Reviews

Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris

mthomson's review

5.0

I have seen reviews that refer to this book as "wildly funny," and it didn't strike me as such. It was funny in an absurd rather than a laugh-out-loud way. I don't say that to diminish this book at all, but rather to say that it's far more than just Office Space or The Office as a novel. All of the absurd situations that characters find themselves in--feeling utterly compelled to dismantle an office chair out of spite, or ruminating for hours over the riddle of a totem pole as if it could explain the universe--will seem completely realistic to anyone who's worked in an office and, especially at a time of layoffs, borne the strange burden of not having enough work to do. At rare times the office workers' attention to minutiae was almost too detailed to keep me in thrall, but I guess that's part of the realism, and in the end the litany of seemingly inane details became absolutely relevant. And I was kind of awed.

laila4343's review

5.0

READ IT. Totally laugh-out-loud hilarious and also surprisingly moving. I loved it.

That was my first review. Upon a second reading for my book group, this book feels weightier and sadder than I remember it being. The middle section from Lynn's perspective just knocked me down. Can't wait to read more from Ferris.

sabretoothdream's review against another edition

3.0

It was all right. A nice, breezy, read that made me chuckle out loud a few times. I feel like it tried too hard toward the last quarter of the book to wrap things up all too quickly and try to convey a real important lesson about LIFE or something. A solid book, mind you. Just not a great book.

therealkathryn's review

3.0

I wanted to like this book about the disintegration of an office at the end of the dot.com boom. Some of the stories were engaging and there were incidents and actions where I could relate to the characters. For the most part though they were unlikable and the book was too long. I had 100 or so pages to go when I put it down several months ago and wasn't tempted to pick it up until I decided just to finish it.

bethgarner's review

funny lighthearted reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

margocandela's review

3.0

I'm a sucker for office books and this one juggles a wide variety of typical office dwellers in a smart and sharply written manner. I admit it, I did skim the less than interesting parts.

caitylin55's review against another edition

2.0

Having worked in the advertising world for several years, I really wanted to like this book. It had funny moments and I could definitely relate to some of the wacky ad agency stories, but overall I found it to be pretty boring.

wrentheblurry's review against another edition

2.0

I struggled to get halfway through (or so) this book, which is where I stopped. Then I skipped to the end and read some of the last chapter, to determine whether I made the correct decision, and I had.

I didn't find it that funny, though my gut tells me if you LOVED that show The Office, you'd like this too. It felt like that show, in a novel format. But not as funny. I didn't care about any of the characters, and since it's an office setting, there were plenty of them not to care about.

Two stars for the author exhibiting a decent writing style and intriguing me enough to read as much as I did.

roserin25's review

1.0

I, uh, never made it to the end. Couldn't find any trace of a plot.

stephenl's review

funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75