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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
I was very disappointed in this book. From the blurb on the back, I was expecting this to be a fantastic and quirky read (especially with the promise of Woody Allen-type one-liners from the review on the cover!). Sadly, I did not find any of these one-liners throughout it, and the novel left me feeling a little alienated.
This isn't to say that it's a bad book, as I have seen that a great deal of people love it. I really enjoyed Coupland's writing style - I love the blog-style that it's written in, and the intriguing use of variation in font.
However, I feel that because I am not very IT-literate, I missed out on a lot of the humour and more subtle nuances in the plot. For someone who is extremely into computer technology, I imagine that this would have been a much more rewarding read.
I've not given up on Coupland though - I still have 'Girlfriend in a Coma' to read!
This isn't to say that it's a bad book, as I have seen that a great deal of people love it. I really enjoyed Coupland's writing style - I love the blog-style that it's written in, and the intriguing use of variation in font.
However, I feel that because I am not very IT-literate, I missed out on a lot of the humour and more subtle nuances in the plot. For someone who is extremely into computer technology, I imagine that this would have been a much more rewarding read.
I've not given up on Coupland though - I still have 'Girlfriend in a Coma' to read!
funny
fast-paced
If there were ever five people (six, seven, eight? It doesn't matter) I cared about less in a book, I can't recall them. I cannot think of one interesting fact about any of them, and I certainly wouldn't be inviting any of them around to my house for tea.
Coupland is often lauded for his sharp critique of post-modernity and pop culture. It seems he was rather 'blunt' for this one.
Grade: D. Could do better.
Coupland is often lauded for his sharp critique of post-modernity and pop culture. It seems he was rather 'blunt' for this one.
Grade: D. Could do better.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I first read this novel in 1996 just after it was published. Twelve years later and in a new century, it is disturbing to read how much of this is still relatively realistic. It is almost as though the organisational arrangements and lifestyles described have been adopted both as a management and lifestyle model and transplanted, at least in part, around the world.
This book was funny in 1996 when it seemed in part a satirical comment on the new world of geeks and technology. Now it seems more ironic. Many of those for whom this was an accurate depiction of life in the 1990s are still caught in this time warp. The tragedy is that so many others have joined them.
If you have not already read this novel and wondered about the design of a working world in which human interaction through technology has largely replaced direct human interaction: the time is right. After all, in reading this review you are relying on the technology developed by geeks and nerds.
This book was funny in 1996 when it seemed in part a satirical comment on the new world of geeks and technology. Now it seems more ironic. Many of those for whom this was an accurate depiction of life in the 1990s are still caught in this time warp. The tragedy is that so many others have joined them.
If you have not already read this novel and wondered about the design of a working world in which human interaction through technology has largely replaced direct human interaction: the time is right. After all, in reading this review you are relying on the technology developed by geeks and nerds.
A great story. A deep dive into the world of tech, from the weird lifestyle at Microsoft to the weirder lifestyle in the Silicon Valley. A beautiful ending too, for such a geek out novel. This is my first Douglas Coupland and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Unhealthy, obsessive, yet unusually brainy coders are the subject of this '90s culture-examining novel. Describing a career at Microsoft as utterly soul deflating, Dan Underwood and his nerdy mates escape to begin developing their own, new, interactive, mutimedia computer program named Oop!. A rollicking adventure of cultural insight and comical genius follows, one with all the emotional understanding of Jane Austen, and the sardonic humour of a more coherent Irvine Welsh. Wacky postmodernism never read so good.
Por fin lo acabé. Fué muy cansado. Tiene fragmentos divertidos pero es muy difícil encontrar la parte especial de los personajes que te haga apreciarlos como algo más que personajes en un libro. Supongo que tiene que ver con clichés que se han ido perpetuando desde que el libro salió (y que probablemente no estaban tan extendidos en esos tiempos) pero ugh, no.
Al mismo tiempo, me hace pensar que a veces parece que la vida solo se repite y repite.
Al mismo tiempo, me hace pensar que a veces parece que la vida solo se repite y repite.
I read this after going through a long period of only reading classic novels or high fantasy. I was burnt out on books and then someone suggested this.
This book changed my perception of what stories and reading had to be. It didn't have to be a 1000 pages of translated Russian that took me months to push through, it could be easy and fun but also pack a punch, carry a message, be IMPORTANT.
I loved this book and what it did for me but I will never reread it for fear of ruining that memory.
If you are in a reading slump, pick this up and change your life.
PS. I have never read any other Douglas Coupland book. I have picked a few up, read a chapter and put them down. For some reason, Microserfs was it for me.
This book changed my perception of what stories and reading had to be. It didn't have to be a 1000 pages of translated Russian that took me months to push through, it could be easy and fun but also pack a punch, carry a message, be IMPORTANT.
I loved this book and what it did for me but I will never reread it for fear of ruining that memory.
If you are in a reading slump, pick this up and change your life.
PS. I have never read any other Douglas Coupland book. I have picked a few up, read a chapter and put them down. For some reason, Microserfs was it for me.
An early work of Copeland, it hasn't quite developed the level of absurdity I'm used to in his books.
It follows a group of Microsoft employees back in the tech boom of the early 1990s as they leave Microsoft for a small start-up.
Full of dated tech (that was totally relevant back when it was written) it is quaint and interesting, if not a little tame by Copeland standards.
It follows a group of Microsoft employees back in the tech boom of the early 1990s as they leave Microsoft for a small start-up.
Full of dated tech (that was totally relevant back when it was written) it is quaint and interesting, if not a little tame by Copeland standards.