Syrup

Rating:
Summary: Rip-roaring funny
Review: I stumbled upon this book by accident and am so glad I did. SYRUP explores the world of Marketing, and specifically the pursuit of success and fame via the protagonist's idea of a great new soda.

The story is written cleverly and the prose is wonderful to read--easy and funny (maybe a less intense Chuck Palahniuk). The book is broken into tight vignettes that move the story along at a marvelous pace.

This is a super first novel and I can't wait to read Barry's next work.

Rating:
Summary: Abandon hope all ye who enter the world of marketing!
Review: "Syrup" is the hilarious tale of marketing hijinx in the cold, cruel world of Coke. Scat, the protagonist, a recent marketing graduate, has a "million dollar" idea to create a new soft drink marketed as "the drink of cynics." Scat's room-mate, the mysterious Sneaky Pete, refers Scat to the New Products Marketing Manager at Coke--the glamourous 6.

Scat soon discovers (the hard way) that being "Mr Nice Guy" gets you nowhere in the corporate world, and he finds himself scrambling to get what's rightfully his--the career, the girl, and even a permanent place to sleep at night!

This book was funny, entertaining, and original. When I read the first two chapters, I immediately ordered 4 additional copies for friends. Scat is a modern-day Lucky Jim--every bit as hapless, and every bit as amusing. Whereas Lucky Jim careened through the halls of academia, Scat swashbuckles his way through the corrupt corporate world of Coke and successfully proves that "perception is reality."

Rating:
Summary: ColaBook
Review: This work shows that the members of Visual Generation (X-ers, GeNexters) excel when the form and presentation are concerned, but fail, due to the boring safety of the modern way of life bringing nothing challenging and thus inspirational, from the point of view of content.
So, the form of this novel is state of the art. Author himself studied manuals on self-promo and has double xx in his Max. As a graphic novel it definitely beats hell of the boring Heller for example, but as to the plot and the characters, it is silly and, how do you say that in US?, feeble-minded. Boy meets a girl, boy falls in love, girl is Lesbian...oh yeah, and it all takes place in the Coke HQ.
Maxx gives plenty of marketing advice but most of that is already in the funny e-mails the marketing experts exchange between themselves to amuse and impress each other...
Now, the book has great layout, cool cover and "Maxx Barry" indeed sounds perfect, but as the art of artist is low-end who will fight to read his sequel, prequel or any other flashy thing, when in the middle it is empty and plastic.
There is a quote of E.M. Foster in the work of Charles Handy "Understanding Organizations" that reads as follows: "The test of the round character is whether it is capable of surprising in a convincing way. If it never surprises, it is flat. If it does not convince it is a flat pretending to be round."

One more thing - this novel contains major marketing idea of the first feature sci-fi cinematographic work of advertisement for soft-drink company, i.e. the true piece of art in the service of marketing. Forget about direct placements into movies, movies may be about the product entirely in future!

This novel is, BTW, a first feature literary work where the cola people are on stage, together with their cola and their ideas how to sell it to us. Nothing else. Syrup? Plastic!

Rating:
Summary: Can't give it away, but this idea would make a great soda
Review: Wow. This book made me laugh so hard my gut hurt. Maxx Barry definitely has a first hit. I saw this guy's writings on a writing workshop site and most people told him he stunk and was too weird of a style, but I knew he was good, and check it out, he's gotta book. A darn good book.

Anyway, I highly recommend this book for anyone, especially if you have experience in advertising / marketing.

-- JJ Timmins

Rating:
Summary: A cynical and funny fable...
Review: Maxx Barry's "Syrup" is a zippy satire written in the rapid fire style that is an attention deficit's dream -- those not compelled to read until all hours by the breezy style and frequent dialogue (not to mention chapters interupted by marketing concepts, like a printed page version of ticker tape news)will be compelled by its irresistable concept. Scat, the lead character, invents a million dollar concept, sells it to Coke, and then has his idea stolen out from under him. He spends the rest of the novel going to Sisyphean lengths to right the wrongs that plague him.

With characters named 6 and @, Barry gets the economy of phrasing award. Scat bears more than a passing resemblance to Holden Caulfield. Phonies abound in our hero's Los Angeles, including a patent-stealing roommate and faux lesbian love interest. This is a book where everyone has a fake resume, and even the narrator may be jerking our chain. You can't entirely root for characters this spiritually adrift, but you can wish them their own brand of happiness. A brand, no doubt, soon to be bought and sold by the Coke corporation.

Rating:
Summary: Barry is a see-thru manipulator, but he's entertaining.
Review: Reading this book was like drinking an effervescent cola beverage. Sugary, sweet, but totally devoid of substance. However, we all love a litle bit of junk food every now and then, and this book fulfills the craving for a fun and easy-to-read story. It's a good plane book and I would definitely recommend it to high school teenagers.

Rating:
Summary: Tastes Great
Review: This was a fun book, though I think it may be a bit too tough on the marketing industry. I can't imagine they could be such cut-throat vultures (insert sarcastic gleam here). The novel is a fast-paced read, perfect for summer. Plus, the cover is groovy

Rating:
Summary: Truly, on my top 3 list
Review: It has been a while sincee I have read a book that is as good as Maxx Barry's Syrup. I sincerely cannot say much more than this. There are so many great lines and ideas in this book. The characters are so well developed that my friends and I are constantly relating our lives to the lives of the people in this book.

Just read it.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Definately one of the best books I've read in a while! It's so entertaining!

Rating:
Summary: All too familiar!
Review: This book is the ideal read for anyone who's ever had an original (and seemingly brilliant) idea either stolen outright or shot down (only to have the idea magically reincarnate by the very person who shot it down.) Syrup was recommended by a work associate of mine, as both of us are of the more creative bent & working in a rather stifling corporate environment. The quickly-evolving story is a definite page-turner. I finished the book in mere hours, eager to learn the outcome. Maxx Barry's characters, while unique in his presentation of them, are highly relatable in the frustrations they experience with business & in personal relationships.