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Loading... The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Timeby Mark Haddon
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. 3 1/2 stars. It was really interesting and a quick read, but somehow I just didn't love it. The main character's voice was really engaging, but it left me wanting more. I'm not usually a happy ending kind of girl, but I wanted more for him I guess. I would recommend it, but beware of strong language. (  )colleenharker | Jul 8, 2009 |   A completely original book. Well written, compassionate, and insightful. (  )dsbs | Jul 7, 2009 | The Holmesian title first caught my eye. I love Holmes. This though isn't a Holmes book. It's Mark Haddon's speculative attempt at telling a story from the point of view of a fifteen year old boy who has some form of Autism. Whether he actually succeeds is debatable but he has made a very creditable attempt at tackling the task nevertheless. (  )Finxy | Jul 7, 2009 | I joined a book club, and accidentally ended up with two copies of this through inattention. They've been sitting on my shelves for several months now, and I thought I'd finally give it a read, and blazed through the whole book in the space of 2.5 hours in the bath this afternoon. I don't know what to say about it really: I enjoyed it. A fairly interesting little tale, but the point of view of the narrator makes the telling more interesting. I can see why not everyone would get on with it though. (  )lnr_blair | Jul 7, 2009 | Christopher, a mathematically gifted, autistic 15-year-old English boy has an overwhelming fear of interacting with people. Still, the murder of a neighbor’s dog compels him to investigate the mystery. He uncovers surprising things about himself and his mother in the process. The plot of this book is less interesting than its revelations about autism. In the hands of a less skilled and empathetic writer, the use of an autistic narrator would feel more like a stunt. In this book, however, the challenges of autism are handled with compassion and humanity, creating an indelible and fully realized fictional character. ( )gkuhns | Jul 6, 2009 | 0.026 seconds to build listing 
 As Christopher investigates Wellington's death, he makes some remarkably brave decisions and when he eventually faces his fears and moves beyond his immediate neighborhood, the magnitude of his challenge and the joy in his achievement are overwhelming. Haddon creates a fascinating main character and allows the reader to share in his world, experiencing his ups and downs and his trials and successes. In providing a vivid world in which the reader participates vicariously, Haddon fulfills the most important requirements of fiction, entertaining at the same time that he broadens the reader's perspective and allows him to gain knowledge. This fascinating book should attract legions of enthusiastic readers.
Amazon.com (ISBN 0385509456, Hardcover)Mark Haddon's bitterly funny debut novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, is a murder mystery of sorts--one told by an autistic version of Adrian Mole. Fifteen-year-old Christopher John Francis Boone is mathematically gifted and socially hopeless, raised in a working-class home by parents who can barely cope with their child's quirks. He takes everything that he sees (or is told) at face value, and is unable to sort out the strange behavior of his elders and peers.Late one night, Christopher comes across his neighbor's poodle, Wellington, impaled on a garden fork. Wellington's owner finds him cradling her dead dog in his arms, and has him arrested. After spending a night in jail, Christopher resolves--against the objection of his father and neighbors--to discover just who has murdered Wellington. He is encouraged by Siobhan, a social worker at his school, to write a book about his investigations, and the result--quirkily illustrated, with each chapter given its own prime number--is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
Haddon's novel is a startling performance. This is the sort of book that could turn condescending, or exploitative, or overly sentimental, or grossly tasteless very easily, but Haddon navigates those dangers with a sureness of touch that is extremely rare among first-time novelists. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is original, clever, and genuinely moving: this one is a must-read. --Jack Illingworth, Amazon.ca (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:57:55 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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