Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Beach

3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 · rating details · 29,129 ratings · 1,176 reviews

After discovering a seemingly Edenic paradise on an island in a Thai national park, Richard soon finds that since civilized behavior tends to dissolve without external restraints, the utopia is hard to maintain. (Nancy Pearl)

Paperback, 448 pages

Published February 1st 1998 by Riverhead Trade (first published 1996)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger

I Only Watched the Movie!

97th out of 757 books — 3,439 voters

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

The BOOK was BETTER than the MOVIE

120th out of 1,130 books — 14,699 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Sep 29, 2008 Ryan Chapman rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: desertislandpicks, fiction

I will defend this book's subtle intelligence to the ends of the Earth. Garland's performative act--seducing us with the myth of perfect travel, deftly balancing the naive hypocrisies of Westerners rooting out the exotic in the East--creates a brutal ending that recasts what had led up to it. While Garland could have easily stopped with a cautionary tale, he went further by lacing his character's thoughts not with literary allusions, but filmic ones. Which 20-something British kid wouldn't think...more

35 likes · like · see review

May 10, 2007 Ryan rated it 4 of 5 stars

I basically devoured this book. Started on Friday, finished by Monday. Part of it has to do with the way the book is written (short, three to four page vignettes that make it easy to say, "Oh I'll just read one more") but a larger part has to do with the momentum of the story. it doesn't really ever let up. i was never bored reading this book in fact I almost compulsively needed to know what would happen next. The whole thing kind of plays out like a really well-done summer popcorn movie.

Two de...more

20 likes · like · see review

Aug 28, 2012 Kathryn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Kathryn by: Trudi

Shelves: general-fiction, own, 2012-read

My immediate thoughts on finishing The Beach are this: It was pretty good. Four stars. Not the best ever I've read. Quite different than the movie adaptation.

What I liked about The Beach were several things: I really enjoyed the way Garland wrote this story. For me, it was a realistic aspect of the way someone might think, speak, feel, and act. I enjoyed the realistic quality of the dialogue. To me, it didn't really seem forced, or trying too hard. For a first novel, I'm kind of left impressed....more My immediate thoughts on finishing The Beach are this: It was pretty good. Four stars. Not the best ever I've read. Quite different than the movie adaptation.

What I liked about The Beach were several things: I really enjoyed the way Garland wrote this story. For me, it was a realistic aspect of the way someone might think, speak, feel, and act. I enjoyed the realistic quality of the dialogue. To me, it didn't really seem forced, or trying too hard. For a first novel, I'm kind of left impressed. Another thing I liked about this book was the idea. It made me think there are possibly people out there in the world on small islands, living their lives and creating their own society. For the most part, I could picture what was going on in the story with the descriptions that were given. It's almost one of those types of stories where, you can let your mind wander about what everything and everyone looks like. And despite some of the horrible things Richard, the main character did, I actually still liked him in the end. Towards the end, or even more in the middle, when things start to unravel, it seemed quite realistic. Richard had committed some severe lies which threatened life at The Beach.

What also made this more of a realistic story, and something which I kept thinking while I was reading was, "If it's too good to be true, it probably is." Life was too perfect on The Beach. Not having to pay bills, not having to pay for groceries, not necessarly having to work to think about the future, but only the immediate now, and the simplistic lifestyle. At some point, this too-good-to-be-true lifestyle will most likely come to an end in some way shape or form.

But despite the things I liked about the book, there were some things I didn't like. I guess I was hoping there would be something more to it. I get the general idea, and maybe not a lot was supposed to happen. A lot did happen, don't get me wrong. I just thought (view spoiler)

I'm pretty happy with the story, but I think something a little extra could have been added to bump it up to five stars for me. There was just a little something missing for me, and I don't necessarily mean a romance or something. Also, like I mentioned before, I liked Richard, but I also liked all of the characters. The reader only knew what Richard knew, and I think it played well for the idea: You're on an island, and you've left your past life behind. End of story. You start a new life, and The Beach is your life. Also end of story.

