The Beach

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Summary: Such a good book!!
Review: I've just finished reading 'The Beach'. It's a very good book...hardly to put it down. Alex must spent many years in Thailand because he can describe and called many places correctly. Not sure is the movie will be good like the book but sure the movie will show beautiful sea and beach of Thailand!!! Thank you so much David I.L. for the book. Don't miss it!!

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Summary: The critics are right, a novel for the younger generation.
Review: Not too artistically inclined with allusions towards things all to familiar to my age group (traveling, nintendo, peace in ones inner sanctum) well maybe not quite so age restriced. Its a good read to let your mind wander in.

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Summary: Heart of Darkness revisited
Review: Read any good books lately? If you'd rather be shot dead than read another Toni Morrison novel from Ophra's book of the month club then Garland's "The Beach" is for you. Here, we are once again viewing that age old concept of the human position in isolation. Garland is definately a student of Conrad, Golding, and many other such authors who have dared take that journey into the heart of darkness. In some respects, this is not only an initiation story, but a horror novel as well. It examines who we are in our most primal form and propses the insanity of a world without rules. Many will say this is an adult "Lord of the Flies" or a work that may be appealing to the Gen X audience, but more simply it's a well structured page turning book written by a fresh, young author. Yes, Garland's is not a completely original concept which is why it falls short of excellent, but in a world full of bad books this will be one you were glad you read.

Rating:
Summary: a good book!!
Review: i am currently still reading this book (although i am almost finished). it's a great book. very different from other books that i've read. i'm looking forward to reading more of alex garland's work when it comes out. i am a bit confused as to how the movie will be though.

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Summary: "Lord of the Flies" All Grown Up
Review: For everyone enjoyed reading "Lord of the Flies" when they were in grammar school, this is the follow-up for you.

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Summary: The best book I've read in a long time.
Review: I think it is really hard to explain why I loved this book so much. I didn't personally identify with the characters or the situations. The plot didn't move fast and the location was one I couldn't correlate to anywhere I've ever been. All these things aside, this book challenges the reader to look beyond the surface of the beautiful facade of "The Beach." I had to really look for evidence as to why the "beach" was a bad place. I still am not sure, but all in all I was fascinated as to how these people formed there own society with there own rules and morals. I am interested to see the movie and how it compares with the novel. I am definatly picking up a copy of Alex Garland's new book, The Tesseract. I think everyone with half a brain should read this book and see for themselves what the fuss is all about.

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Summary: Chef d'oeuvre
Review: I have been furiously obsessed about the book, no matter what I was doing. I had to know what would come next. Now that I finished, I am still somewhere on a beach. And I am scared about my thoughts...

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Summary: TOP !!
Review: While reading the book you can see everything in front of you as if you were really there. This is not something that happens to me often. I couldn't put the book down and even read it on my break at work. The end was a bit disapointing ( a bit far fetched). But the rest was the best.

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Summary: Xers and boomers: don't give up on a semblance of utopia
Review: The novel is a compelling read. I don't understand why some reviewers accuse it of being boring. It may not be the best piece of fiction ever written, but it is definitely not a snooze fest. And (again responding to some previous reviews) if you actually took the time to read the whole book, you will see that sex does occur -- just not in front of our faces. A bit refreshing, if you ask me. And even if some of the characters are underdrawn, remember that we are experiencing Richard's, and not a literary omniscient narrator's, view of the world. We come to understand the character of Richard through the way he describes his world. At any rate, my main complaint about the novel has to do with its cynical philosophy, I guess you could say. Yes, we know that utopia translates as "no place," etc. etc. That we ultimately cannot find and retain paradise. But perhaps we need to base our searches for paradise on more than Apocalypse Now, The Waltons, and other pop-cultural reminisces of the 60s and 70s. There were, for example, actual positive and healthy changes that occurred in the 60s--genuine struggles against racism, sexism, classism, and the like. And even if we have not yet conquered those demons, we are better off than we would have been if we hadn't attempted the struggle. Garland's novel seems to suggest that pursuing the desire to live authentically in a world that feels more genuine than the one you left behind will lead to disaster. Like saying: don't try to find a better way to live, because you'll just muck it up even more. Might not the attempt for utopia lead to some improvements? Not paradise, not perfection, but just a better, slightly-less-flawed world? Of course, it would probably involve characters actually becoming socially engaged--rather than detached--from the rest of the world. And it probably would involve a recognition that mishaps will occur. But Boomers, Xers, and all ensuing generations: Don't give up the journey, the attempt, just because humanity didn't get it right the first few times.

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Summary: Alex Garland is to books as Quentin Tarantino is to films
Review: Alex Garland defines the modern day Gen-Xer. The Beach is a novel to take notice of. It invites the reader into the world of an unheard utopia. This is a novel which the reader gains not only insight to what peace could be, but an insight to themselves as well. Although a work of fiction, this touches on the real feelings that runs through the minds of every person from our generation. I believe that this is a breakthrough novel and well worth the read.