Bellwether - Connie Willis
Apr. 3rd, 2007 14:05![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
goodreadsTitle: Bellwether
Author: Connie Willis
Genre: Sci-fi
Rating: 10/10
# pages: 247
Date read: April, 2007
Summary: Don't be fooled by the collage cover of Mandelbrot patterns, moth and human hair - this book is all about the sheep. A semi-scientific, extremely funny, geeky love story emerges from chaos, which is embodied by a fad-obsessed, incompetent mail clerk named Flip.
If you've ever entered an IKEA through the front entrance (instead of sneaking through the marketplace), you'll understand the "sheep" reference. People walking along assigned pathways, eyes glancing downward nervously, following large black arrows on the floor, not daring to stray from the path, much less walk in the opposite direction.
Sandra Foster works in a "Dilbert" type corporation, trying to work out what causes fads, from hairstyles to crossword puzzles. Bennett O'Reilly works for the same corporation, studying chaos theories. When these two get together thanks to a misdelivered package, things really start to get chaotic, compounded by the hiring of an assistant for Flip, who is (gasp) a SMOKER, and Management's efficiency meetings.
Studying the behavioral patterns of a flock of sheep proves to be a lot harder than it looks (almost as hard as filling up a Corporation request for a paper clip) but through some coincidental occurrences they learn the secret of the wooly herd-followers the hard way. (From Amazon.com)
Review: I LOVED this book! Really, really, really funny! I'm so glad I got to read it. The characters are well thought out and totally believable. I know people like Flip, and while I've never worked with a Management like the one described, I know enough of corporations to believe that they exist. Once I started I couldn't put the book down. I especially enjoyed the information on various fads written at the beginning of each chapter... I never knew how OLD some fads are. Highly recommendable!
Book List
Author: Connie Willis
Genre: Sci-fi
Rating: 10/10
# pages: 247
Date read: April, 2007
Summary: Don't be fooled by the collage cover of Mandelbrot patterns, moth and human hair - this book is all about the sheep. A semi-scientific, extremely funny, geeky love story emerges from chaos, which is embodied by a fad-obsessed, incompetent mail clerk named Flip.
If you've ever entered an IKEA through the front entrance (instead of sneaking through the marketplace), you'll understand the "sheep" reference. People walking along assigned pathways, eyes glancing downward nervously, following large black arrows on the floor, not daring to stray from the path, much less walk in the opposite direction.
Sandra Foster works in a "Dilbert" type corporation, trying to work out what causes fads, from hairstyles to crossword puzzles. Bennett O'Reilly works for the same corporation, studying chaos theories. When these two get together thanks to a misdelivered package, things really start to get chaotic, compounded by the hiring of an assistant for Flip, who is (gasp) a SMOKER, and Management's efficiency meetings.
Studying the behavioral patterns of a flock of sheep proves to be a lot harder than it looks (almost as hard as filling up a Corporation request for a paper clip) but through some coincidental occurrences they learn the secret of the wooly herd-followers the hard way. (From Amazon.com)
Review: I LOVED this book! Really, really, really funny! I'm so glad I got to read it. The characters are well thought out and totally believable. I know people like Flip, and while I've never worked with a Management like the one described, I know enough of corporations to believe that they exist. Once I started I couldn't put the book down. I especially enjoyed the information on various fads written at the beginning of each chapter... I never knew how OLD some fads are. Highly recommendable!
Book List
