Rating: 
Summary: Leonardo ¿De Cappuccino¿
Review: What an exciting surprise to find such brilliance, in a book that was made into a sub par movie staring Leonardo 'De Cappuccino'. It's about a backpacker who finds a map leading to a closed off island in Thailand, which he finds a commune of other packers living in "paradise". Nintendo, smoking pot, war in the woods--the book does a lot to capture an era. It's a great piece of fiction, which I can't for the life of me figure out some of the bad ratings here--possibly lacking a sense of imagination and wonder? If you ever used to play war, then this is a must read.
Rating:
Summary: Best thing published in 20 years
Review: It is impossible for me to say something that no one else has about this book; they've all hit the nail right on the head (exept those who didn't like it:). Just incase you didn't get the picture from the other reviewers, the movie does no justice to the book, if you've seen it. It's like what the Final fantasy movie did to the game. The acting is pretty rank, the script is horribly adapted, and Leo, though pretty good in Titanic, is miscast beyond belief (the role was rightfully Ewan McGregors, obi-wan from Starwars I and Trainspotting). So yeah, forget that movie was ever made, basically. Moving on, I am by no means a book lover. In fact, this is the first time I've ever been in the Amazon book section, and also, this is the only non-required book I've finished reading in about two years. And let me tell you, I've read it no less than 10 times since the first time I finished it. This is the greatest thing I've ever read (including the bible)(sorry to the religious folk out there, but it's just my opinion). In conclusion, BUY THIS BOOK!!! It just keeps getting better, every time I read it.
Rating:
Summary: Ignore the Movie
Review: This is a great book. It is any easy read and makes you wonder about your own mind and morals.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: If you like fantasy books (although, this actually could be happening for all we know), then I recommend you pick this book up asap! The title doesn't tell us much, the back cover tells us a little more but as soon as you get into this book, you won't be able to put it down. Briefly, the story revolves around a young man named Richard who is given a map by a stranger of a so-called secret community living on a beach in Thailand. The story revolves around Richard and two friends, travelling to Thailand in search of this secret paradise. That's where all the excitement starts. This book is a page turner from beginning to end. I felt myself rooting inside for the trio to find the secret hide-a-way so when they actually do, then it really gets exciting. You will enjoy this book immensely! If you like fantasy's that is. ;-)
Rating:
Summary: An Amazing Mind Trip
Review: The Beach is one of the best books of the 90s in my opinion. It's hip, fresh and full of courage. It's been called a generation-X masterpiece but I think it's bigger than that. It's for all generations and all people.The plot is orignal to say the least and the characters are all amazingly complex, especially Richard, the main character. The story is told through his eyes as he experiences the world of "the beach." You see him transform into a new person, a slightly frightening version of his old self. What impressed me so much about this book is the moral issues that are in it. Just how far would you go to keep a secret? Could people lose all morality if they lived on a empty island for a long period of time? This book is about mind games, the games we play with ourselves, the games we play with those around us, and the games we play with fate. The Beach is more than an entertaining book, it makes you think. It makes you think about things you would never think about and that is what I love about the book. So if you like an adverturous read, then buy this book you won't regret it. And if you think you can just see the movie, the movie [is bad] and is nothing like the book, characters are even left out...so read the book!
Rating: 
Summary: Impressive!
Review: A hot book, fast paced, well-written, words sharper than razor blades, powerful characters, interesting through-out! This book is absolutely fantastic, the character of Richard is described so well, so ALIVE that you just become him - in a way - while reading, even becoming a part of his menacing memories of the Vietnam war. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is, because it takes about 200 pages until something happens, you might call a trigger to later events and there on to the big showdown at the end of the book. The first 200 pages are constructed very well, just like the last, but it kind of just shuffles along, giving us the beach life, the adventure of being stranded on an unknown island. These elements are important to build up a story, but chewed on for too long when it comes to creating the right circumstances for bad things to happen. All I want to say is, that Garland although writing well, had some problems with keeping the story fluid. Put these aside and you got a very thrilling, invloving read, you will remember for a long time - and enjoy much longer, even when you are finished.
Rating: 
Summary: Have I read this novel before?
Review: Throughout reading The Beach I felt a sense of deja vu. Perhaps Lord of the Flies; Perhaps Heart of Darkness ( The Horror! the Horror!) I think we have a copycat on our hands! Despite a unique situation and setting, this modern day paradise seemed also unoriginal and bland. The ending was unreal and although I gave this novel a 3. The 3 came from my like of the characters.
Rating:
Summary: Vietnam Flahsback
Review: I enjoyed this book. I have not seen the movie. I enjoyed the character development and the slow unraveling of an artificial utopian society...(what other kind of utopia exists?)The book was thought provoking and well paced. The one question that I still puzzle over is the connection between the Vietnam War and the Twenty Something's generation. Perhaps I've missed a major nuance of Twenty Something culture, since I'm way older, but I just couldn't understand why the narrator of this tale was so enamored with Vietnam War Era lingo. I can understand that there might be a handful of Vietnam Vets seeking solace in "Paradise", but I just can not understand why this young kid is so focused on the era. If the book drew a connection, I missed it.
Rating:
Summary: Impressive debut from important new voice
Review: I saw the movie. I thought that it was pretty decent. I did not know that it was a novel, but when I found out I had to read it. It's easy to dismiss the Leo-factor since Richard in the book is English not American, and dark with dark hair. It's easy to dismiss the cheesy romance factor, because hardly any of those things happened in the book. It was more like a fan of Vietnam movies and video games personal vacation. The ending was a bit more intense than the movie, at at least that's what I thought. It was a very good read, not overly descriptive, and there is hardly a dull moment. Whatever you do don't think of the movie when you're reading it, and you'llenjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: Forget the movie, I beg of you.
Review: If you've seen the film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, temporarily wipe it out of your brain. It never happened. Now imagine a book that takes elements from Lord of the Flies and crams them in with a man in his early twenties who just wants to do something new. He's sick of video games, sick of trekking all over the earth trying to find something that other people haven't swarmed all over, something that hasn't been made commercial. And with Etienne and Francoise, a French couple, he finds that something. On an island no one should be on, on a hidden beach, he finds a small community of people who were all looking for the same thing he was looking for. It sounds perfect, right? Everyone gets along, everyone works for the good of the community, and people can spend long days simply forgetting about the mainland, forgetting about the madness that is London, that is San Francisco, that is Bangkok. The only problem is, all good things must come to an end. So what happens when this one does? This book is generally fast paced, well written, and just disturbing enough to really make you think. I suggest you buy it and devour it. The reason I withheld that last star was the occasional dragging, the occasional page or two that just didn't interest me. But really, a few pages to skim over is well worth the rest of the book. Oh, by the way, you can remember the movie now.
|
