Reviews

It wasn’t bad by any means, but it certainly wasn’t as good as everyone that has recommended it to me has made it seem. It seems that the recommendation was more of a “You’re Autistic? You should read this book!” Kind of recommendation.

To be honest, the autistic representation in the novel is refreshing though I wouldn’t call it accurate, at least in my opinion (though accurately describing what it is like to be autistic is difficult in itself because there is not a ‘norm’ within the global experience (i.e. autism is different for each person)). Still, the fact that Christopher is not written poorly or negatively (despite how he is treated) is a nice change of pace compared to the rest of the fiction stories I have read with autistic characters. Though this says more about our standard of literature than it does about the author. Regardless, I enjoyed the novel.

From a plot standpoint, the book was a bit bland, there was no real mystery or suspense. All in all, this was a novel that is a novel whose fame comes from the fact the main character is autistic and not the story itself. There is no shame in that, and I would love to see more of this kind of representation through genres and mediums.

QUOTES: N/A

amelia19's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Good, but a slow paced for my liking

royal_tea's review against another edition

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5.0

I do understand why some people don't "like" this book, but I also understand why people, like me, find it marvellous. I find Mark Haddon's writing in this totally unique and I could really put myself in the head of Christopher. The "mysterious" element became pretty obvious to me, but that didn't deter me at all, while it would in other books.

I just think this novel is simply brilliant.

malware69's review

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challenging dark inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

caseymgreer1's review

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4.0

I'm honestly not sure if I would've liked this book as much if I hadn't seen the play beforehand. The play touched me a lot and I was able to imagine it while reading.

kayabarringer's review

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1.0

Funny. Fascinating. These are words. But not the right words for this novel. Is it funny or fascinating to have a dog killed on the first page with a GARDEN FORK? Is it funny or fascinating to learn that your dad killed the dog and that your mom is actually not dead but instead with a different man? No. No it is not. Poignant is definitely the right word for this book. Poignant is a sense of sadness or regret. The whole book is so sad. Do me a favor and don't read it.

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