Rating: 
Summary: god bless you, mr. coupland
Review: douglas coupland has done it once again. he has infected my consciousness with his images, his wit and his amazing ability to capture reality painfully well. this book reads so smoothly that by the time you turn the last page you'll be sorry you didn't pace yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: A Quick Fun Read
Review: I really enjoyed this latest book by Douglas Coupland. It is fun and funny despite dealing with some rather depressing lives, and reminded me a bit of the best of Tom Robbins. The character of beauty queen Susan Colgate was most interesting, and the one who Coupland spent the most time fleshing out. His look at the whole beauty pagent industry was clearly well researched, and just made my heart ache for the girls treated like living Barbie dolls by their mothers. Unfortunately, the rest of the book felt a bit rushed, as though he just wanted to get it done. I wish he had spent more time with the character's of Vanessa and Ryan, the girl genius and her is-he-or-is-he-not-gay boyfriend. (Maybe in a sequel?) Mostly I was just so glad that this wasn't as dreary and painful to read as Coupland's last book, the dreadful "Girlfriend in a Coma."
Rating:
Summary: A real treat.
Review: Get this book, and put it in the hands of people who have never read Coupland's work.I think Coupland has found a great balance between character and plot in this novel. The characters in this book are interesting, engaging, and feel realistic. The dramatic tension from the different story threads moving back and forth in time worked well, I couldn't wait to get back to each thread. In some of Coupland's earlier books I liked the style and fresh point of view more than the story. In Miss Wyoming the style serves to propel the story, the story stands on its own. Read it.
Rating: 
Summary: Nowhere near his previous work.
Review: The novel seemed much more shallow, not really concentrating on the characters, rather the events. Unfortunately, this lost sense of intimacy with the characters is what made books like Microserfs and Generation X great. Overall, it didn't really fell like a Coupland novel. Perhaps someone attemping to write like him, but not quite getting the point. I'm not sure what Doug's plans are, but this book certianly feels like a screenplay. If Mr. Coupland wants to his his work in to cinemas, I suppose Miss Wyoming is quite perfect. I would probably bet that Miss Wyoming would be 1000x better on film. Overall, an interesting novel, but somewhat predictable in places.
Rating: 
Summary: Coupland's weakest effort
Review: I like all Coupland's stuff, but the appeal of some of his books lies more in the ubiquitous pop culture references and codification than in the storyline. In "Miss Wyoming," Coupland creates a recognizable, compelling plot to drive his trademark off-beat but heartfelt characters. Don't get me wrong -- the story's still obviously (and delightfully) fed on 80s TV and consumerism, from Nikes to New Age, but instead of being the point of the book, like in "Shampoo Planet," these items become the backdrop for the engaging story of two burnt-out minor celebrities, their near-death experiences and the long haul back to normalcy, or something like it.
Rating:
Summary: Not his best work, but still enjoyable
Review: This book is a pleasant enough way to kill a few hours, even though it drags in places. Not as informative or as entertaining as most of his other books.
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