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What in God's Name
by
Simon Rich
Welcome to Heaven, Inc., the grossly mismanaged corporation in the sky. For as long as anyone can remember, the founder and CEO (known in some circles as "God") has been phoning it in. Lately, he's been spending most of his time on the golf course. And when he does show up at work, it's not to resolve wars or end famines, but to Google himself and read what humans have bee...more
Hardcover, 240 pages
Published
August 7th 2012
by Reagan Arthur Books
(first published August 1st 2012)
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Okay, the premise of this book might sound a little cheesy. Let's face it, we live in a world where some dopey 4 year-old gets brainwashed by his even dopier dad regarding his experience in heaven, and all of a sudden we've got a runaway bestseller. Or some jackoff gets hit by an 18-wheeler and then lets us know what heaven is like, and we decide to buy that one too.
It seems a little odd to me that the only people who seem to glimpse heaven are those who have lost 90% of their vital fluids or ha...more
It seems a little odd to me that the only people who seem to glimpse heaven are those who have lost 90% of their vital fluids or ha...more
Drink up. The world’s about to come to an end.
When a story starts off with a God bored by real-world events and favoring a kind of spiritual porn, then you know you’re in for a ripping good time. The end of the world has never seemed so funny as God decides to cash in his chips and leave the table while two Angels bank everything on one last desperate throw of the dice. The scramble to save the world by getting two socially inept losers to exchange a kiss gets ever more frantic as the clock tick...more
When a story starts off with a God bored by real-world events and favoring a kind of spiritual porn, then you know you’re in for a ripping good time. The end of the world has never seemed so funny as God decides to cash in his chips and leave the table while two Angels bank everything on one last desperate throw of the dice. The scramble to save the world by getting two socially inept losers to exchange a kiss gets ever more frantic as the clock tick...more
I really liked the idea of this book - Heaven is a corporation run by God. The angels work for Heaven, Inc. performing miracles, answering prayers, and all the other things that we think of angels doing. It was a new look at Heaven, almost made the concept of Heaven seem more "real" because it was something I could relate to. I could see an office building with cubicles, water cooler, lunch room, board room, conference tables, etc. When I think of Heaven normally there's not really any concrete...more
What in God's Name is a hilarious novel about the would-be-destruction of the earth. God is tired of running Heaven Inc, and wants to open a restaurant, figure out his Rubrics Cube, and play golf instead. The rest of the angels are just as tired as he is. All except two: Craig and Eliza, who actually enjoy working in the Miracles Department. When they find out God is going to destroy the earth, they make a bet: They'll answer one of the "impossible" prayers that God has ignored over the past few...more
Inventive, funny, and clever, What in God's Name tells the story of two angels in the Department of Miracles, Craig and Eliza, and two humans on Earth, Sam and Laura. When Craig makes a bet with God, the fate of the world rests on Sam and Laura's oblivious shoulders. An original, enjoyably blasphemous imagining of heaven as a company with a careless CEO.
Quotes (last one is a mini-spoiler):
There were a lot of fun things to do in heaven. But none were as thrilling as what you could do on Earth. (...more
Quotes (last one is a mini-spoiler):
There were a lot of fun things to do in heaven. But none were as thrilling as what you could do on Earth. (...more
What if God exists, but is just as fucked up as your average New Yorker thinks he is? God, CEO of Heaven Inc (primary business - Xenon mining), is bored and wants to retire and open an Asian-Fusion restaurant. Only problem is his other primary duty, Earth, needs to go away before he can do that. In his old age (14 billion years. Physics, kids. Physics) he's grown bored of the Earth and of humanity and now he's considering rightsizing the entire thing. So, all the angels that work in the human fa...more
Heaven Inc is a big company and God is its CEO. He's an ideas man who spends most of his day in his swanky office watching baseball and NASCAR. His Angels spend their time arranging miracles where they nudge small details of life to try to make humans end up with happy results. They are able to watch any episode of history from multiple angles and therefore spend their time fascinated by the love lives of Americans. Africa gets two mentions - Nigerian e-mail scammers and a Tanzanian farmer whose...more
You know that crazy-looking, scraggly guy, hanging out on the side of the road with his "The End is Near" sign? That's Raoul. And he's not crazy. He's God's hand-selected prophet, and he's attempting to pass along to mankind important directives from God. It's clear early on in Simon Rich's, "What in God's Name" that this God is less than enthusiastic about his job. An angel, Eliza, asks God why he would use a man like Raoul, rather than a scientist or a world leader, to convey such critical mes...more
Fun book.
