I learned a lot seeing things from Isabelle's perspective even if I don't share it.
And then there was the key arc of this book - Isabelle hitting her stride and figuring out what she really wants out of life. Some of her missteps are a little cringeworthy, but watching her get there in the end was satisfying.
February 18, 2016
(I received this from NetGelley for an honest review. Thanks!)
Why I picked it up
I work in finance, so I read about these groping coworkers with an eyeroll and "oh that is so like so-and-so". Very accurate, especially the whole "raised rich and given a cushy, high-figure job where they goof off while the women do all the work". I've seen and experienced that first hand and it's soooo frustrating.
I'm also obsessed with the 2008 financial debacle. Especially after seeing The Big Short, I wanted to read a women's perspective on what happened.
Other similar books: BigLaw, The Underwriter
Yay
Insider look into some attempts of bringing girl power into Wall Street. I enjoyed reading scenes criticizing the one-percenters of New York so that I could compare it to my dismal life and think to myself "Ugh thank god I'm poor."
Nay
Character seemed a bit flat. Things just happen to her and she goes along with it, not much emotional depth or growth. A lot of rambling whining about her situation that could have been cut. I was bored around the middle when things would happen and then the next scene would jump elsewhere. The whole Henry thing and how it unfolded was weird and unbelievable. I kept reading because the end was building towards some drama and then all of that was just glossed over and we jump to the future where all is suddenly well. I would've liked to have experienced those moments instead of them just being skipped over like an afterthought.
Also, lots of typos and a serious need for commas, but that could be because I was reading an ARC. Hope they were able to fix that all before publication because I found it distracting.
Why I picked it up
I work in finance, so I read about these groping coworkers with an eyeroll and "oh that is so like so-and-so". Very accurate, especially the whole "raised rich and given a cushy, high-figure job where they goof off while the women do all the work". I've seen and experienced that first hand and it's soooo frustrating.
I'm also obsessed with the 2008 financial debacle. Especially after seeing The Big Short, I wanted to read a women's perspective on what happened.
Other similar books: BigLaw, The Underwriter
Yay
Insider look into some attempts of bringing girl power into Wall Street. I enjoyed reading scenes criticizing the one-percenters of New York so that I could compare it to my dismal life and think to myself "Ugh thank god I'm poor."
Nay
Character seemed a bit flat. Things just happen to her and she goes along with it, not much emotional depth or growth. A lot of rambling whining about her situation that could have been cut. I was bored around the middle when things would happen and then the next scene would jump elsewhere. The whole Henry thing and how it unfolded was weird and unbelievable. I kept reading because the end was building towards some drama and then all of that was just glossed over and we jump to the future where all is suddenly well. I would've liked to have experienced those moments instead of them just being skipped over like an afterthought.
Also, lots of typos and a serious need for commas, but that could be because I was reading an ARC. Hope they were able to fix that all before publication because I found it distracting.
March 14, 2016
This didn't do much for me; I much preferred Bond Girl in terms of learning about Wall Street as an employer. While I liked the aspects of husband as dependent and dealing with sexism and sexual harassment in the workplace, it just didn't move me. She was making over $500k per year and it wasn't enough to live on fir a small family? Sorry but I don't feel your pain here. I also was irritated with the editing; for being published by a major publisher, there were typos and three times a wrong character name was used.
December 24, 2022
This would’ve been better without any of the romance subsubplot and just focused on the toxic environment of the 2000s on Wall Street
June 23, 2017
I really wanted to love this one and it sounded like a good bet given the focus on the financial industry and the struggles of a working mom ... and yet, it just didn't work for me. I am struggling with the rating because I didn't hate it or love it. It's really something between it was ok and I liked it. So, I'm going with 2 stars. But, overall, this one wasn't one that will leave an impression. I really never connected with the writing for some reason. I thought the description of the financial industry and it's lack of diversity was excellent and it really did a great job of giving the reader insight into that world. I never really connected with the characters and some of them even felt a bit like cardboard cut outs to me. I think that may have been part of the reason that I struggled with this novel. I'm having a hard time putting my finger on what I didn't like beyond the writing and characters just never came together for me. I don't think this is a bad book but I do think it didn't work for me. There are others who have quite liked it so you may want to give it a shot if the description sounds good to you!
