Eleanor Rigby

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I loved it! - Rated
Like most Coupland, it was slow to start but it was worth the wait! I loved the initial emotional pain you felt for the aurator and the other main characters, however I also felt the relief when things worked out (well sort of?) in the end.

Eleanor Rigby - Rated
Most of this book is shatteringly good. It portrays the loneliness of a single woman so well it was painful to read - the reality, and the bitter understanding of it, is amazingly constructed.

My only problem was with the ending - the unavoidable tragedy is so climactic, and so upsetting, that it would be hard for anything to follow, and I think that what does follow is underwhelming.

Having come to Coupland through Generation X, I couldn't believe how different this book was. It's astonishing and funny and bitter, and a testament to Cooupland's skill, because his main character is so very real.

Couplandtastic - Rated
I long awaited for the release of this book and although throughly enjoyable it was a little slow to take off, but once it did it reminded me of why it was worth the wait.

Typical Coupland - Rated
Another great novel from Coupland taking on more life-changing events interspersed with small town American culture and just a smattering of fantasy. He tweaks some of those sensitive spots in all of us whilst reminding us of our fragility and potential for so much more. Just ripe for a movie contract I reckon (or maybe a home movie).

Good but not wonderful - Rated
I think everyone likes Girlfriend in a Coma because a lot of us were teenagers, or near enough, when we read it. It is a great book, but it becomes a bit of a manifesto in the closing pages, where Coupland decides to spell out his ideas and ends up being a bit heavy handed with the ideology. Since then he has tended to write more ambiguous, subtle, intelligent books. I think Hey Nostrodamus is his best.

He carries on in this fashion here. Although Liz Dunn and her son are both good characters, there is not much new to experience. Coupland has never needed a plot to create a beautiful novel and his wilder attempts at making an interesting story tend to come off a bit contrived in this one. The ending should be uplifting but it feels like it was thrown in, as if even Coupland doesn't believe it. You get the feeling that he is too lonely to write a happy ending convincingly.

The great strength of this book is in the voice Coupland has created for Liz Dunn. She is a charming character who becomes your friend as you read. Her son, Jeremy is equally engaging. When he isn't simply a vehical for Coupland's familiar Jenny Holzer rip offs, he's by turns funny and moving.

I enjoyed the book a lot. It's a lot better than a lot of books which will sell more copies. But in the end, I finished it and didn't feel much changed. When Coupland is truely on form his books have a bigger impact and more ideas.