????在小說開篇，商業巨頭沃爾特回憶說，小時候，他夢想著有朝一日能夠擁有一整棟樓。隨后，他就粉碎了這個想法，不是因為對于一個小男孩來說，幻想這些事情過于荒謬，而是因為，“我本不該為自己設定一個如此渺小的志向，也不應該等待這么久才去追尋這些夢想，”他說。沃爾特講述了一些軼事，比如一位報社記者如何在一次采訪中冒犯了他（這位企業家的反應是，若干年后收購了這家報社，炒掉了那位策劃這次采訪的編輯）。沃爾特從其人生的每一個關鍵時刻汲取了類似這樣的教訓，這本書的其他四位主人公似乎也在經受其自身事業和生活教程的考驗。

????隨著故事的迂回發展，這幾位人物逐漸遭遇，但從未粘連在一起。這種處理手法會讓讀者的情緒有點中斷，但通過這些偶遇，我們得以領略一些有趣的思維花絮，從中可看出中國和其他國家的不同處事態度。

????比如，當商業雜志在題為“亨利?林及其家族——多元化控股”的文章中提到賈斯汀家族的公司時，賈斯汀覺得這個短語“帶有一種譴責意味，似乎他們積累財富的源泉是不確定的，并且很有可能是令人討厭的。”他的父親罵了他一頓：“你太敏感了。你為什么那么在意別人的看法？”但他的確在意，正如他癡迷地瀏覽一個博客上關于他自己的負面評價：“在家人的栽培下，賈斯汀?林變得毫無愛心，冷漠無情。為了達到自己的目的，賈斯汀?林將不惜一切代價；他將像踩死昆蟲一樣踩死你。”

????在另一個頗具啟迪意義的時刻，穎慧意外地收到了一封將她稱為“女強人”、“龍后”、“女終結者”和“蘭博”的電子郵件，她隨之經歷了一種源自其成功女商人身份的刻薄的性別歧視。在整部小說中，歐大旭始終以一種帶有冷幽默和一定可信性的方式，用心刻畫這些人物的事業計劃和他們的高級聚會。

????這本書不急不躁地抓住了讀者的心魄。一開始，在介紹小說人物時，它過于頻繁采用了類似于維基百科的手法，總結陳列他們做過的事情。但一旦你認識了每位人物及其個人野心，故事情節就令人愉悅地飛馳起來，盡管一些人物比其他人更加光彩奪目。賈斯汀的尷尬和自我懷疑真實且直露的，一如穎慧的愿望——這位女富豪希望比她更成功的同僚能夠認真對待她。但對于風光不再的加里，我們很難產生足夠的同情心。

????除了正面評價外，這本書也受到了一些指摘。對于不那么驚心動魄的沖突終局，一些評論家多有詬病。《紐約時報》(The New York Times )稱它是“一本不斷醞釀，但從來沒有沸騰起來的大部頭。”《衛報》( The Guardian )寫道：“全書的節奏幾乎沒有變化。”這些批評是公允的。但盡管如此，整體的閱讀體驗并沒有因懸而未決的故事情節而受到破壞。歐大旭為我們講述的是一段旅程，“抵達”并非這部小說的重心。抵達那里，是所有（而不是一半）的樂趣所在。對于那些有意領略上海的創業熱情的讀者來說，《五星級億萬富翁》本身就是一場盛宴。（財富中文網）

????譯者：任文科?

????In opening the book, business titan Walter recalls that, as a child, he dreamed of one day owning a whole building. Then he shatters that idea -- not because it was absurd to hope for such a thing as a boy, but because, as he says: "I should never have been so modest in my ambitions, nor waited so long to pursue them." Walter shares anecdotes like the time a newspaper reporter offended him in an interview. (The entrepreneur's response is to buy the paper years later and fire the editor that commissioned the interview.) Walter extracts a lesson like this from every key moment of his life, it seems -- as the book's four other central characters struggle through their own business and life tutorials.

????As the story weaves on, characters bump into one another, but never in a way that sticks. It's a bit of an emotional disconnect -- but then through these encounters we get entertaining tidbits of perspective that are telling of attitudes in China and elsewhere.

????When Justin's family's company, for example, is mentioned in business magazines as "Henry Lim and Family -- Diversified Holdings," he feels the phrase carries "with it an accusation, as if the source of wealth they had amassed was uncertain and, most probably, unsavory." His father scolds him, "You're too sensitive ... What do you care what other people think?" But he doescare, as he obsessively reads the negative comments about himself on a blog: "Justin Lim has been trained by his family to be uncaring and ruthless ... Justin Lim will stop at nothing to fulfill his aims; he will crush you like he crushes insects."

????In another revealing moment, Yinghui experiences the caustic sexism that comes from being a successful businesswoman when she accidentally receives an email in which she is referred to as "Ultrawoman," "Dragon Queen," "Terminatress," and "Rambo." Throughout the novel, Aw manages to paint his characters' business plans and their high-class parties in ways that are both drily funny and eminently plausible.

????The book takes its time in grabbing you, and at the beginning too often introduces its characters with a factual, Wikipedia-like summary of the things they've done. But once you come to know each character and their individual ambitions, it speeds along nicely -- though some characters shine more than others. Justin's embarrassment and self-doubt are real and raw, as is Yinghui's desire to be taken seriously by her more successful peers, but it is difficult to muster much sympathy for fallen-idol Gary.

????In otherwise positive reviews, some critics have dinged the book for its less-than-thrilling resolution. The New York Times called it "a long book that simmers without ever coming to a boil," and The Guardian wrote that "the pace is too unvarying." Such criticism is fair. But that said, the overall reading experience doesn't suffer for the book's unresolved storylines. Aw's novel is about the journey, not the arrival. Getting there is all, not half, the fun. For those who want a taste of Shanghai's entrepreneurial obsession, Five Star Billionaire is a banquet unto itself.