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4th out of 107 books
—
118 voters
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 (Adrian Mole #1)
by
Sue Townsend
Adrian Mole's first love, Pandora, has left him; a neighbor, Mr. Lucas, appears to be seducing his mother (and what does that mean for his father?); the BBC refuses to publish his poetry; and his dog swallowed the tree off the Christmas cake. "Why" indeed.
Paperback, 272 pages
Published
August 14th 2003
by HarperTeen
(first published 1982)
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April 25
I start reading a book called Diary of a Nobody. It is boring and not much happens, also Mr. Pooter is pretty dim. I don't get it. Why would anyone want to write a book about a nobody who takes himself far too seriously?
I decide that I will write a book about myself that will be quite different, it will be full of important things I do and extremely interesting. Perhaps I will call it Diary of a Somebody. But then people won't know which somebody it is, since everyone is somebody. I dec...more
I start reading a book called Diary of a Nobody. It is boring and not much happens, also Mr. Pooter is pretty dim. I don't get it. Why would anyone want to write a book about a nobody who takes himself far too seriously?
I decide that I will write a book about myself that will be quite different, it will be full of important things I do and extremely interesting. Perhaps I will call it Diary of a Somebody. But then people won't know which somebody it is, since everyone is somebody. I dec...more
The Diary of Adrian Mole is like a snarky one-liner that continues for 135 pages. Adrian is a self-centered, irreverent British 14-year-old whose diary entries include nuggets of wisdom such as:
Pandora and I are in love! It is official! She told Claire Neilson, who told Nigel, who told me.
I told Nigel to tell Claire to tell Pandora that I return her love. I am over the moon with joy and rapture. I can overlook the fact that Pandora smokes five Benson and Hedges a day and has her own lighter. Whe...more
Pandora and I are in love! It is official! She told Claire Neilson, who told Nigel, who told me.
I told Nigel to tell Claire to tell Pandora that I return her love. I am over the moon with joy and rapture. I can overlook the fact that Pandora smokes five Benson and Hedges a day and has her own lighter. Whe...more
6 likes · like · see review
No hab��a le��do hasta ahora este libro porque el ��nico conocimiento que ten��a de ��l era el haber le��do una adaptaci��n s��per corta para la asignatura de Ingl��s en alg��n curso de la ESO. En mi ignorancia, pensaba que era un libro para ni��os/adolescentes. Pero cuando lo vi en la biblioteca, con un comentario en la contraportada de Tom Sharpe (uno de mis escritores brit��nicos favoritos que nunca recomiendo a nadie), no dud�� en sacarlo y leerlo.
��Es s��per divertido y absurdo! Est�� escri...more
��Es s��per divertido y absurdo! Est�� escri...more
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 reminded me of the excellent Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole in the best way possible -buffoon forces us to relate by way of academic and societal realization of place. Mole is a fairly bog-standard Midlands kid growing up in Thatcher's England. His life is upset by the adults around him, and the seeming disorder of this fellow adolescents. Mole considers himself an intellectual, an untapped mind that nobody but himself understands. The fo...more
5 likes · like · see review
This book is a hoot. I used to read it on the train and had to stop doing so because people around me were annoyed by my laughing and snorting.
I don't know how Townsend knows so much about the workings of a male teenaged mind, but it's thoroughly convincing and all hilarious. Adrian Mole is a young intellectual and poet, constantly disgusted by his un-intellectual parents whose marriage is rocky and who split up during the course of the novel. Mole spends a lot of time agonising over his age (e...more
I don't know how Townsend knows so much about the workings of a male teenaged mind, but it's thoroughly convincing and all hilarious. Adrian Mole is a young intellectual and poet, constantly disgusted by his un-intellectual parents whose marriage is rocky and who split up during the course of the novel. Mole spends a lot of time agonising over his age (e...more
I've just read this to my daughter who is exactly this age. I'd read the book when it first came out but it was great to revisit both it and the memories that it stirred. Reliving the Falklands War, the Royal Wedding, mass unemployment, stress over the changes to the school system etc was fascinating if only to realise how little has changed! We almost had to stop reading at one point as each day's literary Mole catastrophe coincidentally seemed to then occur in my daughter's real life: her firs...more
You've probably heard of "The Secret (although not anymore it would seem) Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾" but I'll review it anyway.
The diary covers the period January 1981 through to beginning of April 1982. Therefore Adrian was not 13 ¾ throughout the story (false advertising?); instead he was merely 13 ¾ at the beginning and 15 at the end.
