Syrup

I've been a fan of Max Barry for years but for some reason I'd not been able to find a copy of Syrup (his debut novel) for love nor money - until a few days ago when I remembered it's the 21st century and e-books exist.What a ride it was. It's been years since I've a) been faced with a book that I've been completely unable to put down and b) that I've read in a single sitting due to the aforementioned.While this did have a negative effect on my productivity at work and made me a potential danger to other motorists on the road, I still highly recommend the book. I found it hilarious, and it's very fast-paced - it's exactly the kind of book I was looking for.Although I've given it 5 stars based entirely on how much I enjoyed reading it, I will admit it's not perfect and there are some minor flaws that I will admit for the sake of balance:1. This book was released in 1999. It's 21 years old. There are a few very minor things, such as the book's (admittedly exaggerated) portrayal of the corporate world (specifically of them being a bunch of unenlightened sexist thugs) that I do feel date it to 90s. The same goes for its slightly stereotyped portrayal of Hollywood. In fairness, it is a satire and stereotype and exaggeration are tropes of the genre.2. In a similar vein, the way the book handles subjects like sexism and feminism is a bit blunt and cliched - while perhaps this is simply a result of it being a late 90s book being read through the lens of 2020, I feel like the subjects were handled without much nuance and rather with a more stereotypical, predictable and blunt-instrument approach.3. The ending... was a bit abrupt. While I do enjoy books that don't spell everything out to you and leave some things up to the imagination, I did feel there were one or two plot thread left unresolved and while the ending wasn't bad by any stretch, it wasn't completely satisfying either. It could have done with another page or two of denouement.All in all, the above criticisms are nit-picking and only there for the benefit of people who care about those sort of things which honestly, I didn't: I wanted something fun, amusing and fast-paced to read on my lunch breaks and this book more than delivered.

I read this book not knowing what the plot would be. I found it randomly while reading a site for literay quotes, and I loved Barry's quote about "gorgeous women." The quote alone was enough for me to purchase, and the second I received it, I started reading.I have not read a novel that I didn't like in some way. "Syrup" is no different, but it was lacking in a few areas for me. First, I feel that the characters have only one dimension. Scat himself is a man who does not change, and I felt very little for his character. Meeting 6 made his character even more difficult to follow. 6 herself was someone that I found no connection with, even at the end. Barry could have kept her flaws, which in turn, are great strengths in the world of Coca Cola and made her more identifiable (oh no, I'm using their jargon).Secondly, the transitioning was... awful. I think the reason this was such a quick read is because there was absolutely no authentic transitioning. One minute Scat is with Cindy and the next, he's with 6 again, and there's no moment of reflection for him. This is just what pleases me aesthetically as a reader. Although Scat explains what he's going through, I don't feel that it's authentic. This is the main reason I didn't fall in love with the book. It's too ironic for its own good.Some of the dialogue was clever, and I did laugh out loud a few times. I would recommend this novel to someone in high school, but for someone who's looking for a very quick read. I read this within a day and found it to be enjoyable, but it wasn't the novel that I was hoping for.

Michael George Holloway, the narrator and marketing graduate from Cal State summa cum laude, changes his name to "Scat" in order to better market himself for a marketing job. So begins this rollicking novel about the cut-throat world of business. Along the way Scat meets the beautiful 6-- her parents named her zero and changed her name every year on her birthday, but they both died just after renaming her "6"-- there's also the aptly named "Sneaky Pete" and the beautifullly blonde @. I suppose we could probably spell her name "Ambers Anne" because of her lemony looks.In keeping with the tone of this novel, the chapters are marked by bar codes; and marketing case studies are interspersed throughout this tale: for example, mktg case study #1: mktg perfume - TRIPLE YOUR PRICE. THIS GIVES CUSTOMERS THE IMPRESSION OF GREAT QUALITY. HELPS PROFITS TOO.Mr. Barry, who has taught marketing at "two major universities" in Australia, convinces me that he understands the ugly but funny world he writes about. What we ultimately have, however, is an old-fashioned love story with enough laughs for everyone.

I don't understand why some people are so angry at this book. This book was entertaining. Is that not what books are intended to do? And for crying out loud, it's about soda! All the people griping about it not being accurate to marketing, or that it was boring, or whatever is said about it (I didn't read too many negative comments - it was getting boring)were just reading too much into it. It was a fun read, the end. I am not a very fast reader, by any means, but I have read this book a few times and each time I finish it within 2 or 3 days (for me, that's fast). Not many books can do that for me. Sure, the main character, Scat, gets into a few, I mean a lot, of situations that you think "What the hell did you do this time and how are you going to get out" but that's what keeps you interested and wanting to keep reading! This is definitely one of my favorite books simply because, for no other purpose, takes you away for a lot of fun and excitement!I know this review did not get into details of this book and why it's good or bad, but there are plenty of reviews that give an outline of Syrup. I just had something to say about this book. So I did.

Scat is a great character and I like him. I think the storyline is witty and smart, but possibly too mature and sophisticated for me. I like how unique it is - a fictional book about business. Max Berry did a great job of constantly throwing problems in Scat and 6's path which weren't solved easily (most books it turns out characters find an obvious solution). This novel is great for someone who's probably 30+ because of the mature themes. There isn't any sex or violence, I mean mature in the way that it is intelligent and some moments are subtle which I had to re-read to understand. On the other hand, I felt like there was a cycle story wise with Scat (tiny spoiler) gets job, gets fired, uses Cindy, gets job.... so it had an element of predictability. Also, other books I've read made me feel an emotion, whereas a lot of this book is very logical and focused on the plans of characters. As a final note, I think this writer could be good at writing romantic fiction, as he came up with inventive and creative ways to describe 6's attractiveness.

Hated it! I think this is for me the first book that tries to be funny but failed to make me giggle once. The fast pace writing comes across for me, more than anything else, as a lazy excuse for not actually writing imaginable portraits of situations and characters. It is not particularly smart in any way what so ever. The plot is weak, lacks focus and not engaging at all. If I was Paltrow, Cruise, Ryder or any of the other celebrities "portrayed" in this mediocre book I would take an offence in the cheap way the writer takes advantage of their famous names. The ending was hurried and as predictable as a family friendly sit-com.There is a spoken line in the book that goes like this: "It's a democratic society. Your opinion of what's quality is no more valid than mine. Popularity is quality"This is not true. The review for this book proves it. Maybe that's what advertisement have done with our society?

This novel is a pure pleasure read. At just under 300 pages, this satire on the marketing world never felt like a chore and it is, at times, very witty. There are lots of interesting notes about marketing but the true pull of this story is the relationship between the two protagonists. I read it over 2-3 days or so, with the majority being read on the last day because I quite simply couldn't put it down. I won't spoil it too much by going into excessive detail about what happens and why I loved it but I thoroughly recommend. I really hope they release the film in England soon.

I was looking for books by people who liked the Average American Male and was steered onto this. What an enjoyable read and fun romp through marketing with great characters, situations and plot.

This book means well, but if it's any consolation, it's better than the film