Great book. Glad I picked it up and read. (Thanks to Trudi, actually!) (less)

5 likes · like · see review

Jul 30, 2007 Chrissy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: travel

Excellent writing -- different, interesting, and colloquial without being cliche. His short descriptions of the characters are beyond adequate, as he lets you immediately understand the person. Richard, the main character, is both elusive and relate-able -- he's an enjoyable character for me because I could see myself in him. He's selfish and flawed, but tries to remain a team player and at the end of the day (or the trip?), he tries to save himself and his friends.

Everything about this book is...more

7 likes · like · see review

Jun 25, 2010 Jeanette rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Stoners with utopian fantasies

Shelves: all-fiction, asia, creepy-spooky-scary, cultural-and-social-commentary, travel-adventure

Given time, Shangri-La never is.
You must grow up and live in the real world, complicated and unpleasant as it may be. Seems to me this is something every generation has to figure out for itself, with assistance or hindrance from various psychoactive substances.

Richard, age 21, goes to Thailand and finds his way to a hidden settlement on a secluded island that is supposed to be off-limits to tourists. The people there are enjoying an Edenic existence, getting nearly everything they need from the...more

8 likes · like · see review

Aug 14, 2012 Sally rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-to-screen, fast-read, randomly-own, beautiful, terrifying

whoa. words fail me right now, yet clearly they never did author Alex Garland.

The voice of my generation, in a way. I really enjoy watching the world through this narrator's eyes, so much that I'm willing to follow him down a sinkhole of madness. What a beautiful demise to paradise.

Don't worry, not a spoiler alert. The narrator is fine in the end. In the movie version. How is the book different?
I dare you to read it and tell me for yourself.

The adaptation was all I knew of this story, and tha...more

5 likes · like · see review

Jul 30, 2009 Hannah Eiseman-Renyard rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: travellers, hippies

Shelves: 20th-century-classics, what-writing-is-supposed-to-be

Gorgeous, Cynical, Well-Observed

Believe it or not, despite the hints throughout about dark and terrible things to come, this novel doesn't really turn dark until around the last fifth.

Until then it's beautiful scenery, well-observed love triangles and petty dislikes, and a new traveller trying to get to, and then assimilate into, the hidden island paradise known as the beach. However, our boy, English narrator Richard, was originally given a map to the beach by an angry/disturbed guy he met in...more Gorgeous, Cynical, Well-Observed

Believe it or not, despite the hints throughout about dark and terrible things to come, this novel doesn't really turn dark until around the last fifth.

Until then it's beautiful scenery, well-observed love triangles and petty dislikes, and a new traveller trying to get to, and then assimilate into, the hidden island paradise known as the beach. However, our boy, English narrator Richard, was originally given a map to the beach by an angry/disturbed guy he met in a Thai hostel, just before he slit his own wrists. So I suppose the darkness is there right from the start.

It's odd that a story so brimming with obvious bad shit happening around the edges manages to stay so pleasant in the main - but then so does the beach itself. It is this amoral hippie oasis - beautiful and hidden, but with drug plantations and the beaten tourist trail so nearby - which makes up the essential dilemma of the piece.

The beach is set up almost like a modern fairy kingdom - a place where time appears to stop, everyone forgets about their lives back home, and the place is apparently run fairly and well - but with a slight hint of menace, too.

I was especially pleased with the narrator character, Richard. Though he does eventually do some terrible things, it's his shrewd observation, thirst for adventure, and just the right amount of cynicism and pettiness to stay entirely believable, which really makes this narrative work.

For large amounts of the story the islanders are simply fishing, or farming, or otherwise working - but it's Richard's keen observation and Alex Garland's tight plotting which keeps undercurrents churning away. Even when the day-to-day activities are repetitive, Richard's growing discoveries about the place and the people mean that the plot never stands still.

