The Beach

Rating:
Summary: A World So Sublime...
Review: After finishing this book, I sat for a long time and thought of the deeper meaning of a piece like this. There are pop culture landmarks and the affected youth tones, yet something really strikes me as sublime about the novel. I'm not claiming this to be the greatest book ever, not at all. Its just a very unique and lulling book... my moods would shift with the book and in the end, after it was over, I was lost in it's magic.

Rating:
Summary: hell ya
Review: y

Rating:
Summary: great read - unexpected ending
Review: I read the book whilst on holiday in thailand which added atmosphere to the read. Great story, turning the pages furiously but was slightly disappointed with ending. I feel it could have bee a bit more sophisticated like the rest of the book.

Rating:
Summary: Apolcayse Now meets Lord of the Flies
Review: This much talked about novel which is reminiscent of scenes from Lord of the Flies and has vague parralelisms from Apocalypse Now is an excellent debut for Garland. Richard's fantasies and paranoias are cleverly displayed through the use of Mr.Duck (especially in the last scene appearing as the unforgettable Brando- oh the horror). Tension is built gradually to what a reader would expect to be a nail biting and dramatic finale but this never materializes leaving the reader somewhat dissapointed. Leonardo is a big mistake- an American and a pretty boy! I would prefer someone like Ewan McGregor to take on the role.

Rating:
Summary: an ocean of copied ideas and sheer lack of imagination
Review: Funny, I thought I had already read Lord of the Flies, but here it is set in Thailand all over again. So, Alex Garland likes Vietnam movies does he? Please send him as many as you can so we can keep him busy watching them and well away from his typewriter in the future. If ever a novel deserved having Leonardo Di Caprio in the film version, it's this one.

Rating:
Summary: Compelling Read By A Talented Young Author
Review: Often when I read a best-seller, the stories don't stay with me for very long. Even if it's a good book, sometimes it just fades away after a while. However, I have a feeling that "The Beach" is going to stick with me for a long time. Comparisons to "Lord of the Flies" and "Heart of Darkness" are going to be inevitable, but Garland's style, and unique vision make it a remarkable novel. "Lord" and "Heart" are classic stories, but by putting someone from the so-called "MTV generation" into a utopian society, "The Beach" managed to strike a nerve in me that those other novels failed to reach. I'm sure many older critics and readers may find it easy to dismiss this novel due to it's Gen X themes. But if you take the time to put that bias aside, chances are you'll see that "The Beach" is an accomplished piece of work (especially by a first time novelist). The movie version is on the way and I'm a little apprehensive about it. After all, Leonardo Dicaprio hasn't exactly done justice to classic stories ("Romeo & Juliet", "The Man In The Iron Mask" anyone?). Hopefully director Danny Boyle will be able to do something special with it. If Boyle can make the movie even half as good as the book, then it will be worth seeing.

Rating:
Summary: What we all think about at 3am in the morning..well I do
Review: Not the greatest book every written but there are thoughts and words in the novel that are usually hidden deep in our sub-concious or fantasies anyway!The day-dreaming segments were really clever, he captured what its really like to be stoned... Richard is a very real person for our generation,not unsacthingly honest but containing all the basic flaws of human nature, cruelty, deceit loyalty etc! To anyone who has travelled we should all recognise someone in the book, well I did! I was a bit disappointed with ending though the reality of a year later I thought was very clever, they were just where I imagined them all to be. Leo as Richard mmmm not sure on that one surely there is enough British talent out there to have given the part to. I am reading it again now and I am sure to find more I like second time round, if you haven't yet read it, go ahead and find out what all the fuss is about.

Rating:
Summary: Hard to put down
Review: It's obvious from the previous reviews that this is the type of book you either love or hate. I loved it. So compelling that I read the whole book on the day after purchasing it. Comparisons to William Golding's classic are apt, but I found The Beach arguably more relevant to the contemporary reader. The main characters are likeable and interesting, and some, such as Sal, have a distinctly sinister side. I don't think there was anything wrong with the emding. A little abrupt perhaps, but it fits in well with the rest of the story, and I like the way the main character finally recalls the nightmare a year later, and ties up the loose ends of what happened to the islands inhabitants. I would have to recommend to this book to you. Even if you hate it, you will be able to say you have read what must surely be a future modern classic.

Rating:
Summary: I loved seeing the world through Richard's eyes.
Review: This book was excellent. I was drawn into Richard's hallucinogenic paradise/nightmare and enjoyed experiencing The Beach through his Vietnam & Video Game obsessed mind. Anyone who has seen Leonardo DiCaprio in Gilbert Grape and Romeo & Juliet will see that he has the range to "possibly" pull the role of Richard out. The true question that must be answered: Who will play Mister Duck?

Rating:
Summary: Not perfect, just fun to read.
Review: "The Beach" is not the best book ever written, so what? It's truly fun to read. I usually go pretty slow, but I couldn't put this one down and I finished it in two sittings (both on an airplane, for whatever that's worth). The characters are real, and the dialogue is perfectly conversational--impressive considering the different nationalities involved. They're all flawed characters, but I ended up caring about them anyway. The story had twists right when they were needed. I won't read it again, but I'm glad I read it. It was interesting, it was well-written, and it was fun.