"A book that moves with the kind of speed and grace many older writers can only day-dream about.The Beachis ambitious, propulsive fiction."--The Washington PostWhat makesThe Beacha truly awesome piece of work is Garlands understated, assured depiction of the perils of pop."--The Village VoiceThe Beachwill astonish readers...Not since reading Donna Tartts The Secret Historyhas this reader been so impressed and taken with a first novel.--USA TodayThe Beachis an awesome first novel that works as an adventure story, an allegory and an explanation for why every human since Adam and Eve has an irresistible impulse to create a perfect world and destroy it. A wonderful adventure and allegory that may be the best novel written by anyone currently younger than 30.--Sunday OregonianAlex Garland... has a clear, engaging storytelling style and a vivid imagination. Deftly, he uses real-life travel details--smells, optical effects, quirks of language, social rituals--to keep the readers disbelief at bay.--The New York Times Book Remarkable.... astonishingly assured....The Beachis distinguished by Garlands bracingly transparent prose and tells a classic story of generational envy and displacement. Aluminous voyage into the dark side of humanitys increasingly tenuous dreams of paradise.--SalonGeneration X meetsLord of the Fliesin this ripping good adventure yarn...Garland shows a precociously sure hand in this taut, exotic thriller. For a young author, he knows too well the peril of finding paradise on earth...a skillful first novel about the demise of an earthly paradise.--People[G]ripping, intelligent and written with a discipline many young writers only grow into."--New York NewsdayThe Beachmakes for a relevant and fascinating read....an excellent critique of the backpacker phenomenon--its nouveau colonialism and its tragically misdirected idealism.--Time OutGarlands provocative style--somewhere between Joseph Conrad, Bret Easton Ellis, and Stephen King--creates a modern-day Eden where Nintendo Game-boy, "Apocalypse Now," and a drug-trafficking Thai militia blend seamlessly into the landscape.--VogueAbout the AuthorAlex Garland is the author of the bestselling generational classic The Beach(which was adapted into a major motion pictures starring Leonardo DiCaprio) and of The Tesseract, a national bestseller and New York Times Notable Book. He also wrote the original screenplay of the critically acclaimed film 28 Days Later. can you download books for free The Beach
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Poor Attempt at Asian Heart of DarknessBy John FitzpatrickThis novel starts off almost as a murder mystery when the narrator finds the corpse of a Scottish junkie who has apparently committed suicide in a sleazy Bangkok guesthouse and leaves a Treasure Island map behind showing a hidden beach paradise where hippies can spend all day getting stoned.The narrator teams up with a French couple and they find the place and become part of a community of hedonistic misfits. Of course, the so-called paradise is anything of the sort and eventually turns into hell as the isolated community tries to protect itself from outsiders and then turns on itself in an Apocalypse Now cum Heart of Darkness cum Lord of the Flies scenario. Fantasy and reality mix as the dead junkie comes back to life in the narrator's fevered imagination and the story becomes confusing to say the least.After a good start, it gets lost as there is virtually no plot or real characterization. The impending danger posed by Thai criminals who are growing marijuana on another part of the island and the threat that other backpackers will intrude and spoil the idyllic spot are unconvincing. The book is far too long and I was desperate for it to end.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. The B**chBy JacquelineFor the first time, I'm actually glad I watched the movie before I read the book. And not just saying that because it starred Leonardo DiCaprio. I was on the beach where the movie was filmed whilst reading this book.Alex Garland's original version was a much darker tale of miss-adventure in sun soaked Thailand. Corpses on the beach in Koh Phangan and a mysterious new character Jed were nowhere to be seen in the film. In fact, the most scandalous scene would be the sex scene with Sal, which was not in the book.Richard was impossible to like. His obsessions with vintage video games and Vietnam movies seemed to contradictory for a person who is willing to go native on a deserted island. He was weird, the loser kid in school no one wanted to play with. Etienne and Francoise, who I thought to be interesting, exotic characters, were barely in the story, cropping up every once in a while to ensure the reader didn't forget about them.Basically, it was the worst parts of the characters, their personalities and habits, amplified until your head explodes with into tiny paper lanterns burning across the sky in Thailand. Sitting on the actual beach, feeling the sand between my toes and the sun on my shoulders, occassionaly looking up expecting Leo beside me in Phuket, did nothing to bring some intensity to this story.It was very bland.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Better than the movieBy Robert NevittSuch a great book. I prefer to read the book after the movie and this was another instance of that. Such an exciting read. Couldn't put it down