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Microserfs [Paperback]

Douglas Coupland (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
Price: £6.74 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Book Description

Publication Date: 15 Mar 2004

From the acclaimed author of Hey Nostradamus! comes a wonderful comic novel with ‘more one-liners than a decade of Woody Allen films’ (Guardian), about the scramble for love and success in a brave new world…

Bill is wise.
Bill is kind.
Bill is benevolent.
Bill, Be My Friend… Please!

At computer giant Microsoft, Dan, Susan, Abe, Todd and Bug are struggling to get a life. The job may be super cool, the pay may be astronomical, but they're heading nowhere, and however hard they work, however many shares they earn, they're never going to be as rich as Bill. And besides, with all the hours they're putting in, their best relationships are on e-mail. Something's got to give…

Frequently Bought Together

Microserfs + The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (Penguin Classics) + Nervous Conditions
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Product details

  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Harper Perennial; (Reissue) edition (15 Mar 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0007179812
  • ISBN-13: 978-0007179817
  • Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 19.7 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 88,705 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Amazon Review

Microserfs is not about Microsoft--it's about programmers who are searching for lives. A hilarious but frighteningly real look at geek life in the nineties, Coupland's book manifests a peculiar sense of how technology affects the human race and how it will continue to affect all of us. Microserfs is the hilarious journal of Dan, an ex-Microsoft programmer who, with his coder comrades, is on a quest to find purpose in life. This isn't just fodder for techies. The thoughts and fears of the not-so-stereotypical characters are easy for any of us to relate to, and their witty conversations and quirky view of the world make this a surprisingly thought-provoking book.

"... just think about the way high-tech cultures purposefully protract out the adolescence of their employees well into their late 20s, if not their early 30s," muses one programmer. "I mean, all those Nerf toys and free beverages! And the way tech firms won't even call work 'the office,' but instead, 'the campus'. It's sick and evil." END --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

'An hilarious, moving read… Brilliantly observed, sharply written and constantly entertaining.' NME

'A funny and stridently topical novel. Coupland continues to register the buzz of his generation.' Jay McInerney, New York Times

'The writing is astonishing, the emotions genuine and the characters fully formed… Microserfs shows yet again Coupland's ability to create rather than imitate.' Irish Times

'A witty novel with real heart.' Sunday Telegraph

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Geek novel that is very readable 2 Feb 2005
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Although written in 1995, the book is very readable and not dated even after a decade. The book is a tale of a communal house of Microsoft coders who all want more that the work/sleep/work routine. They join a start up software company aimed at making a software Lego modelling program. Slowly their real lives develop. Plenty of non-tech humour as well as a few computer jokes. Written as though it is a diary some parts are moving which means the author managed to reel you into his imaginary world enough that you care about the characters. It is that good it makes me want to read his other books.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Techies of the world unite 3 Nov 2005
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Despite been a bit dated this book is still a classic, a very funny and almost poignant look at the tech industry. As a geek its very easy to relate to Dan and the others living the techy dream. Every geeky bloke (like myself) will fall in love with Karla the coolest geek girl ever!
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun book 17 July 2005
By LFF12
Format:Paperback
I really enjoyed this book and was surprised to find that it hadn't really dated (except of course, it was written back in the days when option grants really were worth money and didn't just leave you marooned for years with worthless underwater options). Anyway I loved the eccentricity of the characters: the fads for "flat" foods, the long hours work, the familiar, god-like worship of the CEO (I've worked in at least one company with a similar mentality), and the emerging angst from the emptiness of it all.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars great read
a good holiday book. i am a fan and enjoy his work. the book was as good as new and good value.
Published 20 months ago by N. Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars On my top ten of Books I have ever read
I first read this book in 1999. It was my first Coupland novel, I didn't want to like it but I did. It spoke to me and remains a firm favourite book of mine. Read more
Published on 3 Oct 2009 by Miss K. Haining
5.0 out of 5 stars Nerd humour but perhaps not for everyone
I think the great thing about Coupland is that in this and JPod he really makes the whole idea of the nerd accessible. Read more
Published on 11 May 2009 by Mr. A. M. Laffey
3.0 out of 5 stars OK
Interesting idea. But it's all very cold-hearted. Coupland hasn't really found much humanity in his characters. Read more
Published on 14 Oct 2008 by NickR
2.0 out of 5 stars Microserfs
I was very disappointed with this book - I loved JPod and several of the reviews suggested that Microserfs was better. Not so. Read more
Published on 22 Feb 2008 by gerty guinea
5.0 out of 5 stars Coupland's best
In my opinion, this is Coupland's best, probably because I personally related to the main character most.

But a great story, well written and genuinely funny. Read more
Published on 23 Nov 2007 by N. E. Mathers
4.0 out of 5 stars You'll hate to love this...
It was only a couple of years ago that I was sitting in the pub with a guy from my course at University discussing the merits of Coupland's breathtaking 'Generation X'. Read more
Published on 14 Dec 2006 by Deanne Dixon
2.0 out of 5 stars Iused to lover her but i had to kill her....
....ok i never used to love this book but def enjoyed it when i read it at uni...

what happened? well nothing but on a reread ive realised that nothing happens, its not very... Read more

Published on 27 Jun 2005 by Mr. G. Spicer
5.0 out of 5 stars hilarious
i stole this book from an exboyfriend and was laughing out loud. its brilliant.
Published on 13 Dec 2004
3.0 out of 5 stars Vintage Coupland it isn't
A solid book but I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed what with it being a Coupland book. His writng doesn't flow like it does in previous books like Shampoo Planet and... Read more
Published on 19 July 2004 by Paul Waghorne
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