(This may not be my most well-thought out review as I only finished the book yesterday, and need to give things time to percolate a little more, but I did really enjoy - and devour - this book.)(less)

9 likes · like · see review

Sep 17, 2007 Ian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: methamphetamine

captivating and riveting to say the very least :). three pages into the book and i was hooked ( hey, it rhymes!! im a poet and i dont know it LOL ).
the only time i put the book down was when i had to do number one. and by then i realized that i was well on my way to pulling an all-nighter.
okay, so sue me for stating the obvious, but for me the book is about adventure. and hopes. and dreams.
about to what extent one is willing to pursue them. and once those things become reality, what is one prepa...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 09, 2007 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favoritesofalltime

This book is maybe my favorite book ever. I have read it 5 times (just completed the fifth read) since I bought it in 2000. I never get tired of this story. The writing is extremely witty and transports you to a world that seems beautiful on the outside, but quickly turns on its protaganist to become deeply sinister and threatening. The main character of Richard is relatable to everyone: he is searching for something, he is not sure what, but thinks he has found it in the beach. He never escapes...more

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 02, 2007 Tom rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: backpackers

This book is of course way better than the movie.
The movie was watered down, warped, and completely missed the point Garland tried to make in his astonishingly succesful first novel.
For starters, Richard, the main character, is brown, English, and doesnt have sex with anybody. He's not Leo at all.
The first half of the book is incredible and really gets deep into the backpacking culture in Thailand, and is the best example of backpacker literature for our generation that I've yet seen.
Still, a...more

4 likes · like · see review

Apr 14, 2013 ♥ Lily (The Novel Nerd) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dark-material

LOVED this book, read it years ago but its recently popped back up on my radar for a re-read.

I find its one of those few books where you can just immerse yourself into the character and feel the same fear, joy and hope they experience.

I would love to leave a longer review but it was so long ago. I will endevour to re-write once i have finished my second read!

You can also find my reviews here:
http://lilythenovelnerd.wordpress.com/ (tho they are alot more colourful)

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 12, 2011 Adam Wilson rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Beach by Alex Garland is nothing short of fantastic. It is definitely not my favorite book of all time but that is the only criticism I can give it, if that even counts as criticism. Seeing the movie is what got me interested in the novel and while I did enjoy the movie a lot, the book has far more depth and emotion than the movie. It is a book in which not a lot really happens, at least to a fan of hardcore horror, but this shows me that books don’t need to be action-packed to be good. This...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 01, 2011 Maciek rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-books, own-in-paperback, favorites, read-in-2010, reviewed

Having never heard of Alex Garland I picked up his debut novel, "The Beach" because the cover and premise were intriguing. I'm happy to say that Mr. Garland delivered exactly what he promised and I breezed through this little yellow book in two days. If Jack Kerouac wore shorts and hung out with William Golding, the two might have produced something like this.

The Beach is compulsively readable because of several factors. First, the chapters are structured and trimmed into an expert lenght, ofte...more Having never heard of Alex Garland I picked up his debut novel, "The Beach" because the cover and premise were intriguing. I'm happy to say that Mr. Garland delivered exactly what he promised and I breezed through this little yellow book in two days. If Jack Kerouac wore shorts and hung out with William Golding, the two might have produced something like this.

The Beach is compulsively readable because of several factors. First, the chapters are structured and trimmed into an expert lenght, often forming four or five page vignettes which allow for the good old "just one more" syndrome which kept many a reader turning the pages deep into the night. The second factor is the story, which is a grand adventure and never really lets up. I was never bored while reading The Beach, and constantly wanted to know what will happen next, and the book kept my excitement up to the very last sentence. Time flies, both for the readers and the characters, and after the experience both won't be the same.

The plot is simple: Richard, a twentysomething backpacker finds his way to Bangkok, where he checks into a cheap hostel on Khao San Road. There he meets a seemingly crazy neighbour who introduces himself as Daffy. Daffy speaks crazy talk about a remote island , located in a off-limits part of Thailand, forbidden for tourists. On this island is a beach, and Daffy describes is as a perfect utopia; Richard decides to go there along with the French couple he met at the hostel, and using a map drawn by Daffy sets out to find the legendary beach.

Now, this sounds like fun, and is exactly that - fun. The suspense is unbearable, and the adventure aspect of the novel is something rarely encountered in contemporary fiction. Seduced with the promise of a perfect hideout, the reader sets on along with Richard on a riveting and spectacular adventure. Everything about this book is well done, and it transports the reader into a dream of most Western travelers - a perfect island, unspoiled by commercial culture and an ideal place for idealistic people to set up. To shape their lives upon. What will Richard's arrival change? Will he adapt? Or will he not?

