Rating: 
Summary: Witty, clever and fun
Review: The most obvious thing about this novel is, of course, that it is about consumerism and the dirty deeds many will get up to in the name of business. I would say it is more than this - it's a classic hunt for the 'bad guy'. Naturally, the one looking for the bad guy has to have a personal grudge against him, but that predictable part really does not in any way hinder one's enjoyment of the book.Essentially, therefore, the book is a gritty thriller - the fact that the consumer and business related stuff is so original just adds to it. It is also very witty - this is especially evident when looking at the main character, after whom the book is named. It takes a little while to get used to the myriad of characters and so on, but once you do so and they all begin to come together, the book is a definite page turner. I finished the entire second half in one morning! A dark but humourous thriller, satirising capatalism (though not necessarily denegrading it, according to Barry himself). A very definite thumbs up.
Rating: 
Summary: The best thing about this book is its cover
Review: In the future, the world will be controlled by corporations. Two thirds of the world will belong to the United States and most brands will merge under one or two parent corporations, marketed via loyalty programs. Taxes, public services and unbranded goods will be a thing of the past. Economical viability will be the new moral high ground, and "wars" will be conducted on a commercial scale (eg. by infiltrating competitive databases with viruses). This is about as much futuristic insight as you will get. In fact, re-read the above paragraph and skip the book. The rest is just a confused jumble of stereotypes, clichés, generic Hollywood-style action scenes, and unrealistic events. It seems that Max Barry grew up on a literary diet of John Grisham and Tom Clancy novels, yet emulates their style with difficulty. Will this book make a great movie, as some reviewers claim? Not unless the characters are refined, the plot is tightened, and the dialogue improved. Even then we can expect nothing more than a mediocre action flick.
Rating:
Summary: funny in that smart kinda way
Review: My main goal in life is to be a writer of at least one great novel, and I would sell kidneys if that novel could one day be half as good and clever as Jennifer Government. It is the most entertaining novel I have read since the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, granted...they're not really similar. The novel is scathing when it comes to big corporations and is satire on consumerism and big business to a "teeeee". It's extremely funny, but in a cynical and smart way. The novel will be appreciated by people with brains who enjoy a fast-paced, well-developed plot, and comedic social commentary that reminded me almost of Chuck Klosterman's low-culture manifesto, "Sex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs". Although one is a brilliant and entertaining novel and the other is a collection of brilliant and entertaining non-fiction essays, both speak on the subject of our deteriorating society with sharp and appropriate wit. If you're intelligent, I recommend this novel to you. If you are not intelligent, you might enjoy this book simply because of the entertaining plot, but you might not...either way, you should be sterilized so as to not perpetuate a population that cannot appreciate a novel such as the great Jennifer Government. Thank you. That is all. -alison-
blackdove86@netscape.net
Rating:
Summary: Phrophetic
Review: This book isn't so much a disutopian future story, as an alternate now story. Imagine that the robber barons of the 19th century had gotten thier way, current corporate culture would be all consuming and government would be a holdover from a more utopian time. France, of course, would be one of the few holdouts on 'the state for the people' concept. This book explores this concept with a more Terry Pratchet than Orwellian slant which leaves me wanting more. Actually, it made me seek out Syrup as well, which was also a very engaging read. Amusing and scary all at the same time, this novel entertains and provokes at the same time. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: great story, quick read
Review: I started reading Jennifer Government after a friend introduced me to Max Barry's online game, NationStates.com. After reading the description of the book, I thought...yeah! This is right up my alley. And I was so right. What a great novel. I loved it so much I bought Barry's other book, Syrup and I'm anxiously awaiting it's arrival. If it's anything like Jennifer Government I know I'll love it.
Rating: 
Summary: Fairly good and fairly funny
Review: It's not a very long book, but it's good fun, doesn't waste words, and covers a variety of imaginative ideas. Other reviewers mention problems with shallow characters and too many characters/threads. I didn't find the characters very deep, but they weren't all that bad - I've seen plenty worse! I didn't have a problem keeping track of the different people and plots and their intersections. I did think that things worked out implausibly fortunately in terms of tieing up threads, but it was certainly worth reading, which already makes a nice change.
Rating: 
Summary: Not rough enough
Review: How do you create satire in a world where George W. leads a nation and "The Swan" rules the airwaves? That's a question that kept coming up as I read "Jennifer Government." This book takes globalization and pushes just a little into the future, where the U.S. has literally bought out big chunks of the world and people's last names are their same as the company they work for. I had high hopes as I started this book, and Max Barry's smooth and vivid writing style kept me optimistic. What's missing, however, is what drives the best satire-righteous anger. Barry can't seem to summon much rage either within or directed toward his brave new world, just a sort of world-weary cynicism. His lack of commitment failed to keep this reader engaged, and I found myself skipping through big chunks of the novel. Tons of characters with similar names and thin characterizations didn't help. So although "Jennifer Government" is entertaining, I'm still waiting for the great anti-globalization novel.
Rating:
Summary: Fast paced.
Review: This book has a lot of characters, blazing story - you really have to focus on what is going on where and with who. It is a fast paced, entertaining story. The only fault I have with this book is the lack of character description. Other than that, it's definatly worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: It takes 320 pages to kill this premise.
Review: The premise for this book is that in the future business is the most important thing. A person has a first name and their last name is the name of the company they're working for. The NRA is like an army, the government's investigations are privately funded by citizens, and a guy that works for Nike decides that if some customers are killed sales will go up. To me, that seemed enticing. So, I got the book and read 320 pages of someone ruining a good premise. It's almost as though Max Barry came up with this idea just so he can mess it up.
This story is very convoluted. Each chapter is from the third person point of view of a different character. There's John Nike, whose idea it was to kill the customers, Jennifer Government, whose job it is to arrest him, Violet, a tertiary character that's there just to make the book longer, and many other people. There's too much fluff in this book. There are superfluous characters and sub-plots, but the author has a lucid style that makes reading quick. But quick reading doesn't make up for poor content. Some people might read this book just to see how the premise is butchered, but it's not worth it. Here's a one-word synopsis of the book: bad. ... run away and don't look back because the physical manifestation of this book isn't attractive to the eye.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad, although a little odd
Review: I was clued into this game from a website called NationStates, which is run by the author of Jennifer Government. The website allows you to run your own country, and it peaked my interest in this book. The book itself isn't related to the website, but it's still and interesting read. In the future the United States seems to be everywhere, large corporations run everything, and employees take the last name of the company they work for, taxes are illegal, and corporations run the schools. It's a really odd place, although everyone seems right at home. When Nike hires one of it's peons (Hack)to create a furor over their new shoes by killing some kids, a whole cast of characters is assembled. You have Hack Nike, the peon for Nike; Violet, his unemployed computer whiz girlfriend; Buy Mitsui a stockbroker; Billy NRA, a private gun for hire, and Jennifer Government, an agent with a barcode tattoo under her eye. Everything falls apart after Hack completes his contract, and it's up to all the characters to play their parts until everything can fall back into place. Overall the novel is interesting, although I found a hard time suspending my belief at some points. The world Barry creates is pretty unusual, and even with the map on the back of the book I had some trouble following along with what companies were good and what ones weren't. I think the book kind of flies past some of the more important parts, and drags in others. Also, given its length there's a lot of characters thrown into the book, and sometimes you have trouble with who did what and where and what are they going to do. It's a catch 22 though, had he decreased the characters the story would have been completely different, and if he's developed them all more the story would have drug on for too long.
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