The Beach by Alex Garland Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Beach
Book Review: A MUST READ
Summary: 5 Stars
If you have one ounce of adventure in you, you will love this book. It fills a void in all of us, the dream of finding yourself on your own tropical paradise, secluded from a world of commercialism and mass tourism. Granted, there are many woes along the way and in the end (well I won't tell you what happens at the end). But, everything has it's price. Whether or not it's worth it depends on you...JUST READ IT.Book Review: A Quasi-Classic for Gen-Xers
Summary: 4 Stars
True, this book is slightly overrated. Yes, the parallels to Lord of the Flies, Heart of Darkness, Animal Farm, On the Road, and Treasure Island are somewhat overdone. However, this may be the best novel to come out of Generation X thus far. It is rare to find a true page-turner that does not fall into the monstrous pile of best-selling trash that crowds the shelves of your local bookstore. This is a story about human interaction, disillusionment, and finally, the nature of mankind. At the same time it is a subtle commentary on modern society and how we are influenced by our surroundings (some may squawk at the use of pop-culture references, but these references are in the book for a reason). In the end, what separates this debut novel from many of the classics is style. Garland may not yet be the master of prose that Golding and Conrad were, but give him time. Definately a recommended read.Book Review: A Shocking Debut
Summary: 5 Stars
First off, The Beach should not be confused with that junk movie with DiCaprio in it. Please don't let that dissuade from this excellent novel. If ever the truism "The book is better than the movie, this is it"Second, the Beach, like the movie Fight Club, is often wildly misunderstood. I have seen many reviews that portray this novel as a Lord of the Flies rip-off, which misses the point entirely. The Beach is the exact opposite of Lord of the Flies. Whereas in that novel the lack of society corrupted the schoolboys, in this novel society corrupts the purity of nature. This is a significant thematic departure, which completely changes the effects of the events in the novel.
The style of this book is instantly classic. As a child of the 80s I was raised on videogames, tv and a sanitized suburban existance. Garland writes about people from all over the world just like I am. Therefore the book deals with the signifigance of sport, gameboy, isolation, etc. to breathtaking affect. I was completely hooked from the very first page.
This not a book you put down after the last page and forget about fifteen minutes later. The best thing I can say about it, is that for weeks after, you will be pondering the questions it raises. To me, that is the definition of a great novel.
Book Review: A Suspensful adult version of Lord of the Flies.....
Summary: 4 Stars
We gave this book 4 Stars because there was always something happening that was so adventurous. You could never imagine what was going to happen next. There would be times that it would drag on, but something great would happen and it would always keep you interested. This book takes you places you never thought you would never be able to go. We recomend you read this book, coming from people who hate to read!Book Review: A Teen's Perspective
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a teenager who read this book after listening to the perpetual nagging of my friend Desiree. I wasn't looking forward to it because of its obvious length, and i pretty much read it to make her shutup. But, i absolutely loved it. And even though people say it is the next Lord of the Flies, it's not, cuz that book was extremely boring and slow-moving, while this one is fast-paced and exciting. i'm sure i didn't really understand all of the hidden meanings of the book, but it was awesome all the same. i'm really glad i read it, because for the 5 hours it took to read it, i got to see the world through Richard's eyes, and i loved every minute of it.