The Beach

Rating:
Summary: READ THIS BOOK NOW !!
Review: Make sure you read this book now - I have just finished reading it in under a week - I could not put it down. I read on the train and nearly missed my stop several times, as I was no longer in England but on the Beach. The book is written in a way that you actually feel you are there, part of the group experiencing it all. Your imagination is kept running on full power constantly. The characters, in particular the main one, Richard, are so believeable and I could easily relate to them all. I hope Alex's next book meets all my expectations !!

Rating:
Summary: The Beach is a fast-paced book.. hard to put down
Review: I personally enjoyed this book, it was an easy read... being someone from Asia...it was easy to relate to the Garland's characters...how they wanted to get away from the mainstream. I know what it's like to feel the curiousity of seeking a place free from worldly things. Too bad when one finds it, certain circumstances make it seem to self-destruct.

Rating:
Summary: PHENOMENAL, LOVED IT!
Review: I just finished about twenty minutes ago, taking the time to absorb the final chapters. What a fantastic novel! This is arguably the best books I've read in the last two years. Everything about this novel said brilliant to me, and I plan to recommend it to every serious reader I know. Don't wait for the movie, read it now!

Rating:
Summary: Great novel!
Review: I picked up this book a couple weeks ago, knowing the movie will be out soon, and I wanted to read before I saw the movie. The book was fantastic! I read it in less than a week. I couldn't put the book down. And that hardly ever happens. Usually I start a book, and then I get bored with it and stick it back on my shelf. But not The Beach. I had to keep reading. I felt like I was actually apart of the book, and the characters were well thought of. The last few chapters are very shocking. During the whole book there are so many unanswered questions, and the end explains it all. Well done Alex. Keep up the good work!

Rating:
Summary: Boring, reads like a screenplay
Review: The Beach has all the makings of a great novel - original story, interesting environment,etc. - but the writing is so dry that I could care less about any of the characters. This book was written with one philosophy in mind - concerning pop culture - but with these one dimensional characters I really didn't care about the author's views. I'm sure Leonardo Di Caprio will be perfect for the film. Hell, the screenplay was written even before it was adapted. Boring stuff.

Rating:
Summary: A Gen X Lord of the Flies. A brilliant page turner.
Review: Anyone interested in travel and youth culture will very much enjoy this unique story about backpackers set in Thailand. Read this book before the movie comes out, which will not capture the pulse of the fast, witty, and convincing narration.

Rating:
Summary: The last of the 20th century great classics
Review: Deserving of cult status already , I'm sure in time this read will become one the last great classics to be produced this century. In the book I found myself unravelling a great yearning to be on this island sharing the experiences of a lifetime with the characters I'd come to know so well. Like a fine bottle of wine I even became selective about where I chose to read it and finished it one hot balmy day beside a lonely path adjacent to a desrted pond watching a kingfisher explore his own version of Eden. Great memories , thanks Alex.

Rating:
Summary: A definite must-read. The book of a life-time.
Review: This is one of the best books I have ever read. The plot is surprisingly simple, yet somehow intrigues at every page. The characters are real and easily human, no idealistic views or unrealistic heroes. The Beach itself is a fairy-tale you want to believe in, every chapter is amazing! If you haven't read this book, you haven't lived!

Rating:
Summary: first the novel, then the cult following
Review: forget the movie. this novel should be like the beach. something that is passed from one person to another, but only if they'll appreciate it. my thanks to you Alex Garland.

Rating:
Summary: This book is the best I've read in a long time!
Review: I think this book has been written very well and especially if this is Alex Garland's first novel. You get to know the characters and feel by the end you know them very well as if they're your friends.I was actually very moved near the ending of the book and was nearly in tears.