Russell Wiley Is Out to Lunch

Jun 14, 2013 Robert Taylor rated it 5 of 5 stars

Although most novelists hate comparisons, I can't resist the temptation to compare Richard Hine's character Russell Wiley to Joseph Heller's Bob Slocum (Something Happened). Both characters live their lives of quiet desperation, unable to find solace either at work or at home. I prefer Hine's pace, however, and "Russell Wiley is out to Lunch" moves us briskly through a tormented tale of corporate greed, politics, lust and incompetence that many of us can relate to and have experienced at one tim...more

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Apr 24, 2011 Athira (Reading on a Rainy Day) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: source-review, source-own, 2010, fiction, list-humor, f-general

Russell Wiley is facing a crisis - at home and at work. At a time when the newspaper industry is struggling and declining, Russell is working hard to win back contracts and find ways to keep the old customers and bring in new ones. Meanwhile, his boss, Henry Moss is planning for more layoffs and is scheming to prove himself to the big players in the company without any regard to his own boss. Russell's team isn't perfect either, with one manipulative manager, one young intern whose attire is the...more Russell Wiley is facing a crisis - at home and at work. At a time when the newspaper industry is struggling and declining, Russell is working hard to win back contracts and find ways to keep the old customers and bring in new ones. Meanwhile, his boss, Henry Moss is planning for more layoffs and is scheming to prove himself to the big players in the company without any regard to his own boss. Russell's team isn't perfect either, with one manipulative manager, one young intern whose attire is the topic of gossip among his women colleagues, and an over-enthusiastic new hire jumping with utopian ideas for improvement. Into this mess, Henry brings a consultant to find a way to give the company a much-needed growth opportunity. At home, Russell's life has become sexless. His wife is no longer as into him as in the early years of their relationship. And all this is making him think about one of his female colleagues in an inappropriate way.

Russell Wiley is Out to Lunch is set during the years of the decline of the print. While the online media becomes increasingly popular with the young generation, The Chronicle (a fictional newspaper for which Russell works) is clearly not increasing its reader base. I found this a very interesting setting, because I've always wondered how it is to be part of a declining industry - knowing that you could lose your job any time, and even though they know that the trends are changing, they work desperately hard to retain their jobs and clientele. In addition, it was nice to read a book set in the workplace, which although a large part of our lives, doesn't find much of an appreciation in fiction. I felt that this book delivered well on both counts.

In Russell, we have a protagonist that we can root for, though I have to admit that halfway through the book, I got frustrated with him. Every day as he got home, his one obsession was on how to get his wife to have sex with him. I never really saw or felt any bonding between him and his wife, because of which I could not sympathize with his problem. Affecting his credibility further is the inappropriate train of thoughts that keep running through his mind in the presence of his female colleagues. Of course, every married person is not "perfect", but it was very clear to me that Russell was also at fault in his marriage. Of the remaining characters, none of them stood out for me. Sometimes I forgot who was who. This does reflect a typical office environment, where each day you meet a blend of people only briefly, but I still wished that it didn't take me too long to get to know a character well.

In spite of the strong and interesting premise of this book, I felt that it lacked punch and grip. The events take some time to build up and it took me a long time to understand where the book might be heading. In a way, the pace is reflective of the environment where it is set - the most adventurous thing that happens in your typical workday might be you dropping a pen or jamming the paper in the printer or falling asleep at your desk. Otherwise, it is usually a slow monotonous passage of eight hours, during which you keep checking the clock praying for it to move faster, so that you can go home and watch a movie or read a book or play with your kids/pets. The purposeful build-up of the interesting plot-lines however led to a weak ending, in my opinion. There was so much I expected towards the end, and some of what actually happened felt too good or too unreal to be plausible.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has worked in an office environment and loves reading about the workplace politics (in a very loose sense of the word). It is a satirical look at what happens in an office - the challenges, the manipulations, the scheming, and also the male-female colleague interaction - both as colleagues and otherwise. There is quite a bit of humor in the book, but this is strictly not a laughter riot (which is what I expected it to be). Nevertheless, someone with a good knowledge of or interest in a workplace would delight in this novel. This book releases today, so make sure you check it out!(less)

