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August 27, 2004
Marks - The Feedback
By QBlog in
Alas, it's Friday and there's no Marks chapter to publish. What ever shall I do?
Well, I'm sad to say this but the Marks serial experiment is finished. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Now's your chance to share your thoughts, opinions, praise or criticism about the novel. If you haven't read the novel then you'll find all sixteen chapters linked below.
Comments
I agree with Jason, loved the whole thing 'cept the end...
Would have liked to see a cleaner ending. To anyone who was never "in the business" the Remly's could have seemed a little corny, but I met them(or couples just like them) during my short time Scamway/Quixscam.
Alas - I, too, was quite disappointed in the ending. The author did such a good job developing the characters and letting us get to know their personalities - then it just abrubtly ended. I thought surely there were more chapters to follow. One of the reasons I was so disappointed is that the story, although technically fiction, accurately portrayed the attitude, feelings, and lifestyles of many in the MLM business. This was a good novel! Even if you weren't familiar with the business, it was entertaining & enjoyable. Anyway, I hope it's revised somewhat to close up some of the story lines and to tie up the loose ends with the characters. Thanks QBlog, for publishing this for our reading pleasure!!
I loved Marks, however- the ending did leave me with questions. I would have liked to have had the other character's lives wrapped up a little more. Other than that, I really enjoyed reading it and my Fridays will be a little emptier without the latest chapter.
I felt like I was reading my story. I spent many years chasing the dream. I could have lost my family if I did not wake up. I had a very profitable business with a large organization but was always uncomfortable with the tools business. I made it to the gem status and decided to back off and watched the business quickly, not slowly, die. This story brought back all those feelings I had when I had conversations with my wife about what we where doing to make money. I know the pros have their points but none of them have seen the business from the inside like I have. The conversations about growing tools business. Pushing and hooking the newcomers to the system. There is no mercy. It is all about the money. The author did a great job bringing it to life.
I too was disappointed with the ending. I feel that there could have been more of an interaction between Tom & Teri from the point where they had just returned from dinner with the Jacksons. It was splitsville, just like that. Otherwise, I thought the novel was fantastic.
As I read the novel, I noticed a decidely feminine point of view to all the characters. So from the beginning, I had an idea of the outcome, sort of like a Lifetime movie.
Like the others, I would have liked to have seen the characters developed a little more. The ending was abrupt and hurried in the attempt to end the novel.
But it was a good read.
I, personally, would like to thank you. I enjoyed that very much. Thank you for providing that for me.
OK, enough small talk. It ended too damn soon. Now what the hell am I going to look forward to Fridays for?
If this wasn't free, I'd fire you;)
Thank you.
BeefSteak... er... I mean PorkChop,
I have something in mind for Fridays but it's still in development. It may not turn out how I'd like but I realize that having something nice for the weekend is a good thing.
Well, I thought the dynamics of 'the system' were pretty accurate, but...
I found the characters very one-dimensional and predictable. I don't think life is like that. I don't even think most of the people in A/Q are like that...Teri and Jacob, the protagonists, were 'pure good', while Tom and Marco were apparently soul-less.
Most of the people I have (reluctantly) met in 'the business' really believe the BS. They really think they're 'helping people', and that their ship is nearly in, just one more corner to turn. They really don't understand or believe the scam (both the AMO scam and the pyramid scam). It's their very sincerity that lures the unsuspecting.
Obviously, several of the guys at the top don't fall into this "naive perpetrator" category, but most of the underlings, IMO, do.
I enjoyed the novel very much. I'll echo other comments here and say I think the ending should be fleshed out more. Expand the part where Teri says she wants a divorce. I want to see Tom's reaction. Will Teri ever tell him about the baby that was lost? Add in a fast-forward epilogue (or better yet a full chapter) a few years down the road. Teri finally ditches Tom completely and marries Steve. They both have j*o*b*s they enjoy, and time to raise children. Marco busily spins plates in Nigeria keeping his business going, starting to wonder if there's a way out. Tom is ultra Mega, and gets to the point where Cory Jackson was, seeing how empty the lifestyle is. Jacob gets his degree in Abuja; he and Muriel get married and have an unconventional but happy life as researchers and globetrotters. Dr. Bean remains in Abuja, after having told his former boss to go take a hike.
Sweet Dreams. Keep drivin.'
Try this
http://forums.delphiforums.com/quixtar_/start
BeefSteak? I would appreciate it if you would no longer refer to my previous profession as a Chippendale dancer. I don’t think it’s germane. Plus, I was only dancing to pay for school.
When the pdf is comming up?
I liked it overall. I had a few problems with the ending though. I would have liked to see some ends tied up with the college kids, etc. I also would have been a little more bold and actually used the quixtar/amway name (If I were writing it) although I'm sure there are legal ramifications involved in that sort of thing. Maybe it was just supposed to be a generalization of MLM but it sure had all the elements of our Qrazy canoe jockeys.
Posted by: jason | August 27, 2004 1:17 AM