Definitely something different and refreshingly so.
What if God just decided he wanted to do something else instead of taking care of humans any longer? And what if an Angel made a bet that if he could get two socially awkward, shy people to kiss then God would not destroy the world?
The characters were entertaining, from bored God to his mostly naked prophet Raoul to the Angels, Craig and Eliza, and my favorites, the Archangel Vince and the human, Raj. The will all attempt to save the w...more
Definitely something different and refreshingly so.
What if God just decided he wanted to do something else instead of taking care of humans any longer? And what if an Angel made a bet that if he could get two socially awkward, shy people to kiss then God would not destroy the world?
The characters were entertaining, from bored God to his mostly naked prophet Raoul to the Angels, Craig and Eliza, and my favorites, the Archangel Vince and the human, Raj. The will all attempt to save the w...more
2 likes · like · see review
What in God’s Name is funny, off and on; the humour feels forced for the most part, though I laughed long, hard and out-loud at the bit with Regis Philbin. Other than that… I’m finding it hard to find anything to say about this book.
What in God’s Name is a very short novel that imagines God as CEO of Heaven inc. God doesn’t have much time for humanity, he doesn’t answer prayers, he’s lost what little interest he ever had in Earth. Humanity has become such a bore, God thinks he might just end the...more
What in God’s Name is a very short novel that imagines God as CEO of Heaven inc. God doesn’t have much time for humanity, he doesn’t answer prayers, he’s lost what little interest he ever had in Earth. Humanity has become such a bore, God thinks he might just end the...more
1 like · like · see review
I've been delinquent with books lately. Having been in transition, I've been reading "the Sun" magazine (an excellent literary magazine for any writer/reader/thinker) and doing away with hard back pages.
But when I read a review of Simon Rich's new book "What in God's Name" I knew I'd found the book to come back to. Welcome to Heaven Inc., where God is the CEO and Heaven is actually a business run by all of Heaven's new entrants. God's rule is that you work in Heaven Inc. for 40 years before you...more
But when I read a review of Simon Rich's new book "What in God's Name" I knew I'd found the book to come back to. Welcome to Heaven Inc., where God is the CEO and Heaven is actually a business run by all of Heaven's new entrants. God's rule is that you work in Heaven Inc. for 40 years before you...more
Disclosure: I received this Advance Reading Copy for free through Goodreads First Reads. Thanks to the publishers for the opportunity to read this book for an unbiased review.
Summary:
In this comedic fantasy, Heaven is a huge bureaucratic corporation, with low morale everywhere and rot at the top. Craig and Eliza, two of the remaining idealistic angels, enter into a bizarre bet with God, with the fate of the earth at stake! Can they answer the prayers of two socially awkward New York misfits who...more
Summary:
In this comedic fantasy, Heaven is a huge bureaucratic corporation, with low morale everywhere and rot at the top. Craig and Eliza, two of the remaining idealistic angels, enter into a bizarre bet with God, with the fate of the earth at stake! Can they answer the prayers of two socially awkward New York misfits who...more
Simon Rich proves (again) to be one of the more talented up-and-coming comedy writers today. In his second novel, Rich imagines Heaven as big business -- Craig is an Angel working long hours in the lowly Miracle Department, helping humans down on Earth catch the bus and find their lost car keys. He struggles with the middle management Archangels and fantasizes about what it must feel like to be God (the CEO of the whole operation, who is more interested his Asian fusion restaurant than his human...more
This was a nice, sweet, and mostly predictable bit of romantic satire, with a healthy dose of religious irreverence. Craig and Eliza are rookie angels in Heaven, Inc. CEO God has decided to end the world in 30 days (mainly because he's a lazy, self-centered ass who can't be bothered to keep up with the workload), unless Craig and Eliza can use their positions in the Department of Miracles to unite in love two humans on Earth. Two humans who are so self-isolating and low in self-confidence that i...more
Sep 01, 2012
Joanne
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of Terry Pratchett
Shelves:
fiction
For irreverent religious humor, a surprisingly sweet book. God is CEO of a huge company that created Earth as a producer of xenon gas, and humans as an entertainment...especially sports and NASCAR and Lynyrd Skynyrd. The company has departments like Prayer Intake (God ignores prayers), Miracles, and the like. God gets fed up with Earth and decides to destroy humankind, but agrees to stay his hand if two angels can answer a prayer for him involving two pathetic New Yorkers who want to be together...more
This delighted me. At first it JUST delighted me, which can be enough, and is often more than you get. Then, when I was about a third of the way through, I was driving somewhere, because it is Los Angeles and I am always doing that, and the book was suddenly next to me, in the passenger's seat; or Simon Rich was, anyway. And I think I saw how under the charm of the idea -- two schleppy angels have to bring two schleppy humans in Manhattan together before -- literally -- the end of the world -- w...more
Very slight, but very clever and sweet. I can't decide between three or four stars, but in 2013 my goal is "just try to be nicer, come on," so I'm rounding up. Here's the deal, I LOVED the premise of this book, but it was way too short. Not enough. I could have done with a lot more character and plot development. I know Simon Rich usually writes short stuff, and he's so great at it, but I just wanted more here. Still, better to have too little of something wonderful than something bloated and ex...more
If you are looking for a bit of light reading with some chuckles thrown in this is the book for you. Who knew Heaven was a corporate entity? Who knew God liked to golf? Well, apparently Simon Rich did! He has created a world in which God is just plain tired of being the Lord of the Earth and wants to retire. But to do so he needs to destroy the Earth!
