This is a hilarious and scary satire about a not-to-distant-future (perhaps it's actually our present)where most of the world has been absorbed into the United States Federated Economic Blocs ('Australia' is a registered trademark of US Government Pty Ltd), the police are fully privatised, kids attend McDonalds and Mattell schools and huge, lawless corporations have more power, weapons and money at their disposal than any government. Structurally, Jennifer Government is an effective and well-paced, if conventional, thriller with blackmail, kidnapping, mistaken identity, revenge and ruthless baddies. What I loved about it was the spot-on send ups of a world gone mad on marketing hype, user-pay systems and greed.

Some quotes on this paperback edition:
"Brilliant and hilarious" Naomi Klein, author of NO LOGO
"Has you on the edge of your seat from the very beginning ... a compelling story about consumerism, greed and the people who try to survive in between" USA Today

I want to share this book with others for discussion via a bookring. This is my first bookring, so I'd like to start with Australians. If it works, I'll venture into international bookrings. Aussies, please PM me to join.

The postal order is:
1) tqd & Mr tqd
2) gooby
3) jubby
4) fushmush
5) charmedwitch23
6) lmn60 - please return to Leaf, thank you

Turned up in the mail yesterday! Thanks LeafOfHumanTree!

Will read asap.

A fabulous read! Nice and nasty at the big megacorporations, which makes a poor working person like myself all warm and tingly inside. :)

I loved the nasty venalness of all the characters working in marketing (all the marketing people I've worked with lately have been horrible oxygen thieves, so I was cheering on Max Barry!).

A few implausible co-incidences (but I suppose that's par for the course for this genre). But a rollicking good read that I found hard to put down.

Thanks LeafOfHumanTree for organising this bookring!

Mr TQD is currently reading the book (and enjoying it, as I thought he would), but as soon as he's finished, I'll pop it in the mail to gooby asap! (And I'll try and wrestle some comments out of him. He'll never write a review, but I'll try and get a comment or a score out of ten at least. :)

Okay, Mr TQD enjoyed it very much (as I knew he would). His criticisms were that he felt that it read like a first/second novel (for all we know, it is a first/second novel). A bit too neatly tied up for his tastes. (Personally, I like that in a fun read. Not in a work of Great Literature, but in a Fun Read, absolutely.)

And it got popped in the post to gooby today! Thanks for the extension, LeafOfHumanTree!

Received by post from tqd - and i can already hear it calling my name...

read me...
read me...

...soon!

Fun book - especially made me giggle since I spent 7 years as part of the Chadstone shopping centre machine. Thankfully no gun battles when I was there (although there was the occasional punch-up over parking spaces!).

Well, what a world! Love the federated economic blocs, and not so far fetched, especially given recent events. In the name of "freedom", corporations take over the world. The map states "here be taxes". The tattoos thing has been done, if I remember my recent history (and perhaps Naomi Klein?); personal affiliation with brands - it's the marketing tool of the new era. A simple phone call can uncover personal details on record at an affiliated company.

And I wonder how those credit card companies got my address to junk mail me???

The action style of this book didn't really grab me - it's not my usual genre, so it has to be pretty impressive to hook me in. But I loved the details (the Bechtel Eastern Freeway, the "new promotion" at the end) - and the somewhat frightening way that this new world all fitted together - too well. And the ultimate use of the swoosh made me laugh out loud (in front of the post office where I was hurriedly finishing it!).

Thanks, Leafofhumantree. Your name is all the more pertinent.

Anyone for McDonalds?

This stencil art / graffiti near my house seemed to fit. The text reads, "Red Riding Hood's mother warned her about the patriarchy".

Posted to Jubby once the laughter died down.

Received in the post today.

Currently reading a bookring book, will start this one on Wednesday and post on to the next bookcrosser the Wednesday after.

Thank you leafofhumantree (and I was re-reading 'The art of travel' on the weekend, where I came across your previous screen name - a man after my own heart!).

RELEASE NOTES:

Finally passing onto FushMush.

Received this from Jubby yesterday evening. However, I've just discovered I have another copy of this already on my bookshelf. I'll pass this on as soon as possible.

Update (23/09/04): PMed Charmedwitch for her address.

Recieved safe and sound today.I have 2 before it.

Update 29/11/04 - I have finally started this book. It is interesting to say the least.

I fifnished this bok on holiday so had to wait till got back to write entry.
I loved this book. It sometimes proved confusing knowing who was where doing what after breaks in reading but trying to remember was part of the fun.
I love the dig this book has at consumerism and big corporations. I just watched Supersize Me (on dvd with the extra bits, which is relevent here) so the issue was on my mind from that too.

Great book, great read, highly recommended.
Thanks to all above me for allowing me the oportunity to read this.

Cheers,
Charmedwitch23

Looking forward to getting into this one. I have a couple of books ahead of it, but will read, review and return to Leaf ASAP! Thanks for including me in this ring... and have a great Christmas all!

I'm not sure whether I can use the word 'enjoyed' for this one - I spent too much time while I was reading it muttering 'Yeah... right... capitalist bastards..' and glancing over my shoulder.
Seriously though, I think Barry has come up with great satirical idea - though I reckon he just had to extrapolate from today's business/political trends - and has taken it to its logical end.
Sadly, I don't think the quality of the writing or plotting has lived up to the ideas of this novel. I agree with Mr TQD that it had an 'early work' feel to it, but I enjoyed it none the less.

Will PM Leaf to ensure this one makes its way safely home!

Posted back to leaf today.

Updating status