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Magnificent in scope, internationally lauded, and transcendent, the novel in verse that inspired the sensational West End and Off-Broadway play of the same name. The Lehman Trilogy follows the epic rise and fall of three generations of that infamous family and through them tells the story of American ambition and hubris.
After leaving his native Bavaria, Henry Lehman arrives in America determined to make a better life. Sensing opportunity in the Deep South, he opens a textile shop in Alabama, laying the foundation for a dynasty that will come to dominate and define modern capitalism. Emanuel and his brother Mayer begin investing in anything and everything that will turn a profit, from cotton to coal to railroads to oil to airplanes―even at the expense of the very nation that forged them.
Spanning three generations and 150 years, The Lehman Trilogy is a moving epic that dares to tell the story of modern capitalism through the saga of the Lehman brothers and their descendants. Surprising and exciting, brilliant and inventive, Stefano Massini's masterpiece―like Hamilton―is a story of immigration, ambition, and success; it is the story of America itself from a daring and original perspective.
"Expansive and intimate, sober and playful, Massini's novel focuses less on arcane financial maneuvers and more on the outsized personalities of the Lehman family members who drove the company's success...A vivid account of one remarkable family's role in shaping modern America." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"[A] lush, sprawling novel in verse...Massini's energetic, plainspoken epic reads like a never-ending folk ballad...Fans of experimental fiction will find this rewarding." - Publishers Weekly
This information about The Lehman Trilogy was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Stefano Massini received a degree in Ancient Literature from the University of Florence, before beginning his theatrical career in 2002. He is currently the Creative Consultant at Piccolo Teatro di Milano. He has directed and written numerous plays such as The Diary of Anne Frank and wrote the award-winning L'odore assordante del bianco. The Lehman Trilogy premiered on the West End in 2019 where it was nominated for five Oliver Awards. Massini lives in Milan, Italy.
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