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Jack Patel's Dubai Dreams
Jaikishan Patel belongs to a traditional Gujarati family but follows his passion, stepping into the glamorous, jet-setting world of investment and private banking. Jai is soon transformed into Dubai-based ‘Jack’ Patel, a hugely successful financial advisor in an American brokerage house. His life seems like a dream come true. He cracks a whopping million-dollar revenue target, receives an indecent proposal from a client’s wife and even manages to keep up with the latest Bollywood item numbers to impress the girl who is tugging at his heart. But just when life seems perfect, recession hits the world economy. And right before Jack’s eyes his world begins to fall apart. Will he lose the love of his life too? Or will things look up in the end?
240 pages, Paperback
First published July 21, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
February 12, 2012
Could be any major city.
Our book group chose this as the author lives in Dubai and is attending the up-coming Literary Festival. We had hoped for an interesting read with a lot of local flavour and, according to the cover, plenty of humour. All ten of us were disappointed for varying reasons, suffice to say, my 3 star rating was the most generous of the group.
From past experience, financial advisors are a slippery crowd, we have yet to find one that actually makes more money for us than himself - even in the good times. I couldn't believe that I found myself reading about one such person, one that was so full of himself and his successes. I tried to feel sympathy for him as he hit the financial crisis with a crunch, but it was hard.
The book felt very autobiographical, although the author is a banker, not a financial advisor. There were a few good characterisations - particularly Jack's friend Kitch and his boss, Peggy, but there was also a cast of thousands, mostly with Indian names and scattered details about their backgrounds, who started to blurr into each other.
Dubai was mentioned in passing but there was none of the atmosphere of the place, it could have happened in any major city.
The general feeling was that aspects of this book, particularly the humour, might be better suited to an Indian audience.
Apparently there is to be a sequel, I rather think the author would prefer I didn't read it.....
Our book group chose this as the author lives in Dubai and is attending the up-coming Literary Festival. We had hoped for an interesting read with a lot of local flavour and, according to the cover, plenty of humour. All ten of us were disappointed for varying reasons, suffice to say, my 3 star rating was the most generous of the group.
From past experience, financial advisors are a slippery crowd, we have yet to find one that actually makes more money for us than himself - even in the good times. I couldn't believe that I found myself reading about one such person, one that was so full of himself and his successes. I tried to feel sympathy for him as he hit the financial crisis with a crunch, but it was hard.
The book felt very autobiographical, although the author is a banker, not a financial advisor. There were a few good characterisations - particularly Jack's friend Kitch and his boss, Peggy, but there was also a cast of thousands, mostly with Indian names and scattered details about their backgrounds, who started to blurr into each other.
Dubai was mentioned in passing but there was none of the atmosphere of the place, it could have happened in any major city.
The general feeling was that aspects of this book, particularly the humour, might be better suited to an Indian audience.
Apparently there is to be a sequel, I rather think the author would prefer I didn't read it.....
July 19, 2013
Well , I usually refrain from reading books related to finance even though they belong to fiction . But somehow , I wanted to read this book and I am glad I did .Although this book has India and the queue breaking India junta, it is based in Dubai. The book does not overwhelm you with financial jargon and tells the story in a simple,light hearted way . I particularly enjoyed the humor in the book .
But I would have preferred to have known how Jack rebuilt his life after he was handed the pink slip. Instead of placing more emphasis on how Jack managed to get the various accounts , it would have helped to know how his spirit bounced back .
That apart , I enjoyed the book and I am well on the way to ordering the sequel .
But I would have preferred to have known how Jack rebuilt his life after he was handed the pink slip. Instead of placing more emphasis on how Jack managed to get the various accounts , it would have helped to know how his spirit bounced back .
That apart , I enjoyed the book and I am well on the way to ordering the sequel .
December 12, 2013
The book is a fine read with a multitude of quirky characters who run you through the entire story of global recession as it happens in their office. Where this book lacks is a strong sense of plot. There are a lot of chapters that are full of irrelevant details, a protagonist who is more bothered about cleavage of women and also the characters are just so many that the reader fails to strongly root for the cause of one. Maybe having a few strong characters would have done the job of a Saxena, Kapoor, Sunny ji, Jaffer, Chiman bhai.....the list goes on. Also, a few words have been repeated far too often, 'couple of days/hours' is definitely one of those that comes on every second page.
January 23, 2012
The story is very simple yet becomes boring after the first 50 pages. It feels more like a newspaper article rather than a novel. Sometimes you sense that events and places are imposed; either to market the book as an in-Dubai novel or by to unintentionally emphasize the context more than the plot. It is not a literary read, in my humble opinion.
May 17, 2023
Written in a cute way, it is extremely simple and a quick and easy read!