This is an exciting debut novel, dark and sinister, but also funny and laced with exciting cultural references. A fast and furious novel that transports the reader into another place, much like Golding's Lord of the Flies. The Golding comparison is unavoidable, but The Beach stands alone; Garland's writing is razor sharp and colloquial without being cliched, and guarantees for an intelligent page-turner. This is a definite keeper. (less)

18 likes · like · see review

May 02, 2009 Nicola rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: re-read, fiction, recommended, favourites

I first read this book about 10 years ago and I've read it at least 10 times since then. As a simple adventure story, it doesn't lose its punch, even upon rereading. Richard, a young English traveller, is given a map in Bangkok by a man named Daffy Duck, who promptly commits suicide. The map leads Richard to a secret beach, where a commune of travellers live in apparent paradise. Unfortunately, this tiny microcosm of existence, while idyllic, is also prone to disasters – from the banal, like a b...more I first read this book about 10 years ago and I've read it at least 10 times since then. As a simple adventure story, it doesn't lose its punch, even upon rereading. Richard, a young English traveller, is given a map in Bangkok by a man named Daffy Duck, who promptly commits suicide. The map leads Richard to a secret beach, where a commune of travellers live in apparent paradise. Unfortunately, this tiny microcosm of existence, while idyllic, is also prone to disasters – from the banal, like a bout of food poisoning, to the catastrophic, like drug farmers bearing arms.

However, the true delights of this novel come from its numerous layers. It's a profoundly intelligent book, which can be read in many different ways, emphasising many different aspects. There's barely a wasted scene, and each one opens up more possibilities for literary analysis. That it is also an effortless read is a testament to Alex Garland's abilities as a writer.

With allegorical finesse, Garland addresses globalism, communism, war, matriarchy and masculinity, what it means to be a Brit who grew up on a diet of American movies, magic realism, madness and much more. Yet the novel never feels weighty – you can choose to ignore any or all of these allegories and allusions if you like. On this particular reading, I began thinking about the idea that the beach could be a drug-induced hallucination, since Richard mistakes Daffy for a heroin addict initially, only later learning that it's the beach he's addicted to. Richard is also a fascinating unreliable narrator; his lack of reliability doubling due to the fact that Garland never demands that you like him very much as a person.

That I do, in fact, like him shows the nuance of Garland's writing. Despite the fact that it's a first novel, Garland shows a grasp of plotting and continuity of a much more mature author. Everything ties together neatly, and even minor characters possess warmth and depth. While Garland clearly draws on knowledge accrued while he was travelling himself, there's no show-off quality about it: he merely drops in hints of exoticism that not only enhance the novel's scenery but also forward the plot.

The Beach is truly a rare pleasure: a fun read that's also profoundly literary.(less)

4 likes · like · see review

Mar 15, 2008 Bryce Wilson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: literature

Old Shit I've Been Revisiting Part 1:

The Beach was the catalyst for this experiment I've started, I couldn't believe that it'd been five years since I've read the thing. It was also the book I was most afraid wouldn't hold up. It's reputation has suffered since the awful Danny Boyle movie, not helped by the fact that Alex Garland answered the question "Would he be the great novelist of Generation X?" with a resounding "No!".

The Beach was one of those perfect time perfect place books. I read it...more

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 31, 2007 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: backpackers and fans of Lord of the Flies

Shelves: amsterdam-used-books, asia

I picked this book up, a bit dubious because of the Movie Cover (those of you who know me know how I hate to look like I"m only reading the book because there was a movie made about it). I started reading it on an airplane on a Friday night and upon arrival, I wanted to skip socializing with my friends to stay in my hotel room and read it to the end. It's definitely a good reflection of the personalities you meet "on the road" and while "traveling"... (traveling, as you know is vastly different...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 31, 2011 Tressa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: friend-recommends, 2011, dark-fiction, adventure

First of all I would like to thank my friend Maciek for suggesting this great book! I couldn't tear myself away until I finished it.

