Rating: 
Summary: A winner!
Review: I've read every book by this author (Douglas Coupland), and I've noticed several themes which apply specifically to readers of my generation (I'm 27 right now), but would apply more generally to anyone. This book follows the lives of a group of friends who are friends in high school and then stay in the same neighborhood, more or less, throughout their lives. This is something that Coupland has included in most of his books, and it's a theme that's endearing to me as I watch the departures and familial relationships among my own friends and family. Without saying too much about the plot, I'll say that if you've read other books by Coupland, you'll PROBABLY love this book. The style is very similar to his other works, very introspective, very self-aware without becoming as self-obsessed as say, Dave Eggers. The story takes place in Vancouver (which is a bonus in my book, since I've always wanted to live there), and covers a span of about 16 years. Other reviewers have said that Coupland goes "too far" in this book, in that he departs from his usual topics by going in a sci-fi/fantasy direction. When he does, this book goes from being one of a dozen "normal" books written in the 1990s to being a gem. Maybe I'm the screwed up one, but two thirds of the way through the book, when things start getting freaky, this book became a page-turner. Couldn't put it down. And it was in a way that seemed completely natural, completely realistic, and the course these characters would take. By the end of the novel, it had given me cause to reflect upon my own life, and the lives of my friends, and the things we take for granted, the goals we assume we have in life, and the goals we should have. Change Your Life. Any book that gives me an impetus to think about my own actions (not just observe the characters' actions) is a winner in my uh, book. You should check this book out at the library first, but I went ahead and bought it. Hardbound even. You should also check out "Generation X" and "MicroSerfs" by the same author....if you're between the ages of 25 and 35, it'll be like watching Your Life in print. Also recommended: THE LOSERS' CLUB by Richard Perez
Rating: 
Summary: Girlfriend in a Coma. I know. I know. It's really serious.
Review: Liked this much better than Generation X. 17-year-old Karen goes into a 17-year-coma after having sex with her boyfriend. Talk about ways to scare you into not having sex. Well, she didn't go to sleep immediately afterwards, but she was really insistent on the two of them having sex. Before she slips into her coma, Karen tells her boyfriend, Richard, that she saw the future. Karen goes into a 17-year-coma, and wakes up to find her boyfriend still waiting and a daughter. She seems perfectly normal when she wakes, except she talks about the world coming to an end. The first half of the book basically revolves around the people in Karen's life after she goes into the coma, the second part deals with life after her reawakening, and the third part, well, you don't want me to give that away do you? This still had the same "what is the meaning of this sad, sad life?" theme, but I think it was much better presented in this book. And if you've read GenX, you'll notice some parallels with some of the characters (Hamilton equals Dag, Richard equals Andy, and Pam equals Claire), but all-in-all the story is pretty good. I like how Coupland manages to make you think without overwhelming you or depressing you. What I didn't like was the fact that book was somewhat anticlimatic. Well, it's one of those endings you'll love and hate, and I'm sure, after mulling over it a few days, I'll like it better
Rating:
Summary: The ending is a little strange, but it's still worth reading
Review: What is striking about this novel is that everyone seems to be sleeping. Karen, of course, is in a coma for a good part of the novel, but her friends seemed to be sleepwalking through adulthood, with only a few instances of clarity, while she suffered through her coma. And of course, it is a sleeping sickness that takes the lives of everyone but Karen and her friends in the end-of-the-world scenario that leaves our heroes -- you guessed it -- sleepwalking through what is left behind. I enjoyed the novel, but I felt there had to be more to learn from it than what Jared left us with. Not that there isn't much to think about, I just think the ending is a little weak. Still, it's an enjoyable book, and Coupland is in fine form for all but the last 30 pages.
Rating:
Summary: Coupland Shows Heart
Review: Yes, it's true. No longer the cool, detached observer of our pop-obsessed times, Douglas Coupland, in Girlfriend In A Coma, has given us a passionate indictment of mindless consumerism. Along the way, he gives us some deeper characterizations than his usual glib, one-liner-spouting media-fed youth. Of course, this is not to say that he's abandoned the "zeitgeist" altogether and written a Les Miserables. His trademark pop-referential style, as well as his humor, is in abundant supply here. It just feels like he's aiming for something deeper. I devoured this book in about 5 hours or so, initially intrigued by the romance between Richard and Karen (a sly nod to the Carpenters?) and then propelled onward by the sense of impending doom that Coupland evokes so well among Karen's group of friends. I can understand how the apocalyptic climax might strike some as corny, silly, and even unneccessary, but I loved it. Apparently, Coupland wrote this book during one of the worst periods of his life. Perhaps his nervous breakdown was his "Great Experience." Whatever the inspiration, Coupland shows us that no matter how dead our souls may be, hope springs eternal.
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