March 17, 2016
I was SO excited for this book, but found it really depressing and lacking. The protagonist made no sense - she was at the top of her field, yet incredibly naive and stupid, staying with a shiftless husband for absolutely NO reason even though he ended up destroying her life.
I thought the sexist portrayals of her work were fairly accurate/realistic, and I thought it was incredibly dumb of Belle to think that In general, although Belle was supposed to be an MD, her attitude was more that of a newbie analyst who doesn't understand the business world, and I thought that the author being someone who once worked on Wall Street would have done better.
It started out promising, but in the end, I wouldn't recommend it.
I thought the sexist portrayals of her work were fairly accurate/realistic, and I thought it was incredibly dumb of Belle to think that In general, although Belle was supposed to be an MD, her attitude was more that of a newbie analyst who doesn't understand the business world, and I thought that the author being someone who once worked on Wall Street would have done better.
It started out promising, but in the end, I wouldn't recommend it.
January 4, 2016
Bravo to Sherry for exploring the world of women on Wall Street prior to the 2008 collapse! This is a really well done novel with a terrific main character- Belle is completely relatable for those of us who have done the high stress job/family thing. I loved some of the other players as well, especially Kathryn (and the description of her loft.) The writing is clear and the complications of various financial instruments are well explained (not too much, not too little). Thanks to NETGALLEY and EDELWEISS (both of which granted me an ARC) for this one- HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!!
February 21, 2016
Quick read. Belle is a workaholic and relatable. Her husband is a stay at home bum. They have 3 kids. Belle works on Wall Street and feels the strain of working in a man ruled environment. The stock market is about to crash. Belle's life is about to crash. It's an easy read and was perfect for a plane ride. Nothing was GROUNDBREAKING or thought provoking about it but the book does tell a quirky real life story.
February 25, 2016
A good quick read
I didn't expect to love this book but it was very satisfying and offered some acute insights on what it's like to be the wife, mother AND the breadwinner, which sums up my life. I am not a million-dollar earner but I work in the tech industry with a lot of men and much of this rang true.
I didn't expect to love this book but it was very satisfying and offered some acute insights on what it's like to be the wife, mother AND the breadwinner, which sums up my life. I am not a million-dollar earner but I work in the tech industry with a lot of men and much of this rang true.
December 1, 2021
I enjoyed this book and especially the whole inside peek into Wall Street and the lives of women on Wall Street. I found the ambiguity of supporting other women vs. standing up for yourself well-conveyed. I thought the twist re: the ex-boyfriendwas weird, though. I felt that could have been explored in a manner such as to present more of an actual conflict and cause more of a character change for Belle. Also, that one scene where Kathryn explains bonds felt to me like an information dump/”as you know, Bob” exposition (though it was interesting factually). But overall, I read this in two days and enjoyed the Wall Street details and the women supporting women message!
August 6, 2019
I trust my local public library's recommendations and read this novel, one of their "Hot Summer Reads," about a highly paid Wall Street executive before the disastrous fall in 2008. Thirty-six year old Belle, from a modest background, well educated, bright, ambitious, is married to Bruce, from a wealthy background, which he shuns and dismisses. She works seventy hours a week in a male-dominated, harassment-filled, toxic culture while he pretty much doesn't work. They have three great kids who have a nanny and a dog walker for their dog.
The details of Wall Street, the stock market, and the exchange floor, a life that is driven by power, control, and greed, is embedded throughout the novel by the author who spent twelve years there. She treats the reader with vivid elements that made me cringe at times, angry at others, but more importantly, made me understand what happened over ten years ago on Wall Street.