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Jul 18, 2012 Lydia Laceby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Originally Reviewed at Novel Escapes

Russell Wiley is Out to Lunch is full of office politics, procrastination, passing the buck, workplace monotony, and keeping the status quo, and didn't just revolve around his office, but Russell's life at home where his wife is growing more distant. This novel was easy to read, frequently funny and I really enjoyed everything from Russell's character to the story.

Hine's character creation from a few simple scenes was fantastic. The empathy I felt for Russell...more Originally Reviewed at Novel Escapes

Russell Wiley is Out to Lunch is full of office politics, procrastination, passing the buck, workplace monotony, and keeping the status quo, and didn't just revolve around his office, but Russell's life at home where his wife is growing more distant. This novel was easy to read, frequently funny and I really enjoyed everything from Russell's character to the story.

Hine's character creation from a few simple scenes was fantastic. The empathy I felt for Russell from the very first scene stayed with me throughout the novel. I could relate to his being stuck and not moving forward and rooted for him to figure things out. His inability to take action had me wanting to shake him at times though and I had hoped he would figure out a few things on his own, rather than just reacting to what was thrown at him.

The end wasn't predictable in certain aspects and had me smiling as did much of the novels with Russell's wry observations of his situation. I've only been a minion in an office and never in management, but still enjoyed this book. It was interesting to have an inside view of how management can bumble things up and go with the safe route and I think anyone who has been stuck in an office will be able to relate to this novel.

Unfortunately I had a difficult time keeping track of Russell's co-workers. They moved in and out and at times I struggled to recall who they were when they reappeared. I had also hoped Russell would help his employee, Angela, more but think this was part of his character in that he wasn't entirely comfortable with the situation, and even with himself enough to do more to assist her. But I still found it disappointing it wasn't addressed further.

This novel was quoted on the back cover as being similar to Sophie Kinsella, but I just couldn't see this connection. There was humour in this story, and Russell's character is slightly bumbling and lacks a self confidence I've discovered in Kinsella's novels, but just didn't find it compared, so don't expect a male Becky Bloomwood here. Instead, you'll find something more akin to Office Space or The Office, equally satirical and humorous with it's observations of office politics.

Overall, I really enjoyed Russell Wiley is Out to Lunch, finding it easy to read with laugh our loud moments and an interesting premise. I look forward to more by Richard Hine.(less)

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Dec 08, 2010 Jarucia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Funny, Humorous and Light..I dub thee 'chuck-lit'.

(Chuck-lit...chick-lit for men but manly.)

I'd love to say "If you loved Bridget Jones..." but I know the 'industry' would shake their head at that.

I don't care. I love Bridget Jones and now I love Russell Wiley.

From beginning to end, this had me laughing out loud. From office Unicorns to be-proud-of-me poopies there wasn't a TIC comic take on any of the office on-goings at the Daily Business Chronicle that I didn't get or that I didn't laugh at.

I...more

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Nov 25, 2010 Chibineko rated it 2 of 5 stars

I'm going to lay it straight- this isn't really all that similar to Sophie Kinsella like the book blurb claims. That is both good & bad. That's bad because many might pick this up expecting a Kinsella-esque read, then get disappointed when the book doesn't fulfill that promise. It's good because a Kinsella-esque story wouldn't work as well with a male lead character.

RWIOTL surrounds the character of Russell Wiley, a man who is just trying to survive in the middle of a floundering marriage &...more I'm going to lay it straight- this isn't really all that similar to Sophie Kinsella like the book blurb claims. That is both good & bad. That's bad because many might pick this up expecting a Kinsella-esque read, then get disappointed when the book doesn't fulfill that promise. It's good because a Kinsella-esque story wouldn't work as well with a male lead character.

