love books where you grow with the characters ( )

Another sequel-that-should-never-have-been-written. This latest edition of the tired Mole franchise was obviously written as a cash-cow for Townsend. The cappucino is very bitter; do not drink it lest it spoil your fond memories of a once brilliant character. ( )

I love Adrian. Even though I don't think any of the other books have begun to touch the hilarity of the first one, I still enjoy them immensely. Adrian may be firmly entrenched in whiny victim mode, which in real life would make me want to strangle him, but I still find him so endearing. ( )

I encountered the first Adrian Mole book when I was in high school - not much older than Adrian at the time. I just recently picked up The Cappuccino Years, remembering how much I enjoyed the first book.

Sadly, Adrian did not improve with age. The first diary was of a fairly self-centered, neurotic kid, who progressed to become someone with a bit of a future, and whom you probably wouldn't mind meeting.

The Cappuccino years follows almost exactly the same story arc. Adrian is insufferable, clueless, gormless, and self-centered. Eventually he demonstrates that he isn't a total waste of Oxygen. Unfortunately the sort of person that I could completely identify with as a teenager, and can appreciate looking back is not the sort of person I can identify with or enjoy as an adult.

There certainly seems to be a lot more references to contemporary (late 90's) British culture, which might make the book more entertaining for those more familiar with it than I am. ( )

If you don't appreciate dry, British humor then you won't appreciate this book. For those who do, however, Adrian Mole is a fun read that you'll smirk your way through. ( )