Finance ✦ Penny’s Take 🎧 Audiobook
The Ascent of Money : A Financial History of the World
Niall Ferguson · 2008
🎙 Narrated by Simon Prebble (original edition, Penguin Audio); some editions narrated by Gareth Armstrong
77/100
👍 Worth It
Ferguson's sweep through financial history is big and readable, tying real events like the French Revolution and the 2008 crash to money and credit in a way that earned real praise (and an Emmy-winning documentary). The Economist called parts of it rushed, and honestly the narrator credit is a bit muddled across editions, so double-check which version you're getting. Still a worthwhile listen for anyone curious how money shaped history.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
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🎙 Narration: unknown Sources credit two different narrators (Simon Prebble vs. Gareth Armstrong), likely across different editions -- verify before you buy.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
Faith & family safety90
Substance / usefulness80
Craft & writing75
Originality70
Evidence & accuracy72
Hype vs delivers80
Age-fit80
Human-eye read72
Penny’s verdict77
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