RWIOTL surrounds the character of Russell Wiley, a man who is just trying to survive in the middle of a floundering marriage & a job that is on the verge of extinction. Despite his subtle attempts to influence his newspaper bosses, they always seem to go for the bad idea & back the useless employees. When his bosses not only hire a consultant to work a new angle (an angle that Russell himself knows is foolish), but expect Russell to babysit him, he has to figure out a way to keep his sanity as well as convince his wife to get intimate with him.

Well... I'm kind of torn about this book. On one hand it is very good for a new author- Hine, relax. You did good poopie. On the other hand there's a lot of flaws here- don't get too relaxed, I think you need more fiber. While the idea of the book is a good one & I like that the main character is a bit on the jerky side, I really felt that the pacing needed a lot of work. (You can tell that he's just as much to blame for his bad marriage & job situation as anyone else is.)There isn't a lot that happens in the first half of the book & much of it is Hine repeating the notion that Wiley's marriage is doomed & his job isn't very satisfying. At some point I couldn't help but get irritated- I *got* it. I know that he's not happy with his life.

The last half to third of the book just felt very compressed. Minor characters that weren't really fleshed out in the beginning & when they come into play later in the book I couldn't help but wish that Hine had done some foreshadowing earlier in the book. A prime example is Angela & her specific problem. (Which I won't list here because it is a spoiler.) Hine could have had little things show up earlier in the book so that when her big reveal comes about, it builds up anticipation. Another thing that I felt needed more work was the resolution. Everything happened too fast & I really felt that it needed more work. Again I bring up Angela. When her issue was aired, it was quickly dropped for the most part & suddenly at the end her life is fine again. Because everything was so squished into the end & the pacing was sort of off, the big surprises, hurrahs, & endings just seemed to fizzle a little instead of pop.

This isn't a bad book though- Hine does show skill at writing & the plot kept me involved. It's just that I got the impression he could do far better than this. This book would be good for an airport or beach read, but ultimately it'll leave the reader hungry for meatier fare. Still, Hine's an author worth watching. I have faith that he'll eventually work out the kinks in his work & will be an author to contend with.

(review copy provided by amazon)(less)

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Sep 20, 2010 Deanna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Russell Wiley is a victim of the recession and modern times.

The author stated in an interview he conducted with himself (grin) that the book is set in 2006 because that's the official year that print died.

Russell is middle management for an almost-dead business daily that is No. 4 in a world where there's no room for more than three.

This amusing, yet poignant, story leads us through several months of Russell's life. At work, he's surrounded by people who've been living The Peter Principle (I'm...more

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Sep 04, 2010 Kasa Cotugno rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: genre-humor-satire, vine, subject-recession

This is the latest in what has become a subgenre of novels I call Recessionary Fables in which a Man On The Verge is employed at a company that is either forced to change or go out of business altogether. "Wiley" contains humor as biting as in The Ask, a hero as perplexed as in The Unnamed, and while the writing is not as sharp or the structure as intriguing as And Then We Came to The End, the conflict is compelling. There is a lot of humor here, and the denoument may be a bit facile, but it was...more

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Oct 26, 2010 Ashley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Russell Wiley Is Out To Lunch made me laugh out loud. Reading the story of Russell Wiley, trying to survive the downward spiral that is the daily business paper that employs him, was almost like watching an episode of The Office.

Russell Wiley's daily paper is facing a do or die fight for survival. Politics run rampant through the office. Loyalty is tantamount. Russell's trying to keep his job, and the jobs of his team, safe. He's got a bit of a crush on a co-worker. And he's writing astute busin...more Russell Wiley Is Out To Lunch made me laugh out loud. Reading the story of Russell Wiley, trying to survive the downward spiral that is the daily business paper that employs him, was almost like watching an episode of The Office.