It is now 30 years since the diary's release and apart from mentions to the price of things (£30,000 for a semi-detached house, if only) and the mention of...more
The diary covers the period January 1981 through to beginning of April 1982. Therefore Adrian was not 13 ¾ throughout the story (false advertising?); instead he was merely 13 ¾ at the beginning and 15 at the end.
It is now 30 years since the diary's release and apart from mentions to the price of things (£30,000 for a semi-detached house, if only) and the mention of...more
Adrian Mole is 13 (and 3/4) years old. He comes from an EXTREMELY dysfunctional family: his father is an alcoholic who can't hold a steady job. His mother runs of with the neighbor who has just been left by his wife -- for another WOMAN. Considering that this book was written in the 1980s, it covers a lot of controversial topics with finesse: feminism, sexuality, politics, morality. It was quite sweet to see Adrian (who is very precocious) reading his mother's books, like The Second Sex and The...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I first started reading the Adrian Mole series many years ago, and they are books that I've constantly returned to.
In this book, Adrian begins writing his diary aged 13¾, living under Margaret Thatcher's iron fist in the 1980's. Essentially, he leads us through the mundane normalities of his everyday life. He describes his working class parents and their tempestuous marriage, his undying love for Pandora Braithwaite, his reluctant carer role for the vulgar OAP Bert Baxter, and his confusion as t...more
In this book, Adrian begins writing his diary aged 13¾, living under Margaret Thatcher's iron fist in the 1980's. Essentially, he leads us through the mundane normalities of his everyday life. He describes his working class parents and their tempestuous marriage, his undying love for Pandora Braithwaite, his reluctant carer role for the vulgar OAP Bert Baxter, and his confusion as t...more
Feb 23, 2013
Paul
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
to-be-read-again,
british-classic
I first read this back in the mid 80's like pretty much every kid in the UK. I didn't understand half of the "in" jokes on the first read - I am not sure we were supposed to, they were aimed at the more older reader I think. I have revisited the book a few times in the intervening years, but it's only on this last reading over the last couple of days that I think I finally got everything from the story.
I may have read between the lines once or twice where Adrian's mothers relationship with Lucas...more
I may have read between the lines once or twice where Adrian's mothers relationship with Lucas...more
Now this story is probably one of the funniest I’ve read so far. Written by Sue Townsend it hits the country with its realism and the silliness of Adrian Mole himself.
It starts with his New Year to-do list which is an absolute killer all by itself. And then the reader slowly reads through the days of Adrian’s life and laughs him or herself silly just because of his weird ways of explaining things to himself.
Finally falls in love with a girl from his class and goes through the painful experience...more
It starts with his New Year to-do list which is an absolute killer all by itself. And then the reader slowly reads through the days of Adrian’s life and laughs him or herself silly just because of his weird ways of explaining things to himself.
Finally falls in love with a girl from his class and goes through the painful experience...more
Feb 14, 2013
Abigail
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Abigail by:
Tinsley
Shelves:
british-humour,
read-2013
"The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4" was recommended to me my a friend of mine and it did not disappoint. I think her description of it matches it the best by saying at it's about this kid and really tragic things happen to him, but it's all done in a very funny way.
A number of the references were not foreign to me as I lived in England for a year during my last year of uni. I wouldn't say it made me homesick or anything but I had an interesting conversation with my friend about daily...more
A number of the references were not foreign to me as I lived in England for a year during my last year of uni. I wouldn't say it made me homesick or anything but I had an interesting conversation with my friend about daily...more
Sue Townsend's best-selling book is a wonderful gift for a 13-year-old boy, but you will still enjoy it if you are in your early 20s, because it speaks to the teenager you were... the one that worried about pimples, and obsessed over individuals who were not at all interested... or were they? I read Adrian Mole's diaries long before J.K. Rowling came out with her Harry Potter series. I haven't read any of Rowling's books but I have supported her nevertheless by going to all the movie adaptations...more
Bought this at the EuroStar train station in London. Had never heard of it, seemed like sort of an English Judy Blume. I have multiple times laughed out loud.
Very enjoyable overall. In the world of authors, Sue Townsend is in a neighboring cul-da-sac from Roald Dahl. Quirky character names, a lead who hasn't got the best of luck but you still root for, a dirty, wry sense of humor and a touch of English. Poor Adrian Mole's parents are breaking apart, no one can control the family's nameless dog,...more
Very enjoyable overall. In the world of authors, Sue Townsend is in a neighboring cul-da-sac from Roald Dahl. Quirky character names, a lead who hasn't got the best of luck but you still root for, a dirty, wry sense of humor and a touch of English. Poor Adrian Mole's parents are breaking apart, no one can control the family's nameless dog,...more
1 like · like · see review
I have read this book over and over, but not for a long time. When I was younger, I had a well-leafed copy, and I guess I enjoyed it because of the diary format rather than because I had any particular understanding of it. I don’t relate to what it’s like being a teenage boy, and looking back now I can see that I didn’t get a lot of the references.
