![dek](https://content.time.com/time/daily/2010/1007/shortlist_0719_alegragoodman.jpg)
Allegra Goodman mixes up a lively stew of characters from the dotcom-era bubble: bold young software titans, Berkeley tree huggers, bibliophiles and a pair of investment-savvy rabbis. The plot may be IPO-centric, but the novel is old-fashioned and wildly romantic.