Russell Wiley's daily paper is facing a do or die fight for survival. Politics run rampant through the office. Loyalty is tantamount. Russell's trying to keep his job, and the jobs of his team, safe. He's got a bit of a crush on a co-worker. And he's writing astute business articles under a pseudonym. On the home front, things aren't much better. He and his wife are in a dry spell, and no matter what he tries, Russell can't seem to connect with her. Add to this mix the arrival of the Process Consultant to save the day, and Russell feels as though he might drown. Until he comes up with his own fail proof plan for survival.

But I also have to tell you about what made me cringe in this story. And cringe in a good way. See, I've been that Process Consultant (capitalized here much like Superman might be). I've been perceived like this Judd has. And I've seen the political office game be played. The cringing comes from those situations that are so realistic, you know you've been in them, you know what's coming, and you're powerless to stop it, but you're still compelled to watch it unfold.

Like so many of us, Russell started out young and idealistic, intent on changing the world. Fast forward fifteen years, and Russell is like so many of us formerly young and idealistic kids- schlepping away in a middle management job that doesn't excite him. He's somewhat loath to change his circumstances- there's security, change is hard, and do we really have it in us once we hit our mid-thirties to still change the world?

But you can see in Russell's articles- written under a pen name, and often taking a scathing job at the failings of his own employer- that he has a real passion existing deep within him. He's frustrated with where his life is, both personally and professionally, and he's desperate for something, anything, to happen. He gets, in many ways, more than he bargained for.

I found Russell Wiley Is Out To Lunch to be witty and snarky. I recognized so many of the people and the circumstances as I read through the book, and I found myself cheering for Russell Wiley.
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Aug 05, 2010 Steffan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Leaders are like Unicorns ...

As I quickly got sucked into this tale of woe, I had to stop myself several times and mentally think back and unscramble some of the references made and connect them to their real-life events. From Sam Zell to dead hikers in Oregon, my brain worked overtime to nail-down the news cycle of which this emanated. It's hard, to impossible, to not find yourself doing this as author Richard Hine does this throughout the book; not because it's cute, or an implement of his sty...more Leaders are like Unicorns ...

As I quickly got sucked into this tale of woe, I had to stop myself several times and mentally think back and unscramble some of the references made and connect them to their real-life events. From Sam Zell to dead hikers in Oregon, my brain worked overtime to nail-down the news cycle of which this emanated. It's hard, to impossible, to not find yourself doing this as author Richard Hine does this throughout the book; not because it's cute, or an implement of his style, but because this is the business that he's writing about. Newspapers, newspaper men, journalism, corporate confinement, well-structured bureaucratic greed and career-breaking gamesmanship that has `desperation' written all over the faces of all the players, but one. Russell Wiley does his best throughout to hold a poker-face from power lunches where he gives nothing away to office interruptions where he coddles a few employees instead of saying: `You're Fired'. It's a tightrope for sure.

Russell Wiley is the quiet and calculated monitor caught up in a soul-crushing existence and his story has the ring of a Kitty Kelly tell-all biography, but this one covers the newsroom and not just a person. The sad truth of Russell Wiley though, is that he does exist -- and is the current profile of so many thirty / fourty something's caught too far gone in a business that's about to slip over a perimeter and disappear for good, taking all hands with them. The real-life edge and details make a person think about the message as much as the story.

Hine is definitely not the first person to tell us that the publishing world `has heard the chimes at midnight', but has done so in a very captivating but derisive manner. I couldn't help but catch glimpses of Bret Easton Ellis's `American Psycho' as I read this, but this is the book Mr. Ellis would've written if he was still serious about writing and not just dumping his trash on us.

Russell Wiley is the aged yuppie that has settled down and found his back against the wall and surrounded by hungry up-starts and buffoons rather than the sharks of yesteryear. He has become the larger, slow moving ageing shark in a tank full of docile and self-obsessed lesser life forms.

The action and pace of this book is the atmosphere, the reality and the true to life commentary like many other great novels of this type. This is not a whodunit, or a crime-scene investigation, so don't expect that.