I was surprised to see this as a Kindle Daily Deal but snapped it up, as I had almost forgotten the book existed! I instantly opened it and began to r...more
I was surprised to see this as a Kindle Daily Deal but snapped it up, as I had almost forgotten the book existed! I instantly opened it and began to r...more
1 like · like · see review
Absolutely formative for my being. I've read it so many times (the edition whose cover is an homage to "Catcher in the Rye") my original copy is worn. It's actually the 3rd copy as two I loaned out were never returned.
I still remember sitting in Freshman (College Bound) English with Madame Gouldy and looking over to see Jonathan Reinke chuckling quietly over the paperback he was trying to hide under his desk. I asked him what it was and he showed me. Luckily, I was able to get my own copy soon...more
I still remember sitting in Freshman (College Bound) English with Madame Gouldy and looking over to see Jonathan Reinke chuckling quietly over the paperback he was trying to hide under his desk. I asked him what it was and he showed me. Luckily, I was able to get my own copy soon...more
I have read this book for school, well, an adaptation of it. What can I say? This story is about a boy that writes on his diary all his adventures and actions during the day. It was really funny, firstly because it's not the kind of books I usually read for classes, this surprised me. A lot.
I couldn't laugh more with Adrian's worries about spots, it's the first boy I know (even it's fictional) that cares about that!
He's in love with Pandora, a girl that, personally thinking, is a girl that bri...more
I couldn't laugh more with Adrian's worries about spots, it's the first boy I know (even it's fictional) that cares about that!
He's in love with Pandora, a girl that, personally thinking, is a girl that bri...more
Adrian Mole is a 13-year-old self-styled intellectual who is 'at the same time not very clever.' I love the way he pesters the BBC with unsolicited poetry, and treasures his rejection letters. He's definitely the young fogey in his family, often aligning himself with his grandmother against his adulterous mother and unemployed father.
Mar 03, 2013
Pamela Huxtable
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
ya-fiction,
pop-fiction
I was curious about this novel since hearing it compared to The Catcher in the Rye. I can understand the basis for comparison now. In both novels the authors deal with issues of sexuality, self discovery in a rotten world, and adults that disappoint the protagonists. However, Adrian Mole feels more like a young adult novel, and not a ground breaking work like Catcher.
There's a review here on Goodreads that compares Adrian Mole to A Confederacy of Dunces, and I think that's a better comparison. A...more
There's a review here on Goodreads that compares Adrian Mole to A Confederacy of Dunces, and I think that's a better comparison. A...more
Adrian Mole, precocious British teenager, self-professed intellectual, and diarist tells us of his trials and tribulations during the last part of his 13th and all of his 14th year. His musings are funny, sweet, and ultimately poignant. In this first edition of the series, we follow him through his decision to become an intellectual, his parents separation and reunification, and his tumultuous first love affair with one Pandora Braithwaite (herself precocious, radical and somewhat fickle.)
Upon m...more
Upon m...more
Everyone should read this around the same time as Catcher in the Rye - when you're 13-15 and utterly disenchanted with the world. My dad make the mistake of handing it to me when I was 11 and I got nothing out of it. Thank God I picked it up again for no apparently reason when I was 14. For some reason it sticks in my memory that I woke up too early for school in November and took it off the shelf and back to bed with me at about 6am. I had finished it before my first class that day and couldn't...more
Mar 30, 2009
Graceann
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Sue Townsend Fans, Fans of British Humor
Recommended to Graceann by:
Several People
Shelves:
epistolary-novels,
series
Please see my detailed review at Amazon Graceann's "Secret Diary of Adrian Mole" Review"
Please click that the review was helpful to you at Amazon so that my rating continues to climb!
I have this with my epistolary novels, but really it's written in a diary format - so that's just for lack of a better classification. This is the first of a series, and I laughed out loud (as I often do with Sue Townsend). British humor can be very dry, and some of the cultural references did indeed require explan...more
Please click that the review was helpful to you at Amazon so that my rating continues to climb!
