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Apr 24, 2011

Athira rated it:

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...

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Feb 21, 2011

Worldbeat99 rated it:

As I read Russell Wiley, I felt I was in the capable hands of a good storyteller. I liked the hero, and found his view of the world funny and sometimes sad. As one who is at times both fascinated and annoyed by technology and marketing -- I enjoyed the satire in the book. I think one might call this "workplace fiction." The author is good at capturing the buzzwords of a culture. The line about "Let's not get too granular" was very funny. I'd never heard the term but ins More...

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Dec 08, 2010

Jarucia rated it:

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 Chron More...

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Nov 25, 2010

Chibineko rated it:

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 marr More...

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Sep 20, 2010

Deanna rated it:

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 More...

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Sep 04, 2010

Kasa rated it:

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, More...

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Aug 29, 2010

Robert rated it:

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 experience More...

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Oct 26, 2010

Ashley rated it:

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 w More...

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Aug 05, 2010

Steffan rated it:

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 implemen More...

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Jul 04, 2011

Paige rated it:

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 Wil More...

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Nov 27, 2010

Cheryl rated it:

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?

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Apr 26, 2011

Pfkennedy rated it:

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 work More...

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Jan 29, 2011

Melissa rated it:

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 exis More...

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Jun 07, 2011

Gianna rated it:

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

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Apr 14, 2011

Danie rated it:

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 s More...

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Aug 18, 2010

Stephanie rated it:

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...

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Aug 18, 2011

Luigi rated it:

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 More...

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Apr 24, 2011

Giorgos rated it:

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 More...

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Jul 06, 2011

Tom rated it:

I'll classify this as a dark comedy -- the decline of the newspaper world as seen through the eyes of a yes-man executive with an incompetent boss and a mean (and ultimately unfaithful) wife.

At times darkly amusing or just plain depressing, it reads a little like a print version of The Office. Despite its flaws, it's still an engaging read -- right up until the finish, where in one fell swoop, formerly helpless management fixes everything and the central character's employees are give More...

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Sep 05, 2011

Carl rated it:

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 insi More...

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Nov 27, 2010

Scott rated it:

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 work More...

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Sep 15, 2011

Amanda added it

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

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Apr 28, 2011

Kate rated it:

Our Hero Russell Wiley-who incidently makes a thing about going out to lunch, is in trouble. Online Business is threatening the Business Chronicle and advertising is on the decline. On top of all that the poor sod has to work with an Harvard MBA upstart who speaks jargonese and to his peril recycles ideas put forward two years ago. As if that wasn't enough, Russells Boss thinks the sun shines out of Rudd Walkers Consultant's Proverbial Arse, and so now only him but also the rest of the Company h More...

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Oct 15, 2010

Jonita rated it:

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...

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Oct 04, 2010

Jeff rated it:

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 be More...

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Aug 30, 2011

Joanne rated it:

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 More...

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Oct 26, 2011

Amy rated it:

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:

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 boo

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Feb 21, 2011

Dan rated it:

Anyone who has worked in a cubicle before will be able to relate to what goes on inside this company. There really wasn't anything that reached out and grabbed me, making me say "wow, this was a great book", but on the flip side, it was so interesting that I couldn't put it down until I had finished reading it. So while I wouldn't say it was an amazing book, I would say it is an entertaining read.

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Mar 09, 2011

Chris rated it:

Horrible cover art aside, I really liked this book. Hine's behind-the-scenes knowledge of the journalism industry and office politics is evident but he keeps the details and the tone light. Russell Wiley is a wholly realistic character, a middle manager with a better understanding of the company and what it needs than his supervisors, but also obsessed with how long it's been since he and his wife had sex. Very readable and funny.

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