- Paperback: 128 pages
- Publisher: Faber And Faber Ltd. (Feb 3 2000)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0571204864
- ISBN-13: 978-0571204861
- Product Dimensions: 19.3 x 11.9 x 1.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 204 g
- Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
Book Description
Alex Garland's acclaimed debut novel was adapted for the screen by John Hodge, whose distinctive cinematic vision was responsible for the screenplays of "Shallow Grave" and "Trainspotting". "The Beach" stars Leonardo Di Caprio as Richard, a wayward, sould-searching young traveller yearning for unrivalled adventure, who finds himself caught up in troubling, even deadly undercurrents.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not Up to Expectations,
By A Customer
This review is from: Beach (Paperback)
After all the reviews and hype surrounding this novel, I read it before seeing the movie. I was disappointed in both the novel and the movie. Comparison with William Golding's book, Lord of the Flies leaves The Beach barren. Golding's classic story of the degeneration of civilization among a group of British schoolboys is plausible and frightening. The Beach's attempt to update this theme with present day spoiled rich kids off on holiday is not as successful. To Hodge's credit, he does succeed in capturing the imagery of his setting--I could almost taste the salt of the sea and the see the seediness of the hotel. However, it was not enough to make up for the unimaginative plot development. If you are going to rip off a previous author, especially one of great stature, it takes more than changing the setting and slightly aging the main characters. Or..... maybe I'm just too old to appreciate this book?
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Beach - Fantastically simple,
By Catharina Fouché (Pretoria, South Africa) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Beach (Paperback)
Whether seeing the movie beforehand made me subjective, I don't know. However, I can honestly say that at least I'm not a particular Leo fan, so if the movie DID affect my judgement of Garland's novel, at least it wasn't just because of Di Caprio's pretty face.The Beach is a breathtaking novel. It is simple. It is honest. It lives on in one's imagination and dreams. In fact, The Beach is more than a novel. When Richard says at one stage that travelling is more than just taking a holiday - to travel, one has to be a traveller - perhaps already then, he invites us and warns us, that this story changes the reader. Inevitably, the plot will be compared to that of Golding's Lord of the Flies, but whereas Golding's message was more straightforward, The Beach vies away from al that is blatant or political. It has so many forms of messages, that the final message will be whatever the reader wants it to be. The Beach is a rainbow of shimmering ideas, delicately described characters, vague insanity and passion. It will stay with you.
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Beach - Fantastically simple,
By Catharina Fouché (Pretoria, South Africa) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Beach (Paperback)
Whether seeing the movie beforehand made me subjective, I don't know. However, I can honestly say that at least I'm not a particular Leo fan, so if the movie DID affect my judgement of Garland's novel, at least it wasn't just because of Di Caprio's pretty face.The Beach is a breathtaking novel. It is simple. It is honest. It lives on in one's imagination and dreams. In fact, The Beach is more than a novel. When Richard says at one stage that travelling is more than just taking a holiday - to travel, one has to be a traveller - perhaps already then, he invites us and warns us, that this story changes the reader. Inevitably, the plot will be compared to that of Golding's Lord of the Flies, but whereas Golding's message was more straightforward, The Beach vies away from al that is blatant or political. It has so many forms of messages, that the final message will be whatever the reader wants it to be. The Beach is a rainbow of shimmering ideas, delicately described characters, vague insanity and passion. It will stay with you.
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