Rating: 
Summary: exciting books
Review: This books is really intrested to it because The book that I have read it was given me more information about the thing I have ever know about the Thailand, just has to be becarefull about a place that we've ever even known yet.
Rating: 
Summary: Join the beach club!
Review: After I read this book, it's rate XX. It's the incredible book ! I think the end is OK but sometimes I think Alex had a bad attitute about Thailand... so he should come back and learn Thai culture...
Anyway, it is pretty good
Rating:
Summary: An entertaining read
Review: After seeing the film, which I thought was quite good, I decided to read the book. I was amazed to find that the book's main male character was actually a Londoner, rather than an American. However, the film pretty much stays true to the book albeit for a couple of sub-plots and storylines. The ending in the book is completely different and for this reason I would recommend that anyone who enjoyed the film should read it just to see what an alternative ending for the film might have been.
Rating:
Summary: Cult Classic
Review: Alex Garland's book, "The Beach," was an underground classic among the hiking and backpacking subculture long before it was made into a big-time Hollywood movie. In it, Garland takes a "Lord of the Flies" motif and combines it with the dangers of living a hedonisitc lifestyle.
Richard, the protagonist, is a 20-something searching for the ultimate adventure. Sick of the hustle and bustle of the urban world, Richard embarks on an adventure in Thailand thinking it will bring him peace, quiet, and a simpler life.
The writing is somewhat sophomoric at times, which is why this is not a five-star book. Had Garland been more eloquent and sophisticated in his writing (which he IS very capable of), this book would possibly be considered among scholars as more of a creative fictional case-study of today's modern youth culture rather than merely a "pop" read. But then again, Garland WAS only 25 years old when he wrote it -- an impressive feat!
Be sure to see the movie after you read the book, as there are several significant plot differences.
Rating: 
Summary: This novel was so so.
Review: As a international student, I read this novel to acquire more vocabulary . It was intresting and relatively easy to read. The writer described the X generation well, however, I felt unpleasant that there were cruel expressions. It was too much for me. I could understand the theme of this novel, describing human nature, but I disagree the sense of value in this novel. It seemed that the writer agreed with euthanasia and drug abuse. During reading this novel, I felt somber and cold.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining story about lost Paradise fails to convince
Review: Garland's story is truly an entertining one, and I read the book virtually without putting it down once. The story of the quest for Paradise and the all too common threats against utopian life proves an interesting read indeed. That said, I have some doubts as to the literary qualities of the novel. "The Beach" is Garland's debut, and I think it shows. The characthers are way too shallow, and it's a mystery how he can fail to utilise the sexual tension between Richard, Etienne and Francoise to it's full potential. I find the "madness" part with Richard's invisible pal Mr Duck less than convincing, and the Vietnam war reference tedious. There are a number of other details that flaw an otherwise excellent story. Like the weed issue. If the hippies have cultivated such a magnificient garden, why don't they grow their own dope? Rather than stealing it from the armed drug gangsters, bringing down disaster on themselves. There doesn't seem like there are equal couples on the Beach, yet Garland wants us to believe the small isolated community have been able to survive year in, year out without any noteable sexual tension. And come on, if you want us to believe three completely healthy guys like the Swedes living isolated from the rest of the community at least make them gay so we have some possibility believing it.
Rating:
Summary: Enthralling
Review: I couldn't get enough of this book and had a very hard time taking breaks from reading it. I couldn't wait to get to the conclusion, but also didn't want it to end. The plot, the flow of the storyline, the characters, and especially the setting - all fascinating. Start this book, and you'll have to finish it.
Rating:
Summary: Beach Culture Never Looked So Good, And Unappealing
Review: I loved this book at first it starts out and I think OK its a bunch of rich shallow kids who are looking for some Nihilistic experience. But then they move on and find the Beach, and its culture, Richard and his 2 French companions find that Nihilistic experience there. Only in the beginning I think Richard was a little disapointed when no one sat around all day and talked about it. "Its just a beach resort." Sal told him. But in the beginning it was so much more, Richard is mesmerized by action of fitting in, in this utopian experience. At first he sees no petty differences, just everyone living "the Life," fishing, gardening, cooking, talking. There's no television, no radio, no newspapers, and no phone. So they only have each other for company and contact. There are some symbols of the outside world, only really two to be precise, the GameBoy, and the boat. Entertainment and transportation. Two of the bigger catalysts from the modern world. But then things sour, events don't just begin to sour, there were rifts previously there already, but they are made worse by some events that cause these rifts to broaden and engulf the commune. And it becomes evident that these people are in fact spoiled brats of rich parents and think only of themselves and how things will effect them and their time at the beach. They become completly irrational, they do not help people who are in life threatening danger, and allow them to be killed, they do not notify family members that their loved ones have died. In fact when some people are killed by other forces they in fact see this as a blessing, a particular problem that was bothering them has been taken care of, and the commune did not have to confront the issue. This bit was almost completly frustrating for me. I hated the people in the book for this. Read the book, enjoyed it very much, be sure to catch all the Vietnam references, one screwed event compared to another. One reference in particular is the Tet Celebration which signifies a change in the commune's way of life as did the Tet Offensive in Vietnam.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent novel
Review: I was highly suspicious of reading The Beach, having heard of it being 'a great film with De Caprio in it'. Not being a fan of Leonardo (this was before he starred in Catch me If you Can' etc etc.), I was going to give this a miss, before I got stuck in an aeroport and was forced to read it.Garland creates beautiful scenery, great scenes of psychological and mental exploration, while touching on the ideas of the past, peace and ostricisation. The main character can be seen in many different lights; as both an idiot and a hero, as insane or perfectly normal, driven by a force stronger than himself. So why not five stars? In parts of the book, Garland does tend to drag out the sequences with Mr. Duck (read to understand!), and at the end I found myself wondering about what certain characters were actually like; his development of the background characters could have been better. Despite these downfalls, Garland creates an excellent, fast-paced novel with an extremely sinister and well created ending. Definately worth a read
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent read...
Review: If you saw the movie (you know, the one with Leo), try and put it out of your head, and above all, don't let that be the reason you don't read the book (unless you went to see the movie BECAUSE of Leo). The book is said to contain elements of 'The Magus', and 'Lord of the Flies', and if you have read both those books, you will certainly feel their influence. In a nutshell, The Beach deals with living in an apparently utopian community, how human nature reaserts itself the minute things start to go wrong, and studies the effect of living appart from society and it's laws. The shocking and gritty ending says it all. The narrator, Richard, is given a map to a place called the beach, one night in a hostel in Thailand, and decides to try and find this legendary place with two fellow travellers. They succeed in finding the beach, a little corner of paradise ringed by cliffs, and are eventually welcomed by its inhabitants, a motley selection of characters who for various reasons have shunned the real world. Shortly thereafter, Richard, a fan of Vietnam war movies, begins to lose touch with reality in a rather sinister way. I started reading this book around 8:00pm and finally put it down at 3:00 in the morning, 30 pages shy of the end, because I couldn't keep my eyes open. I think the reason this tale is so appealing because it speaks to most human being's yearning for a simpler life. Who wouldn't want to spend every day in the sun, sea and sand with nothing to do but enjoy life, fish and gather fruit and grow their own vegetables? (not to mention getting stoned everyday...oh, did I forget to mention the marijuana field on the island?) Ok. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but still, this is a very gripping read.
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