Dizzying Heights: The Aspen Novel

by Bruce Ducker

Book Overview

This satirical comedy takes place in Aspen, Colorado, second home to billionaires and corporate titans, as well as the ski bums and service staff who keep the town running. Waddy Brush, a young... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1555916589
• ISBN13: 9781555916589
• Release Date: March 2008
• Publisher: Fulcrum Publishing
• Length: 367 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

A Delight

Written with verve and confidence, Dizzying Heights lampoons Aspen and its poseurs in a style that runs from delightfully entertaining to downright hilarious. (Consider a choice line or two: "One wanted the best, even if charity was paying." Or, "Eccentric and rich was one thing, hell, that was Aspen. But eccentric and poor was scary.") Like the best satire and comedy, this wonderful novel not only makes you laugh, it gets to the truth of the human condition better than a thousand other `more serious' books.

A fun satirical romp

Award-winning author Bruce Ducker reveals his comedic talent in this delightful send-up of Aspen and its quirky residents--the billionaires continually seeking to expand their fortunes, the opportunists scheming to pocket a share of the excess and the service staff who can scarcely afford to live down valley. Naive Waddy Brush makes a wrong turn into the celebrated resort community and takes a job at Pantagruel's, the most elite restaurant in town, where he falls in with scam artist Mortimer Dooberry and his latest scheme--selling investors on a sophisticated computer program that delivers customized virtual reality to consumers and an expansive information database to marketeers. Waddy's computer programming skills land him a job creating the beta version of the program Mortimer dubs "Wise Mother" and an introduction to Aspen's larger-than-life rich and famous which includes a pink-Hummer-driving oil queen, an heir to a toilet maker's fortune and a ruthless financier and private equity manager. As the complex program takes shape, Mortimer artfully raises financing from the wealthy residents, quietly skimming a comfortable profit for himself. Meanwhile, Justin Kaye is hatching a scheme to develop a prime tract of Aspen wilderness, but he needs a clever plan to outsmart the Friends of the Friendless Earth, Planning and Zoning and dubious townsfolk. Marketing himself as a conservationist, he convinces affluent shooters to invest in an exclusive hunting club, and, in a flash of brilliance, produces a counterfeit site map revealing an ancient Indian burial ground on the property, the perfect smokescreen to distract the opposition! Luring investors into either venture in a town where IPO's and exclusivity are as much a birthright as air and water isn't the hard part. The challenge is handling the well-heeled participants once they're on board. As both schemes intersect in this adventure, the author doesn't skip a beat, fusing business and technology concepts, ethical issues and lightheartedness. Dizzying Heights is an entertaining read. You'll cheer for the good guys, like Waddy and a three-legged dog named Hero, laugh at the outlandish and often ditsy rich and famous and hope that picturesque Aspen can survive them all! ...................................................

Dizzying Heights

Bruce Ducker's delightful book is a mixture of Spike Milligan and Oscar Wilde, interspersed with bits of wisdom. Anyone familiar with the Aspen (or similar) scene will smile knowingly when meeting the characters -- hyperbole and all. A truly fun read.