The Beach by Alex Garland Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Beach
Book Review: !Exciting!
Summary: 5 Stars
Almost seemed autobiographical. You can't write that kind of description without actually being there! I think Alex Garland has realized every backpackers dream of putting their memories or visions into print. Good on you! Altho, I found the book lacking in character development, I still enjoyed it, and found it a page turner. The episode in the cave was horrifying and the shark attack equally so. I have experienced first hand what it is like to live with a group of people in a remote, isolated area, and it truly works you over psychologically. The book reminded me of that experience and I could relate. A great first book for Alex Garland, and to have it made into a movie, not many authors get that kind of recognition! Good for him, I look forward to reading Tesseract.Book Review: "Most totally excellent, dude. Like utterly outrageous, compadre."
Summary: 4 Stars
The speakers of this "dialogue" admit, when pressed, that they are actually Harvard graduates, seeking adventure in Thailand in the early 1990s. Like Richard, the main character and speaker of this novel, they are looking for Eden, someplace the rest of the world has not discovered, where they can live apart from corrupt "civilization" and enjoy the more "meaningful" aspects of a simple life, independent of the rest of the world. Richard, while staying in a Bangkok guest house, befriends two French travelers, Etienne and Francoise, and when "Daffy Duck," an older resident, bequeaths him a map to Paradise, just before committing suicide, the three decide to find it. As a precaution, Richard draws a copy of the map and leaves it for the two Harvard boys, in case he does not return.
Surviving a long sea swim, conquering the cliffs on an uncharted island, and, more importantly, recognizing a dope farm and avoiding the bloodthirsty gunmen who patrol it, the three eventually make their way onto "The Beach," the utopian society Daffy has told Richard about, and in which he was a founding member. As they settle in and learn the ropes, the three newcomers experience the mystical, sometimes drug-induced peacefulness they've always dreamed of.
As in Lord of the Flies and other utopian dreams, the magic lasts only until the first big crisis, and on the beach, several crises occur simultaneously. An illness sweeps the community, followed soon after by the first death, and the community begins to unravel into division, hostility, and eventually, chaos. Several characters, including Richard, start to hallucinate and lose touch with reality, with Richard associating life on the beach with the warfare he faced in Vietnam. Daffy Duck, the long-dead "friend" who gave him his map, becomes a major character in Richard's daily life.
Garland's ability to conjure images and move the action along makes this an intense and exciting novel. His dialogue is hip, the drug culture is depicted casually and realistically, and the naivete of the free-wheeling characters is plausible, making their conflicts inevitable and understandable. As Richard deteriorates emotionally, the reader empathizes with him while also seeing his weaknesses and self-absorption. The utopian subject and its inevitable conclusion are not new, but Garland gives them a fresh treatment here, creating a dramatic novel which updates the genre for a new generation. n Mary Whipple
Book Review: "Lord of the Flies" All Grown Up
Summary: 5 Stars
For everyone enjoyed reading "Lord of the Flies" when they were in grammar school, this is the follow-up for you.Book Review: "The Beach" should go out with the tide
Summary: 1 Stars
This book is a bore. It starts out with great promise but quickly gets bogged down in a useless and weak plot. The ending is a great disappointment -- it's almost like the publisher called up and told Mr. Garland he had one day to finish the book. Frankly, Mr. Garland writes like the very young author he is. Don't waste your money on the book, or the movie.Book Review: "The Beach" will make you want to crave adventure.
Summary: 5 Stars
The book was so good in a sense that it made you want to get on a plane and head for Thailand yourself. You want to be one of the characters in the story and be part of their lives. You feel the sun and the sand, along with the splash of waves on your legs. For a first novel, Alex Garland did a miraculous job and I think that he should continue. I have met people before when I was travelling, and sometimes you never know what will happen with them.