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Summary: I'm just an ordinary guy who likes to read...
Review: and I couldn't put it down. Isn't that the mark of a good book? Being a twenty-something traveler, I totally related to his experiences and detailed descriptions of tourists and people, and he's by no means off the mark. Those of you who criticize should try writing more than an occasional book review. Bottom line: if you're a traveler, you'll find humorous commonalities. Regardless, you'll be entertained.
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Summary: A believable riveting book.
Review: I grabbed this book from a library display not knowing that once I started it, I wouldn't really be able to put it down.After travelling to Koh Samui and visiting the islands in the Marine Park recently, it was possible to imagine that this tale actually happened. Garland has an uncanny knack of hooking the reader through a series of sometimes unlinked events and I look forward to seeing whether his other life experiences are able to enable him to write equally as well on another subject.
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Summary: Finally, a Generation X work where the X=10.
Review: "The Beach" lives up to its hype. That simple declarative sentence says a lot if one reads the reviews. From "Lord of the Flies" to "Heart of Darkness", from "Platoon" to "Apocalypse Now" and maybe even "Easy Rider"; this book can be compared on many levels, and it works on all of the levels it touches upon. I personally would compare it to two other "first" novels, Camus' "The Stranger" and Hemmingway's "The Sun Also Rises". Although about as long as the previous two works together, I flew through it in no time at all. Alex Garland ranks with other young British writers the likes of Will Self, Martin Amis, Neil Gaimon, and others; as the cream of today's best authors, and American audiences are clamoring for more. A must-read.
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Summary: Mesmerising
Review: Never before have I ever felt so captured in a novel that isn't just enthralling but so easy to read and so addictive. The imagination used by Garland is beyond most things that I have read, Thailand, islands, zany Americans, dope fields, paradise, harmony all contrast with danger, death, enemies and jealousy. The ease at which curiosity is evoked is amazing. A superb novel.
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Summary: One of the best books I've ever read
Review: From the very first line I found it very hard to put this book down. I read this book while I was on wintersport. It was hard to go skiing while I hadn't finished the beach. I think the beach is especially valued by people who are or used to be backpackers (like myself). I could very well identify myself with the main character (Richard) although at the end he becomes a little bit unsympathic.
Alex, I can't wait for your next book to come out!
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Summary: Sheer Kerouac delight!!
Review: This is by far the most compelling read that I have come accross for a long time. Once you have started the book it becomes increasingly difficult to put it down as the story unfolds and thickens all at the same time. This is not a book for those looking to read a little bit here and there on the tube, this will make you want to pack a rucksack and leave the country in search of paradise in the midst of our spoiled world!! Surely this is a total must and a cult book in the mould of Jack Kerouac's "On the road". The beatnik generation of the future!
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Summary: A fun read that falls just a bit short...
Review: Perhaps I enjoyed it too much, read it too quickly for its plot intensity and character fun, but "The Beach" falls short in one critical area: it doesn't answer it's own question. That aside, the story does get ahold of you and demands your attention, even if our hero is far less than heroic and too befuddled by his own ambiguity to be any kind of moral compass, let alone interpreter of events. The point of the story, its lesson? Perhaps it's as simple as utopia not being a place on a beach or lost in a neverending marijuana fog, but anywhere but... Unfortunately, Mr. Garland isn't too sure either.
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Summary: Literary junk food
Review: A couple of references to the movie "Platoon" and all of a sudden this is an insightful Gen X take on popular culture?? Whatever. While the book was good and highly readable, it didn't stick with me. I felt the same way I did after finishing "On The Road" -- just this pervasive feeling of "AND???"
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Summary: A great read on the beach
Review: Designed for (and possibly written by) the young traveller more intent on experience by osmosis than design. Quite accurate portrayal of the trip from Khao San Road to Koh Samui (and beyond), confirming the prejudices against those who have made the trip by those who have not. Thailand and Thais are not accurately represented, but the average backpacker rarely experiences the nuances of a local culture. And this is a book about the backpacking experience. Tropical travel, characters without deadlines and the use of references to our own childhood experiences, cartoon characters and " The Lord of the Flies", should help the open minded adult enjoy the escapism this book provides.
A book for the beach rather than the study, I hope Mr Garland will turn his attention to places I have not yet seen. Maybe I'll visit them, with suitcase not backpack, and enjoy them unburdened by the need to return with a few lines of 'acceptable' dinner party conversation.
A good book for the right audience
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Summary: A great story
Review: I have just finished reading The Beach by Alex Garland and thought it was a superb story. Congratulations to the author for a great debut. Once started it was difficult to put down. It is not often (never in fact) that I feel compelled to write and say how much I enjoyed a particular book, however The Beach really caught the imagination. Personally, I have never travelled in Thailand but the writing really set a scene and got the reader involved, so much so that by the end of the story I felt that I had made the journey as well. I can just imagine sitting in a pub with the author discussing his travels in Asia over a few beers! When will his next title be published? Please pass my congratulations to Alex Garland.
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