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Tycoon
First published 1997 · 751 pages
A glittering, cutthroat saga of insatiable ambition and the hollow pursuit of high-society respectability.
What it feels like
Reading this novel feels like stepping into a smoke-filled, mid-century boardroom where every handshake hides a dagger. It is a brisk, unapologetic plunge into the glitzy, cutthroat world of early broadcasting, driven by a protagonist whose hunger for power and social validation is as exhausting as it is magnetic. The atmosphere is soaked in opulent wealth, yet underscored by a restless, cynical energy that suggests no amount of money can ever buy true security. The prose is punchy and commercial, prioritizing scandalous encounters and sharp power plays over literary introspection. It is a perfect, indulgent escape for readers who crave sweeping, melodramatic sagas about ruthless antiheroes, the intoxicating allure of the American Dream, and the inevitable rot at the top of the corporate ladder.
- Mood
- glitzy
- cutthroat
- opulent
- restless
- Tone
- cynical
- melodramatic
- unapologetic
- sensational
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- insatiable ambition · class anxiety · illusion of respectability · corrupting power · ruthless capitalism
- The writing
- Punchy, commercial, and heavily focused on the tactile details of luxury and the sharp edges of boardroom dialogue.
- The arc
- A relentless, hunger-fueled ascent that gives way to the isolating paranoia of maintaining an empire.
- Who it's for
- Fans of sweeping, scandalous mid-century sagas who love watching ruthless antiheroes claw their way to the top.
Content notes
- sexual content
- infidelity
- misogyny
- antisemitism
About the book
Jack Lear is a predator driven by unbridled ambition. He makes a great fortune as a pioneering radio and television broadcaster, founds a network, and marries two beautiful socialites, but despite his conquests he continues to hunger for what he cannot have - the social respectability of old money.
The women in his life are legion. His first marriage is to an exquisitely beautiful and shrewd WASP princess who turns him from the wealthy son of a Jewish scrap metal king into an elegant man, surrounded by tasteful trappings of wealth; his second marriage is to a lovely English aristocrat of impeccable lineage and sophisticated style, who introduces him to international high society.
But nothing can ever tame Jack Lear's need to succeed, to overcome his enemies and rivals, to expand his network - until, finally, a threat from where he least expects it promises to tear his beloved empire out of his hands...
Description from Open Library.
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