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simonrtaylor's review against another edition
4.0
Adrian is now working at a bookshop and his life is no less bananas. Before long, he’s trapped in a bizarre relationship he spends most of the book trying to get out of, gets swallowed in debt further with each attempt to extract himself, and begins a bizarre feud with a swan.
Gone is the dramatic irony of a teenager who knows not what he says, but it is replaced with the cynical bluntness of a jaded adult. Mole repeats verbatim the marketing promises that he’s made by companies, with a dry wit that shows the inanity and banality of his existence. It is that joy in the mundane that makes Mole the enduring presence he has become.
There is, however, a more serious note than most. Mole’s eldest son is in the army and Mole watches the unfolding run-up to the 2003 Allied invasion of Iraq, quoting Blair’s government in real time. The condensed escalation from mooting to actual invasion is laid bare through Mole’s eyes, ending the book on an unexpectedly sombre, but beautifully written, note.
Weapons is a fantastic continuation, which could easily have concluded the series in a perfect way. But here’s hoping that it won’t.
Gone is the dramatic irony of a teenager who knows not what he says, but it is replaced with the cynical bluntness of a jaded adult. Mole repeats verbatim the marketing promises that he’s made by companies, with a dry wit that shows the inanity and banality of his existence. It is that joy in the mundane that makes Mole the enduring presence he has become.
There is, however, a more serious note than most. Mole’s eldest son is in the army and Mole watches the unfolding run-up to the 2003 Allied invasion of Iraq, quoting Blair’s government in real time. The condensed escalation from mooting to actual invasion is laid bare through Mole’s eyes, ending the book on an unexpectedly sombre, but beautifully written, note.
Weapons is a fantastic continuation, which could easily have concluded the series in a perfect way. But here’s hoping that it won’t.
dmchesher's review
3.0
I’ve came late to the Adrian Mole game. It wasn’t until my mum recommended me The Secret Diary two years ago that I finally developed a soft spot for him. If anything this is a comforting read that puts a daft old grin on your face. It’s nothing exciting but for a 90’s kid I was open to a whole new world of the Iraq war (I was 9 when it began).
British humour but with a missing ingredient and I can’t quite figure out. Sorry Sue!
British humour but with a missing ingredient and I can’t quite figure out. Sorry Sue!
brompton_sawdon's review against another edition
5.0
Adrian Mole has been around for many years. I read the original story a few years back and now had a great offer on this audio book. I loved the humour and voice of Adrian in the original series and hoped that an older Adrian had lost none of his honesty and adrianess.
I wasn’t disappointed, the narrator did a very good job and came across well as the star. Adrian is still the same loveable (?) character he was before, still having problems with his love life and dare I say profoundly in love with Pandora, who is now a labour MP. In many ways he hasn’t grown up at all. The world seems to have moved on, yet he still has all his teenage angst in tact. Except now he has two sons, each with a different women, neither of whom live with him.
Now Adrian, still an aspiring writer works in a book shop and is in the process of buying a modern flat in Rat Wharf. The story is incredibly funny at times, yet behind the laughter is a tragic tale that brings you down to earth in one of those tricky moments where you realise that it’s not nice to be laughing. Rising debts and a failure, like most of us, to take on more debt seem to be an epitaph to the noughties.
It’s the first audiobook I’ve listened to in a long while in full and I have to say this was ideal for an hour a day or so relaxing. Even the cat seemed to enjoy the voice and the story, although I think she fell asleep
I wasn’t disappointed, the narrator did a very good job and came across well as the star. Adrian is still the same loveable (?) character he was before, still having problems with his love life and dare I say profoundly in love with Pandora, who is now a labour MP. In many ways he hasn’t grown up at all. The world seems to have moved on, yet he still has all his teenage angst in tact. Except now he has two sons, each with a different women, neither of whom live with him.
Now Adrian, still an aspiring writer works in a book shop and is in the process of buying a modern flat in Rat Wharf. The story is incredibly funny at times, yet behind the laughter is a tragic tale that brings you down to earth in one of those tricky moments where you realise that it’s not nice to be laughing. Rising debts and a failure, like most of us, to take on more debt seem to be an epitaph to the noughties.
It’s the first audiobook I’ve listened to in a long while in full and I have to say this was ideal for an hour a day or so relaxing. Even the cat seemed to enjoy the voice and the story, although I think she fell asleep
mollyj099's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
luna545's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
jonathanrobert's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
joestephenson96's review against another edition
5.0
Tony Blair and mental health, a combination for fantastic writing
cowdisease125's review
5.0
I was eight years old when Tony Blair and George Bush declared war on Iraq. I remember my parents gathering my older brother and I in the kitchen and telling us what was happening and that there was no need to be worried or scared.
I first read Weapons of Mass Destruction as a sixteen year old sixth former. At the time of reading I had given up on my geography a-level and my teachers had given up on me in return so they just let me get on with my reading at the back of the classroom. I remember discussing it with my teachers and with my parents as I was reading it and when I finished it I declared it my favourite Mole book.
Almost a decade later, I have re-read it and I'm happy to say that it's still my favourite Mole and I perhaps love it even more.
Obviously the Gielgud the Swan stuff is as funny as it was and Adrian's life makes me groan and cringe just as much but it's all the underlying, yah know, stuff that you don't really get when you're a sixteen year old kid just trying to ignore a lecture on isostatic recovery that makes this book so great and so, so heartbreaking. That "you can't afford a lifestyle, Moley, only a life" is a killer. Everything that happens to Glenn and Robbie. The way we're reminded that a Labour government (supposedly the 'goodies' of the UK parliament) lied to the UK and invaded Iraq.
Aged eight, my parents told me not to be scared or to worry about the war in Iraq. Aged sixteen Sue Townsend told me to be more than that. Be angry. Aged almost 26 - remain angry. And put down the credit card.
I first read Weapons of Mass Destruction as a sixteen year old sixth former. At the time of reading I had given up on my geography a-level and my teachers had given up on me in return so they just let me get on with my reading at the back of the classroom. I remember discussing it with my teachers and with my parents as I was reading it and when I finished it I declared it my favourite Mole book.
Almost a decade later, I have re-read it and I'm happy to say that it's still my favourite Mole and I perhaps love it even more.
Obviously the Gielgud the Swan stuff is as funny as it was and Adrian's life makes me groan and cringe just as much but it's all the underlying, yah know, stuff that you don't really get when you're a sixteen year old kid just trying to ignore a lecture on isostatic recovery that makes this book so great and so, so heartbreaking. That "you can't afford a lifestyle, Moley, only a life" is a killer. Everything that happens to Glenn and Robbie. The way we're reminded that a Labour government (supposedly the 'goodies' of the UK parliament) lied to the UK and invaded Iraq.
Aged eight, my parents told me not to be scared or to worry about the war in Iraq. Aged sixteen Sue Townsend told me to be more than that. Be angry. Aged almost 26 - remain angry. And put down the credit card.
rltinha's review against another edition
2.0
Não se deixem enganar pela pontuação Vasco Câmara! Os fãs não ficarão desiludidos.
(Mas aqui há exigências de rigor e uma imagem pública a defender.)
(Mas aqui há exigências de rigor e uma imagem pública a defender.)