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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Light and diverting, but with real heart. Set in 2003, during the period that Britain invaded Iraq. It was a lot of classic Adrian Mole and his inability to be socially 'normal', but it also included much politics from the time and it reminded me of how angry I am at Tony Blair. I'm impressed the book managed to keep a humourous it but also make poignant points, some quite deeply sad, regarding the war. 3.5 stars.
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Reading this book was reading a male Bridget Jones.
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.
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!
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
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