Douglas Coupland
Paperback | Pages: 371 pages Rating: 3.88 | 22862 Users | 879 Reviews
Particularize Out Of Books Microserfs
| Title | : | Microserfs |
| Author | : | Douglas Coupland |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 371 pages |
| Published | : | 1995 by Harper Perennial |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Humor. Contemporary. Cultural. Canada. Novels. Literature. Science. Technology |
Narrative Supposing Books Microserfs
Narrated in the form of a Powerbook entry by Dan Underwood, a computer programmer for Microsoft, this state-of-the-art novel about life in the '90s follows the adventures of six code-crunching computer whizzes. Known as "microserfs," they spend upward of 16 hours a day "coding" (writing software) as they eat "flat" foods (such as Kraft singles, which can be passed underneath closed doors) and fearfully scan the company email to see what the great Bill might be thinking and whether he is going to "flame" one of them. Seizing the chance to be innovators instead of cogs in the Microsoft machine, this intrepid bunch strike out on their own to form a high-tech start-up company named Oop! in Silicon Valley. Living together in a sort of digital flophouse --"Our House of Wayward Mobility" -- they desperately try to cultivate well-rounded lives and find love amid the dislocated, subhuman whir and buzz of their computer-driven world. Funny, illuminating and ultimately touching, Microserfs is the story of one generation's very strange and claustrophobic coming of age.Identify Books Concering Microserfs
| Original Title: | Microserfs |
| ISBN: | 0060987049 (ISBN13: 9780060987046) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | Daniel Underwood |
| Setting: | Redmond, Washington(United States) Silicon Valley, California(United States) |
Rating Out Of Books Microserfs
Ratings: 3.88 From 22862 Users | 879 ReviewsAppraise Out Of Books Microserfs
I was left with the feeling that nothing actually happened until the last ten pages of this book, and I never connected with any of these characters.I just dropped the book on the table and I'm thinking of rereading many of its parts. It's amazing how much one can learn from a work of fiction so cleverly crafted and so loyal to the culture it intends to explore. What Coupland achieved is a truly fascinating take on why the Valley ignites so much obsession, even decades before HBO's Silicon Valley came along.The way Dan and his friends are portrayed is worryingly relatable to many of us who in any level deal with technology and its culture.
Fiction. A little slice of the mid-nineties, Microsoft, and Silicon Valley. This was was my first Coupland book and it wasn't what I was expecting. Apparently I was prepared for shallow postmodernism or something smugly impressed by its own cynicism. I don't know where I got that idea, but this is an optimistic book, full of human moments, love and friendship, and the things that drive us to succeed. I was surprised at how sweet it could be at times.It's also got plenty of computer talk:
I just dropped the book on the table and I'm thinking of rereading many of its parts. It's amazing how much one can learn from a work of fiction so cleverly crafted and so loyal to the culture it intends to explore. What Coupland achieved is a truly fascinating take on why the Valley ignites so much obsession, even decades before HBO's Silicon Valley came along.The way Dan and his friends are portrayed is worryingly relatable to many of us who in any level deal with technology and its culture.
Re-reading this years later was worthwhile for me after having worked for a giant cult-of-personality-driven tech company and lived in Silicon Valley. As with most of the Coupland books I've read:...it really seemed like one of those foreign movies that you rent and return half-wound because they're too contrived to be believed, and then real life happens, and you wonder if the Europeans understood everything all along.Another note: is "fishwich" a Canadianism? Coupland (as always) is dead-on
Fascinating insight into the "tech nerd" lifestyle. Well-drawn/engaging ensemble cast of characters, amiably getting on with their lives - working (coding!) chatting, forming relationships and occasionally even having/relating personal feelings (shock, horror!). Style reads almost like a coffee-table book - you could open the book on any page and get the idea pretty quickly. What I liked most was (view spoiler)[the almost complete lack of any trouble/trauma/problems - none of the relationships
This book is one of my all-time favorites, a bildungsroman of the techie world set between its two 1990s axes: Microsoft and Silicon Valley. My friends hear me make quips from this book far too often, perhaps my favorite being "Microsoft hired 3000 people last year and you know not all of them were gems."The quick summary is: boy goes to work for Microsoft, boy leaves Microsoft for startup in Silicon Valley, and lives and learns as he and his friends -- his coworkers -- struggle to ship product.
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