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Dec 17, 2009

Sean rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

13 comments like (121 people liked it)

Jan 23, 2012

karen rated it:

pooƃ ʎɹǝʌ ʇou puɐ ʎʞɔıɯɯıƃ ʎɹǝʌ sı ʞooq sıɥʇ

if you want to read an excellent book about autism in a young person, read marcelo in the real world. this book is like hilary swank - you can tell it is trying really hard to win all the awards but it has no heart inside. and yet everyone eats it up. C0ME ON!!

no one likes gimmicks.

49 comments like (74 people liked it)

Jun 22, 2008

Chris rated it:

Absolute garbage. Easily the worst book I’ve read in 2008, and certainly a contender for Worst Book I’ve Ever Read. This crap won the prestigious Whitbread Book of the Year honors, and while I have absolutely no idea what that entails, I firmly support both the eradication of this farcical award and the crucifixion of anyone on the selection committee that nominated this stinking smegma.

I’d seen this book prominently featured at many shops (mayhap Oprah was currently endorsing it More...

79 comments like (115 people liked it)

Sep 05, 2008

Amanda rated it:

Am I autistic? Am I Christopher Boone? What is it about my OCD (self-diagnosed, boo yah!) that separates me from this fifteen-year-old kid? Fate is kind, but there is nothing more disturbing than learning that you possess so many of those qualities that categorize people as "special needs." I mean, shit. Choosing Item A over Item B because you like the color? Yep. Counting incessantly? Yep. Getting lost in London Underground? Yep. Quirky eating habits? Yep. Getting ridicu More...

49 comments like (38 people liked it)

Apr 20, 2011

Laurel rated it:

Here's what I liked about this book:
1. I found Christopher, with all his many quirks, to be sweet and rather endearing
2. I thought it was a creative idea to write a book from the point of view of a boy with Asperger syndrome. This is difficult to pull off, but the author does it well
3. I enjoyed Christopher's musings about life and the way in which he sees it
4. I love making lists

Here's what I didn't like about this book:
1. It wasn't really a mystery, a More...

7 comments like (28 people liked it)

May 28, 2008

Joe rated it:

The concept is interesting: narrating the novel through the POV of an autistic boy. The chapters are cleverly numbered by prime numbers, which ties in with the novel. It has interesting illustrations and diagrams to look at. However, I would not recommend this because it disappointed me and I couldn't, in good conscience, tell anyone to read a book I was disappointed in.

I guess my disappointment lies in the fact that not only did my book club tout this as a mystery novel but a More...

10 comments like (45 people liked it)

Feb 03, 2008

Beth rated it:

A very charming, insightful, engaging book. From the perspective of a 15-year-old boy who has a kind of high-functioning autism (which may not be autism, actually, but Asberger's?).

Some mature themes. Here are some of my favorite quotes:

“For example, this morning for breakfast I had Ready Brek and some hot raspberry milk shake. But if I say that I actually had Shreddies and a mug of tea (footnote: But I wouldn’t have Shreddies and tea because they are both brown.) I More...

2 comments like (25 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

oriana rated it:

This is the most disassociating book I've ever read. Try to read it all in one sitting -- it will totally fuck with your head and make you forget how to be normal.

8 comments like (42 people liked it)

Mar 23, 2009

Δx Δp ≥ ½ ħ rated it:

Ketika pertamakali melihatnya di toko buku, saya langsung penasaran dengan judul buku ini—apalagi di cover belakang ada embel-embel novel misteri pembunuhannya. Tapi ada alasan lain mengapa saya merasa buku ini wajib saya baca, ketika googling, tak sengaja saya menemukan daftar buku yang mendapat penghargaan Whitbread Award, dan secara mengejutkan, buku ini masuk dalam daftar juara. Karenanya, ketika menemukannya di toko buku, tanpa berpikir dua kali saya langsung memasukkannya dalam keranjang b More...

32 comments like (11 people liked it)

May 29, 2007

lkt rated it:

From my Amazon.com review:

"...I wrote a book and that means I can do anything..."

What a sad, strange book. Christopher's stream-of-consciousness narration was unique to say the least (I liked how he jumped around from topic to topic, because organized writing can become quite a bore). While I don't see this as a study on autism, many autistic characteristics are displayed - most notably, the OCD. Can't have one sort of food touching another sor More...

2 comments like (11 people liked it)

May 07, 2009

Brad rated it:

The Prime Reasons Why I Enjoyed Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time:

2. Death broken down into its molecular importance.

3. Clouds, with chimneys and aerials impressed upon them, and their potential as alien space crafts.

5. Black Days and Yellow cars.

7. Red food coloring for Indian cuisine.

11. Christopher's reasons for loving The Hound of the Baskervilles and disdaining Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

13. Wh More...

31 comments like (59 people liked it)

Sep 24, 2007

Anthony rated it:

One day in June I was joking with my sister, "I should TOTALLY write a story about an autistic detective! He would go around solving mysteries, but then not telling anyone about it because he doesn't relate well to people!" And then I thought for a second, and said "oh wait, I think there's already a book about this."

As someone who likes neurology case histories and detective fiction, this sounded like the book for me. And it was, kinda. A few months after buying More...

2 comments like (9 people liked it)

Jan 25, 2008

Darcy rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (8 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Sarah rated it:

I just finished reading this book for the second time. I loved it the first time, and I loved it the second time. I organize a Co-Ed book club in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and it was recommended to read. We just had our meeting to discuss it, and everyone seemed to enjoy it on some level or another, and no one had anything negative to say about it. I was very surprised to read some of the reviews on this site dissing this book, especially the review where someone mentioned it was for "Lit More...

1 comment like (8 people liked it)

Apr 10, 2010

jo rated it:

this book rocked my world, and i've been trying for weeks to understand why. here it is:

* because the plot is flawless

* because the voice is flawless

* because it's amazingly tender without being cute

* because there's a christopher boone in me, and a christopher boone in everyone i love or at least try to get along with

* because the christopher boone in me loves to see itself written about lovingly, like it's the coolest kid, if not on t More...

9 comments like (22 people liked it)

Jan 30, 2010

Jessica rated it:

I consider myself a gourmand of the bitter and funny, devouring and savoring all in sight, and this book wasn't either of those things. "Bitterly funny debut novel..." Bitter compared to what? Cotton Candy? Funnier than a heart attack?

Furthermore, in place of black humor, I found manipulative, passive aggressive feel-goodery. "Ah, look at the little tyke," the pages seemed to say. "His emotionless innocence is better by far than the raw, wicked complexities More...

4 comments like (21 people liked it)

Sep 22, 2007

Hana rated it:

Yup, it's still about Asperger Syndrome. The title of the novel is quite unique; “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time”. The author, Mark Haddon, has succesfully created a story about a boy named Christopher in this case, an asperger-boy.

The story goes like this: Christopher discovers the dead body of Wellington, his neighbour's pet (which is a poodle), speared by a garden fork. Having been blamed for it, he decides to investigate to clear his name. However, he is severe More...

2 comments like (9 people liked it)

Jan 09, 2008

maricar rated it:

whimsical yet packs a punch...

it may look inconspicuously thin, but the book, i bet, would be something that any lucky reader is sure to want to have for keeps. starts off innocently enough...well, okay, maybe not so innocent since the first scene was the finding of a brutally murdered dog. some may already think that that is all the story is going to be about--the finding of the killer. nothing too deep or exciting. heck...maybe not worth the effort at all (hey, don't pelt me--i own More...

0 comments like (9 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Jen rated it:

Ok, I get the concept. A heartwarming story told from the vantage point of an autistic boy.

Heartwarming, eh. Sure. Cerebral? You bet. For the "Literary Snob"? ABSOFREAKINGLUTELY. (Because most of those people LOVE "The Catcher in the Rye"...one of my most hated books of all time...and this book has been compared to that one. I should have known).

Look. I'm smart, I'm educated. I'm a professional woman who adores literature and loves to read. I bought t More...

6 comments like (23 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Lisa rated it:

I love books about young people with brain diseases/mental illness/illness/autism; the teenage boy in this book is autistic. This is ostensibly a mystery and I love mysteries also, but there wasn’t really much of a mystery here – the compelling thing to me about this book is the way this young man’s mind works. Many personality traits and behaviors of this character rang so very true, a few somewhat less so. But I really enjoyed his unusual narrative voice. Given the situation of this young man, More...

0 comments like (7 people liked it)

Jul 27, 2011

Shawn rated it:

For reasons I may or may not realize, I haven’t read a fictional account that comes across this realistic in a long time. Kapitoil was close, but The Curious Incident paints a more complete picture.

The book is from the viewpoint of an autistic teen boy named Christopher - his mom has recently died and he discovers a dead dog in one of his neighbor’s yards. The short list: he doesn’t read people’s emotions very well (like the android “Data” from Star Trek next Generation, if you More...

4 comments like (6 people liked it)

Nov 25, 2007

Alex rated it:

It's a rare book that can sit on the bestseller shelf and still call to me... for most tomes, the bestseller label is a big enough turn off to make me never consider it. That being said, I have no clue what made me go for this one. Maybe it was the upside-down dog. Maybe it was the lengthy title. But what I really don't get, having read it, is how it was ever a best-seller.

That's not to say it's a bad book. It wasn't. I'll be honest, I don't know exactly how I feel about it, but it w More...

9 comments like (8 people liked it)

Jan 03, 2009

Eric rated it:

This is an absolutely incredible book. I purchased it about a week and a half ago. Once I started reading it, I finished it in five days; that's the shortest amount of time I've ever taken on a book!

The Curious Incident is told from the point of view of Christopher John Francis Boone, an autistic teenager in Wiltshire, England. He has great difficulty relating to most humans, but seems to communicate well with animals. In the book's opening, Christopher decides to investigate the More...

0 comments like (8 people liked it)

Oct 16, 2011

Ashley rated it:

Another update- I have a real review of this on my blog, Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing BUT I really liked what I have below- my initial thoughts, and the updated thoughts and I don't want to delete those. So, if you want to see my 'real' review, click the link! :)

Update- Reread

I still love this book. Like, amazingly a lot! But, I'm reading this old post, and this time around, I didn't notice the swearing as much. Wonder what that says about me. :( But still, absol More...

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Apr 30, 2008

Jann rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

2 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jul 07, 2007

Amanda rated it:

I finished The Curious Incident... in under 24 hours. That is how much I loved the book. I felt it really accurately captured most family life with a special needs child, and it really brought autism to light. Christopher's interactions during his adventure reminded a bit of how people treat the main character in Alan Lightman's The Diagnosis. And the talk of math and science make me think it would be a great choice for BGSU's Common Reading Experience. (Check out the CRE blog too for reading su More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Mar 12, 2010

Jackie-c rated it:

In “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time”, you see the world through the eyes of a 15 year old autistic boy named Christopher Boone. In his world, order and systematic methods are his sense of security, which is why he excels in math and physics. However, he is unable to make sense of other people and their emotions because they have no logic or formula to go by. Anytime that he comes across something that doesn’t make sense to him, it feels like, Christopher describes, “the room wa More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Jun 19, 2010

Nancy rated it:

I really enjoyed this very engaging story told from the perspective of an autistic boy named Christopher. It was sad and hilariously funny too, especially considering that some of the narrator's behavioral problems are also seen in "normal" people. I still get a chuckle when I think about Christopher's reason for disliking corn.

Another good story featuring an autistic narrator is Elizabeth Moon's Speed of Dark.

4 comments like (7 people liked it)

Jun 30, 2011

Knowledge Lost rated it:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time tells the story of Christopher Boone, a 15 year autistic boy. Christopher has set out to work out who killed the neighbour’s dog Wellington. While I don’t claim to understand anything about autism, I was a little jealous at how logically and well Christopher thought. While Christopher is out playing detective trying to solve the murder of Wellington, he is writing this book to recount his adventures. His adventures lead him to discover a much big More...

13 comments like (5 people liked it)

Dec 22, 2011

Kay rated it:

Final Rating: ***(1/2)*

OMG, do I have a mild case of Asperger's?

Things I do that align with things that Christopher does:

(2) Depend on coincidental occurrences to determine whether today will be an okay day. Christopher likes to count cars in the morning, I see if my hair dries in a certain style. If it doesn't, well, it's definitely not a good start to a potentially perfect day.

(3) Tune out people so much that I don't notice anyone unless t More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)