June 16, 2015
Jaikishan Patel belongs to a traditional Gujarati family but follows his passion, stepping into the glamorous, jet-setting world of investment and private banking. Jai is soon transformed into Dubai-based ‘Jack’ Patel, a hugely successful financial advisor in an American brokerage house. His life seems like a dream come true. He cracks a whopping million- dollar revenue target, receives an indecent proposal from a client’s wife and even manages to keep up with the latest Bollywood item numbers to impress the girl who is tugging at his heart. But just when life seems perfect, recession hits the world economy. And right before Jack’s eyes his world begins to fall apart . . . Will he lose the love of his life too? Or will things look up in the end?
Going by the author interviews, the book is a semi-autobiographical account of writer's own experiences during a recession hit market and how his own professional career in wealth management took a nosedive. Written in those dark days, it provided him a breather from the quotidian activities at the work desk. It is an uncomplicated tale of the complexities of life.
The financial jargon is kept to a minimum to avoid cramming in brains for the lay man. The pacing is brisk, editing relatively tight and the narrative moves forward without too many plot spoils. However, it does not take away from the fact that there is such flat tone to the whole story that you are left wondering being in a finance induction program. The author monotonously takes you to the whole recession episode and that's where you feel let down. There are splashes of humour and irony but in the end context, they are few and far in between.
However, the book actually is far away from the trash. The way writer builds up the psyche of Jack with his clients is commendable and an endearing quality emerges for him among the difficult situations. The writing is contemporary and will remind of your own professional situations, something which you can relate to. He is authentic in the portrayal of gamut of emotions - anger, anxiety, irritation, hopelessness and depression.
I am going with 2.5/5 for P.G. Bhaskar debut novel, 'Jack Patel's Dubai Dreams'. The book is written in deathly serious tone and there are very few moments of relief. Read it if you want to explore a new world of wealth management domain in the financial industry.
Going by the author interviews, the book is a semi-autobiographical account of writer's own experiences during a recession hit market and how his own professional career in wealth management took a nosedive. Written in those dark days, it provided him a breather from the quotidian activities at the work desk. It is an uncomplicated tale of the complexities of life.
The financial jargon is kept to a minimum to avoid cramming in brains for the lay man. The pacing is brisk, editing relatively tight and the narrative moves forward without too many plot spoils. However, it does not take away from the fact that there is such flat tone to the whole story that you are left wondering being in a finance induction program. The author monotonously takes you to the whole recession episode and that's where you feel let down. There are splashes of humour and irony but in the end context, they are few and far in between.
However, the book actually is far away from the trash. The way writer builds up the psyche of Jack with his clients is commendable and an endearing quality emerges for him among the difficult situations. The writing is contemporary and will remind of your own professional situations, something which you can relate to. He is authentic in the portrayal of gamut of emotions - anger, anxiety, irritation, hopelessness and depression.
I am going with 2.5/5 for P.G. Bhaskar debut novel, 'Jack Patel's Dubai Dreams'. The book is written in deathly serious tone and there are very few moments of relief. Read it if you want to explore a new world of wealth management domain in the financial industry.
January 11, 2014
I bought Bhaskar's 'Corporate Carnival' (the sequel to this book) a while back and was kind of slow in reading it. I think now the main reason was I hadn't yet read the first book. This one. So I picked this one up first and began reading. I must say I was hooked to the story from the word 'go'. Though I'm not so good with number crunching and the financial world, the story managed to keep me on the edge. It's a breezy read that gets over before you can say 'Ponzi'. :P
Especially amazing is the way Bhaskar gets into the skins of his characters with such ease - the way they talk, the way they think, it's delightful. The story is laced with funny little situations and how our hero Jaikishan Patel manages to wriggle out of them. The characterization is spot on.
My only complaint is, a little more time could have been spent developing Jai & Mina's track. But I guess this book isn't about their romance alone. It's about Jai. So..all in all a lovely read. I recommend it to everyone.
Onto the 'Carnival' now!
Especially amazing is the way Bhaskar gets into the skins of his characters with such ease - the way they talk, the way they think, it's delightful. The story is laced with funny little situations and how our hero Jaikishan Patel manages to wriggle out of them. The characterization is spot on.
My only complaint is, a little more time could have been spent developing Jai & Mina's track. But I guess this book isn't about their romance alone. It's about Jai. So..all in all a lovely read. I recommend it to everyone.
Onto the 'Carnival' now!
February 9, 2012
Jack Patel’s Dubai Dreams
For someone like me, who runs away from financial news and investment reports, this was a very slow and boring book. Although I was optimistic after reading the title and the summary, and I thought I could relate to his Dubai Dreams being a dreamer myself and a resident in Dubai, yet all I found was heaps of financial information about stock markets and investment opportunities. It made me feel as if I am going through a summary of the financial journals of 2008 and 2009.
