Wyoming Good Read (Miss Wyoming - Douglas Coupland)

Name: TigerTiger

Hello doyoo user, You have to be logged in to use these functions... Login or register Close window

Send message to member

Product:	Miss Wyoming - Douglas Coupland
Date:	17/06/02 (389 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Coupland's individual style, Interesting storyline which keeps you reading

Disadvantages: Not as good as some of his previous books

Douglas Coupland is one of those writers that I feel everyone should experience at one time. Some of his books are amongst the best I have ever read and I admire his style and his ability to write books that are really quite bizarre at times. There are few other writers like Douglas Coupland and he is definitely worth a read. If you like books by J G Ballard you may especially appreciate his style. I admire Coupland because he has written some highly popular and acclaimed books such as “Microserfs” and “Generation x” but he still keeps his day job as a designer in Canada. I am very jealous indeed, as being a writer myself I know how difficult this is, even with the very best of intentions!

I am going to be honest with you from the start. I enjoyed “Miss Wyoming”, but it most certainly wasn’t the best of Coupland’s books and so it wouldn’t be the one I recommend anyone to read first. However, it is a good book and one which once again has a slightly unusual style and plot.

~~What’s it all about??~~~

“Miss Wyoming” is about 2 people, both highly successful who for quite bizarre reasons decide to completely change their lives.

John Johnson is a very successful Movie director. He has women throwing themselves at him wanting to be in their movies, he lives in a big house in Hollywood and many people would want what he has. Then after a near death experience he has a vision of a beautiful woman who he thinks can save him. After his recovery he plans to stop being himself and to start a new life, to re-create himself. So, he gives away his business and all the material possessions that he owns and begins a life with nothing. Those around him think he has had some sort of breakdown, as why would someone want to give up all that.

One day whilst dining with a friend, John Johnson comes face to face with the women in his vision, the woman who he thinks can sa
ve him and she is none other than an actress called Susan Colgate.

Susan herself has been through some traumas of late. With her career suffering she set off on a plane journey, only for the plane to crash with no survivors apart from herself. Instead of letting everyone know that she is alive and well, Susan walks away and it is a whole year before she makes contact with anyone to say that she is safe. What did she get up to in that year? What happened to her is the question on everyone’s lips, and it is one question she is not too keen on answering.

John and Susan start up a very unusual friendship and the novel alternates between both viewpoints and the ulterior motivations each has in their relationship. Their stories both mirror each other, yet move away from each other at the same time. Once again, it is the style of Coupland that wins him most praise in my opinion. He takes quite simple ideas and then makes them quite unusual with a simple twist and the structure of his novels. What Coupland is also known for is his satirical and often very precise (it has to be said!) view of the society that we live with. Here are two people, both in very unusual situations, which are mirrored in each other’s lives, and they just happen to come across each other, in essence to save one another. Although, it does make a good story, it is also a little far fetched and humorous.

The novel unravels the mysteries of both characters lives and it also acts as a love story of sorts. However, it is a very contemporary story and so there is little slush and few clichés. “Miss Wyoming” is a great book for all those cynical readers on the look out for a good read. It is definitely worth a read, however, if you are new to Coupland I would recommend that you read some of his earlier books first to get to see the very best that he has to offer.

Summary: