Alex Cuadros is an able narrator of his own audiobook about Brazilian billionaires and the corruption and sweetheart deals that have made them who they are. Cuadros sounds truly interested in the poverty-wracked country's wealthiest men (and yes, they are men), and his interest is infectious. There are few flourishes in Cuadros's performance--no vocal imitations and no melodrama. It's just a solid rendition. Cuadros refrains from explicitly pointing out most of the obvious parallels between self-hyping rich people in Brazil and self-hyping rich people in the U.S., though the similarities are not difficult to discern. The timing of the book's release clearly is certainly meant to capitalize on interest in the Olympics. This audiobook, though, will be worth listening to for a long time to come.
Pub Date: July 12, 2016
Duration: 11 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780451485151
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
The readers can't compensate for the unbearably pompous prose style of this extended parable about corporate politics and strategy.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
An engaging experience.
This audiobook deals with everything from the historic investments that led to world-dominating companies, such as the Chinese technology company Tencent, to predicting the products and services of the future. An audiobook of such complexity requires a narrator who can handle the task, and David Thorpe manages it admirably. Thorpe uses his masterly voice, which sits somewhere between that of a BBC World Service presenter and an easy, relaxed Home Counties accent, to guide listeners through a sea of numbers, acronyms, and terms such as YP, RPS, and market cap. Rather than simply reading, Thorpe presents the work with excitement and enthusiasm, and this enjoyment transfers to the listener.
An engaging experience.Pub Date: Feb. 20, 2026
Duration: 13 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781668103425
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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