Questions About A Bend in the River

by V.S. Naipaul

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Answered Questions (3)

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Trying to find out in which Naipaul novel is there a person giving advice to (I think) the main character. The advice boils down to not being misled by round numbers or numeric thresholds. I can't think of the examples given in the book but a similar example would be, perhaps, waiting for a stock price to reach, say, 100 before selling--simply because 100 is a nice, round number. Does anyone recognize this?

Sanjay “They aren't worth anything now. But they will be again. I really should be giving it to you for nothing. But that would be bad for you and for me. Yo…more“They aren't worth anything now. But they will be again. I really should be giving it to you for nothing. But that would be bad for you and for me. You must always know when to pull out. A businessman isn't a mathematician. Remember that. Never become hypnotized by the beauty of numbers. A businessman is someone who buys at ten and is happy to get out at twelve. The other kind of man buys at ten, sees it rise to eighteen and does nothing. He is waiting for it to get to twenty. The beauty of numbers. When it drops to ten again he waits for it to get back to eighteen. When it drops to two he waits for it to get back to ten. Well, it gets back there. But he has wasted a quarter of his life. And all he's got out of his money is a little mathematical excitement.” pg23 of A Bend in the River(less)

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I did not like this book. I could not finish it. Do you think I might possibly enjoy another one of Naipaul's books?

Ericka Moreno I couldn't finish it either. I did not like it either.…moreI couldn't finish it either. I did not like it either.(less)

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Unanswered Questions (3)

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cultural imperialism in A bend in the River?

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