Beach (UK Edition) by Alex Garland Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Beach (UK Edition)
Book Review: Which I wrote it myself
Summary: 5 Stars
Reading The Beach made me feel exactly the same as when I read Tonna Tartt's The Secret History. I wish it was me who wrote it!
Very rare books make you feel that way. The Beach is also the kind of book that reminds you of a great dream - you're miserable because it was just fiction and because you actually weren't there yourself when it all happened.
There is just one thing. Being Swedish myself, I am amazed that the only two people on the island who do not speak English are Swedish. That is just not possible, there are no Swedes, especially not travelling ones, who do not speak English more than well.
I wish Alex good luck with his next novel/UlrikaBook Review: Lord of the Flies adapted to the 90s
Summary: 4 Stars
Exciting and utterly absorbing, this book
is a great symbol of the 90s. Drugs in Ko
Samui, prostitutes in Bangkok, 20-somethings
looking for peace and quiet on a deserted island, "The Beach" addresses my generation in a brand new way. On behalf of the kids who were raised on Tintin and Nintendo, I'd like to thank Garland for a well writ bookBook Review: OK, But Don't Believe the Hype
Summary: 5 Stars
Alex Garland takes on the fascinating and complicated world of "backpackers" in South East Asia, and while his lead character had potential to be a real icon of the young adventurer today, the uninspired plot and the lack of development of supporting characters never deliver on that potential. Anyone who has spent time in the part of the world Garland describes knows that Thais are more than drug-running killers or corrupt policemen, and the "backpacker" world he describes is not peopled with strung-out hippies with no connection to a "real world" -- the world of Kho Sahn Road in Bangkok and the islands of Koh Samui and Koh Phagnan -- that Garland's characters deride. Garland begins to delve into the unique psychology and drive of the young traveler, then abandons that far more interesting line of inquiry in favor of a paranoid and not very sophisticated thriller with not much punch. Nevertheless, the book is imaginative in it's structure and narrative and the protagonist Richard, a young Brit, runs the emotional gauntlet from blissed out escapism to shear terror. Garland's book could have been great but the world he describes deserves more subtle descriptive and the lack of character development - most of the supporting players are mere carictitures of humans (which Garland himself tweaks with imagainative nicknames like Daffy and Bugs) - leaves the conclusion of the story flat and unsatisfying. Still, Garland has a way with dialogue and the tale can be a fun ride if you don't expect too muchBook Review: Addictive, but never quite transcendant
Summary: 3 Stars
Never quite as evocative, never quite as scary, smart, funny as it could be. Physical description not up to standards: we never know what anyone really looks like, not even much in the way of hints. And all of potential awe-inspiring beauty of the landscape is never brought to life. I kept reading, and gripingBook Review: Adam, Eve and Piggy too!
Summary: 5 Stars
Thank god for Alex Garland! He grabbed me by the shoulders, slapped my face, told me to pull myself up by my boot straps and re-ignited my passion for the written word.
He deftly narrates his tale as though you were sitting right alongside him in a seedy, sweltering Thai bar sharing a beer and a cigarette. Garland captures the essence of the traveler -- no need for journals, photographs and tourists. The only thing that's important is what you remember because after all if you can't remember why should it bear retelling or reliving? And what the protagonist remembers is a startling, savage, beastly tale that is equal parts "Platoon," "Blue Lagoon" and "Lord of the Flies." Odd huh? Intriguing no? Read it