Belle's personal life is heading over a cliff, and her professional life is made complicated by the return of Henry, who broke their engagement and her heart years before and the relentless demands of her job. With "Working Girl" overtones, the small group of women form the "Glass Ceiling Club," but all the intellect, skill, emotional intelligence, and support is still not enough to "fix" what is broken for them.
Comprehending the money Belle earned (and the money others earned,) the conspicuous consumption, and the life style of all the characters I met was challenging. The book is so well written, with honesty and humor, and characters I mostly cared about, kept me engaged. The balance comes with her epiphany, on several levels, which changes her life course, reinstating her moral compass.
The details of Wall Street, the stock market, and the exchange floor, a life that is driven by power, control, and greed, is embedded throughout the novel by the author who spent twelve years there. She treats the reader with vivid elements that made me cringe at times, angry at others, but more importantly, made me understand what happened over ten years ago on Wall Street.
Belle's personal life is heading over a cliff, and her professional life is made complicated by the return of Henry, who broke their engagement and her heart years before and the relentless demands of her job. With "Working Girl" overtones, the small group of women form the "Glass Ceiling Club," but all the intellect, skill, emotional intelligence, and support is still not enough to "fix" what is broken for them.
Comprehending the money Belle earned (and the money others earned,) the conspicuous consumption, and the life style of all the characters I met was challenging. The book is so well written, with honesty and humor, and characters I mostly cared about, kept me engaged. The balance comes with her epiphany, on several levels, which changes her life course, reinstating her moral compass.
February 19, 2016
This book gave me flashbacks to my MBA classes in finance and accounting. I did enjoy the story of Belle and her life and career through the subprime mortgage crash in 2008 and 2009. I thought this was a realistic look at how sometimes you love your job and other times you put up with all of the garbage to get some end goal. A couple of things kept me from giving it 5 stars:
1) The main character's name is Belle. While this is a perfectly good name, it seemed like the name might have been chosen just so the title of the book could be "Opening Belle".
2) Her prior love interest showing up and some of the stuff that happened with that were strange at times.
3) The assertion that because women were not on the boards of major investment banks led to the subprime mortgage crash. While I certainly don't doubt that women offer a different perspective on investment risk and analysis than men do, there's no way to confirm an assertion that a lack of estrogen in the market led to a collapse. It's an opinion that some in the industry have and as an opinion, it's fine. The challenge is being able to back up that opinion with data.
Overall, I liked the book. I did find the beginning a little slow but it picked up about a 1/3 of the way through. I'm going to recommend that my female colleagues from MBA school read this book, particularly those who are more in the banking/finance industry.
1) The main character's name is Belle. While this is a perfectly good name, it seemed like the name might have been chosen just so the title of the book could be "Opening Belle".
2) Her prior love interest showing up and some of the stuff that happened with that were strange at times.
3) The assertion that because women were not on the boards of major investment banks led to the subprime mortgage crash. While I certainly don't doubt that women offer a different perspective on investment risk and analysis than men do, there's no way to confirm an assertion that a lack of estrogen in the market led to a collapse. It's an opinion that some in the industry have and as an opinion, it's fine. The challenge is being able to back up that opinion with data.
Overall, I liked the book. I did find the beginning a little slow but it picked up about a 1/3 of the way through. I'm going to recommend that my female colleagues from MBA school read this book, particularly those who are more in the banking/finance industry.
January 2, 2019
Opening Belle started off a little dry, I'm not going to lie. Isabelle is a particularly humourless investment banker on Wall Street, with a demanding job and a resentful partner. She trudges through the markets and the streets of New York with unbridled reserve, but with little joy.
Set in the financial climate of 2008, readers already know what to expect. There's a big storm brewing and Belle is going to be caught in the middle of it.
As the GFC decimates the stock market, Belle's personal life also chooses that precise moment to collapse. In a nonchalant 'money never mattered' way, Belle begins to see what she really wanted from that high pressure career, and makes some decisions to change the trajectory of her future.
