One Red Paperclip
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Product Description
Book Description
One man's attempts to trade a paperclip for a house. A global adventure in the style of Dave Gorman and Danny Wallace
Product Description
Kyle MacDonald wanted his own house. The problem was he didn't have a job and he didn't have any money. Thinking back to his childhood he remembered the game he loved to play - Bigger and Better. It was a way of trading your old stuff to get bigger and better new stuff. Legend had it, some people managed to trade an old biro for a brand new car! This got Kyle thinking. If that kind of entrepreneurial spirit could turn tiny objects into big ones, then why not try trading up to a house?
And then he saw it. One red paperclip, sitting on his desk, holding the pages of his CV together, ready to go out into the world and help him find the job that would eventually get him a house.
But that didn't sound nearly as much fun as trading. So he wrote an internet advert hoping to trade one red paperclip and suddenly his inbox filled with responses: the trading had begun.
Did he get the house? Well, you're about to find out! One thing's for sure, he did a lot of trades and met a lot of very interesting people. One small paperclip was the beginning of a great big adventure.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
There are 2 things that instantly stand out as being glaringly obvious the minute you start reading this book:
1) The idea is inspired.
This is the true, self-penned story of an unemployed Canadian slacker who starts an experiment to see if he can start out with a paperclip, swap it for something marginally better, and eventually finish up with a house without actually spending any money.
and
2) Kyle Macdonald is the worst writer in the world.
The guy stinks. His attempts at humour fall way short, he has no sense of build-up or suspense, drops in irrelavant pap for no reason (i.e "We went to see some goats. I kissed a goat and won a t-shirt with 'I kissed a goat' written on it. I've always liked goats. I don't know why") and, for some reason unbeknownst to anyone but himself, he finishes each chapter with 2 or 3 horribly cliched paragraphs of preachey, pseudo life-coach crap. Stuff of the ilk "some people think you need luck to win the lottery. But first you need to buy a ticket. You should treat life like a lottery. You've got to get up, go out and BUY THAT TICKET. You will never know unless you get off the couch and TRY" which gives the impression that, when he isn't swapping junk with strangers, Kyle Macdonald spends his time going through the bins of second-rate motivational speakers. These "You need to GO OUT THERE and DO IT. I did and look at me now." lectures caused me the instant reaction of thinking "Yeah, yeah. You had a decent idea. Well done. Have a chuffing biscuit. Can you stop ramming it down my throat and get on with the bad storytelling now please, you smug git?"
In fact, if he does possess such a determined personality, shouldn't he have got off of his nipsy and taken a writing course before undertaking his fervered text-based waffle?
This gets a rating of 2 from me. It's a 4 for the idea, a 0 for the execution.
1) The idea is inspired.
This is the true, self-penned story of an unemployed Canadian slacker who starts an experiment to see if he can start out with a paperclip, swap it for something marginally better, and eventually finish up with a house without actually spending any money.
and
2) Kyle Macdonald is the worst writer in the world.
The guy stinks. His attempts at humour fall way short, he has no sense of build-up or suspense, drops in irrelavant pap for no reason (i.e "We went to see some goats. I kissed a goat and won a t-shirt with 'I kissed a goat' written on it. I've always liked goats. I don't know why") and, for some reason unbeknownst to anyone but himself, he finishes each chapter with 2 or 3 horribly cliched paragraphs of preachey, pseudo life-coach crap. Stuff of the ilk "some people think you need luck to win the lottery. But first you need to buy a ticket. You should treat life like a lottery. You've got to get up, go out and BUY THAT TICKET. You will never know unless you get off the couch and TRY" which gives the impression that, when he isn't swapping junk with strangers, Kyle Macdonald spends his time going through the bins of second-rate motivational speakers. These "You need to GO OUT THERE and DO IT. I did and look at me now." lectures caused me the instant reaction of thinking "Yeah, yeah. You had a decent idea. Well done. Have a chuffing biscuit. Can you stop ramming it down my throat and get on with the bad storytelling now please, you smug git?"
In fact, if he does possess such a determined personality, shouldn't he have got off of his nipsy and taken a writing course before undertaking his fervered text-based waffle?
This gets a rating of 2 from me. It's a 4 for the idea, a 0 for the execution.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The concept of one red paperclip trading up to a house seemed genius and entrepreneurial and as the book develops it is interesting to see how a simple concept can pay such dividends.
However as the other reviews have pointed out, the quality of the writing does not equal the concept and the author becomes quite irritating as his trades progress. MacDonald decides it fit to add his patronising business and life advice on the end of each trade which is not particularly welcome from a self-confessed slacker who at the age of 25 takes his parents with him to every trade and gets his hair cut by his mother!
Likewise as the trades move on, he becomes rather moralistic with his items treating them as finding puppies the right home which creates an over-emotional mood for a book which would have read better staying as a light-hearted adventure.
At times it can be engaging as you meet the people and see what traded into what, and it will do a job if you have time to kill on public transport, but it's a below average book overall and I would not feel inclined to read another by this author.
However as the other reviews have pointed out, the quality of the writing does not equal the concept and the author becomes quite irritating as his trades progress. MacDonald decides it fit to add his patronising business and life advice on the end of each trade which is not particularly welcome from a self-confessed slacker who at the age of 25 takes his parents with him to every trade and gets his hair cut by his mother!