But not all of his Angels are as cynical as the upper heavenly corporate echelons. No! They still see the potential of the human race and and enjoy...more
But not all of his Angels are as cynical as the upper heavenly corporate echelons. No! They still see the potential of the human race and and enjoy...more
It was fun!
I got the book as part of Literary Death Match's August show, and trusted the book itself enough to place it in the back compartment of my motorcycle jacket, making it the only thing protecting my spine as I rode home. That, my friends, is trust. At least, trust in the construction of the book.
The novel itself is a fun, fast, enjoyable read. Structured in three parts, the last two of which come very close to the end of the novel, it tells a love story that the reader almost can't bear...more
I got the book as part of Literary Death Match's August show, and trusted the book itself enough to place it in the back compartment of my motorcycle jacket, making it the only thing protecting my spine as I rode home. That, my friends, is trust. At least, trust in the construction of the book.
The novel itself is a fun, fast, enjoyable read. Structured in three parts, the last two of which come very close to the end of the novel, it tells a love story that the reader almost can't bear...more
Heaven, Inc is a huge corporation led by the founder and CEO, God. He’s not really into working anymore. God is ready to retire and open an Asian Fusion restaurant, but first he has a surprise for the humans on Earth. When he retires, he plans to destroy Earth as well.
God’s employees at Heaven, Inc. aren’t concerned about Earth. They are just happy that they will now be able to sit back and enjoy life when God retires. However, there are two employees that aren’t thrilled with the Earth’s possib...more
God’s employees at Heaven, Inc. aren’t concerned about Earth. They are just happy that they will now be able to sit back and enjoy life when God retires. However, there are two employees that aren’t thrilled with the Earth’s possib...more
God is kind of bored with earth and humanity. The share of the population that believes in Him has been steadily decreasing, and He can't really see why he should continue to waste any more time and effort on people. He'd much rather refocus his efforts on His next big venture, an Asian fusion restaurant.
Angels Craig and Eliza in the Miracles Department don't see it the same way. They like their jobs, surprising people with small good things happening during their day. Craig convinces God to mak...more
Angels Craig and Eliza in the Miracles Department don't see it the same way. They like their jobs, surprising people with small good things happening during their day. Craig convinces God to mak...more
This is a good book that I read with a smile on my face throughout.
It’s about heaven which is an office, where the CEO is God, and the employees are angels. The main focus of the book is on the miracles department where Craig works. He welcomes new girl-angel Eliza who used to work in the prayers department. She then sees God in his office and takes exception to her previous prayers work not having been read. God sees her point of view and decides it is time for him to retire so he sets a date...more
It’s about heaven which is an office, where the CEO is God, and the employees are angels. The main focus of the book is on the miracles department where Craig works. He welcomes new girl-angel Eliza who used to work in the prayers department. She then sees God in his office and takes exception to her previous prayers work not having been read. God sees her point of view and decides it is time for him to retire so he sets a date...more
What in God’s Name
Simon Rich
God has had it. He (with the connivance of several dissolute Archangels) is planning to end the world and open an Asian fusion restaurant.
I am sure the restaurant will be out of this world, but . . .
Craig, an angel in the Department of Miracles and Eliza, a recently promoted angel are aghast. They like performing mini-miracles for folks. The other angels are packing up their desks and dancing in Heaven at the thought of not having to work.
Craig and Eliza have talked H...more
Simon Rich
God has had it. He (with the connivance of several dissolute Archangels) is planning to end the world and open an Asian fusion restaurant.