I have this with my epistolary novels, but really it's written in a diary format - so that's just for lack of a better classification. This is the first of a series, and I laughed out loud (as I often do with Sue Townsend). British humor can be very dry, and some of the cultural references did indeed require explan...more
My mum had read this as a kid and said she had enjoyed it so she got me to read it too . I liked this book , it had a strong sense of humor which is my favourite category of book , it also was written in a diary style which i really enjoy . It used simple grammar so it was really easy to read and follow . It was like you were in the head of an adolescent boy . The only thing I did nto enjoy the book was the beggining , I was not gripped to read it , but fortuneately i pushed myself to complete t...more
Chers Goodreads friends, I cannot believe that none of you have read this book yet. (Emphasis on "yet". You totally should read this, it is awesome.)
Well, no, there's no epic paranormal story, no swoon-worthy guys, no vampires.
BUT this book will have you laughing your asses off.
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole is the bird on the left.
This is written in diary form, by a boy called Adrian Mole, who starts off as 13 3/4 but is 15 when the story ends.
Adrian is not a funny person.
But he has no ide...more
Well, no, there's no epic paranormal story, no swoon-worthy guys, no vampires.
BUT this book will have you laughing your asses off.
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole is the bird on the left.
This is written in diary form, by a boy called Adrian Mole, who starts off as 13 3/4 but is 15 when the story ends.
Adrian is not a funny person.
But he has no ide...more
Feb 27, 2011
David Nichols
added it
I started reading this because somewhere on the inturwebz I read someone referencing it as the basis for Youth In Revolt, one of my favorite books. And that Youth In Revolt stole it's character, narrative tone, and pretty much the substance of the book.
Not much. Youth In Revolt definitely owes a debt of gratitude to Adrian Mole, but that is all. It stands on it's own feet, and has it's own merits. Adrian Mole is much more subdued. Youth In Revolt has an absurdity to it that Mole does not. I defi...more
Not much. Youth In Revolt definitely owes a debt of gratitude to Adrian Mole, but that is all. It stands on it's own feet, and has it's own merits. Adrian Mole is much more subdued. Youth In Revolt has an absurdity to it that Mole does not. I defi...more
I read this when I was about twelve and really enjoyed it. When someone suggested I buy a class set to teach at work I thought I better read it again so I know what's going on in my classrooms.
As an adult there is plenty to enjoy in this book. It's very easy to read and you can whizz through it in a few hours. It doesn't really challenge you as a reader but it is amusing enough and hasn't dated too badly - despite jokes about the Falklands War and the Royal Wedding or the parents of the Royal We...more
As an adult there is plenty to enjoy in this book. It's very easy to read and you can whizz through it in a few hours. It doesn't really challenge you as a reader but it is amusing enough and hasn't dated too badly - despite jokes about the Falklands War and the Royal Wedding or the parents of the Royal We...more
Adrian Mole is a teenager who has great ambitions to be an intellectual, but who gets sidetracked by his spots, his dog, the imminent divorce of his parents, the love of his life and several other things. He worries over his parents, does social work, writes poetry and is the honourable recipient of rejection letters from no less than the BBC. The book is a satirical commentary on the socio-political life and times of 80's Britain, delivered through the accurate albeit whimsical chronicles of AM...more
It's funny because I was almost the perfect age for this when it came out. In a way I could have been Adrian Mole. However, the last thing I wanted to read about when I was a shy, spotty teenager with literary aspirations and a mild breast fixation, was the ramblings of another shy, spotty teenager with literary aspirations and a mild breast fixation. So I never got round to reading it until now, when my son had the book, as he is now almost the perfect age for it (being himself a shy, spotty......more
[These notes were made in 1986:]. I read the sequel before I read this, so in many ways it was "the same again," but it wasn't exactly hard to take such well-devised, giggle-provoking apparent naiveté. The secret of Townsend's success is, I think, that she doesn't shirk the big issues; Adrian's parents break up, &c., but tho' he certainly reacts to these things, he doesn't have that neurotic self-analysis that grown-ups have - or where he does, he's charmingly ignorant about himself. Some of...more
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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Susan Lillian "Sue" Townsend is a British novelist, best known as the author of the Adrian Mole series of books. Her writing tends to combine comedy with social commentary, though she has written purely dramatic works as well. She has suffered from diabetes for many years, a...more
More about Sue Townsend...
Susan Lillian "Sue" Townsend is a British novelist, best known as the author of the Adrian Mole series of books. Her writing tends to combine comedy with social commentary, though she has written purely dramatic works as well. She has suffered from diabetes for many years, a...more
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“There's only one thing more boring than listening to other people's dreams, and that's listening to their problems.”
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“8.45 a.m. My mother is in the hospital grounds smoking a cigarette. She is looking old and haggard. All the debauchery is catching up with her.”
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