Having recently re-read Atlas Shrugged, I couldn't help but see parallels with the story as Russell Wiley travels some of the same ground as the beloved Dagny Taggart. This is the search for self as well as a safe way out the door.

I look forward to a follow-up novel from Mr. Hine - and I don't say that about many writers these days.
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Jul 04, 2011 Paige Lucken rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

A humorous window into the world of newspaper advertising, this novel is a mocking view of the not so simple life of a media executive. In part analogous to the humour of Tom Holt in books such as, ‘You Don't Have to be Evil to Work Here, But it Helps’ and part the agonising absurdities of Helen Fielding’s ‘Bridgett Jones’s Diary’. ‘Russell Wiley is Out to Lunch’ is an enjoyable read for anyone who has ever worked in an office and is weary of corporate clichés and maxims.

Russell Wiley’s world i...more

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Nov 27, 2010 Cheryl rated it 2 of 5 stars

Russell Wiley works for the Daily Business Chronicle. The newspaper has not been fairing so well lately…thanks to the internet. Russell must find a way to keep Livington Kidd. Livington Kidd is the Chronicle’s largest financial advertiser. If Russell can not find to keep them from leaving, than the Chronicle will end up old news. To make matters worse, Russell’s co-workers are not shy about stabbing Russell in the back. Can Russell find his way out of this rat race and come out on top?

Russell Wi...more

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Apr 26, 2011 Pfkennedy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Richard Hine has managed to capture office life with a skill and sharp wit that has only been matched by Matthew Weiner who penned the hit drama Mad Men.

Russell Wiley's journey through the perils of life on a newspaper as he juggles office politics, family life and the threat of impending redundancies is real, robust and very, very funny.

Hine's detailed and fast-paced writing style is on a par with Brett Easton Ellis (minus the blood and gore) and he captures the feel of working in such a doomed...more

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Jan 29, 2011 Melissa Acuna rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved Russell Wiley the character and I love Russell Wiley the book. It's laugh out loud funny without being trite and there were a number of observations about the current corporate workplace that could have come from the Harvard Business Review, if it were only written by honest, smart employees rather than consultants, academics and MBA's.

Russell's workplace includes "Rainbow Painters whose job is to keep management's hopes alive, to convince them that the pot of gold exists. Legitimate fa...more

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Jun 07, 2011 Gianna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, fiction, it-was-good, funny-ha-ha

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 14, 2011 Danie Cutter rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

This book was received through First Reads, review will follow shortly.

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It's been two years since I waved goodbye to the corporate world and with this book those years just vanished.

It's a true to life telling of both the lethargy and continual outmaneuvering that comes with the brave new business world. It tells with humour the re-presentation of old ideas under a new title or spin that has everyone jumping through hoops (yet again) on top of an already hectic schedule until new manageme...more

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Aug 09, 2010 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mainstream, humour

It's interesting, or perhaps telling, that the workplace plays such a minor role in literature. Given that most of us spend perhaps a third of our lives at our place of work, it really does seem that our daily labour is rather underrepresented in the literary canon--unless, of course, we're talking about law enforcement, an area from which authors have longed derived all sorts of perverse writerly pleasure, or some sort of consulting or creative role to which authors need only to allude rather t...more It's interesting, or perhaps telling, that the workplace plays such a minor role in literature. Given that most of us spend perhaps a third of our lives at our place of work, it really does seem that our daily labour is rather underrepresented in the literary canon--unless, of course, we're talking about law enforcement, an area from which authors have longed derived all sorts of perverse writerly pleasure, or some sort of consulting or creative role to which authors need only to allude rather than paint in any detail. But even when work is touched on in a novel, it's frequently used as an excuse to drag certain characters away for large and anonymous swaths of time during which other characters can get up to far more interesting shenanigans. Extended depictions of work in and of itself have tended to be scant. There are, however, some exceptions that come to mind, but interestingly almost all of them seem to deal with work in a scathing, satirical manner that one can only hope resulted in some sort of catharsis for the writer. Bright Lights, Big City looms large on the relevant horizon, as does the play Glengarry Glen Ross (Hollywood-ised into a rather good film starring Al Pacino) and Australian author Max Barry's Company, which I reviewed recently (see my review). Indeed, given the increasingly unstable and turbulent nature of employment, I wouldn't be surprised to see a plethora of such novels hitting the shelves.

Russell Wiley is Out to Lunch is one of these, and I must say that given the rather manic-depressive state of both publishing and general commerce at the moment, it's quite a timely release.

Russell Wiley's daily existence is an endurance race, but rather than being the type of race that ends with some sort of fulfilling achievement and gratuitous air-punching, it's the sort designed by a sadist with a Pavlovian bent and that is rather lacking in comprehensible goals or rewards. The unfortunate Russell works as a sales director in that most arcane of industries, the print news media, and this book explicates what happens in the car crash-like aftermath of corporate incompetence colliding head on with employee indifference.

With his staid and stodgy publication collapsing under the weight of its own irrelevance in this googlified world, Russell is the embodiment of the classic image of a duck treading water: unruffled countenance up top, and madly flailing feet beneath. He is a sort of workplace cipher, working to break the unassailable codes of workplace conduct and somehow transform them into something useful and logical. Russell has managed this quietly seething existence for some years now, watching with laconic stoicism as business proposals are accepted based on the strength of their accompanying acronym, and as staff are promoted, demoted, or shunted aside depending on the phase of the moon.

But this awkward status quo, this jittering bubble in a teetering spirit level, is beginning to falter, and so is Russell's careful facade. It has been a double-digit number of days since he last had sex with his wife, and the reasons for this are playing on his mind--perhaps in part to excuse him for his fantasies about workplace colleague Kelly; he is being hassled by a upstart MBA graduate whose ability to highlight and print a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet represents the epitome of his skills (albeit one that will garner awe in most workplaces, where admin staff and CEOs alike struggle to resize a spreadsheet to fit on to a single page); and his boss appears to be making hiring and firing decisions by consulting with a random number generator.

Russell's response to this impending crisis? To become that most legendary of office employees: a unicorn. That is, a rare, sought-after breed that is impossible to find in the office environment. Russell diverts his phones to each other, deals with his staff in a similar fashion, and spends his days dining on syrup-infused Starbucks coffee and leaking scandalous factoids to an anarcho-commerce friend who runs an underground newspaper. Russell's insouciant fiffling, however, rather joltingly hits a speedhump when he finds out that his own efforts to colour code an Excel spreadsheet have resulted in an accounting error that has robbed his department of the not-so-trifling sum of ten million dollars. In practice, this means that his department has approximately minus ten million dollars with which to launch the new print magazine upon which his dinosaur of a company is staking its bets. All of them.

It would be a little crude of me to give away the ending of the book, but I have to admit I didn't feel that it quite gel with the rest of the narrative. While it does bear the hallmarks of Hine's heretofore snarky and incisive tone, and does have a glorious sense of irreverence that does appear to illustrate the uncalculated madness upon which publishing, and commerce more generally, seems to draw as its major sustenance, things do feel a little too neat and glossy, and the denouement feels rushed, detracting rather from quite a strong lead up. There are other elements, too, that I felt work against from the believability of the narrative as a whole: Russell's reaction to his wife's departure is barely touched upon, and given that his major interactions with her throughout the book have all been precipitated by his deprived libido, one can't help but feel that she is little more than a sex-giving object in Russell's life. His wife's character thus falls somewhat flat, as do many of the others in the book: one can't help but feel that they have been included more for their ability to illustrate a particular type of workplace personality than out of any real narrative need.

In all, though, Russell Wiley is Out to Lunch is a witty read that readers will zip through in a mere few hours. And if you've any experience with the publishing industry, or even just any white collar workplace, you'll no doubt find yourself nodding along as Hine teases out and skewers, rather like a butterfly on a corkboard display, the various confused inanities of the office hivemind and its flippantly anonymous directors.

