Up in the Air
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Product Description
Review
George Clooney is tipped for an Oscar for his new film but the real star is the Story! Up in the Air is a tale for troubled times
(The Times )'Kirn is such a sharp writer he gives your brain paper cuts . . . This is a book that will endure'
(Christopher Buckley, The New York Times Book Review )'Up in the Air deliciously lambastes corporate America. Mr Kirn's satire ranges deftly over our contemporary business landscape'
(The Wall Street Journal )'Clever, lacerating . . . Smartly acerbic . . . Archly devastating post-social satire'
(The New York Times )'Kirn is a virtuoso observer of Americana . . . Terrifically funny and poignant . . . Beneath its glittering, comic surface, his novel asks if, in pursuing what we think we want, we might lose ourselves completely'
(Minneapolis Star Tribune )'Bitterly funny, minutely observed and deeply cynical . . . A virtuoso feat'
(Newsday )Darkly funny, this is a razor-sharp look at the peculiar world of air travel and soulless hotel rooms
(News of the World )Product Description
Ryan Bingham's job as a Career Transition Counselor (he fires people) has kept him airborne for years. He hates his job, but he loves 'Airworld', finding happiness in pressurized cabins and anonymous hotel rooms, and pursuing a noble ultimate goal: one million frequent flier miles. With sharp wit, and wisdom, Up in the Air combines brilliant social observation with an acute sense of the modern mind. It is a story for unsettled times.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
It's something of a truism that it takes a lousy book to make a great movie. Since I thought the film of this book was one of the best I'd seen recently, my expectations were not high when ordering it, but I was curious to see an alternative (indeed, the original) view of the world portrayed in the film. Ryan Bingham makes his living by firing people, is obsessed with collecting airmiles, likes the anonymity of air travel, is semi-estranged from his family and tries to get close to an attractive fellow passenger named Alex.
Apart from those basic elements which were transferred into the film, the story takes several different turns, one of which is Ryan's hopes for a new job with a shadowy firm of consultants which he thinks is secretly monitoring his movements. Another is his suspicion that he's the victim of identity theft, but the fact that he's obliged to immediately explain (p69) what that is gives you the first clue that the book has been around for a while (it turns out that it was published in 2001). There's also the fact that Ryan has to spend some time standing in line waiting to use a payphone (remember them?), or that he needs to describe (p30) how his PDA works. Finally, it's notable that his magic airmile target is a million miles (a tenth of what it had become inflated to in the movie); of course, as he says, it's just a number - like pi - but it means a lot to him, unlike a lot of other things (and people) that should matter more than that.
This is a nicely-written book, which can be read without too much involvement on the part of the reader. At times, the style reminded me of the best aspects of Douglas Coupland, and Ryan Bingham is a memorable, interesting character. It's just that the movie is so much better.
Apart from those basic elements which were transferred into the film, the story takes several different turns, one of which is Ryan's hopes for a new job with a shadowy firm of consultants which he thinks is secretly monitoring his movements. Another is his suspicion that he's the victim of identity theft, but the fact that he's obliged to immediately explain (p69) what that is gives you the first clue that the book has been around for a while (it turns out that it was published in 2001). There's also the fact that Ryan has to spend some time standing in line waiting to use a payphone (remember them?), or that he needs to describe (p30) how his PDA works. Finally, it's notable that his magic airmile target is a million miles (a tenth of what it had become inflated to in the movie); of course, as he says, it's just a number - like pi - but it means a lot to him, unlike a lot of other things (and people) that should matter more than that.
This is a nicely-written book, which can be read without too much involvement on the part of the reader. At times, the style reminded me of the best aspects of Douglas Coupland, and Ryan Bingham is a memorable, interesting character. It's just that the movie is so much better.
Format:Paperback
A very interesting book in it's own right but nothing like the film. In the film they have skimmed off a few of the main characters but changed the plot completely. The book is much darker. Still an absorbing read though.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is highly readable and completely fantastic. I've heard this author compared to Christopher Buckley and I can see where that is coming from as Kirn has produced a very sharp satire but it also has undertones of Joshua Ferris with the cynical aspect that runs through.
Following Ryan Bingham in his ultimate goal to accumulate a million air miles we are introduced to a cynical executive whose job is basically to fire people, career transition counselling. Whilst the satire and cynicism is laid on heavily but right the way through there is a feeling that not everyone is entirely trustworthy and there is definitely something else going on here.
I saw the film last night and whilst the book is very different if you enjoyed the film you will love this as the general point of both is pretty much the same.
Following Ryan Bingham in his ultimate goal to accumulate a million air miles we are introduced to a cynical executive whose job is basically to fire people, career transition counselling. Whilst the satire and cynicism is laid on heavily but right the way through there is a feeling that not everyone is entirely trustworthy and there is definitely something else going on here.
I saw the film last night and whilst the book is very different if you enjoyed the film you will love this as the general point of both is pretty much the same.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Starts good but gets a bit messy towards the end
It's really good and interesting to begin with. It shows you another world (of super frequent fliers within America) that I've never specifically considered or seen depicted... Read more
Published 13 months ago by BS on parade
Bit on the dull side
I travel allot and I thought I'd relate to this book, but to be honest I found it rather dull, just didn't move along fast enough for me.
Published 21 months ago by M. Cresswell
Waste of valuable time
I'm not one to be defeated by a book so I kept with this one until the bitter end.
However I'm now mourning the time spent reading it when I could have used this time more... Read more
However I'm now mourning the time spent reading it when I could have used this time more... Read more
Published on 1 Jan 2010 by Ziggy
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