Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining
Review: I thought this book was very entertianing and kept my interest like so few books do these days.. I couldn't stop turning the pages until it was finished and I do agree with others, it was a very fast read... Whether or not the location and local dialogue are correct I really don't care. There is a reason we call it fiction. The story painted a picture for me and kept me on the edge of my seat.
Rating: 
Summary: Bad bad bad
Review: This is a book sporting uninteresting prose, shallow characters and, the point of this review, absolute lack of knowledge of Thailand ... or more likely the ability to put it down in writing.In the few dialogs with Thai characters, they come across as semi-retarded aliens. Anybody who has spent any time in Thailand knows about the lively conversations in *bamboo English* with the fun-seeking, friendly and laid-back Thais. The only plausible reason of why mr. Garland fails to capture the true farang-Thai dialog is simply lack of skill. I bet he doesn't even know Thailand was never a colony - a fact that greatly influences foreign-local relations on a day-to-day basis: Thais don't have anything to prove to the farangs. At one point Richard sets out to explore *Bangkok, or at least Kao San Road*. Please. Bangkokg is one of the most exciting places in Asia, maybe the world. Kao San Road is a 2-block sketchy place with 0 interest. But the funniest part is when they are on the rice run. After having to hear about killing the *Lonely Planet* writers (who, by the way, have a much more rational atitude about travelling than Richard or Garland will ever have), hearing about how tourists spoil eveything, etc. They get to Koh Pha Ngan and he orders ... a cheeseburger! You've got to be kidding me. Or maybe not, since any reference to the local culture goes along the same lines. There are excellent adventure writers today (D. Westlake and E. Leonard being prominent). Garland better read some more and play nintendo a lot less. BTW, if he was soooo obsessed with Vietnam, why not set the novel there in the first place? You can travel there feeely, it's just not as easy as Thailand. I bet he didn't have the guts.
Rating:
Summary: Great mind candy
Review: This book is a cerebral Snickers bar for anyone who has travelled abroad with a backpack in search of the next place to be. Even if you're someone, like me, who has to laugh at the dreadlocked 'Travellers' that litter the world's tropical playgrounds - it's well worth the read. Gartner's prose, from his observations of his friends' neuroses to his memories of constructing model airplanes, flows and captivates astonishingly well. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one to have muttered 'Bravo 6 to Alpha Team - recon initiated' as I jumped into the jeep on its way to the airport. Read it -- and not just for the story, but also to enjoy someone who effortlessly writes like you think. At least how you think after a night of too many beers and too little sleep on the local commuter as it pulls into Prague central station at 6am.
Rating:
Summary: absolutely amazing....a stunning novel
Review: What could I possibly say about this book that someone else hasn't already brought up? Not a whole heck of a lot, so the only thing I really can do is give you my measly opinion. The characters are absolutely brilliant (you can't help but love Mr. Duck), everything is just described in a way that actually places you in the moment. And to me that is the sign of a brilliant novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Easy reading for someone who likes a flat story
Review: The Beach is really a book that you will get through in 3 days or less. Never really thrilling, but it still makes you hold on because you wait for that something to happen, something that makes you understand why so many rate is so highly. I never did, but on the other hand I think it is a book that really would be better as a movie(we'll see!), because then there would be a sort of excuse for the thin and unbelievable characters. They all seemed so unreal to me, and I was rather disappointed, since so many thinks it is a great book. Why write the story in the first place, if there is nothing to be told? No real action, no real sense, no real nothing. A book you should bring when you don't want to get into deep thinking. But, the reading flows. P.S How did they get the rice back from the boat to the beach...did they swim with it under water in the tunnel? I don't like that type of "sloppy" attitude for details from an author, at least TRY to think of a logic explanation..if not, just don't write it.
Rating:
Summary: Hemingway meets Lord of the Flies
Review: I relly enjoyed this book. It evokes in me the need to explore, just as I have felt while engaged in a Hemingway novel. Great descriptions, etc. I am going to Thailand! But the novel is dark and its exploration into the idea of group isolation, something so foreign to us--the return to "nature"-i is quite fascinating. I think Alex Garland painted an excellent possible scenario and indeed a frightening one. My only criticism which I am sure many will disagree with me on, is Mr. Duck. His postmortem presence became a little too corny for my appreciation.
Rating:
Summary: 'you'll love it!' ..she said
Review: H. gave me this book saying; 'you'll love it', a must admit i read it passionately. after finishing it i mentioned to someone that i really missed (the hassle with) Sal, Duffy and Bugs... which is sort of funny; i think the superficiality off the characters (is that not quintessence on the Beach?) is not of matter since the focus is on their in-between relations, which are formed by the group itself. i was fascinated by those changes atmosphere and loved reading this 'light' and interesting novel.
Rating:
Summary: A fast pace, hard hitting, adrenaline pumpng read.
Review: I can't help thinking, those people who didn't like the novel were reading it wrong. This book hooked me from page one, I couldn't put it down. In bed, in the bath, on the bus, this book didn't close until I'd finished. If you don't want to read the most talked about beat generation book of this decade then don't!Your the only one who misses out.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Overrated.
Review: This book is WAY overrated. Kerouac it is not. Not even close. There is no character development and no real tension, which makes the book quite boring. Its saving grace, however, is that it moves very quickly. This is definately amateurish literature for a TV generation.
Rating: 
Summary: Great post-modern ironic piece of literature.
Review: Many people have missed the point of Garlands novel. Garland, rather than trying to convey the realism of a backpacker, is ironising the whole thing. For those of you familiar with the phrase, it is post modern. There is not depth to the characters , beacuase the characters are depthless and superficial. It is post-modern due to it's intertextuality, drawing on texts such as Heart of Darkness-Richards Vietnam fantasies; and what do the beachers become most concerned about, batteries for the nintendo. Richard sees himself as in a video game, and cannot relate to reality or it's consequences. Mr duck is an interesting character, do you not wonder why he left the beach? The only real disappointment was the ending where it all got a bit Steven King. So those who have read it already, ready it again. Leonardo di Caprio is completely the wrong choice for the role of Richard (who is an amoral person), and it si spoiled by the fact that Leo gets the girl in the film too. Guess the irony got lost here to. Expected better from My Boyle.
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