Syrup: A Novel (movie tie-in)
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
Flip to back
Flip to front
Syrup Paperback – July 1, 2000
See all 13 formats and editions
Hide other formats and editions
| Amazon Price | New from | Used from |
|
Multimedia CD
"Please retry"
|
$18.87 | $14.91 |
$13.42
FREE Shipping on orders over $35.
Only 5 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Gift-wrap available.
Frequently Bought Together
NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE
Start reading Syrup: A Novel (movie tie-in) on your Kindle in under a minute.
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Product Details
|
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Lampooning corporate "ethics," sexual politics and the marketing and film industries, this clever debut satire by 25-year-old Australian writer Barry will have readers nodding in agreement and quoting it to their friends. Ingenuous new marketing graduate Scat (he feels that his full name, Michael George Holloway, just won't do for a career in marketing) moves to L.A. hoping to become rich and famous. After he gets a million-dollar idea for a new cola product, cheeky and arrogant Scat approaches a beautiful, ruthless marketing manager named 6 at Coca-Cola. The new product's name is, hilariously, a "dirty" word, spelled unconventionally and in stylish font on a black can. But before Scat's cash cow can be milked, his roommate Sneaky Pete steals the idea, is hired by Coke, and soon holds the purse-strings for Coca-Cola's biggest marketing undertaking ever, a $140 million movie. The infuriated Scat joins forces with 6 to create their own, better movie, with a measly $10,000 budget. With Scat's creative ideas, 6's business acumen and the help of 6's film-major roommate Tina, and Scat's actress ex-girlfriend Cindy, they set out to beat Sneaky Pete at his own game. Scat and 6 have an affectionate, wary bond (even though Scat's crazy for her and she claims she's a lesbian), and together they nimbly dodge the clever, ever-surprising political landmines that Sneaky Pete sets in their path. In the end, Scat's na?vet? and creative enthusiasm help him win his dream and the girl. By that point, readers will be rooting for him and will know much more about the politics of business, films, marketing and sex. Foreign rights sold in France, Italy, Germany and Australia. (July)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Twenty-three-year-old marketing graduate Scat (n? Michael) is in search of the American dream of wealth, fame, friendship with movie stars, and true love. He thinks he just may have it all in sight when he comes up with a brilliant idea for a new soft drink, Fukk Cola, and the beautiful new-products manager at Coke, the improbably named 6, agrees that it has definite possibilities. Unfortunately, Sneaky Pete, Scat's roommate, lives up to his name and steals Fukk in order to get a head start up the corporate ladder. Many connivances and contrivances later, 6 and Scat take on Sneaky Pete and his assistant @ directly in a last-ditch struggle to assume ascendancy at Coke. Will 6 and Scat fall in love? Will they succeed in vanquishing Sneaky Pete? With Winona Ryder, Brad Pitt, and Tom Cruise making cameo appearances and Gwyneth Paltrow acting as deus ex machina, how could dreams not come true? Never as hilarious as the author intended, this first novel remains a moderately humorous riff on advertising and corporate life.ANancy Pearl, Washington Ctr. for the Book, Seattle
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 36 people found the following review helpful
By
Dianna Setterfield
on July 23, 2001
Format: Paperback
Comment
Sending feedback...
Syrup is the kind of book that surprises you. Not only was it a new type of fiction for me (corporate politics), but it grabbed my attention from the very start -- two things that I didn't think would go together. I enjoyed the entire concept and laughed and got fired up with every turning page. So, yes, a book that I thought would only be a pleasant time-passer has surprised me. Never again will I look at marketing in the same way.
Scat, an unemployed marketing graduate, has come up with a million-dollar new soft drink idea. Immediately taking the reigns, Scat embarks on a mission to make his idea become reality. He markets his idea to the Coca-Cola Corporation, who in turn is very interested and willing to pay big bucks for the trademark rights. Well, if it were only that easy.... Trouble comes in the form of his roommate, Sneaky Pete, who vies for a position on Coke's corporate ladder, sending Scat roadblocks at every turn. New Products Marketing Manager, 6 (her actual name), befriends Scat in his time of need. Sparks begin to fly as revenge is played out in full-force.
Reading this book was like the best rollercoaster but without the long lines and unstable equilibrium. Chapters are interspersed with clever marketing snippets that can definitely change the way you think about the products you see advertised on television. Syrup was chock-full of behind-the-scenes scoop of the corporate world and all the dirty tricks that can be played in order to get ahead. Very juicy and hip. Read this novel and be enlightened....
Scat, an unemployed marketing graduate, has come up with a million-dollar new soft drink idea. Immediately taking the reigns, Scat embarks on a mission to make his idea become reality. He markets his idea to the Coca-Cola Corporation, who in turn is very interested and willing to pay big bucks for the trademark rights. Well, if it were only that easy.... Trouble comes in the form of his roommate, Sneaky Pete, who vies for a position on Coke's corporate ladder, sending Scat roadblocks at every turn. New Products Marketing Manager, 6 (her actual name), befriends Scat in his time of need. Sparks begin to fly as revenge is played out in full-force.
Reading this book was like the best rollercoaster but without the long lines and unstable equilibrium. Chapters are interspersed with clever marketing snippets that can definitely change the way you think about the products you see advertised on television. Syrup was chock-full of behind-the-scenes scoop of the corporate world and all the dirty tricks that can be played in order to get ahead. Very juicy and hip. Read this novel and be enlightened....
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By
Lotus Mystique
on January 17, 2005
Format: Paperback
Comment
Sending feedback...
