Rating: 
Summary: He may know his stuff, but does not know how to teach it.
Review: I bought this book two years ago. I tried reading it many times, but always end up putting it down. There's a lot of content in the book, but it's scattered everywhere. This book is not well organized. My train of thought keeps getting interrupted by the ordering, reordering and repeating of topics. I can hardly keep my concentration. His sentences are very cryptic. Information does not flow well in his writing style. I also feel that the book is very wordy and repetitive. It can be cut down to 1/3, and still probably retain the same amount of information. One thing I find very odd is that this book is very highly rated (4-5 stars) when it first came out. But now, bad reviews are popping up at an alarming rate. I suspect that someone might have been stuffing the ballot when the book first came out to boost its sales.
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad but there are better choices
Review: The problem with books like this is the author gives you a few concepts and ideas but in practice they may not work. I prefer using powerinvestor.com and their Triple Test and investment models. Their system generate only a few trades a year and the returns over the past 7 years have averaged over 30% a year. Less work and better returns.
Rating: 
Summary: A motivating piece
Review: I've been studying this book for the last couple of months and figured I'd chip in my 2 cents. As a novice to intermediately skilled trader, I found Farley's concepts informative as well as humbling. This was only the second trading book I have read (The first, Toni Turner's "Beginners Guide to Online Trading" was a complete joke). Therefore, The Master Swing Trader was my first book on real technical analysis. Farley's explanation of trading patterns and indicators were detailed and direct. My only complaint is that there weren't many examples of when and how to use the indicators in relation to the patterns. The concepts seemed to be written independently of each other. However, I felt the true strength of the book was its emphasis on the discipline and mindset that are imperative to becoming a succesful trader. Cutthroat lines like, "We are there to take other people's money before they take ours" struck a motivating nerve in my psyche. I quickly learned that trading is not for everyone. Intelligence does not guarantee success. Only those self-disciplined enough to trade their plans will find themselves trading another day. Otherwise, as Farley put it, they quickly turn to safer hobbies. Granted, this book was written in a fairly dry manner. However, I disagree with those who say it is tough to comprehend. This book is far from a beginners guide to trading. It will take some time (and a couple of highlighters) until the concepts on the pages flow easier. I think that those bashing the writing style have not taken the time to understand his termonology. Seasoned traders will have an easier time applying Farley's concepts.
Rating: 
Summary: A Breakthrough Trading Book
Review: I regard The Master Swing Trader as the most important trading book in my library. It's the best read for experienced traders. Dr Elder's 2 excellent books make a nice foundation before picking up this text. This book really marks the next step in knowledge development. Farley has tremendous insight into the forces that move the markets. I keep the book by my trading screen at all times. I see the market swing (trend-range, expansion-contraction, etc)he talks all the time now. Amazing stuff. This guy has a better handle on the trading flow than anyone else I've ever read. The book offers the tough path because the author shows how the cards are stacked against us. But it also gives sage advice on overcoming those obstacles and getting consistant performance. There's a reason some readers go through this book multiple times, while others can't get through the first chapter. The reality trip is overwhelming.
Rating:
Summary: Lots of hype, but little substance
Review: I was drawn to this book by the title, "Master Swing Trader..", and the 4 star review. The pretentious writing style has eluded me and probably quite a few other readers. After a last try in sloughing off the hype, I do not see any real substance apart from the artful adorning of commonplace technical analysis terms. This may be seen from the description of candlestick patterns as finger finders, and retracements as dip trips. The charts look sharp. But overall, a disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: Solid book. Incomprehensible English makes unreadable
Review: The book appears to contain a lot of wisdom. I only wished I could make the information my own. My on-and-off efforts in reading this book have been thwarted by the author's very distinctive style of writing, which is very difficult to read. Within a paragraph there is insufficient flow from sentence to sentence. On the one hand, the author likes to use inanimate abstract nouns as subjects for his sentences; "Narrow range tactics enter positions...". On the the other hand, he likes to weave in imperative sentences; "Stay away from small penants and ...". To decipher the cryptic messages will take too much effort and time. Good substance, but marred by an inhospitable writing style.
Rating:
Summary: Tough read, but worth every penny.
Review: As a "new" (less than 5 years) trader, I have scoured the gambit of trading books until my eyes crossed. When I first tried to read this book, I had to put it away twice. It's not a easy read. But, if you want to understand technical analysis, figure out what the crowd is doing and make money swing trader, Farley is as good a teacher as any. I'm also a big fan of his web site. Bottom line is, after following "gurus" for some time, this is probably the best book on market behavior and TA that I've read. The third time, it finally started to click. It's one of the few I keep by the monitor everyday. Also, IMHO, an especially good book for swing traders who have other jobs or businesses. That's my situation, and it seems to fit my style. I hope Alan Farley writes an updated edition to take into account the market changes that have occurred since this book was published, but the principles of technical analysis don't change all that much, just the size of the price bars! Mr. Farley, thanks for making the light come on for me.
Rating:
Summary: Broad-ranging and Intense Work
Review: Farley begins with broad swing trading concepts, and then presents many practical strategies. I liked the illustrations because they're weren't the cookie-cutter variety. In fact, nothing in Farley's book is cookie-cutter. It's clear he's formed his own conclusions about the market through personal observation, not regurgitation of other ideas. This is a thought-provoking book. You have to be patient with it, and see what he's getting at from time to time. But it's worth the effort. New traders should read other materials to understand some of his definitions. I've been using the stuff in this book every day since I finished it. Farley has done a great job setting the stage for anyone who wants to be a professional trader.
Rating:
Summary: Read between the lines !
Review: I think this book is for second generation traders ! These are the trades who probably got burned by the 2000 - 2002 market but are still hanging tough and want to learn something. I agree that book is too big, but you need to sift through it to find the gems. I think the most important topic is the description of the impulse and reaction phase of the market. If you are really serious about learning the market, you probably have to re-read that section at least 10 times. There are some contradictory information there. But, still, 80% of it is high quality stuff. I've made notes on index cards with the time written on it for each phase, such as 9:45 3rd bar reversal, 10:10-10:20 countertrend moves, 10:20-10:30 capitulation of the losing side, 11:00-11:30 final push by professionals and institutions to test the strength of the move, and so. I keep these cards right in front of me. The 7 bells examples are pretty good as it tells you HOW to execute the trade almost minute by minute. Those who complain that there are too many examples , give me a break ! If you were so good, you wouldn't be hanging around here and trying to read/write opinions of trading book. The real successful trades are always always quite. No bragging, no letting down of others. Its the Zen thing :-) I think the author should come up with a condensed version of the book, may be few 100 pages less.
Rating: 
Summary: Write a book for a paragraph.
Review: The only technical writing in this book is the overwriting. My writing teacher would scream. I certainly did. Save the paper, overwriting makes the book very boring. I dont think anyone could have finished reading it. Should have written the book with a beginners and intermediate traders point of view. Lighten up and have some fun. In the world of trading, anything can happen. The book needs to show this. Dont repeat the same old stuff every other book has, in a high and mighty way. Dont waste my time or money. Instead give me ways to make money.
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