John Stuart is an executive recruitment specialist who has turned to writing. The result is this book, based on interviews with twenty Chief Executives. Each top manager—none of them famous names, surprisingly is given a short chapter, and there is some introductory material and a conclusion. This means you can jump from one person to another, in any order, which is good for people who are too busy to read a book form cover to cover. For a management book it isn’t expensive, although whether it’s good value for money is doubtful. Some of the twenty interviewees started their own businesses, while others joined a company and worked , and fairly new in their position, and others have had years of experience though, strangely, Stuart doesn’t seem interested in these differences. The interviewees work in everything, from retailing to airlines to software, and it is this variety that forms the main theme of Stuart’s book. I have to say that Stuart’s approach annoys me. He rarely stays at a distance from his interviewees, who are mostly presented in their own, positive words. If this were always the case, at least you would know where you were. But he seems to dislike certain interviewees. As a result, I don’t know whether to accept any of his opinions. It also means that the book gives no clear lessons. At the very least, I expected to learn what makes a successful Chief Executive. But these people seem to share two types of qualities. Some of them are very common, suggesting that anyone can be equally successful, which is definitely not the case. And the other qualities are ones which most successful bosses I’ve seen definitely do not have. So in the end I’m no wiser about what really goes on. Perhaps I’m being unfair. As long as you don’t think about whether you’d like them as friends, and pay no attention to most of the advice they give, the most readable parts are where the bosses describe their route to their present position. Stuart seems to think that his book would be useful for people aiming for the top, and that it might even make a few want to start their own company; but, in fact, what they could learn here is very limited. Seen as light business reading for a doctor or teacher, though, this book would provide some good entertainment. The book concentrates on the fact that the twenty executives who are interviewed ______.

A. work in a number of different industries
B. started their companies
C. have worked for different lengths of time