This review originally appeared at readinasinglesitting.com (less)

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Aug 18, 2011 Luigi rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was the lucky recipient of a Goodread’s giveaway and even luckier that the novel ‘Russell Wiley Is Out To Lunch’ proved to be a truly good read.
Everyone who has survived, succeeded or failed in a working environment such as the one described by Richard Hine will recognise the office politics, positioning and back-stabbing that are characteristic of a competitive organisation especially if the enterprise is on the brink of disaster.
It is common in perilous times to resort to drastic measures: o...more

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Apr 24, 2011 Giorgos rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Giorgos by: Richard

Thanks First Reads!

So, having finally read it - it's a fun read. Makes you laugh out loud at times, nod knowlingly at others, and shake your head in apprehension every now and then.

Even for someone with no involvement with the publishing industry, this book can be relevant - provided you've ever worked in an organisation, experienced an industry undergoing disruption, or had romantic feelings for another person. The office environment is brought to life by characters extreme enough to be memorab...more

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Mar 23, 2012 Jessie McDaniel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Entertaining and quick read told from the point of view of the main character. Russell works at a barely-keeping-its-head-above-water newspaper in the advertising department. Every day at the office he struggles through procrastination, deals with ever-bitching members of his staff and wades through office politics. Waiting at home is his wife who always has some new item from work that she's spent her paycheck on and has a never ending list of excuses to avoid sex. Richard Hine has taken the si...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Ron rated it 3 of 5 stars

Humorous and sometimes sad story of a young ambitious guy trying to survive the company politics of a big city ad agency.

Kindle book. (L)

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Sep 05, 2011 Carl rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: comedy, first-reads

RWIOTL was extremely well written, however, I felt that at least 3-4 occasions, I thought to myself, well, what is exactly happening here. It dulled out particularly at the start.
At one point at the start I was going to give up. I'm glad I didnt because it got increasingly more humorous and Office-esque.
On one hand, I didnt really understand some bits. I felt that you needed to have worked in the newspaper industry to actually get some parts.
That said, it did give you some insight.
I was a little...more

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Nov 27, 2010 Scott Huizenga rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: humor, fiction

Russell Wiley is Out to Lunch is simply a humorous look at a middle manager in a dying industry and a sexless marriage who is looking to reinvent himself. It is a clever, if not brilliant, book so long as one does not take it too seriously. I laughed out loud on several occasions with Hine's use of psuedo-business acronyms and jargon, such as "Unicorns" - as opposed to "horses." Other clichés such as "Let's not get too granular" made me wonder if this was my workplace. Truth is, this is pretty m...more

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Sep 15, 2011 Amanda added it

Shelves: first-reads

I won this book on First-Reads and am waiting to receive it.

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Jun 08, 2012 Richard Sharp rated it 3 of 5 stars

Starts slowly as the story of a sadsack middle management publications exec with an unsatisfactory home life, but picks up as the book progresses. It winds up rather nicely as Russell Wiley, the lead protagonist shucks off his frustrations as an unappreciated talent who has lost his ability to give his full energy to the job and decides to take on the role of a "unicorn," adopting the image of a successful executive, delegating the detail work to his staff. He begins dealing with his peers and s...more

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Oct 15, 2010 Jonita rated it 4 of 5 stars

Russell Wiley is a media executive for the Daily Chronicle newspaper, the fourth largest newspaper in a world where there is only room for three. The newspaper is quickly going the way of paper money, and Russell is having problems getting new advertisers interested in placing ads. Meanwhile, his home life is going the same way as the newspaper. His wife, Sam, isn't interested in having sex with him and he obsessively counts the days between their infrequent carnal encounters. Add a whole lot of...more Russell Wiley is a media executive for the Daily Chronicle newspaper, the fourth largest newspaper in a world where there is only room for three. The newspaper is quickly going the way of paper money, and Russell is having problems getting new advertisers interested in placing ads. Meanwhile, his home life is going the same way as the newspaper. His wife, Sam, isn't interested in having sex with him and he obsessively counts the days between their infrequent carnal encounters. Add a whole lot of office drama into the mix, as well as a consultant who is more interested in passing others' work off as his own, and Russell Wiley has a recipe for disaster.