Likewise as the trades move on, he becomes rather moralistic with his items treating them as finding puppies the right home which creates an over-emotional mood for a book which would have read better staying as a light-hearted adventure.
At times it can be engaging as you meet the people and see what traded into what, and it will do a job if you have time to kill on public transport, but it's a below average book overall and I would not feel inclined to read another by this author.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
One Red Paperclip has a fantastic premise. It follows the journey of a Canadian, Kyle MacDonald, who barters his way from a single red paperclip to a house in the space of just one year. The book charts Kyle's entire journey--from placing the initial advert online and making his first trade, to reaching his ultimate goal by attaining a two-story farmhouse in Kipling, Saskatchewan.
Kyle sets out to trade each item for something bigger or better, but his initial success is only made possible by the generosity of those with whom he arranges to make a trade. One of the early trades, for example, sees Kyle swap a pretty worthless doorknob for a fully functional portable stove, and this sets him up nicely for the next swap. And so it continues.
Whilst the concept is undoubtedly ingenious, the book falls down in a few key areas. The dialogue is often flat and perhaps stays too true to the actual conversations that took place along the way. More riling is MacDonald's attempts at humour. He constantly falls back on the same lame jokes, such as when describing what people are doing or thinking:
"I wondered if my parents would mind a big white cube van on blocks parked in the driveway. Probably not. But then again, I had no idea. I wasn't my parents."
Furthermore, MacDonald manages to irritate the reader with his words of wisdom that conclude each chapter. It's patronising and hard to take serious from a guy who brings his parents with him on just about every trade and lets his mammy cut his hair. I'm all for close family relations, but parts of the book read like a script from The Brady Bunch.
Despite its glaring flaws, One Red Paperclip's premise is strong enough to keep you turning the pages until the end. It's an accessible, easy read that is testament to the power of the internet in helping one man realise his dream.
Kyle sets out to trade each item for something bigger or better, but his initial success is only made possible by the generosity of those with whom he arranges to make a trade. One of the early trades, for example, sees Kyle swap a pretty worthless doorknob for a fully functional portable stove, and this sets him up nicely for the next swap. And so it continues.
Whilst the concept is undoubtedly ingenious, the book falls down in a few key areas. The dialogue is often flat and perhaps stays too true to the actual conversations that took place along the way. More riling is MacDonald's attempts at humour. He constantly falls back on the same lame jokes, such as when describing what people are doing or thinking:
"I wondered if my parents would mind a big white cube van on blocks parked in the driveway. Probably not. But then again, I had no idea. I wasn't my parents."
Furthermore, MacDonald manages to irritate the reader with his words of wisdom that conclude each chapter. It's patronising and hard to take serious from a guy who brings his parents with him on just about every trade and lets his mammy cut his hair. I'm all for close family relations, but parts of the book read like a script from The Brady Bunch.
Despite its glaring flaws, One Red Paperclip's premise is strong enough to keep you turning the pages until the end. It's an accessible, easy read that is testament to the power of the internet in helping one man realise his dream.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
I really enjoyed this book
I see there are a few negative reviews for this book. I have just finished it & I loved it. I actually rather enjoyed his style of writing. Sort of like Blog writing. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Jacalyn
New book.
Book arrived quickly and well packaged. The book was a present asked for by my wife so can't comment on the content of the book. The book was at a great price and is brand new.
Published 12 months ago by old son.
One great read.
I loved this book. It was a great idea and I think the story was well told. Kyle is witty and comes across as a genuine nice guy. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Tara Beirne
Fun
Yes, it was quite badly written, but it kind of added to its attraction in a way and it was fun, which was what he wanted it to be. I notice he has had some criticism e.g. Read more
Published on 4 Sep 2008 by Gabrielle Collison
One big let down
This is one big let down. A great concept is spoilt by a poorly written book in which you have little interest in the main character after the first couple of chapters. Read more
Published on 2 Sep 2008 by R. Lowther
one of the worst books i have ever read
after reading several books by dave gorman and danny wallace i liked the idea of one red paperclip and so thinking it would be like those that i have read i bought it and took it... Read more
Published on 23 Aug 2008 by Ms. Me George
One red paperclip
I absolutely loved reading this book and couldnt put it down. I was so intrigued to find out what this guy would swap for next. Read more
Published on 2 Feb 2008 by Marie Judd
Morally bankrupt quest, badly written
An incredibly badly written book documenting one lazy guy's attempt to get a house. Instead of getting a job, he just exploits other people's goodwill to get what he wants, and... Read more
Published on 11 Oct 2007 by Bob
Plod, plod, plod...great idea though
When I first heard about the idea I thought it was fantastic, so I had no concerns about buying the book when I saw it. I now wish I hadn't bothered. Read more
Published on 7 Sep 2007 by Mr Smith
Great idea, great read
I am a big fan of bizarre adventure stories of the kind written by Dave Gorman and Danny Wallace and after hearing about the One Red Paperclip quest in the news last year I thought... Read more
Published on 5 Sep 2007 by Mark95
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