MORGAN American Financier

As much a history of world economics as a biography, this exhaustive opus chronicles the life of financier J. Pierpont Morgan, who was in the center of worldwide business and politics from the Civil War to WWI. Strouse’s research covers not only the personal and professional life of the banker, but also the politics and business activities of the day. Nelson Runger narrates as though he were presenting a university lecture. His precise, even pacing delivers great clarity but tends to drone throughout some of the longer, complex passages. In characterizations, he raises and lowers his voice for women and men but delivers little else in dramatic detail. A surprise bonus at the end is a long interview with the author. Her comments on the fifteen-year project are as riveting as her excellent text. R.P.L. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 00]