Rating: 
Summary: You've read nothing like this before!
Review: This book will knock your socks off! I guarentee you've never read anything like this before. Christopher gives Rain Man a run for his money!Mark Haddon has done a superb job of creating the character of Autistic Christopher. What's more, as you start reading, he's not a character any longer, he's real...In this book Christopher has found his neighbor's dog murdered, so he decides to play detective, like his idol Sherlock Holmes, and find out who killed him. So begins the journey, which actually leads into ta much larger adventure, as Christopher begins to uncover that things in his life are not as they seem. You see, Christopher may be autistic, but he's a wiz at math and science and he's also unusually perceptive. The way Haddon goes through Chris's thought process and daily activities is pure genius. And to add depth to the story, I found his parents & some of the other characters in this book, also very "real". There aren't any perfect people in this book, this is real life. I sincerely recommend this book to you. It's a quick read at only 220 pages, and the wit at which Haddon writes, makes those pages fly by. Very rarely does a book make me laugh out-loud, and this book did that several times. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: More stars, please
Review: Why is it that some books get all the attention and appear on bestseller lists, while others languish, not in obscurity, but alas, not getting the attention they deserve? "The Curious Incident" is one such book, for it completely deserves to be number one on all bestseller lists. Also recommended: Jackson McCrae's "The Bark of the Dogwood"
Rating:
Summary: Autism's and it's many faces
Review: This is a wonderfully perceptive look at the world through the child of autism. Though this is a short book, it is easy to read and can be read in one night (Which I did). Very hard to put down until it is finished. So many things I didn't understand about this illness that are brought to light through this book.
"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" is a poignant and well written book of lessons learned with emotions that run the gambet from sadness to laughter.
Rating: 
Summary: Going against the tide here
Review: I really struggled with commenting on this one.
The examples of Aspie traits are brilliantly conveyed: fear of certain colors, following rigid daily routines, hating to be touched, etc. For the first half of the book, Christopher is quite engaging. Then we come to The Discovery ... downhill from there. I just wasn't buying that knife.
Frankly, I was rather shocked that Christopher was seriously (Aspies don't joke - they say what they mean) considering stabbing a certain person, but realized he wouldn't be able to get what he needed from that person at that time if he did. HELLO? He would be more concerned about being locked up forever (either in a hospital or prison) I'd think; he's terrified of crossing the authorities already over a mere "caution". This incident led me to believe that he is a potential danger-to-himself-and-others. Which leads to ... the subway/tube train incident, where he nearly gets himself killed, then starts ranting about cutting off strangers' fingers (which he has mentioned occasionally) because they show concern for him. I guess I just didn't buy into the premise that he was capable of such violent thoughts, yet had not gotten into more serious trouble than just hitting a classmate and a cop. In the real world, the authorities would never have let someone go who was on the tracks without permission; Christopher would have been taken into custody for it.
On a related note, I was troubled that he seemed quite so paranoid? I chalked that up, at least in part, to the Stranger Danger material with which he is inundated at school. Was that was a joke - along with Christopher's hatred of France?
I had given up caring much about him by the very end. I did muster up enough enthusiasm to find hid dad's choice of gift inappropriate given the color scheme.
Overall, it seemed as though the author was intent on setting up an Aspie protagonist, which he does fairly well (see above re: knife). It was the plot that was the problem.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Terrific
Review: The plot of this novel is quite simple. Christopher Boone is a 15 year-old autistic boy who, after finding his neighbor's poodle kill by a garden fork, sets out to discover the identity of the murderer. Through his "detecting" Christopher discovers the culprit but in doing so he also discovers so much more about himself. But the true discovery is left for the readers of this wonderful novel who discover not only the uniquely different world as seen through Christopher's eyes but also his truly underlying genius. I understand from previous reviewers that author Mark Haddon had actually worked with autistic children - and it is reflected in his brilliant first-person narrative, spoken through Christopher's authentic voice. He shows how Christopher is neither capable of judging or ascribing any emotions to anything he experiences and thus is able to simplify his complex world. Haddon doesn't coddle his character nor does he minimize or exaggerate the difficulties of Christopher's parents have in dealing with a child with Christopher's condition. And therein lies the true appreciation for this simply terrific novel. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time is a 5-star read that should not be missed.
Rating:
Summary: One of a kind
Review: Like many other books that show us the inner workings of an unusual mind--THE LIFE OF PI by martel, or Jackson McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD, this book takes us into territory that the average person wouldn't encounter. And yet THE CURIOUS INCIDENT has something totallly different going for it, for the voice it uses is like no other. The form of this book is unique, as is its premise and execution. I'm not usually one to go by Today Show picks, but this one did the trick for me. Also would recommend "Drop City" by Boyle, and "The Bark of the Dogwood" by McCrae.
