Rating: 
Summary: Not too believable and not too great
Review: As far as near-futures go, there are two possible scenarios: a) a post-apocalyptic or near-apocalyptic world of dark deeds and high-tech, or b) an Orwellian dystopia where humans are slaves/pawns to some higher organization. Well, "Jennifer Government" is more of the latter kind with not one but two alliances more or less controlling the world. Employee loyalty has gone so far that their surname is replaced by the name of their employer. The Police and National Rifle Association have become companies with marketing booklets and services that one can buy. Australia, UK, Japan and (to some extent) Russia have become parts of the USA where everybody speaks Americana and taxes have been abolished. The book itself reads quickly. The pace is fast, characters are left (mostly) undeveloped, action is plentiful and satire is, i would dare to say, overused. "Overused" is the word that i would also use when talking about how the paths of individual characters cross and re-cross. Gibson and Stephenson, who both envision somewhat similiar futures, always manage to pull it off nicely how two protagonists who don't know each-other and live in opposit ends of the world (figuratevly speaking) get together in time for the conclusion, but Barry takes the chance-encounters to an absolute absurd. What i loved about the book are the small details that in most cases are related to huge corporations, their brands and marketing strategies. A reference to the legendary 1984 Mac campaign or the "Just do it" remark in the end of the Nike Operatives speach. And of course the scene involving a computer virus and a roomful of people responsible for a corporation's IT security, which takes its rightful place beside those written by (again) Gibson and Stephenson. All in all this is a fun read that in some places makes you think about the current world order but in the end fails to deliver.
Rating:
Summary: A good - but not great - satire of corporate excess.
Review: Without rehashing the plot points of the book, suffice it to say that finishing "Jennifer Government" made me want more of what I had already read. Max Barry states on his website that in the final edit, he cut about three-fourths of what he had written for this book, including one major character. After reading Jennifer Government, one wishes that he had not edited it so heavily. The book is a quick read - I finished it in about 5 hours - which is a shame for a novel which deals with such a heavy subject. Character development is minimal - not surprising in such a relatively short book. True, Hack Nike develops a spine, and Jennifer gets even tougher than she was. But it would have been nice to have seen more. Some plot points make little sense and/or could be developed better. For instance, why is Hack Nike such a sop? What is Buy Mitsui's background? If the Government is so ineffectual, why was John Nike (the one who didn't get crumpet-toastered) so keen on getting rid of it once and for all? Also, it would have been interesting to see Barry bring what appeared to be a nascent anti-corporate movement to a bit of closure. The guerilla-style attacks on billboards and McDonald's restaurants seem to do little for plot development except to throw in some routine leftist slogans. I would have enjoyed seeing how this movement would have disrupted (or lent to) the growing intra-corporate battles. All this aside, the book made me consider my libertarian/free-market principles in a way I had never done before. Science fiction is full of anarcho-capitalist fantasies (viz. L. Neil Smith's "The Probability Broach") which portray such a society as more or less Utopian. Even Stephenson's "Snow Crash", which is a darker book than "The Probability Broach", doesn't really seem to have a problem with a government-free society. "Jennifer Government", obviously, does. It certainly got me thinking about the proper role of government in society. Barry claims that this book does not intend to portray a futuristic society, but rather is an alternate history of what could have been. I disagree; some of the geopolitical and corporate changes set forth by Barry could easily happen in my lifetime. If one looks at the growing dominance of global corporate power - and whatever one's political orientation, one cannot deny that this is occurring - it's not difficult to envision a future in which schools are funded by McDonald's and Mattel, or one in which 911 will not send out an ambulance without guarantee of payment. I can't be too disappointed with the book. Barry has a fiendish sense of humor and a keen eye for the excesses of corporate America. I look forward to his future novels in the same way that Neil Stephenson's early books made it clear that a great author was about to be born.
Rating: 
Summary: Good...
Review: Jennifer Government is a very fun read, and is very entertaining. The concept is good, if obvious, but the satyr is adequate. A lot of people criticize this book for not being in depth enough, but i think it accomplishes exactly what Barry set out to do. Just to illustrate how entertaining the book is, I finished it in less than 2 days! I just couldn't put it down. I think that Max Barry is an excellent story teller but needs to work on his satyr. Excellent read for anyone looking for a good, entertaining novel by a developing write. Also check out his first book, Syrup.
Rating: 
Summary: Want to Know Why It's Easy to Buy This Book Used?
Review: Max Berry must be an idea man because this book certainly begins with a great idea. In fact, the best part of the book was the blurb that I read in the New York Times article listing this as a recommended summer read. Perhaps Berry wants the readers to realize that it is possible to be more than the ads-on-the-moon style society we seem to be slouching toward. However, such wisdom isn't imparted with weak characters, predictable plot development, and boring dialogue. Another reviewer hit the nail on the head when he/she noted that for all that this is a disappointing book, it will be a great movie. If you still must read it, do some good and support your local library. Sales of this book will only encourage more mediocrity.