The title insinuated that the novel would be more about Jack’s dreams, dreams that he would only accomplish in Dubai. Yet, all that Jack did was following the flow. He wasn’t innovative or creative, or did anything out of the ordinary, just another regular private banker. He didn’t even strike me as a very clever or intellectual banker, or have the patience to tolerate his customers and try to understand them, thus applying his firm’s policy (KYC: Know Your Customer).
For someone like me, who runs away from financial news and investment reports, this was a very slow and boring book. Although I was optimistic after reading the title and the summary, and I thought I could relate to his Dubai Dreams being a dreamer myself and a resident in Dubai, yet all I found was heaps of financial information about stock markets and investment opportunities. It made me feel as if I am going through a summary of the financial journals of 2008 and 2009.
The title insinuated that the novel would be more about Jack’s dreams, dreams that he would only accomplish in Dubai. Yet, all that Jack did was following the flow. He wasn’t innovative or creative, or did anything out of the ordinary, just another regular private banker. He didn’t even strike me as a very clever or intellectual banker, or have the patience to tolerate his customers and try to understand them, thus applying his firm’s policy (KYC: Know Your Customer).
February 7, 2012
I bought this book just to pass the time when I was waiting at the airport. I started to read it when they announced that my flight was being delayed. But a few lines into the first chapter put a smile on my face and made me forget all about my delayed flight ! The book portrays the thoughts and feelings of a young man who grows up in India and sees the rest of the world for the first time. The author describes even ordinary events with a subtle sense of humour, giving great attention to details. Hard to believe that this is a debut novel !! I'd highly recommend it (only for those with a sense of humour !!)
January 20, 2013
Dubai Dreams- is about Jai Patel- renamed JACK. In Dubai he joins a private banker and after being thoroughly been impressed by the office and the culture is thrown in the race for revenue. He is successful and you are introduced. And then he falls for lovely daughter of his client. The romance bit happens and finally do they marry. Does it matter? Maybe it does if you have picked the book- and otherwise it does not.
More at JACK PATEL’s DUBAI DREAMS http://creative.sulekha.com//jack-pat...
More at JACK PATEL’s DUBAI DREAMS http://creative.sulekha.com//jack-pat...
December 18, 2011
By the time you are through with this book, you feel you have known and been with the protagonist. What's surprising is that the author has been able to achieve this over just 240 pages. The book has a certain freshness to it. A first person account of jack patel and his adventures (there's no other word to describe it) over a span of 3 years, its an easy read, funny in many places and occasionally poignant. Strongly recommended. This book has got me reading again after a longish gap.
January 25, 2012
100 pages into this book i just couldnt go any further. From the first page i got the impression that the writing was amateurish but a few pages into the book, poorly contructed sentences,the grammatically incorrect language and the over simplified story line just got to me. When i spend my $$ on a book, i do not expect Grade school writing.
July 5, 2012
Banking is obviously a lot more fun that I thought! I cannot think of a better way to get an overview of the private banking business than by reading this book. It offers a ring side view and what’s more, does so in a way that is engaging, funny and often introspective. Nicely done. But next time, please use a bigger font. This one was a bit of a strain on the eyes.
February 5, 2013
A debut and this is as fresh as it gets. P.G. Bhaskar writes from his familiar surroundings of Dubai and banking to give us a simple story laced with dry humor at its best. The attractive cover (and the sides) gives an impression of a fun read and the books lives up to the impression without dropping into the ‘funky’ read category. Full review: http://wp.me/p2DEiS-EK
February 8, 2012
Laughed out loud whilst reading a book after a long time! spent a fun evening imagining a hindi movie. I wouldn't call it a literary classic, but hey, not every book we read needs to win literary points. bringing a smile into our crazy lives is an art too!
July 15, 2012
An outstanding book - It is difficult to believe that this is Bhaskar's debut. The pace is racy and he makes us go through the recession times and difficult scenarios with ease. The office atmosphere, the budding response and the final love for Jack are so sweet. Can't wait for Bhaskar's next!
September 11, 2011
Refreshing book which held its interest almost throughout. I particularly liked the last few chapters. Several laugh out loud situations scattered throughout.
December 21, 2011
Simply Brilliant, one of the best contemporary books which combined fiction and fact, could not put it down until I got to the end, waiting for the next
February 5, 2012
A very good read!!! Saw a lot of myself and a lot ppl my age relate to jack Patel.... Waiting for your next book!!!
June 28, 2012
excellent book !! great read .
Ashwin
Ashwin
July 14, 2012
good read, very life like
September 8, 2012
Well a crash course on investment banking...and how the West fucked up the world market ;-)
June 10, 2013
Utter nonsense, painfully amateurish writing. The only noteworthy about this book is that the author actually managed to find someone who would publish it.
September 14, 2013
One of the worst books I have ever read. Poor storytelling. Give it a skip, anytime..!!
May 27, 2015
The speed of your success is limited only by your dedication and what you're willing to sacrifice. .. Money cannot buy time.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews