Syrup
by Max Barry
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 450)
Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
Anyone looking for a corporate satire
This is a short first person satire about breaking into Marketing and love after college. The story follows Scat as he makes and loses a fortune in the soft drink industry, while learning life lessons: such as, your best friend is a traitor, the woman you love really loves you but is terrified of her feelings, and you can only be a golden child once but regret mistakes forever. The book is fast paced, funny, and provides a reasonable look into the world of marketing (I work full time in a mark...more
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Syrup by Maxx Barry is as good as an icy cold Coca Cola on a sweltering hot summer day. In other words, Syrup is satisfying! It’s a fun romp that takes well deserved swipes at marketing, Hollywood, ambition and corporate ethics. Amid the social commentary is a romantic plot that, while a bit one-dimensional, is … well … fun. It’s not the romantic swoon you’ll get from Audrey Niffenegger’s Time Traveler’s Wife, but more like … Sawyer and Kate’s relationship on Lost. Yes, it’s ...more
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Read in October, 2006
his is based upon the audio download from www.Audible.com
Narrated by: Scott Brick
I work in a marketing department that is currently going through a branding initiative and this book was something I could relate to...just not on the scale of the book. I found this book so, so funny! The story was a little quirky initially with the odd character names but it came together nicely and always had me wondering with each twist what was goi...more
Narrated by: Scott Brick
I work in a marketing department that is currently going through a branding initiative and this book was something I could relate to...just not on the scale of the book. I found this book so, so funny! The story was a little quirky initially with the odd character names but it came together nicely and always had me wondering with each twist what was goi...more
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Read in January, 2003
Barry's first novel also satirizes marketing run amok (in fact, he added an extra X to his first name because he thought it would be a funny jab at "eXtreme" marketing, but apparently no one really got the joke). The hero comes up with the concept for a new cola, to be sold in a jet black can and called FUKK. This begins a series of deals, double-crosses, and cutting-edge marketing. More fun than Jennifer Government, in part because the lead character, Scat, seems more real. Fewer guns...more
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recommended to Novi by:
Opi
recommends it for: anyone who's looking for light reading with good story.
recommends it for: anyone who's looking for light reading with good story.
I don't really remember details about this book, but what I can remember is that it's a very entertaining book.
If you are interested in marketing, you'll probably enjoy this book. It talks about this smart, energetic and aggressive marketing to sell the soda, FUKK.
Like the name choice for the soda and the characters (Scat and 6 to name a few), the book is witty, edgy and has its own attitude. This is the first book that I've read that is so fast paced that I couldn't wait to find out wh...more
If you are interested in marketing, you'll probably enjoy this book. It talks about this smart, energetic and aggressive marketing to sell the soda, FUKK.
Like the name choice for the soda and the characters (Scat and 6 to name a few), the book is witty, edgy and has its own attitude. This is the first book that I've read that is so fast paced that I couldn't wait to find out wh...more
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This is officially the book that infected me with the reading buzz. It's pop, catchy and witty. And the people i told to read it also nodded with approval.
I'm not good at re-telling stories, but indulge me on it as i have signed up for this:
it's a tale of how fierce the marketing industry is. With a hot product in hand, who can best advertise and sell that product? Lots of funny quips, witty remarks, insights of the marketing jungle. Never loses its momentum... a comic without illustrat...more
I'm not good at re-telling stories, but indulge me on it as i have signed up for this:
it's a tale of how fierce the marketing industry is. With a hot product in hand, who can best advertise and sell that product? Lots of funny quips, witty remarks, insights of the marketing jungle. Never loses its momentum... a comic without illustrat...more
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Read in March, 2008
recommended to Meredith by:
Samrecommends it for: people interested in marketing; anyone looking for a light read
As an advertising major, I really enjoyed all of the marketing references in this book, although I do hope that maybe the world isn't quite so harsh.
This was a good book, but not great. It kept you going, but not something you're going to write home about.
The characters were interesting, but not captivating. I found I had no one to really root for, just someone to root against.
I had bigger expectations for this book, but it was still a good read.
This was a good book, but not great. It kept you going, but not something you're going to write home about.
