The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walter

Published by

Sarah Ann

on

February 9, 2011

The Financial Lives of the Poets is one of several novels by Jess Walter.

Matt Prior and his wife Lisa are six days away from losing their home. His financial journalism website, which was written in the form of poetry, was a total bust. So was his wife’s eBay business.

One morning, Matt goes to his local 7/11 to buy milk for breakfast, and makes friends with two guys who invite him to smoke marijuana with them. Being high inspires Matt to find new ways to generate income for his family.

The Financial Lives of the Poets is incredibly intelligent and witty! It’s so funny, raw, and easy to relate to.

I had to start out slowly with The Financial Lives of the Poets, because it’s busy and there’s a lot going on. It seems as though every other sentence is a punchline. But after the first chapter when Matt goes to the 7/11, the story glides along quite nicely.

The 3rd chapter on social networking is my favorite. Matt goes on a tirade about how ridiculous social media is, and how he’s been using it to spy on his wife’s online activity. Another super funny part is when Matt goes to the local hardware store to stalk and spy on Lisa’s online lover, pretending to buy supplies so he can build a tree house for his kids.

I found The Financial Lives of the Poets incredibly inspiring in an oddball way. I like the author mocks the types of people you typically encounter when you’re dealing with debt, job loss, foreclosure, etc. Overall, it’s a worthwhile read, and extremely funny. I definitely recommend it.

Other books by Jess Walter include:

What did you think about The Financial Lives of the Poets?

Last Updated on January 25, 2026 by Sarah Ann

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