Of "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, aged 13 3/4" I wrote: Adrian Mole, precocious British teenager, self-professed intellectual, and diarist tells us of his trials and tribulations during the last part of his 13th and all of his 14th year. His musings are funny, sweet, and ultimately poignant. In this first edition of the series, we follow him through his decision to become an intellectual, his parents separation and reunification, and his tumultuous first love affair with one Pandora Braithwaite (herself precocious, radical and somewhat fickle.)
Upon my second reading of this book, I was pleased that I was not any less enchanted by Adrian as when I first became acquainted with him during my freshman year of college. Adrian is such a real and believable character that it's hard to believe he sprung from the mind of a middle-aged woman, who herself has never, presumably, been a 13 and 3/4 year old boy. Of course, neither have I. I am also not British, and not well-acquainted with early 1980's Britain and know nothing of British politics. I often find it difficult to read literature from countries I have not visited or studied extensively, but the colloquialisms herein are not as mystifying or unable to be understood from context in this work as others I have read.
I would recommend this book to any American Anglophile or any young adult who would in any way identify with the engaging character of Adrian Mole.
On "The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole:" The only thing I have to add about this edition of the series is that I find it a little hard to believe that a 15-year-old as well-read and 'intellectual' as Adrian is completely oblivious to certain things. It's rather annoying and makes him a bit less believable of a character. However, this book is still literally laugh out loud funny.
Upon reading "The True Confessions of Adrian Mole" I must say that I find it rather unnerving after two books covering daily entries from Adrian's life over a period of 1 1/2 years each, having the third volume of the series (no lengthier than the first two) feature essays, radio broadcasts, selected letters and covering a period of 5+ years. It's jolting. Also, upon growing older, Adrian does not seem to *grow up!* He's still writing bloody awful poetry which, at 13 3/4 was amusing, it's rather less so at age 20 (and 8 months, which he still finds it necessary to add.) He's still naive and not clever at all, which is hard to fathom from such a promising youth. I find it hard to believe that the BBC allowed him a broadcast slot! I still intend to read the following volumes of the series, but my main purpose will be to find out whether Adrian ever removes his head from his arsehole. ( )

This was the very first English book I bought and read from start to finish when I was about 14. Being a diary by a teenager it is an easy way to start out in a foreign language. And I still like it, I actually read it again a few years ago and saw new things that I didn't understand the first time. It's very funny and entertaining book, not only for teenagers. ( )

I can't help but pick this up every now and then, and I see more and more in it every time. When reading this the first time, aged about 12, I missed so much of the 'adult' stuff that reading it again and again, it makes so much more sense now!!! ( )