You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was a very comfortable read and it made me feel calm. I enjoyed the way it was written, the narrator and the story. When the narrator was feeling calm, I felt it too, and when he was burdened, I felt anxious as well. This book was a perfect book for me to read at the moment.
emotional
funny
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
*4.5 stars*
This book's unique narrative voice is strong and permeates the story in every sense of the word. I generally prefer a little bit more plot happening in the present tense (plot that excludes retelling events of the past) but that may be the source from which this book pulls some of its beauty. It is a magnified exploration of daily life and of the depths of all sorts of relationship dynamics. This doesn’t come without a negative side. I did feel like the lack of things happening in general caused it to lose much of its pull during the second half of the book. The ending was a bit anticlimactic as well. My main anchor to stay interested was the perspective, as opposed to the story. However, Haddon does such a good job of packing emotion into the book that I can't imagine someone DNFing it simply because of the lack of action (I'm sure at least one or two people in this world have, though :/).
Any technical issues hardly detracted from the overall experience, and this was still an extremely worthwhile read.
Even though the dog dies.
This book's unique narrative voice is strong and permeates the story in every sense of the word. I generally prefer a little bit more plot happening in the present tense (plot that excludes retelling events of the past) but that may be the source from which this book pulls some of its beauty. It is a magnified exploration of daily life and of the depths of all sorts of relationship dynamics. This doesn’t come without a negative side. I did feel like the lack of things happening in general caused it to lose much of its pull during the second half of the book. The ending was a bit anticlimactic as well. My main anchor to stay interested was the perspective, as opposed to the story. However, Haddon does such a good job of packing emotion into the book that I can't imagine someone DNFing it simply because of the lack of action (I'm sure at least one or two people in this world have, though :/).
Any technical issues hardly detracted from the overall experience, and this was still an extremely worthwhile read.
Even though the dog dies.
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a really interesting book. The writing style and POV of Christopher was really interesting to read. Glad I read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse
Minor: Infidelity
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What a beautiful book. I was totally hooked from the first page.
I’m was torn between rating this book 3 or 4 stars, so I’m going to settle with 3.5 stars.
I don't think I read a novel that portrays autism before. I cannot tell if this novel portrays autism accurately. I have read mixed reviews about this book, some saying this was a misrepresentation of autism while others saying they could relate to Christopher. So, I am not going to comment on that because I do not think I am qualified to do that.
The book is told from Christopher's point of view, which was different for me. I liked reading the book from his perspective because I felt detached from some characters because Christopher felt detached from them, and I could connect with some characters because he could connect to them. The first chapter was numbered as "2", and I was anxious thinking maybe my book is missing chapters. But the chapters were numbered as prime numbers so I became calmer because there were order and logic behind it. Just like Christopher. However, at times, I felt like the author was trying too hard to drive home the point that Christopher really has behavior problems. There were some things that could have been avoided.
I wanted to love the book, but I felt that something was holding me back from loving it entirely. I definitely liked this book. Sometimes, I felt myself clinging onto what Christopher said as a desperate attempt to find answers to the questions that run in my head non-stop. Although Christopher sees the world literally, as it is, he is more insightful than most of us are. He was lovable, brave, and inspiring. I haven't cried while reading a book so far this year, until now. Although I mentioned earlier that there was a lingering sadness in me while reading the book, there came a point in the book when Christopher's father is telling him how much he loves him and I felt myself choking back tears and feeling exhausted because I couldn't hug Christopher even if he was a real person because he doesn't like hugging.
I also liked how the book showed the difficulties of a parent to take care of their child with behavioral problems, but they still try very hard every day to make sure their child is getting as good a life as he deserves. Although Christopher doesn't dwell on his parent's frustrations and difficulties (he writes it plainly as a fact), you could see their struggle in creating a normal life for him and themselves.
I am happy that I finally got around to reading this book because I think I needed to read it at this point in my life. I wanted a different perspective on the things that I already knew and being able to borrow Christopher's perspective was refreshing.
I don't think I read a novel that portrays autism before. I cannot tell if this novel portrays autism accurately. I have read mixed reviews about this book, some saying this was a misrepresentation of autism while others saying they could relate to Christopher. So, I am not going to comment on that because I do not think I am qualified to do that.
The book is told from Christopher's point of view, which was different for me. I liked reading the book from his perspective because I felt detached from some characters because Christopher felt detached from them, and I could connect with some characters because he could connect to them. The first chapter was numbered as "2", and I was anxious thinking maybe my book is missing chapters. But the chapters were numbered as prime numbers so I became calmer because there were order and logic behind it. Just like Christopher. However, at times, I felt like the author was trying too hard to drive home the point that Christopher really has behavior problems. There were some things that could have been avoided.
I wanted to love the book, but I felt that something was holding me back from loving it entirely. I definitely liked this book. Sometimes, I felt myself clinging onto what Christopher said as a desperate attempt to find answers to the questions that run in my head non-stop. Although Christopher sees the world literally, as it is, he is more insightful than most of us are. He was lovable, brave, and inspiring. I haven't cried while reading a book so far this year, until now. Although I mentioned earlier that there was a lingering sadness in me while reading the book, there came a point in the book when Christopher's father is telling him how much he loves him and I felt myself choking back tears and feeling exhausted because I couldn't hug Christopher even if he was a real person because he doesn't like hugging.
I also liked how the book showed the difficulties of a parent to take care of their child with behavioral problems, but they still try very hard every day to make sure their child is getting as good a life as he deserves. Although Christopher doesn't dwell on his parent's frustrations and difficulties (he writes it plainly as a fact), you could see their struggle in creating a normal life for him and themselves.
I am happy that I finally got around to reading this book because I think I needed to read it at this point in my life. I wanted a different perspective on the things that I already knew and being able to borrow Christopher's perspective was refreshing.
I liked the first half of this book. It's about an autistic kid who discovers the body of a dog and sets about solving the mystery of who killed it. But after the mystery is "solved" halfway through, most of the rest of the book is about his taking the train to London. Without counting, I believe that took up 80 pages of this ~280 page book. I found that the journey got rather dull and repetitive, with numerous paragraphs starting "and then". Then the very end of the book wraps up all the plot complications far too neatly and with a nice pretty bow (and unrealistically pretty bow).
Despite being called a mystery by many, this is not a mystery novel except in the most vague form. In fact, if this is a Mystery then Pride and Prejudice is a mystery. If this is a mystery, then Star Wars is a mystery. This is a literary novel of some form or another which makes vague attempts at sort of being a mystery novel.
Despite being called a mystery by many, this is not a mystery novel except in the most vague form. In fact, if this is a Mystery then Pride and Prejudice is a mystery. If this is a mystery, then Star Wars is a mystery. This is a literary novel of some form or another which makes vague attempts at sort of being a mystery novel.