The only thing I knew about this story is that it was made into a movie with Leo DiCaprio and it got lukewarm reviews. I stayed away from it for that reason. If the movie is 1/10 as good as this novel, then I missed a treat.

Three world travelers have a map to a beach that is described as Eden. Feeling adventurous, they make the difficult journey there, and are soon...more

3 likes · like · see review

view all 5 comments

Tressa But couldn't Richard give/have given their location away to others? It's like Richard and his companions were trusted right off the bat, but the other...more
Feb 01, 2011 06:52am

Maciek I think that they trusted Richard and his compatriots because they were given the map by Daffy, who was one of the founders. Richard was a newcomer, a...more
Feb 01, 2011 08:41am

Sep 05, 2007 Teresa rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: travelers

Shelves: in-situ-read-about-where-you-are

I read this book like a dork when I ran out of other material on a surprise trip to Thailand. Like a dork because, yes, I was on Koh Phangan, upon which this book is based, and yes, I openly read it while lying on the beach.

It's fantastic if only because it captures perfectly that young, angsty travel vibe that I jealously missed out on.. I didn't travel the world with nothing to my name, in search of the best new secret spot, and tire of the endlessly hip-then-discovered third world cities. Gar...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 28, 2009 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, crime

Read this years ago and loved it, and now I finally have a copy (I didn't want one with the movie cover - the movie was okay but not great).

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 05, 2011 Mark Wilson added it

For a debut novel, this is a great book. Garland has written an exciting and thrilling story. There is not one part of the narrative that is flat and I could have read this in one or two sittings if I hadn't have been savouring it. Garland's writing style is highly readable and intelligent without being pretentious. His characters are well formed and interesting, particularly Richard, who is a more complex character than his on screen persona. There were points where he is a throughly unlikeable...more

like · see review

Mar 02, 2009 john Adams rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: trying-to-remember-what-i-read, reviewed

I loved the movie. It was one of those movies that I really connected with. I was all like "wow I wish that could have been my life...minus the shitty parts." My sister just read and gave me the book and said it was better than the movie. So I figured, I got time. In fact the book was a lot like the movie with one major difference that I think is best described from a quote I got form best week ever describing the "Bourne Identity Trilogy:" "You know what makes these Bourne movies so great? They...more

like · see review

Jan 03, 2009 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who likes to travel

Alex Garland's first novel takes a look at 20-something backpackers in Southeast Asia fighting to get off the beaten trail to find the ultimate real 'something' that cannot be found among pop culture-stained modern civilization . The story follows the first person narrative of Richard as he stumbles upon a hidden utopia on a remote island of Thailand and what he discovers while living there.
This book was fantastically written - there is a nice balance of compelling plot and insightful commentary...more

like · see review

Dec 26, 2008 Sissy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I just finished this one, moments ago. i found it very heartening, although ultimately disturbing at the end somewhat like "dead kid songs". it builds and builds and there is everything about it that i have thought of on and off.
why does development overtake everywhere?
what would paradise be like?
how does it come about if it were to happen today?
there are things about this book that resolved me looking in some far off place for pristine anything, and there are things within it that rattled me i...more

like · see review

May 03, 2013 Brenna Hobson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

1. After receiving this book as a birthday present from my mum, I decided to read it due to its similarities to one of my favourite books; Lord of the Flies. In both books there is a large group of people stuck on an island where there are rivalries between two different groups, most go insane and some are even gruesomely murdered. I was immediately hooked.

2. This book completes the following categories: A book with a male main character, a book recommended to me by a member of my family and a...more 1. After receiving this book as a birthday present from my mum, I decided to read it due to its similarities to one of my favourite books; Lord of the Flies. In both books there is a large group of people stuck on an island where there are rivalries between two different groups, most go insane and some are even gruesomely murdered. I was immediately hooked.

2. This book completes the following categories: A book with a male main character, a book recommended to me by a member of my family and a book which has been made into a film. *

3. The setting which interested me in this book was The Beach, which as a setting is a breathtakingly beautiful place, but what really fascinated me was how the characters felt about it. The inhabitants of The Beach felt as if their isolated paradise wasn't part of 'the real world', and when forced to make a trip to the neighbouring island Ko Pha-Ngan to buy supplies- they feel uncomfortable, on edge and out of place. Also, maintaining the absolute secrecy of The Beach was their number-one priority- even before people's lives.

