Molly's Game by Molly Bloom

Have you seen the movie Molly's Game? It was released last year starring Jessica Chastain and it was really very good. It wasn't until after we watched it that I learned the film was based on a book by the same name by the actual Molly Bloom. I finally had a chance to read it and I was surprised how closely the film followed the actual Molly's life story.

Molly Bloom stumbled into running some of the largest poker games in the country and was living a fast, star-studded life when the FBI and the Mob each make their own appearance and dash it all on the rocks. Molly describes her overbearing boss who pulls her into the game and all the celebrities who come to play. She details the outrageous amounts of money that change hands between the players and the lengths she goes to in order to keep them happy and playing. For the first three-quarters of this book, I was fascinated, but by the last bit Bloom had described one too many poker nights in far too much detail that went on and on. I was most frustrated by the fact that this book was finished and published after she was arrested but before her verdict was declared, leaving the reader with the responsibility to research and find out what happened next. Sure, there is always more to the story, but ending before the resolution leaves the reader hanging, and not in a good way.

This book was pretty good, but read it first and then watch the more exciting movie- I think you'll feel better about it in that order.