Rating: 
Summary: Superficial satire on an easy subject
Review: It seems to me satire is too often an easy exit. In the name of satire, the characters become paper-thin and have illogical motivations, the plot makes no sense and ad hoc storylines are included just for the sake of a laugh. I was looking forward immensely to Jennifer Government, but the book left me disappointed and - dare I say - bored. The subject is fine and very intriguing, but once you get past the initial pleasant shock of figuring out how this future world works, there is not much left. The characters act stupidly because they're required to do so by the plot, and individually are really not that interesting. The plot is your basic 'Diverging characters do random acts until they are brought together for a grande finale.' Plot twists include random events such as 'Greedy corporate guy tries to force himself on protagonist's girlfriend so she can accidentally kill him with a toaster and be on the run', so it is hardly cutting-edge. All this would stand on its own if the satire of corporate America was biting and on target. Unfortunately, and surprisingly, Jennifer Government doesn't have a lot to say about this. Corporations rule the world and everybody is individualistic to the extreme, except the heroes, of course. The fact the book refuses to touch on the impact of capitalism and individualism on a more personal level makes the metaphor very thin. Indeed, making fun of Nike, McDonald's or the NRA turns out to be as much fun as shooting fish in a barrel.
Rating:
Summary: Barcodes and Back-stabbing
Review: I noticed this book when I was working at a bookstore but I didn't really take note of it until several friends began playing Barry's online game, Jennifer Government: Nation States. I'm glad I picked it up since this book turned out to be a quick and very enjoyable read. The chapters in the book are extremely short which gives the whole novel a quick pace. The world Barry describes, a world dominated by corporations and the private sector, is both facinating and frightening. Since it is a satire, parts of the novel are over the top but everything fits in the surreal environment of marketing and sales that Barry puts forth. The characters are believable and Barry's biting sarcasm and wit literally had me laughing as I read certain passages. On the cover, they compare this novel to The Matrix and Catch 22. I see where they were going with that but only agree to a certain point. The story is not as high-tech or philosophical as The Matrix. Nor is it post apocolyptic. I also hesitate to say that it has the depth of Catch 22. Barry shines in his understanding of marketing and corporate culture and the ways in which companies might one day cross the line that they so carefully walk these days. All in all, I give it 2 thumbs up as an enjoyable summer read!
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious
Review: It seems Max Barry has avoided the sophomore slump. Jennifer Government is biting and entertaining from first page to last word-- best of all it make you think along the way. Just read it!
Rating:
Summary: Get Jennifer's barcode swiped and buy this novel
Review: This novel is set in the future with the political world having dwindled to a few players. Countries like Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Canada, South Africa and Japan to name a few, no longer exist and are now just part of the USA. Europe is the opposing superpower, along with China and South East Asia. In this horrendous world corporations have taken over, with people's surnames being the company they work for. You don't want not to have a surname in this age. Police have been bought and are a company for hire themselves along with hospitals and other emergency services which if you can't pay for, won't help you. The government is another business enterprise which no longer collects tax. An FBI type division is part of it to which Jennifer Government works for. Nike and the other major companies have no morals and are prepared to murder children for market share, which Jennifer will not accept. John Nike is set on ridding the world of the government hindrance once and for all. This novel takes the reader on a pretty thrilling ride, although Max Barry hasn't completely explained the new world, so you have a number of questions which are never answered. One is with no tax how are the roads built and maintained and the USA able to fund and deter the rouge countries from attacking? Terrorism is also not tackled at all, with everyone walking onto planes with guns. I would imagine there'd be increased terrorism in this type of world from those unwilling to become American. The fact of how the NRA exist in countries like Australia (I know it's now part of the USA) which have complete opposite views on guns to the USA also isn't explained. If you're prepared to overlook things and not know everything about the setting then you'll enjoy this book. Don't be put off by or even purchase this book because of the Kirkus review on the front cover that likens this novel to the Matrix. It is not that type of novel at all and has nothing to do with sciencefiction, cyberspace, virtual reality or anything like that. Obviously Kirkus hasn't read this novel and has just made a lot of assumptions from the cover art. Buy the book though. It's good. Also buy Max Barry's first novel Syrup it's sensational. He spells his first name Maxx if looking on search for that one.
Rating:
Summary: Review of Jennifer Government
Review: Jennifer Government was an excellent book. First of all, it was fast paced. At no time did I feel like speed reading through it by skipping paragraphs. Also, it was imaginative. Although the jacket said it was a mix of Catch-22 and the Matrix I thought it had nothing Matrix-y about it. That was a little misleading. But, I was still pleased with the book. What is so great about it? For me, it was the social satire. I love books that critize capitalism, greed, government, and corporate America. It chastises both sides (government and corporations) but not the government as much as the corporations. It is a little far fetched but not too far. Corporations taking over the world is where we stand today. This book merely extends that power out into the open. Not quite as sci-fi as I thought it was going to be. Not extremely detailed either. I would have like to have known more about the structures of the society that Barry talks about. I guess that is why it is fast paced. I also liked the conspiracy aspect to it. That behind our backs corporations are doing things we have no idea about and even some that we do but just do not want to admit. Such as marketing. I also wished that Barry would have dug a little deeper into the characters. Especially Jennifer herself. I could so see this book being a movie. I could also see a sequel or a series. The ideas are great starting points. I enjoyed it because of its simplicty but also at the same time I needed to know more. More that the book didn't tell us. I definately recommend this book. After you read this maybe read Altered Carbon. The two are slightly similar.
Rating:
Summary: Good idea.... poor execution (wrong choice of words, ha?)
Review: Great idea and quite special. I'll give him that. However, I stopped 2/3 into the book. Characters are mostly shallow and the plot has little to no depth. I kept asking myself why I keep reading this (when I could read a better book). I concluded that this book can't even have a decent ending. Yes, I understand that the depth of the characters serves a purpose (although painting everyone in the world as stupid and shallow as Max Barry did is probably over doing it) - but a little more color, background information could go a long way.... hey.. maybe I would have finished the book? Or do you need to be 20 something to really enjoy this?
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