When Russell makes a multi-million dollar mistake at the office, he knows that it's just a matter of time before his ship sinks. He realizes that he needs to make some big changes if he is to salvage the remains of his career and his love life. Filled with witty observations and wry humour, Russell Wiley is Out To Lunch is a must-read for anyone who has ever wiled away hours in an office.

Russell Wiley is Out To Lunch is a delightful read, chronicling the decline of the newspaper industry with wit and charm. It was fun to reflect on things that used to play so prominently in our lives that have been replace by the bigger and better in the interest of progress. Newspapers used to be a fixture in our lives, delivered in the mornings and read over breakfast, and now we seem to get the majority of our news online and on our electronic devices. This book also offers commentary on office life- the drama that can surround us, not to mention the joys of working with people who are determined to pass others' work off as their own.

Russell Wiley was a thoroughly likable character. His marriage is rapidly going down the tubes, his work life is teetering on the brink of disaster, and yet he manages to conduct himself with dignity. When he develops a crush on his co-worker he doesn't cross the line into inappropriate behaviour and that endeared him to me even further.

Russell Wiley is Out To Lunch is a must-read for anyone who has ever worked in an office, had someone pass off your work as their own, or been discouraged by their company's inability to move forward into new technology. It is also a great read for anyone who is just looking for a laugh.

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Oct 04, 2010 Jeff rated it 3 of 5 stars

Hine's a fine author with a well-tuned ear for dialogue, a gift for satire, and a way with eminently likable characters. They're so likable, in fact, that one gets the sense Hine doesn't want to see anything really bad happen to them; as a result, "Russell Wiley Is Out to Lunch" is a funny, sweet, thoroughly readable novel, but not a particularly gripping book.

A few less punches pulled, and this might have been one for the ages; as it is, it points the way to bigger and better things for its ob...more

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Nov 05, 2012 Jim rated it 2 of 5 stars

Somewhat slow plodding story of a bored newspaper/ magazine ad man. Unhappy in his personal life and professional life, Russell Wiley drifts through life without purpose. Russell finds his purpose when his unloving wife runs off and Russell can channel his unhappiness into a bold career change. Somewhere along the line Russell may find love again. He's out to lunch- So, It'll be a long long time until we may find out. 2 stars out of 5. Slow moving story without much action- somewhat difficult to...more

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Aug 30, 2011 Joanne rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was very pleased to receive my copy of Russell Wiley is Out to Lunch.

It took some time to get to know the main character, at first he seemed to be a shallow and whiny person however as the story unfolded I felt I understood him more and actually wanted him to succeed!

This book has a dry sarcastic humour and is written in a short sharp style which flowed well. It gave an insight into the intricate links and need for communication within the newspaper business, voicing fears for the written wor...more

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Oct 26, 2011 Amy Warrick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Awww, this book is just so gosh-darned sweet. Okay, seriously, this is a likable book about a likable guy sifting through his slowly failing marriage and work crises. Nothing is too dark; nothing is too depressing; but I ended up rooting for Russell, who comes across as just the nicest guy, and I was happy when it ended all neat and tidy. Sorry if I blew that for you. A beach read, if you don't mind reading lots about office stuff.

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Feb 18, 2011 Sara rated it 1 of 5 stars

I borrowed this book from my cousin who said it was good, but I should've been warned by her review of it. She said it was like Bridget Jones, which I hated- loved the movie, but not the book.
I didn't think it was funny at all. I felt the humor was just about how many times he was being interrupted at work and how many days it was since he had sex with his wife. Maybe it's because I don't work in that high power "corporate" world and didn't get the humor. Just not my type of book.

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