At one point in the book, three Swedes fall victim to a shark attack whilst out fishing. One dies almost instantly, another is not physically hurt but is severely mentally damaged and the last suffers from a hernia in his abdomen. One of the main characters protests that the two remaining Swedes should be taken to the next island for medical care, but this action is not taken because that would betray the island's secrecy. The man with the Hernia dies and the other goes completely insane, sits in a hole which he dug on the beach and refuses to leave.

4. One of my favourite quote from this book is “There's this saying: in an all-blue world, colour doesn't exist... If something seems strange, you question it; but if the outside world is too distant to use as a comparison then nothing seems strange.”
I particularly like this quote because it's very philosophical and made me think. As I was reading the book, some events in it seemed rather strange to me, and I was shocked by the lack of concern from the protagonist. This quote perfectly explains why the characters didn't find some things strange, and it also applies to our world too.

5. One thing that I learned from this book is that tourism and human development is destroying the natural beauty and isolation of Thailand and many other places around the world. I realised that the islands that have not been touched by humans yet should remain that way, and that we should do all that we can do to protect these natural gems.

*I will decide which category to put it into at the end of the year when I have read all of the books.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Apr 02, 2013 Jake Adams rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was introduced to this book by a friend of mine named Theo. I was immediately intrigued because this book takes place in Thailand and in less than a week I would be traveling there myself for an immersion trip. I read the first chapter prior to leaving, then decided to hold off until the airplane and during the trip hoping I could share the experience and connect better to the novel. It worked.

The book starts off with the main character Richard staying at a guest house in Bangkok. Identical to...more

like · see review

Mar 28, 2013 Eclair rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Backpackers, tourists, anyone interested in group dynamics

Shelves: horror, travel, thailand, murder, backpacking, westernisation, fiction, thriller, escapism

A highly recommended and smoothly flowing tale that strolls the gradient from a idyllic garden of plenty to a blood spattered Raft of The Medusa seamlessly.

Pleasingly I'd never seen Leonardo DiCarpio's initial career vehicle, so I'll evitably spare anyone the less worthy exercise of comparing apples with oranges; I'm told its a film worth seeing. Regardless of whether it is or not, Alex Garland's The Beach is most certainly a horror worth reading.

The settings are ever evocative; indeed because t...more A highly recommended and smoothly flowing tale that strolls the gradient from a idyllic garden of plenty to a blood spattered Raft of The Medusa seamlessly.

Pleasingly I'd never seen Leonardo DiCarpio's initial career vehicle, so I'll evitably spare anyone the less worthy exercise of comparing apples with oranges; I'm told its a film worth seeing. Regardless of whether it is or not, Alex Garland's The Beach is most certainly a horror worth reading.

The settings are ever evocative; indeed because they're all too familiar they provide the chief motivation for many of the characters to escape the commercialised and spoilt backpacker-and-junkie-saturated resort beaches to be somewhere ahead of the holiday brochure curve.

Characters themselves are somewhat upstaged by the setting; their motivations and individuality ultimately becoming eclipsed by the growing siege mentality that preserving their new unspoilt territory from the plague they'd with witnessed claim similar lands before.

Each small act is one more unnoticed straw on the camel's back. The ever ignored warning signs are spaced throughout.

Parallels to the likes of Lord of The Flies or Battle Royale seem inappropriate - whilst "isolation and social pressure lead to honorific violence and bloodshed among youth on an island" isn't too vague to meaningfully describe all three, The Beach stands alone among the titles as a book I'd read again. Lord of The Flies comes off as too much the morality tale; Battle Royale as a mix of mutual distrust between generations of Japanese society - the social commentary existing as a stage to perform the violent spectacle for the gratification of the reader.

The Beach is pleasingly as straightforward or as deep a plot as you could desire. Reoccurring themes like dehumanisation or the value of those outside your social circle are there to be pondered or skipped over in favour of seeing the pieces of the plot collide explosively at the end. It is because of that I've such a high opinion of it.

