The Beach

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Summary: An amazing action-adventure novel full of color and insight.
Review: Alex Garland's first novel stuns the reader with a quick-paced, exciting adventure set in present day about the backpacking people and lifestyle in Thailand. When Richard, a traveler, descends upon a paradise village on a remote island, he discovers much about life and himself.

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Summary: READ IT ANYWAY
Review: I lived in South of Thailand for one year, back in 1992 and this book was for me highly intriguing. All Garland says about young Westerners travelling in Asia is absolutely REAL. The feelings, the landscapes, the dreams I remind from my experience have been suddenly resurrected by this novel. The plot is ordinary and samples the Apocalypse Now mythology but anyway if you want a book that you cannot wait to finish reading, buy The Beach.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing!!!!
Review: I bought "The Beach" On a Thursday and finished it by that Saturday night! I was so absorbed by the story and the thoughts and feelings of Richard I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed every single page of this book! It was a welcome change from my boring 9th grade reading lists!

Rating:
Summary: Wow! Wow! Wow!
Review: I picked this book up with little prior knowledge, only that a friend had mentioned it in passing. I can't believe how much I enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down. The way it is written is so ture, so honest, and for any of us who have ever traveled, so hauntingly real, it is a true masterpiece. I would truly advise reading this book - not only if you are 20- something with a sense of adventure, but for anyone who appreciates a well written, moving story. Garland really led me on a wonderful journey through his words, and now I can't wait to pick up his next book.

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Summary: helluva lot of fun
Review: sorry I don't have much to say, just a desire to spread the word. I've spent the better part of this year reading cautionary tales about a dystopian future, analzying shakespeare, basically wading through mandatory literary crud. A book such as this reminded me why I love reading in the first place. Plot inconsistancy aside, it is an incredibly enjoyable story. The pop-culture references aren't a way to make the book cooler-than-thou, just the expressions of the author. Coming from an author so young, the references are more than relevant.

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Summary: The lights are on--brightly--but no one's home
Review: It's gripping, it's a page-turner, the locale is exotic and intriguing, but The Beach is also obviously the work of a young writer just finding his way with dialogue and character development (the endless puffing on cigarettes is a dead giveaway). And what were they attacking the narrator with at the end? Shrimp cocktail forks? I don't think the book warrants the lavish critical praise it's received, but a writer with such a gift for narrative drive bears watching.

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Summary: a waste of my money &time
Review: it is the most boring book i have ever read since having read a dictionary there are a lot of descriptions so long and unrealistics.The story is classic.The beginning is a kind of treasure hunt but after a few pages there is no more action,just the secret communitylife. I would not recommend the book to my students.

Rating:
Summary: Good story but some strange scenes.
Review: This book starts like a police mystery, but as the story goes on it becomes more of an adventure.That's the part i most liked about this book.Richard gets involved in Daffy's sucide, so he decide's to learn what's on that island.The part on the island was the most interesting. One part is still a mystery to me.what ever happened to Daffy Duck?Why did he kill himself and why did Richard keep on seeing and talking to him? I'm looking forward to seeing the movie even if I'm not a great fan of Leonardo di Caprio who is going to play Richard in the Beach.

Rating:
Summary: It's a good beach.
Review: All I can say is that this book is an excellent representation of what Asia is like - or at least of what people who go there wish to find. Sure, it is a little over the top and relies heavily on fantasy but "The Beach" is more about the feelings and emotions of it's characters than the actual tangible events that occur within it. I would definately recommend "The Beach" to anyone who has ever been, or wishes to go to the South East Asian region of the world.

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Summary: Comic book novel
Review: Imagine an isolated community that has existed for ten years. Imagine that all of the twenty people in the community sleep in the same room, yet there is no sex or pregnancy. There has never been a doctor needed before, so when illness strikes it nearly destroys the community. Money mysteriously appears when food or supplies are required. Although material possessions are few and valuable, there is no theft or envy.

Once you enter the community, you must remain at the same job every day, unless you can get someone else to swap with you. This means that you might remain in the crap slot you hate for 2-3 years. Chances are 1 in 10 that you'll go mad. Oh yeah, and if you don't fish for food every day, there is nothing to eat but a few weeks reserve of rice.

I had to laugh reading this book because Garland's paradise seemed heck of a lot like a Nazi death camp, without the constant starvation (yet it did have a commandant). The flaws such as plot holes, plodding narrative, and non-existent character development have been well described by others. If you find WrestleMania emotionally satisfying, think A-Team references are pop-chic, and want to appear 'lit-hip', this book is just the ticket.