Syrup (Paperback)

by Maxx Barry (Author) "I want to be famous..." (more)
Key Phrases: sneaky pete, Christian Dior, Tom Cruise, Gary Brennan (more...)

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.

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.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (July 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140291873
• ISBN-13: 978-0140291872
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (95 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #269,081 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great taste, VERY filling..., July 23, 2001

By	Dianna Johnston "Compulsive Reader" (Joplin, MO) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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....

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tastes Great, June 11, 2002

By	Jack (Tampa, FL) - See all my reviews

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

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Barry does it again, January 17, 2005

By	Lotus Mystique "Lotus Mystique" (Florida USA) - See all my reviews

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.