After reading Jennifer Government and being completely and totally enthralled with the no frills look at the corporate world, I was hooked on Maxx Barry's writing. I set out to find his second title, which actually was written first, Syrup.
From the moment I picked it up, I was hooked. The book is organized in a way that the story is told in a series of events that daisy chain upon one another and the plot never stops. Scat and 6 are well formed characters that exploit various facets of the personas in the book with great flair and subtle charm. Their defiance of all odds keeps you routing for their sucess even in the bleakest of situations.
This book is a quick read and a whole lot of fun. You're reading the story of Scat and 6 before you're actually processing the corporate dance in which they are so entwined.
I really enjoyed reading this book and can see myself reading it again in no time.
From the moment I picked it up, I was hooked. The book is organized in a way that the story is told in a series of events that daisy chain upon one another and the plot never stops. Scat and 6 are well formed characters that exploit various facets of the personas in the book with great flair and subtle charm. Their defiance of all odds keeps you routing for their sucess even in the bleakest of situations.
This book is a quick read and a whole lot of fun. You're reading the story of Scat and 6 before you're actually processing the corporate dance in which they are so entwined.
I really enjoyed reading this book and can see myself reading it again in no time.
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By
A Customer
on July 17, 1999
Format: Hardcover
Comment
Sending feedback...
Not only did Syrup manage to make me laugh out loud in the first chapter, I read it with a permanent smirk and certainly didn't want to put it down.
Having been a victim of advertising many a time, I gained great satisfaction at this comical and satirical look at the lengths Scat, '6' and Sneaky Pete go to in order to create the ultimate consumer product. Especially amusing are their antics to try and stay a step ahead of their knife-you-in-the-back peers.
While fun was poked at the marketing industry by often showing the stereotypically shallow side of marketing execs, the eccentricities of each character added to the humour and entertainment value of the novel.
All in all, a fantastic read!
Having been a victim of advertising many a time, I gained great satisfaction at this comical and satirical look at the lengths Scat, '6' and Sneaky Pete go to in order to create the ultimate consumer product. Especially amusing are their antics to try and stay a step ahead of their knife-you-in-the-back peers.
While fun was poked at the marketing industry by often showing the stereotypically shallow side of marketing execs, the eccentricities of each character added to the humour and entertainment value of the novel.
All in all, a fantastic read!
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By
A Customer
on December 12, 1999
Format: Hardcover
Comment
Sending feedback...
This is the kind of book that high school seniors and college kids should read, whether they're stoner slacker waiting to get asked to the prom or 4.0s at MIT. This is the kind of book that will make these kids, whoever the hell they are -0 change their majors to marketing in an instant after reading. It's true to life, the situation are nothing but pure REALISM in it's most base contexts, this book has it all - well except tons of sex, but if it makes you feel better it has a teeny bit. And the charcaters in this book fits pretty much all the people in the world, so no one that reads this book can say, "Well, if it's so real how come I couldn't identify with just one situation in here! ". It's got it all, it's flaunting it all, Maxx Barry's debut is pure genius. PLEASE WRITE ANOTHER ONE ASAP
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By
J. Corbett
on October 4, 2010
Format: Paperback
Verified Purchase
Comment
Sending feedback...
I read this book not knowing what the plot would be. I found it randomly while reading a site for literay quotes, and I loved Barry's quote about "gorgeous women." The quote alone was enough for me to purchase, and the second I received it, I started reading.
I have not read a novel that I didn't like in some way. "Syrup" is no different, but it was lacking in a few areas for me. First, I feel that the characters have only one dimension. Scat himself is a man who does not change, and I felt very little for his character. Meeting 6 made his character even more difficult to follow. 6 herself was someone that I found no connection with, even at the end. Barry could have kept her flaws, which in turn, are great strengths in the world of Coca Cola and made her more identifiable (oh no, I'm using their jargon).
Secondly, the transitioning was... awful. I think the reason this was such a quick read is because there was absolutely no authentic transitioning. One minute Scat is with Cindy and the next, he's with 6 again, and there's no moment of reflection for him. This is just what pleases me aesthetically as a reader. Although Scat explains what he's going through, I don't feel that it's authentic. This is the main reason I didn't fall in love with the book. It's too ironic for its own good.
Some of the dialogue was clever, and I did laugh out loud a few times. I would recommend this novel to someone in high school, but for someone who's looking for a very quick read. I read this within a day and found it to be enjoyable, but it wasn't the novel that I was hoping for.
I have not read a novel that I didn't like in some way. "Syrup" is no different, but it was lacking in a few areas for me. First, I feel that the characters have only one dimension. Scat himself is a man who does not change, and I felt very little for his character. Meeting 6 made his character even more difficult to follow. 6 herself was someone that I found no connection with, even at the end. Barry could have kept her flaws, which in turn, are great strengths in the world of Coca Cola and made her more identifiable (oh no, I'm using their jargon).
Secondly, the transitioning was... awful. I think the reason this was such a quick read is because there was absolutely no authentic transitioning. One minute Scat is with Cindy and the next, he's with 6 again, and there's no moment of reflection for him. This is just what pleases me aesthetically as a reader. Although Scat explains what he's going through, I don't feel that it's authentic. This is the main reason I didn't fall in love with the book. It's too ironic for its own good.
Some of the dialogue was clever, and I did laugh out loud a few times. I would recommend this novel to someone in high school, but for someone who's looking for a very quick read. I read this within a day and found it to be enjoyable, but it wasn't the novel that I was hoping for.
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Most Recent Customer Reviews
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