Rating:
Summary: Unique Technique
Review: Prior to purchasing this novel, I had read several reviews, all positive. Even Stephen King recommended this book in his "Entertainment Weekly" column. So, I knew going in that "The Curious Incident..." was written from the viewpoint of an autistic person, and that most people thought it to be a great book. Nothing, however, prepared me for just how shockingly authentic was the narrator's point of view. I expected to be impressed by some literary tricks, but what I discovered was a distinctly real, compassionate character who, like everyone, faces limitations in communicating emotion and understanding others. What impressed me most was the character's forthright honesty. Upon finishing this remarkable book, I gained the insight that the reason it is easier for "non-autistic" persons to function in this society is not due to a gift of human connection, but rather it's because of our ability to constantly weave and fabricate falsities and untruths. I wholeheartedly recommend this book. You'll learn a little about autistism, but you will learn much more about society.
Rating:
Summary: Viewpoint of an Asperger's parent
Review: Christopher, the teenaged narrator and main character of this book, is described on the cover as being Autistic. This is about as accurate as lumping the blind and amputees under the umbrella of "handicapped". It is an easily-identifiable label, but not in the least helpful in explaining the specifics of the condition. More precisely, Christopher would seem to have Asperger's syndrome. This is often described as a mild version of autism, but as I hear another Asperger's parent say, "there is nothing mild about my son". Christopher is far too high-functioning to fall in the general category of autistic. Here are the indicators: - Able to distinguish simple facile expressions such as a smile or frown, Christopher cannot, and further will not, interpret subtler facial expressions such as a cocked eyebrow or a "resigned" look. Having Asperger's has rather accurately been described as being like an anthropologist on Mars.
- Christopher excels in Maths. But this is not simply a savantism, like Raymond in the movie Rain Man. Rather, it is because Christopher can follow the unwaivering rules required by pure science, and he works continuously at improving those skills.
- Christopher is very precise about language. He will employ similes ("He looked like he had two white mice up his nose") but not metaphor ("she was the apple of his eye"). When asked by his father to make a specific promise, Christopher agrees. But he makes clear to the reader specifically what he agreed to, which falls far short of what his father intended. And here I can introduce a similar example, since my own 10-year boy has been similarly diagnosed. If I ask him "Haven't you finished your homework?" He will answer "No", if he has completed it. Reason being, if I asked "Have you finished" his answer would be "Yes", so the inclusion of the "not" in my question must negate his answer. He not trying to be smart-alecky - he is answering in the most honest way he can.
- Christopher does not like jokes. Well, he claims not to, but he does tell two of them. Specifically, puns. My son, too, creates riddles based around contrasting meaning of the same word. The riddles are about as subtle as a rock to the nose, but they will get better. Mine did. Christopher's condition is both the strong point and the weakness of this book. The limits of first-person narration are further constricted when that narrator begins nearly every paragraph with 'And I said "...' or "And then I..." but the patient read will soon get into the rhythm of this speech. Despite several setbacks for the protagonist, things end a little too "happily ever after" in the book. Haddon, the author, was formerly a worker with autistic individuals, and he makes Christopher's closest confident his special needs teacher. I can again speak from experience and say that a great teacher can make a world of difference in such a situation. (God bless you, Ms. Lavallee!) Christopher's parents are treated in an honest way, far from perfect, often and unintentionally setting their child back, but adaptive, willing to learn, and loving. Don't go into this book expecting a Christie-level mystery, or spectacularly imaginative prose. But parents of Asperger's diagnosed children will recognize Haddon's insight at once. And everyone else will perhaps learn to recognize and possibly tolerate if not accept the condition. You'll certainly be better for reading it.
Rating:
Summary: A bitterly funny book with a great description of autism
Review: Christopher Boone is a 15 year, 2 months and 3 days old boy who lives in Swindon together with his father. One night he finds the dog of the neighbour with a garden fork sticking out of it. He decides to solve this murder in the way his great example Sherlock homes would have done, because animals have the same rights as humans. Christopher really needs to stretch his limits while "detecting": he is autistic and cannot cope with simple things like the colour yellow, being touched, being in a place with lots of people or eating food of the wrong colour. But he uses his very rational mind (he wants to become a mathematician or, ideally, an astronaut) to make choices between options and to overcome some of his fears. And he ultimately discovers a truth far bigger than he could have imagined when he started his adventure. This is a bitterly funny book looking at the world through the eyes of somebody who has problems understanding emotions and other human behaviour and language that are taken for granted by non-autistic people. Mark Haddon really described the essence of what it is like to be autistic. A great read (and I loved the little drawings).
Rating:
Summary: Read this!
Review: What a remarkable and brilliant book this is. I had read all of the reviews and read it to see what the fuss was about. It is certainly my favourite read of 2004. It is an apparently simple whodunnit but told from the persepctive of the 15 year old Asperger's sufferer Christopher Boone. Domestic problems, simple journeys and idle chatter become intriguing adventures through the eys of the narrator who sees things very differently. Mark Haddon shows a very clear insight into the autistic mind. We get a real insight into what we dismiss as 'behavioural problems'. On one page you cry and on the next you laugh out loud. This book deserves to be read. Now!
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