I am sure the restaurant will be out of this world, but . . .
Craig, an angel in the Department of Miracles and Eliza, a recently promoted angel are aghast. They like performing mini-miracles for folks. The other angels are packing up their desks and dancing in Heaven at the thought of not having to work.
Craig and Eliza have talked H...more
Simon Rich is a comedy writer for television with a couple of prior books. In this novel, Rich protrays God as the CEO of Heaven, Inc. - and after observing earth for a good many years, God is pretty sure mankind is more trouble than it's worth. Other than watching professional sports and pulling pranks on poor people, God doesn't interact much with his creation. He decides to eradicate the planet and turn his attention to opening an asian fusion restaurant in Heaven. It's up to two lowly angels...more
Jul 20, 2012
Travis Simmons
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone
Recommended to Travis by:
Won in a giveaway
Let me start by saying “YAY! I got an ARC!” This book was a really big surprise. When I read the write-up I thought it sounded cute, I wasn’t in store for what it really was. In just a few brief entries Simon does such an amazing job of making Heaven seem as tangible a place as any you can visit. He sums up jobs and positions in Heaven without deviating from the story, which really makes the book so easy to immerse yourself in. And immerse I did. I finished the book in less than 2 days, and I do...more
I won this book through the fantastic First-Reads program.
What in God's Name sees Heaven as an incorporated company, and God as the rather incompetent CEO. It isn't so much that humanity was a failed experiment of the company, but rather that they serve no purpose other than amusement. God no longer sees humankind as profitable, and would much prefer to open up a restaurant. Craig and Eliza, two Angels working in the Miracle Department, would be out of a job if God destroyed humankind. Thus, the...more
What in God's Name sees Heaven as an incorporated company, and God as the rather incompetent CEO. It isn't so much that humanity was a failed experiment of the company, but rather that they serve no purpose other than amusement. God no longer sees humankind as profitable, and would much prefer to open up a restaurant. Craig and Eliza, two Angels working in the Miracle Department, would be out of a job if God destroyed humankind. Thus, the...more
This is a comedic novel about God as CEO of heaven. There's departments for everything (ocean waves, geyser spewing) to Chance Encounters to Miracles. God is depicted as a bored Lynard Skynard lover who becomes bored with earth and decides to end the world down here unless two of his angels in the Miracles Dept. can get these two humans to kiss within 30 days. It's humorous to see all the tools the angels have at their disposal (dreams, but we "stupid humans" always forget what we've dreamed), w...more
This book was such a delightful read! It does an excellent job of taking another look at they way things are in the world and making you laugh at how ridiculous it all is. Picturing God as a guy bored in his job and rooting for the Yankees is just so funny to me.
The premise is that God is the CEO of Heaven Inc. and he has become bored in his position. Because of this, he decides to destroy the world and open up an Asian Fusion restaurant. Two Angels, Craig and Eliza, bet God that they can compl...more
The premise is that God is the CEO of Heaven Inc. and he has become bored in his position. Because of this, he decides to destroy the world and open up an Asian Fusion restaurant. Two Angels, Craig and Eliza, bet God that they can compl...more
When I pick up one author, unless the book is super long or totally crappy (usually the former), I won't pick up anything else. Otherwise, sign me up. Eventually. As much as I didn't like this authors previous book, this one manage to land in my pile, so I read it. And I liked it maybe slightly more than the previous one because the characters were somewhat adults this time. The plot was still crazy and the writing was dead simple (a big reason why I submitted) and I still didn't love it, but it...more
This a fun book with an interesting take on heaven! It portrays God as the CEO of a company, Heaven Inc, made up of a staff of angels. However, God is bored with Earth and most of the angels are just passing time until they can retire. But there are 2 hard working angels who are determined not to give up on the humans, Eliza works in the Prayer department and is promoted to Miracles where Craig is the "Angel of the month". When they discover that God has given up answering prayers and is in fact...more
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Simon Rich (born 1984) is an American humorist whose first book, Ant Farm and Other Desperate Situations, was published by Random House in April 2007.
Rich is an alumnus of The Dalton School and a former president of The Harvard Lampoon, and the son of The New York Times editorialist Frank Rich. He received a two book contract from Random House prior to his graduation from Harvard University in 200...more
More about Simon Rich...
Rich is an alumnus of The Dalton School and a former president of The Harvard Lampoon, and the son of The New York Times editorialist Frank Rich. He received a two book contract from Random House prior to his graduation from Harvard University in 200...more
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Oct 25, 2012 02:19am