5 Stars - It was amazing.(less)

like · see review

Mar 13, 2013 Nicole rated it 5 of 5 stars

Despite the blackout and my tablet's slowly decreasing batteries, I decided to finish this book today.

I first heard of this book in school. (See what I did there?) We were finished with all the schoolwork, so we had a movie marathon. At one point I lost interest and noticed a hardcover book in front of me. I didn't actually get to borrow the book until the next class when we had NOTHING to do but stay in a classroom for two hours. I used that time to read the first 100 or so pages of the book.

Wh...more

like · see review

Feb 06, 2013 Chris Howe rated it 5 of 5 stars

Years ago I read Jack Kerouac’s On The Road right before I read The Beach (coincidentally they are both in the Popular Penguin’s first fifty forty-nine) and there are two immediate observations I can make.

The first is that The Beach is the Yang to On The Road’s Yin. While in Kerouac’s America just jumping on a train to the next town is transporting yourself into a new society, The Beach is fifty years later and the opposite: no matter where you go in the world, everything is exactly the same. An...more

like · see review

Feb 04, 2013 Ruby rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, neverending-bookshelf

Though the book predates Lost, it reminds me a lot of the series, without half the intrigue. Other reviewers compare it to Lord of the Flies, and of course via "Apocalypse Now," there are Heart of Darkness references. I am interested in this man vs. nature --> man vs. man theme, obviously, as I have experienced and been affected by all of these stories. (Patchett's State of Wonder also comes to mind, but that one has what this one lacks.)

I read Lord of the Flies as a girl--pre-teen? Teen? And...more

like · see review

Jan 17, 2013 Jackie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: post-apocalyptic

Far superior to the movie (which is usually the case), The Beach is about a search for paradise, and how the search for any utopia is ultimately futile.

English back-packer Richard lands in Bangkok seeking the ultimate thrill and adventure. He finds a map to a secret, secluded beach, and hooks up with some fellow travellers to make the trek (cue love triangle).

After a journey through peril (and an encounter with the island's drug growers), they find the secluded settlement on the beach and shift...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Couple on the island	3	47	Nov 29, 2012 11:34pm
Can't wait to read this!	8	62	Nov 29, 2012 10:52pm
Stephen King Fans: Group Read July '11 - The Beach	91	164	Jul 26, 2011 04:14pm

combine
Other Editions (60)

More editions...

Genres

Travel

126 users

Thriller

102 users

Adventure

96 users

Contemporary

72 users

Cultural > Asia

33 users

Novels

26 users

Literature

25 users

European Literature > British Literature

20 users

Drama

18 users

Thriller > Mystery Thriller

16 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Sleepers
by Lorenzo Carcaterra
Are You Experienced?
by William Sutcliffe
The Intruder
by Peter Blauner
The Cruel Sea
by Nicholas Monsarrat
Sunset Song
by Lewis Grassic Gibbon

About Alex Garland

Alex Garland (born 1970) is a British novelist and screenwriter.

Garland is the son of political cartoonist Nick (Nicholas) Garland. He attended the independent University College School, in Hampstead, London, and the University of Manchester, where he studied art history.

His first novel, The Beach, was published in 1996 and drew on his experiences as a backpacker. The novel quickly became a cult c...more

More about Alex Garland...

Books by Alex Garland

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Beach

3 trivia questions
1 quiz

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from The Beach

“When you develop an infatuation for someone you always find a reason to believe that this is exactly the person for you. It doesn’t need to be a good reason. Taking photographs of the night sky, for example. Now, in the long run, that’s just the kind of dumb, irritating habit that would cause you to split up. But in the haze of infatuation, it’s just what you’ve been searching for all these years.” — 41 people liked it

“There's this saying: in an all-blue world, colour doesn't exist... If something seems strange, you question it; but if the outside world is too distant to use as a comparison then nothing seems strange.” — 34 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: The Beach
avg rating	preview: The Beach Goodreads rating: 3.83 (29129 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/607639.The_Beach?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348547768l/607639.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/607639.The_Beach?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Beach by Alex Garland[/url]

The Beach

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website