The book really picks up steam towards the end, but it's a bit of a slog to get to those gems so late in the game. There was such an opportunity for humour in some of these scenarios that its a shame that most of the time Belle plays it straight. However I gave it a 4 because it was overall, an enjoyable book and I wouldn't say no if another book from this author came out.
Set in the financial climate of 2008, readers already know what to expect. There's a big storm brewing and Belle is going to be caught in the middle of it.
As the GFC decimates the stock market, Belle's personal life also chooses that precise moment to collapse. In a nonchalant 'money never mattered' way, Belle begins to see what she really wanted from that high pressure career, and makes some decisions to change the trajectory of her future.
The book really picks up steam towards the end, but it's a bit of a slog to get to those gems so late in the game. There was such an opportunity for humour in some of these scenarios that its a shame that most of the time Belle plays it straight. However I gave it a 4 because it was overall, an enjoyable book and I wouldn't say no if another book from this author came out.
February 6, 2016
"Opening Belle" by Maureen Sherry is a humorous piece about women in business – a story told by woman who worked on Wall Street having chance from own perspective to realize how almost impossible is to juggle private life, love and family with business and ambition.
Maureen Sherry who after college went to work on Wall Street, retired as a director more than ten years of hard-working – but she chose to tell her story based on actual events in a bit different way.
Though Sherry takes reader on not-boring-for-one-single second journey through the demanding choices in exciting and predatory business world, in same time "Opening Belle" is funny piece full of humor.
Therefore, if you want to read book that is in same time exciting, insightful and humorous, Maureen Sherry’s "Opening Belle" certainly would not disappoint, even if you are a man given the book is somehow advertised as written for women only.
Maureen Sherry who after college went to work on Wall Street, retired as a director more than ten years of hard-working – but she chose to tell her story based on actual events in a bit different way.
Though Sherry takes reader on not-boring-for-one-single second journey through the demanding choices in exciting and predatory business world, in same time "Opening Belle" is funny piece full of humor.
Therefore, if you want to read book that is in same time exciting, insightful and humorous, Maureen Sherry’s "Opening Belle" certainly would not disappoint, even if you are a man given the book is somehow advertised as written for women only.
January 7, 2016
3.5 stars.
More meat here than in your average Sophie Kinsella novel, and mostly it kept me excited to keep reading. But it got a little soapbox-y at times, and I'm not sure it did a great job explaining the roles of traders and bankers in the subprime mortgage crisis, at least in a way that the lay reader would understand. I also wasn't always clear whether Belle was meant to be telling her story as she lived it, or whether she was recounting it some years down the road. Some textual clues pointed one way, some the other. One of those clues involved a big jump in time near the end that felt a little like the author wasn't sure how to write a particular climactic event, so she decided to skip it and show the aftermath instead.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
More meat here than in your average Sophie Kinsella novel, and mostly it kept me excited to keep reading. But it got a little soapbox-y at times, and I'm not sure it did a great job explaining the roles of traders and bankers in the subprime mortgage crisis, at least in a way that the lay reader would understand. I also wasn't always clear whether Belle was meant to be telling her story as she lived it, or whether she was recounting it some years down the road. Some textual clues pointed one way, some the other. One of those clues involved a big jump in time near the end that felt a little like the author wasn't sure how to write a particular climactic event, so she decided to skip it and show the aftermath instead.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
March 29, 2016
I was drawn to this novel in the first place because it was recommended in the Daily Skimm, one of my favorite news sources. After reading a sample, I realized that I wanted very much to read the whole book. The story is about rich people, yes -- but the protagonist and those close to her are more interesting than the shallow creatures in typical escapist stories of the rich. That's not to say there aren't any shallow characters here, but the shallowest are intentionally so, and their attitudes and behavior make a certain amount of sense in the financial sphere in which they work. As an Amazon reviewer observed, the book also offers lessons in how that financial world has operated, and I enjoyed taking a closer look at this world and its shortcomings.
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