What do you think?
Rate this book
Maxxed Out
Just when we really need it, a scathingly funny novel that skewers the ego-driven, morally bankrupt world of The Big Deal Billionaire Robert Maxx is a king in the world of real estate. Prestigious buildings bear his name, the press treats him like royalty, and beautiful women are thrilled to be seen on his arm. Ruthless, bullying, vengeful, and yet, at times, improbably endearing, Maxx both repels and fascinates. For writer David Collins, things are not so rosy. His novels didn't sell. His marriage fell apart. Scrabbling for a livelihood, he's turned to ghostwriting. When he gets the gig to crank out Maxx's next bestseller, he regards the assignment as nothing more than an easy payday. But something happens. The storyteller in Collins takes over, and he realizes that this isn't one more hack job. It may be his last chance to write something of real value, reclaim his battered self-respect, and win back the ex-wife he still loves. Against the all-too-real background of a cratering economy and the end of easy money, things start to fall apart for Maxx. As it becomes clear that his mighty empire was built on lies, hucksterism, and dubious accounting, the stage is set for deadly conflict between a fallen idol desperate to conceal the truth and a writer obsessed with an inside story that only he can tell.
- GenresFiction
310 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
David Collins
269 books43 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This page has collected the miscellaneous items unattributed to specific David Collinses.
For the 18th-19th century Australian legislator, see David^^^^^^^Collins
For the 18th-19th century Australian legislator, see David^^^^^^^Collins
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 4, 2019
David Collins, a forty-two year old struggling fiction writer barely making ends meet and
still in love with his ex-wife, finds himself among high-powered financiers and beautiful celebrities when he’s offered the job of ghostwriting a book for Manhattan real estate magnate, Robert Maxx.
Maxx is both ruthless and charming, but also, predictably diabolical. With an ex-wife of his own (a famously blonde Polish Fashion model,) cantilevered hair, a penchant for “chrome, dark glass, and fake gold paint,” and for making “everything look like a casino,” Maxx is a thinly veiled version of Donald Trump. Collins tends to be a bit heavy handed with his observations about the disparity between writer and billionaire, rich and poor, about life being a game with rules known only to the elite.
I found the constant interruptions and ruminations by the narrator to be unnecessary and distracting. The breaking of the fourth wall with “Have I mentioned…”or “Don’t get me wrong…” are diversions from the straightforward telling of a murder mystery; a noirishness device that didn’t work for this reader. And while Collins deftly handles the inevitable effect on the ghostwriter by being in such close proximity to power, he spoils it by having the writer observe a few paragraphs later what the reader has already surmised: “…things [he’d] said and promised could almost have come from the mind and life of Robert Maxx.”
But what Collins does do nicely is fill the book with interesting observations about humanity: “The more you know, the harder it is to enjoy something;” “Our ambitions, because we’d fallen short of them, seemed conceited and ridiculous;” “Where you sat was who you were.”
And while the story lacked any real drama or sense of forward motion, I found the writing compelling and thoroughly enjoyable, as in this paragraph about his ex-wife’s music school: “There was a hivelike earnestness about Juilliard that never failed to touch me. White-bloused Asian girls with violins were always hurrying down the hallways, their soft shoes making no sound whatsoever. Skinny boys who were all thick glasses and Adam’s apples hustled past with clarinets. From the warren of practice rooms came the belch of tubas, the bray of horns, the farting razz of the slide trombone.”
Collins’ insight into the human condition, his ability to paint a picture of the Manhattan skyline or the complex beauty of a woman’s presence, and the way he’s able to capture the details, the nuance, the tastes and the textures of lunch at the Four Seasons, makes Maxxed Out well worth the read.
still in love with his ex-wife, finds himself among high-powered financiers and beautiful celebrities when he’s offered the job of ghostwriting a book for Manhattan real estate magnate, Robert Maxx.
Maxx is both ruthless and charming, but also, predictably diabolical. With an ex-wife of his own (a famously blonde Polish Fashion model,) cantilevered hair, a penchant for “chrome, dark glass, and fake gold paint,” and for making “everything look like a casino,” Maxx is a thinly veiled version of Donald Trump. Collins tends to be a bit heavy handed with his observations about the disparity between writer and billionaire, rich and poor, about life being a game with rules known only to the elite.
I found the constant interruptions and ruminations by the narrator to be unnecessary and distracting. The breaking of the fourth wall with “Have I mentioned…”or “Don’t get me wrong…” are diversions from the straightforward telling of a murder mystery; a noirishness device that didn’t work for this reader. And while Collins deftly handles the inevitable effect on the ghostwriter by being in such close proximity to power, he spoils it by having the writer observe a few paragraphs later what the reader has already surmised: “…things [he’d] said and promised could almost have come from the mind and life of Robert Maxx.”
But what Collins does do nicely is fill the book with interesting observations about humanity: “The more you know, the harder it is to enjoy something;” “Our ambitions, because we’d fallen short of them, seemed conceited and ridiculous;” “Where you sat was who you were.”
And while the story lacked any real drama or sense of forward motion, I found the writing compelling and thoroughly enjoyable, as in this paragraph about his ex-wife’s music school: “There was a hivelike earnestness about Juilliard that never failed to touch me. White-bloused Asian girls with violins were always hurrying down the hallways, their soft shoes making no sound whatsoever. Skinny boys who were all thick glasses and Adam’s apples hustled past with clarinets. From the warren of practice rooms came the belch of tubas, the bray of horns, the farting razz of the slide trombone.”
Collins’ insight into the human condition, his ability to paint a picture of the Manhattan skyline or the complex beauty of a woman’s presence, and the way he’s able to capture the details, the nuance, the tastes and the textures of lunch at the Four Seasons, makes Maxxed Out well worth the read.
Read
April 19, 2023I thought the character, Maxx, was a dead ringer for Donald Trump even though this book was written before the Trump years!! An intriguing inside look at a powerful, egotistical New York businessman as seen and experienced by his appointed ghostwriter.
June 10, 2009
A professional ghostwriter works for a New York high roller. The characters are believable and engaging, and it's a great story. I really enjoyed this book!
June 27, 2010
Thought I was reading the right book until book group and at discussion realized i read the wrong maxxed out!!! LOL Still good book though!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews