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Submarine

3.69 of 5 stars 3.69 · rating details · 2,506 ratings · 244 reviews

The dryly precocious, soon-to-be-fifteen-year-old hero of this engagingly offbeat debut novel, Oliver Tate lives in the seaside town of Swansea, Wales. At once a self-styled social scientist, a spy in the baffling adult world surrounding him, and a budding, hormone-driven emotional explorer, Oliver is stealthily (and perhaps a bit more nervously than he’d ever admit) nosin...more The dryly precocious, soon-to-be-fifteen-year-old hero of this engagingly offbeat debut novel, Oliver Tate lives in the seaside town of Swansea, Wales. At once a self-styled social scientist, a spy in the baffling adult world surrounding him, and a budding, hormone-driven emotional explorer, Oliver is stealthily (and perhaps a bit more nervously than he’d ever admit) nosing his way forward through the murky and uniquely perilous waters of adolescence. His objectives? Uncovering the secrets behind his parents’ teetering marriage, unraveling the mystery that is his alluring and equally quirky classmate Jordana Bevan, and understanding where he fits in among the pansexuals, Zoroastrians, and other mystifying, fascinating beings in his orbit.

“It’s in my interests to know about my parents’ mental problems,” he reasons. Thus, when he discovers that his affable dad is quietly struggling with depression, Oliver marshals all the daytime-TV pop-psychology wisdom at his command–not to mention his formidable, uninhibited powers of imagination–in order to put things right again. But a covert expedition into the mysterious territory of middle-aged malaise is bound to be tricky business for a teenager with more to learn about the agonies and ecstasies of life than a pocket thesaurus and his “worldly” school chum Chips can teach him.

Ready or not, however, Oliver is about to get a crash course. His awkwardly torrid and tender relationship with Jordana is hurtling at the speed of teenage passion toward the inevitable magic moment . . . and whatever lies beyond. And his boy-detective exploits have set him on a collision course with the New Age old flame who’s resurfaced in his mother’s life to lead her into temptation with lessons in surfing, self-defense . . . and maybe seduction. Struggling to buoy his parents’ wedded bliss, deep-six his own virginity, and sound the depths of heartache, happiness, and the business of being human, what’s a lad to do? Poised precariously on the cusp of innocence and experience, yesterday’s daydreams and tomorrow’s decisions, Oliver Tate aims to damn the torpedoes and take the plunge.(less)

Hardcover, 320 pages

Published March 25th 2008 by Random House (first published January 1st 2008)

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Aug 19, 2012 Beatrice rated it 4 of 5 stars

Oliver Tate is a Welsh teenager with a penchant for theatrics and complicated words. He is our narrator.

Our author, Joe Dunthorne, punctuates his book with clever turns of phrases, keeps his sentences succinct and uses natural phrases that flow together well. His writing is fantastic. He gives Oliver such a unique voice, making this entertaining and easy to read.

But there's an errant sadness that runs through this book. Oliver is coming of age and realizing that he cannot control his life--tha...more

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Dec 17, 2012 Bettie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: film-only, published-2008, britain-wales, young-adult, winter-20122013

Noah Taylor ... Lloyd Tate

Paddy Considine ... Graham Purvis

Craig Roberts ... Oliver Tate

Yasmin Paige ... Jordana Bevan

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Oct 04, 2012 Joanne hale rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Its a fun read, i can say that for sure.

I was in knitting class recommending some of the many books i have read, and one of my home-schooled students recommended this to me. First off she is like 12 years old, and this was in the adult section. It has a weird cover, something you'd see on a young adult novel. I was weary at first, thinking this is gonna be like any other YA novel that bores a 27yr old out of her mind.

And another thing, this book was turned into a movie, first off im wondering ho...more

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Feb 29, 2012 Eidalis Vaquedano rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For me, Submarine was a very enjoyable read. It was filled with witty humor, believable emotions, and detailed characters. First off, Submarine was filled with enjoyable and witty humor. The author, Joe Dunthorne, had great timing with the humor. It wasn’t overly funny, but it also wasn’t boring. He had a very nice balance. Secondly, Joe Dunthorne was able to create a relatable story with characters who had real emotions. The main character, Oliver Tate, was a fifteen year old dealing with pare...more

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Feb 25, 2012 Cristy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: coming-of-age, cult-classic, humorous, kindle

I was in was in the mood for something that would make me laugh and for the most part, this read did the trick. Joe Dunthorne’s SUBMARINE is not the usual coming of age tale. To one extent Oliver Tate, of South Wales, is intelligent, awkward, funny, weird and quirky which is kind of typical of an adolescent protagonist character; but on the other hand he was so much more… I don’t know, off maybe? In fact quite unexpectedly, Oliver was a bit intense for someone his age, an over thinker and actual...more

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Oct 04, 2011 David Hebblethwaite rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed hearing Joe Dunthorne read from his second novel, Wild Abandon, earlier this year; but I’ve decided to start with his debut before going on to that newer book. So: Submarine is narrated by Oliver Tate, fifteen years of age in mid-1990s Swansea. He’s discovering long words and girls (in particular Jordana Bevan, who likes to set fire to things, and came on to Oliver at least as much as he did to her). But Oliver senses problems at home, because he’s found an empty bottle of antidepressa...more

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Mar 27, 2011 Owen rated it 4 of 5 stars

a lot of the other reviews seem to be getting caught up on the Catcher in the rye blurb comparisons (of course it isn't, on the other hand that is a book that really doesn't read well as you age and i'm suspicious of people who cling to it) or the unlikeability of the lead character.

Which misses the point I think, yes he's a 'jerk' and a 'stalker' if you want to take things literally. The book is looking, fairly honestly I think, at the bizarre stuff that goes through the heads of teenage boys,...more

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Jun 02, 2012 Tfitoby rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: lit

Maybe it's just me but doesn't everything get compared to The Catcher in the Rye? A modern day version, a version crossed with Godzilla, Holden Caulfield on speed, best thing since sliced Salinger? I choose to discount these comparisons for three reasons: hyperbole, im always disappointed and most importantly, I distinctly remember finally reading it and wondering what all the fuss was about.

Joe Dunthorne's debut novel about teenage angst, alienation and rebellion in Swansea in the late 1990's w...more Maybe it's just me but doesn't everything get compared to The Catcher in the Rye? A modern day version, a version crossed with Godzilla, Holden Caulfield on speed, best thing since sliced Salinger? I choose to discount these comparisons for three reasons: hyperbole, im always disappointed and most importantly, I distinctly remember finally reading it and wondering what all the fuss was about.

Joe Dunthorne's debut novel about teenage angst, alienation and rebellion in Swansea in the late 1990's was inevitably compared to said adventures of Master Caulfield and once more I find myself wondering what all the fuss is about.

There are moments of great levity interspersed with others of great gravity, both handled well considering this is a book that features a teenage boy inadvertantly trying to put his fist inside a virgin in a theatre sound booth and same boy writing awkward teenage love letters to his mother from his father in an attempt to get them to "turn the dimmer switch down" on their bedroom light.

It's quite a charming novel of coming to terms with yourself and your parents and sadly those themes and the age of the protagonist means this does limp in to the dreaded young adult category of literature. Whilst Catcher has become known as a book for teens it was intended for adults and as such deals with things beyond the school yard as it investigates it's issues of identity and alienation, Subamrine gets bogged down in the minutiae of bodily fluids, obvious attempts at making Oliver a modern day picaro but forgetting to make him sympathetic in any way at all. At its heart this is immaturity masquerading as mature, a wolf dressed in the sheeps clothing of a large dictionary, thesaurus and encyclopedia set, perfectly mirroring its protagonist.

I must be honest and admit that I only had an interest in reading this because of the fantastic movie adaptation. It's such a charming, funny and interesting movie and I was intrigued as to whether the novel was the source for this or the film maker Richard Ayoade. The answer was a little from column A and a lot from column B. The adaptation made this novel better, it added a magical quality missing from (OK maybe it was slightly hinted at) Dunthornes prose, made the story of Oliver Tate more cohesive and most importantly adding layers of sympathy to the supporting characters in the life of this neurotic, self obsessed, teenage boy and even Oliver himself.

See the movie, for once book not essential.(less)

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Jun 27, 2011 Charlie rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: boys aged around 15, teenagers who don't always fit in with their peers

I picked this up in a bookstore because it was at a discounted price and the first few pages really caught my attention. Oliver Tate as a smart albeit eccentric teenager struck a chord with me, and at first I felt I could relate to the character. I enjoyed the character's analytical view of the world around him and the humour that comes with it, but that's about where it ends.

Oliver Tate does things which most teenagers may threaten to do after an argument, but would never dream of doing in real...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Plainqoma rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Menulis review ini dengan background music suara Alex Turner yang sexy. I prefer myself listening to "It's Hard To Get Around The Wind."

Submarine, I found out about this single entity title when I'm listening to Alex Turner album, title : Submarine, released on 14 March 2011. The best album for that year I must say. It's a good album. My favourite. I didn't know there's a movie title Submarine. I found out about it while talking with Afiqah.E. She's enthusiastically told me how damn good the mo...more

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Feb 29, 2012 Jo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, hometown-glories-uk, oh-how-we-laugh, ya

Ever wondered what it would be like if Wes Anderson got drunk on vodka and watched the entire box set of The Inbetweeners in one night?

Reader meet Submarine. Submarine meet reader.

Aah, and herein lies the conundrum.
For I really dislike The Inbetweeners (I know, I know… I have received many a horrified glare when I have divulged this information. I just don’t find it funny because I’m a horrible, stuffy prude) but I adore Wes Anderson.
This could have gone either way and I think I knew this risk b...more

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Jun 20, 2012 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars

hello i read this book whilst doing bad concentration
when you cannot sleep it is like a comic book is playing in your head for eight hours
submarine
it is a book
i like the cover that is not the 'film edition'
i like some of it and not all of it.
i had not read this book before but i had seen the screencaps and felt off about reading it but i did like it mainly at the beginning
after a while it got a bit weird and then i did double fast scrolling
(what i wrote before re submarine)
i think that i like t...more

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Mar 12, 2011 John Blunden rated it 4 of 5 stars

Excellent.
I could leave it at that but I feel I must add something more to this review to justify that statement, and then explain why I only gave it four stars.
*Skips plot overview, as that’s the part I rarely read myself. There are blurbs on books, have you noticed?*
Basically I’ve seen a mixed reaction to Submarine. Some have stated that the quote ‘The next Catcher in The Rye’ is quite a lofty estimation of this book. But so what? I have a feeling that anyone connecting with The Catcher in th...more Excellent.
I could leave it at that but I feel I must add something more to this review to justify that statement, and then explain why I only gave it four stars.
*Skips plot overview, as that’s the part I rarely read myself. There are blurbs on books, have you noticed?*
Basically I’ve seen a mixed reaction to Submarine. Some have stated that the quote ‘The next Catcher in The Rye’ is quite a lofty estimation of this book. But so what? I have a feeling that anyone connecting with The Catcher in the Rye now-a-days will also connect, just as well with our narrator here, Oliver Tate. He’s sharp witted, quite grim, and misunderstood by most people, including himself. He feels he leads a tortuous existence and has no direction about where to go, reminiscent of Holden Caulfield’s angst and alienation, yet he’s intelligent enough to understand this, hence his self-loathing.
I have a feeling that any blah-blah-blah about this NOT being The Catcher in the Rye will come from the older readers, no offence intended. But, this demographic will always remember when they first read TCITR (nuts to spelling it out every time) as an adolescent with fond memories. Why? Because that was their alienated and unsure period of life, and Holden gave them a wonderful sarcastic worldview.
Now, as they are more comfortable and assured of themselves they see Oliver Tate as just some whinging teenager. And, to be fair, that’s the point. Novels such as Submarine and TCITR are intended for the adolescent audience and, if you find yourself smirking at the naïve comparison, as you see it, then you’re an idiot. You remember reading TCITR as a teenager and loving it, and now, slippers on, you find fault in this because you no longer relate to the adolescent depicted.
Let me assure you, Submarine is a wonderful novel that can be enjoyed by any age group, providing you take off your rose-tinted glasses first.
P.s. It got four out of five because, Jesus, I would have chopped a good bit of the ending off. But that’s just a minor disappointment.
(less)

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Jun 10, 2012 Cara Rogers rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Cara by: A movie

It was alright. I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. Not that it wasn't good, you know, because it was. It's just that I feel Joe Dunthorne gives a little to much information. I seriously didn't need to know how much Jordana shaves or the sexual activities of Oliver Tate's parents. For the most part, I do like Oliver as a character. Jordana herself was a bit of a cow and irritating in most of the times that she was present, but if she wasn't there it felt as if the story itself was jus...more

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Jun 09, 2011 Eric rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoyed Submarine immensely. The first few chapters were the laugh-out-loud funniest thing I've read in a long time (though if you're not amused by kids being creatively sadistic toward their schoolmates and manipulative and devious with their parents, you may not find this to be so); the rest of it, while more serious and poignant, is saved from sappiness by periodic injections of the narrator-protagonist's sardonic teenage wit, interspersed with his more subtly funny bouts of bathetic, self-...more

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Jul 10, 2011 Rosie Ellen rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked this up out of curiosity - I've not seen the film, and after reading it, I'm not likely to, but I thought I might see it and I love book/film comparisions, plus a friend told me it was a good read. But I did not enjoy this one at all. There's a lot of reviews/hype/comments about how it's very Catcher-In-The-Rye-esque, and a lot of further comments about how that over sells it and isn't true and what have you, but I actually think that's quite a fair description - it is a very coming-of-...more

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Apr 06, 2010 Michael rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, fiction, review

Review from Badelynge
Maybe if Joe Dunthorne's Submarine had clothed its covers with far fewer off the mark testimonials, I would have been a little more forgiving in my judgment of this book. But for the sake of balance alone somebody has to pooh-pooh all the best thing since Catcher in the Rye statements. To live up to such statements Oliver Tate (our narrator) would have to seem like a real character - but he never does. Maybe he was never meant to. Submarine sort of lives in a skewed reality...more

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Jul 19, 2012 Moira Fogarty rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comedy

A bizarre peek inside the mind of a teenaged Welsh boy; a twisted nod to classic YA. It's like Sue Townsend's 'Adrian Mole Diaries' meets Maurice Sendak's 'Where the Wild Things Are' meets Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood' but with NO HOLDS BARRED.

Yes, this book is powerfully awkward at times. It's rude. Impolite. Horny. Unabashed. Mildly autistic. You will cringe. Your insides will shrivel at graphic descriptions of teen cruelty and bad seductions.

HOWEVER! The writing is brilliant. Clever, brav...more

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Jun 15, 2012 Julia rated it 3 of 5 stars

this book is really an excellent way to spend one's afternoon/night/12 am/breakfast & morning. very entertaining, very humorous in my favorite dry kind of way, oddly affecting sometimes (though not as a whole very affecting, i suppose--the film does a better job at that--but sometimes being affecting isn't integral to being good; i don't know). obviously i bought this because i saw the film, which was excellent, although its existence did have the unfortunate side effect of placing its now a...more

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Dec 07, 2011 Zarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: literary, no-frills

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

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Apr 02, 2012 Renee rated it 3 of 5 stars

Oliver Tate is yet another precocious, funny boy narrator, but he's definitely got his own style. He's incredibly awkward, hypersensitive to social dynamics, and loves learning new words. He loves to push his parents' buttons, but he's not doing it to be funny. He's doing it because he thinks it's in their best interest. And when he suspects their marriage is in trouble, of course he thinks it's up to him to save it. The other half of the time, he's busy with his first girlfriend, pyromaniac Jor...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Giles rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoyed it - REALLY enjoyed it. It's incredibly witty, and a startling portrayal of modern teenage life, but it lacks a certain something.

The comparisons to 'Catcher in the Rye' are apt, not least because it is a book which aims itself at young adults, and fills itself with pertinent references to a teenage life, but, much like puberty, fails to bloom into anything of real relevance. Instead it meanders along blurring he line between half-baked idea and crudely crafted metaphor like a bad Wes...more

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Jan 09, 2013 Andrew Woods rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was introduced to the novel through Ayoade's magnificent film adaptation. But the book met my fairly high expectations! I laughed throughout. Dunthorne has a talent for description and similes. The protagonist, Oliver, is an introspective, intelligent 16 year old who struggles to understand the motives and desires of others. He consistently fails in his attempts of psychologically adjusting his parents and girlfriend to how he feels the world should be arranged.
Oliver is a submarine that want...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Airiz C rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: humor, romance, young-adult

Precocious doesn’t begin to cover fifteen-year-old Welsh boy Oliver Tate, protagonist of this offbeat coming-of-age novel by Joe Dunthorne. But even with his booming IQ, Oliver isn’t exempted from toiling to trudge the dangerously rocky roads of adulthood. He naturally dons the confidence of a self-styled social scientist and arms himself with a cautiousness that being an explorer of an emotional landscape requires. With these in hand, plus a couple of printouts from various instructional websit...more Precocious doesn’t begin to cover fifteen-year-old Welsh boy Oliver Tate, protagonist of this offbeat coming-of-age novel by Joe Dunthorne. But even with his booming IQ, Oliver isn’t exempted from toiling to trudge the dangerously rocky roads of adulthood. He naturally dons the confidence of a self-styled social scientist and arms himself with a cautiousness that being an explorer of an emotional landscape requires. With these in hand, plus a couple of printouts from various instructional websites, Oliver plummets into the adult world to complete two self-assigned missions: (1) get rid of the reasons ungluing his parents’ marriage and (2) discover what makes Jordana Bevan—his pretty (and pretty oddball) muse—tick.

In Submarine, Dunthorne takes us into one roller coaster of a ride that anyone who has passed (or is currently in) the transition of being callow to grownup would be familiar about. A mishmash of laugh-out-loud comedy, valuable introspections, and teenage inanities, Submarine is a true portrait of modern adolescence that isn’t easy to forget.

I’ll make no bones about it: I found out about Submarine through Arctic Monkeys vocalist, Alex Turner. It is his music that backdrops Richard Ayoade’s big screen adaptation of this novel. Sheer curiosity pushed me to search for what’s really behind the poetic subtleties of the songs “Piledriver Waltz,” “Stuck on the Puzzle,” “It’s Hard to Get Around the Wind,” and “Hiding Tonight.” And I want to find these out not from the movie but the original source material.

The book is a mixed bag for me. I quite liked its sharp crudeness, its unashamed hormone-driven absurdities, and its uncensored representations of things we prefer to keep behind closed doors. With that said, I did enjoy the all-access pass into Oliver’s mind. This mainly roots from my penchant for believably bright heroes. His amusing quirkiness—akin to many others I’ve read in other books—is a passport straight to my heart. But unlike other precocious protags, he managed to carve a special space in it for one reason: his intelligence is coupled by a funny kind of coldness. Dunthorne expertly conveys this to the readers as only superficial. Oliver scientifically speculates about and explores emotions of other people, but never does he do it to himself. His thought processes are basically robotic comedy, but the readers could see easily through him via his actions and offhand reactions.

Nonlinear narration is no problem with me. However, there are certain parts in the book that swerved off a little too far from the straight path that their cohesiveness is sacrificed. I understand that it’s a part of Oliver’s personality-tinged narrative devices, but I thought Dunthorne could have a little more control on it. But yeah, perhaps it’s only a pet peeve.

The book is overall a crudely charming treat. With an array of literally new words (Oliver is practically a human dictionary and thesaurus), this romp in an angsty young adulthood is a remarkably twisted contribution to a gamut of formulated YA tales gracing our bookshelves nowadays.

Oh, and of course: it’s a love story too, but one that doesn't even get near the cheesy side. That said, I’m going to end this review with one of my favorite quotes from the book:

“She’s the only person I would allow to be shrunk to microscopic size and explore my body in a tiny submersible machine.”

Oh, so Oliver.(less)

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Feb 09, 2012 Mary Winn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Awkward adolescents

It's been tagged as the 21st century's response to Catcher In The Rye, and I have to say, I agree 100%. Despite having seen the film first, the book was full of little surprises, but the best part, for me, was Oliver's narration. It reminded me a little of The Curious Incident... but instead of autism, he seems to be battling with bourgeois, bubble-wrapped awkwardness. The jokes cut through me like daggers, but much blunter, and the colours that the Swansea seaside story paints in my brain are i...more

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Oct 04, 2012 Claire rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2012

(Disclaimer: I read this because I wanted to see the movie but I wanted to read the book first)

Normally, the above reason is fairly valid cause the book is often better. However, after reading this... I am left wondering what the hell the movie is going to be about??? Also, I have read some reviews and most make reference to it being like The Catcher in the Rye (even on of the reviews on the back of the books says it). Now, I have never read "Catcher" and really, if it's anything like this book....more

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Nov 22, 2011 Yelena rated it 4 of 5 stars

Nostalgia is usually caused by something that ignites a memory or feeling that reminds one of the past. Submarine by Joe Dunthorne is a interesting and very unique young-adult novel that does ignite such feelings, but may or may not interest you depending on your literary tastes. The story revolves around a fifteen year-old boy by the name of Oliver Tate who, despite his high level of intellect, has a set of problems at hand that he can't seem to resolve. His parents are struggling through a rou...more Nostalgia is usually caused by something that ignites a memory or feeling that reminds one of the past. Submarine by Joe Dunthorne is a interesting and very unique young-adult novel that does ignite such feelings, but may or may not interest you depending on your literary tastes. The story revolves around a fifteen year-old boy by the name of Oliver Tate who, despite his high level of intellect, has a set of problems at hand that he can't seem to resolve. His parents are struggling through a rough patch, and being the person he is, he can't seem to keep himself out of it (which causes him to do some crazy things). He also finds himself his first girlfriend, and expresses his love for her in ways that he never had before. After all is said and done, Oliver discovers much more about himself and the world than he ever imagined.

Moreover, the most endearing aspect of this book is that it shows how important everyday life really is. The focus is on the very small things in life, which can sometimes be more important than the big ones. Although he is merely beginning his life, he often brings up interesting perspectives and outlooks on life. Towards the end of the book, he says, "Old people only say that life happens quickly to make themselves feel better. The truth is that it all happens in tiny increments, like now now now now now now…" (258). Oliver's voice is especially unique, and since the book is written entirely narrated by him, it helps the reader connect to him as a person. The book was an insight to a typical teenager's life and mind, and displayed the humanity and inhumanity of the real world through his eyes. Most often I would find myself reading about someone or something around him, and then the next second lost in Oliver's thoughts. It would often be random, one thing having no apparent relation to the other. But such is life. Things don't always work out, and this is just one of the lessons Oliver Tate learns by the end of this journey.

If I were to rate this book out of five, I would rate it a four. The main reason for my decision is because the plot is not especially memorable, and sometimes can be unrealistic. At times, Oliver's actions can be farfetched. For example, when he finds out his mother is cheating with another man, he breaks into the man's house completely drunk, then ends up being given a ride home by that same man. The whole situation was disappointing and awkward, as well as an ineffective way of handling the matter. This action may very well be an exaggeration to make a point, but instead seems like one of those crazy things we all think of doing but never really follow through. On the other hand, some other aspects of the book were very realistic. For instance, not all of Oliver's problems were completely resolved. Even when the book ended, some of them were in the process of improving, and others were unresolved and lost in the dark. This was a great connection to real life and how not everything has a legitimate ending. By the end of the book, one learns that even if you find yourself neck-deep among all of life's problems, you can still find happiness and reason to keep going.(less)

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Feb 06, 2012 Sophie Stringfellow rated it 5 of 5 stars

Submarine is possibly the funniest book I've ever read. When I discussed it with my friends, however, they said they didn't like it as much as I clearly did, so I guess it doesn't have the universal appeal that I'd granted it. Also a student I recommended it to, when asked what he thought of the book, said 'it's quite rude', which is worrying because I don't think it's ruder than any other growing up story!

There's something that really appeals to me about Dunthorne's style- it could just be that...more

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Dec 01, 2011 Thomass rated it 5 of 5 stars

Really a very strong 4 but wanted to average out the reviews a bit. The movie is also a great adaptation, I actually saw it first and it compelled me to read the book.

*afternote- I was curious why it had such a low rating so I read some of the lower star reviews. Wow. I guess i'm glad they didn't like it. Not liking a book of fiction because a character is not 'nice' or some of the things were 'unrealistic'??? Why are you even on goodreads? You do realize artistic license and imagination are so...more

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Sep 30, 2011 Zoe rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I watched the movie first and fell in love with it, and had really high expectations for the novel, and obviously these expectations were not made. The plot was bland and messy, unclear with what is happening. The characters were faceless to me throughout the book, none of them really developed except Zoe, and she developed into something worse. Oliver was nice at first, seemed academically clever yet socially clueless, and a bit of a people watcher, but as I read on, it got really boring and ir...more

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About Joe Dunthorne

Joe Dunthorne was born and brought up in Swansea, and is a graduate of the University of East Anglia's Creative Writing MA, where he was awarded the Curtis Brown prize.

His poetry has been published in magazines and anthologies and has featured on Channel 4, and BBC Radio 3 and 4. A pamphlet collection, Joe Dunthorne: Faber New Poets 5 was published in 2010.

His first novel, Submarine, the story of...more

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Trivia About Submarine

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Quotes from Submarine

“I love you more than words. And I am a big fan of words.” — 75 people liked it

“Exercise II.

Write a diary, imagining that you are trying to make an old person jealous. I have written an example to get you started:

Dear Diary,
I spent the morning admiring my skin elasticity.
God alive, I feel supple.” — 29 people liked it

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title link	preview: Submarine
avg rating	preview: Submarine Goodreads rating: 3.69 (2506 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2473454.Submarine?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320547560l/2473454.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2473454.Submarine?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Submarine by Joe Dunthorne[/url]

Submarine

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