Hide this

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

The Beach by Alex Garland
Loading...

The Beach

by Alex Garland

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations
2,330451,270 (3.78)25
Info:

Riverhead Trade (1998), Paperback, 448 pages

Member:jbushnell
Collections:Your libraryRating:**1/2
Tags:None
Loading...
won't like will probably not like will probably like will like will love

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

English (42)  French (1)  Danish (1)  Tagalog (1)  All languages (45)
Showing 1-5 of 42 (next | show all)
The books we have been reading have dealt specifically with Utopian and Dystopian societies of the past and the future. Author Alex Garland took a unique spin and created a society based in present day in his intriguing novel, The Beach.
The Beach is is compared to Eden in the early stages of this novel, it beauty is described as flawless; an island of oasis that is different from the other islands of Thailand. These other islands described as dirty, desolate, and are desentegrating more and more each year. The beach is a special place that only a handful of people know about, and of those that know about it even less have been able to find; obscured by a massive waterfall and countless other obstacles.
Richard, the protagonist in the novel is a typical traveler, who took a trip to Thailand to explore, but the things he ended up finding take the story in a direction I did not expect.
A seemingly unimportant character turns out to be the most important character in the book; propelling the action and adding to the conflict.
Getting to the beach is only part of the equation; its surviving in a society that has so many rules and restrictions, that becomes the real problem. The illusion of perfection and happiness on the beach that Garland portrays at the beginning of the novel has completely flipped by the end. Showing that no place no matter how heavenly is without problems, some are just not as apparent as others.
I really enjoyed reading this book, it kept me intrigued until the very end, and while we see a resolution by books end it still leaves me with numerous questions. This book is a prime example of a dystopian society. It shows how the more people strive to achieve perfection and 'make things normal' the farther they drift away from it.
  njones2010 | Oct 7, 2009 |
I liked The Beach, it echoes Lord of the Flies, but is much more relatable. It also refutes the extremely wearisome idea that there is some ideal being pursued in travel, and that it goes beyond selfish enrichment and enjoyment. Perhaps there is, but I doubt it, I don't like the quest for purity, and Garland refutes it rather elaborately, with some delightful counter-pathos and a curiously engaging mystery. ( )
  thaklos | Oct 1, 2009 |
Excellent easily read story about Richard, who is 'going round the world' travelling. Very interesting and quite different from the film version. The characters were fairly strong and I felt as though I really got inside Richard's head (which was pretty scary!). This is one of the best books I've read for ages. ( )
  Fluffyblue | Sep 30, 2009 |
I actually saw the movie before I read this book. It was what prompted me to buy the book since most of the time the books is better then the movie. I have to say this time that things are about even. While I enjoyed the book, it is not in my top ten of all time favorites. It is a great read and I do recommend it to people but if there is something you would rather read, go ahead and do that instead. This book is a summer read for me, something to fill in space when I am waiting on a book to arrive or when I can't decide what I want to read next. ( )
  dlgiddings | Sep 10, 2009 |
I wish I was in Thailand right now.
  relah | Sep 6, 2009 |
Showing 1-5 of 42 (next | show all)
no reviews | add a review
You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Series (with order)
Canonical Title
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Awards and honors
Epigraph
Dedication
For Suzy, Theo, Leo, Laura, and my parents
First words
The first I heard of the beach was in Bangkok, on the Khao San Road.
Quotations
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Canonical titleThe Beach
Original publication date1996
People/CharactersRichard, Etienne, Francoise, Mister Duck, Sal, Jed (show all 7)
Important placesThailand, Asia, Bangkok, Thailand, The Beach
Awards and honorsBBC's Big Read (Best loved novel, 2003, No 103), Betty Trask Award (1997), Guardian 1000 (War and travel), The Guardian's Text on the Beach: 50 Best Summer Reads Ever (2009)
DedicationFor Suzy, Theo, Leo, Laura, and my parents
First wordsThe first I heard of the beach was in Bangkok, on the Khao San Road.
Last words(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Book description

Amazon.com (ISBN 0140258418, Paperback)

In our ever-shrinking world, where popular Western culture seems to have infected every nation on the planet, it is hard to find even a small niche of unspoiled land--forget searching for pristine islands or continents. This is the situation in Alex Garland's debut novel, The Beach. Human progress has reduced Eden to a secret little beach near Thailand. In the tradition of grand adventure novels, Richard, a rootless traveler rambling around Thailand on his way somewhere else, is given a hand-drawn map by a madman who calls himself Daffy Duck. He and two French travelers set out on a journey to find this paradise.

What makes this a truly satisfying novel is the number of levels on which it operates. On the surface it's a fast-paced adventure novel; at another level it explores why we search for these utopias, be they mysterious lost continents or small island communes. Garland weaves a gripping and thought-provoking narrative that suggests we are, in fact, such products of our Western culture that we cannot help but pollute and ultimately destroy the very sanctuary we seek

(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:04 -0400)

The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details.

Popular covers

 

Help/FAQs | About | Privacy/Terms | Blog | Contact | LibraryThing.com | APIs | WikiThing | Common Knowledge | 45,452,383 books!