Over the course of one week the “Wolf of Wall Street” made more money than the King of France had in his coffers. It examines his relationships with his subordinates, peers and family life, all without leaving the sex, drugs and fame behind. This is a book full of abrasive dialogue. If an acquaintance had spoken to you in a similar way, the first reaction would be “I’m glad I only had to listen to that person for a few seconds”.
If you take into account the ending of the book it is a good read. Belfort makes almost no attempt to change “The Wolf” over the course of the book to suit a more anticipated ending. In other books where the main character is similar in richness and drive, the authors often have written them in such a way that by the end of the book we start to sympathize with the characters plight. If your looking for a character to care about, look elsewhere. “The Wolf” does not shy away from any negativity.
The book has many situations that are humorous still. The descriptions of supporting characters is also minimal which brings the dialogue to life. Basically, “The Wolf” is a simple stereo-typical character. He also has a simple way of stereo-typing other people regardless of position or wealth. For a multimillionaire rock-star druggie he has his heart in the right place when it comes to family. For example, he cares about his wife and kids even though it is in a misguided sort of way.
The book fell short on its description of his rise to riches. It starts out with him already deep into addiction and money. The Scorsese movie will have more about the making of the money while still emphasizing that the sky’s the limit. Neither the movie nor the book will give you any wall street formulas for making money from stocks and bonds. The entertainment factor comes in the life sized characters who appear without any recollection of a weakness.
When “The Wolf” is in his drug induced stupor not stopping using would not give him withdrawal symptoms due to his surroundings of extravagant goods – and a healthy supply of drugs to boot. So, yes, the book is about the upside of drug using. If drug use is a subject that makes you cringe then we recommend seeing the movie in lieu of the book.
The ending is satisfying. It is much like reading about a person who is incapable of feelings being forced to actually feel something. By the end, “The Wolf” seems utterly, if not completely left with his ego deflated, leaving us questioning what he is to do next. In a juxtaposition to the movie – “The Wolf” is more predictable in the book while the situations and supporting characters keep the story going. His wife “The Duchess”, his child Chandler and his entourage are all written in consistently and often. It is not a book that will leave you thinking the author is a literary genius, however, it is composed with enough vigor that it does not get stale.