The characters were interesting, but not captivating. I found I had no one to really root for, just someone to root against.
I had bigger expectations for this book, but it was still a good read.
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Read in April, 2008
This book was not mind-blowing in any respects and I was actually a tad irked at how obviously it ends, but I cannot argue that Barry is a talented writer who has an appealing, casual style. He has a knack for humor, clever dialog and creating an intelligent satire, which is exactly what made this book enjoyable to read. It could have done without the clichéd romantic sub-plot.
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Read in December, 2003
This author is brilliant. His first name was Maxx for this one and Max for the next one and that about sums him up. He's whacky and so are his books. Scat is trying to make his mark in marketing. He meets up with a beautiful young woman also in marketing named 6. They beat the system. I hope Max or Maxx or even Maxxx writes his next one soon.
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Read in January, 1999
Another top five favorite book. I read this on a whim and it was so fun and entertaining I read it in four hours. I recommend it highly.
A marketing novice comes up with a new cola concept and has it stolen out from under him multiple times. Carries a cast of characters who are a varying degree between style and substacne.
A marketing novice comes up with a new cola concept and has it stolen out from under him multiple times. Carries a cast of characters who are a varying degree between style and substacne.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in May, 2008
An extremely quick, fun read. Maxx Barry has a dead-on take on marketing (he despises it), as evidenced in Jennifer Government, one of my all-time favorites (I'd give that six stars if I could). This one is clever, funny, annoying ... it reads like he wrote it as it's meant to be read -- all at once.
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Read this book in college and loved it. Its about marketing and a major soda company....has some interesting marketing lessons and perspectives in it, while it also reads with some interesting story lines. Supposedly based loosely on the authors personal experiences. Very witty, and a quick read.
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Read in April, 2002
Picked it up at a book fair, and loved it all the way through. Has all the qualities of a good read for a twenty something struggling to make their mark. Success, failure, love, hate and cynicism. I was lucky enough to be gifted another of his books, Jennifer Government, which I equally enjoyed.
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Read in January, 2007
This was a fun read. It wasn't the greatest book I ever picked up, but they can't all be, right? I laughed my way through it, and it only took up an afternoon, so I'd be a fool to complain. Nice, light-hearted fun. And it features Tom Cruise, Wynona Ryder, and Coca-Cola. What's not to love?
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Read in January, 2006
It was pretty entertaining, but not as strong as his other two novels. There was some clumsiness that it common in first novels, but there's also the problem that a lot of the things set up as jokes in the novel have come to pass.
But it is entertainingly discursive on marketing techniques.
But it is entertainingly discursive on marketing techniques.
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Read in February, 2008
I love Maxx Barry books. His satires of corporate life are so far fetched that they are almost believable. Syrup, his first novel, takes a look at the image conscious world of corporate marketing. When the main characters have names like 6, Scat, and Sneaky Pete how can you go wrong.
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Read in January, 1999
So, not the most complex book. nor one with a million "SAT words". But Barry's voice and writing is so fresh it's almost ahead of it's time (or it was then). He's sarcastic in the best way possible without beating you over the head. And extremely original.
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Read in February, 2008
a very original satire on the marketing industry. i was weary of the style at first, thinking it pretentious and trite (which is what hes going for), but really began to like it as i read on and saw that it really fit the tone he was creating.
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Read in April, 2008
Loved the book! Are there really companies out there that would condone the lack of integrity that Coke employees protray in this book. I like to think that this is just an extreme case of politics and the author making a point.
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Satire about a recent marketing grad who has a great idea for a new soda called "Fukk" that he tries to sell to the Coke company. Very funny how he pokes fun at company ethics and the marketing industry.
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book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 3.91 (450 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 3.88 (412 ratings) number of reviews: 61popular shelves
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quote
"The problem is, as I see it, is that a sad percentage of gorgeous women just settle for being gorgeous. They get to sixteen, go 'Well, I'm gorgeous, people like me, that's it,' and just <i>stop</i>. I mean, they've got nothing on the girls who struggle onward with zits and bad dates, the girls who fight life every step of the way so by the time they're twenty they're funny and smart and cynical and utterly, utterly desirable.
That's what I like."
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