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What Members Thought
The author did a good job of capturing all the little idiosynchrasies of daily life at the office --the fixation on minutia, the fact that everyone complains about their job but is scared to death at the thought of losing their job, the office politics and dynamics, etc. That part of the book was fairly entertaining and did seem to ring true. I think my quibble with the book is that the arc of the story did not seem sufficient to support its 385 pages in length. It just seemed to keep going and
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What a great first novel from Ferris. It really hits home if you've ever worked in an office before. The characters are like people you know and have worked with and at the end, you might not be ready to leave them behind.
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Just didn't get this book - life is too short to persevere with it - abandoned.
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Wonderful--witty, snarky humor, with an ultimate tenderness. The story of a failing ad agency in Chicago at the end of the dotcom boom. Bravely told in a collective "we" point of view but with enough individual insights that feel like first person. For anyone who has ever experienced cubicle life or wants to be grateful they haven't.
I actually rate this 4.5 stars, just not quite 5 because of the author's youth and attractiveness and talent--gotta hold something against him. ...more
I actually rate this 4.5 stars, just not quite 5 because of the author's youth and attractiveness and talent--gotta hold something against him. ...more
It took me about 175 pages to get in to, but I appreciated the prose nonetheless. Some lines in this book are so honest and beautiful, some are boring and forgettable. This book did make me think a lot about the culture of office life and how we know/don't know our co-workers/bosses/clients etc. What is intimacy? Who do we share things with and why? Raised very important questions for me, but only a 3 star because it was very slow moving for a while.
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This book received so many great reviews that i actually bought the hardcover. While it was great in parts, it dragged in certain sections. It is based on the author's life working in an ad agency in Chicago. The office aspects ring true to life with all the little crappy things people do all day to look like they are working but are just waiting for the paycheck.
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Jul 25, 2008
Pang
rated it
really liked it
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review of another edition
Shelves:
constant-reader,
nyt-recommended
It was such a funny book that I caught myself chuckled many, many times on the bus. It's a story about workplace and people in it. You get a sense of belonging... no matter how dysfunctional the group may be. These are people who you spent a lot of time with, some more than your own family. In a twisted way they become your family.
I really enjoyed it! ...more
I really enjoyed it! ...more
Wry and funny - the perfect portrait of life among the cubicles. Ferris treats his subject with that form of humor that can only arise from those who exasperate us but command our love anyway.
Dec 28, 2007
Sarita
marked it as to-read
Feb 01, 2008
Janae
added it
Feb 27, 2008
Patty
marked it as to-read
Mar 04, 2008
Wendy
marked it as wish-list
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review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
light-reading
Oct 12, 2008
Linda
added it
Jan 05, 2009
Jocelyn
marked it as to-read
Aug 24, 2009
Carrie
marked it as to-read
