The Beach - Alex Garland

The Beach - Alex Garland: Paradise or Inferno? (552 words)
by TeeCee - written on 21.05.01 (Very useful, 146 readings)
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I managed to miss the film version of "The Beach". It just didn't appeal. I also avoided the book for ages until a friend persuaded me to give it a go. Having done so I think I was right to miss the film. The Beach is a complex book and from all reports the film failed to do it justice. The basic concept behind the story is a simple one: somewhere in the vicinity of Thailand is a classic desert island on which lies a beach that is paradise on earth. Only a select few know about this beach and they live there free of worry. It's the stuff of legend - in this tale, it also happens to be true. Almost. The viewpoint character is Richard, a ...

Beach Life Deja Vu (512 words)
by Pinotage - written on 28.01.01 (Very useful, 65 readings)
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Soldiers came out of the jungle, stepping from the warm darkness into the pool of illumination outside the headman's bamboo house. Our guide whispered they were a drug lords troops. We had seen nearby plots of marijuana and fields of opium poppies. They wore dark green military uniform and carried guns and machetes. Two Australian nurses decided it would be an opportunity to increase their stock of recreational drugs and went to speak with the men. The girls came rushing back, excitedly digging through their belongings for hidden money. I am not brave and I was scared. These men could take everything. We were a small trekking group in an Akha village perched on a ...

The Beach - Alex Garland: All hype? (184 words)
by robertjake - written on 06.10.00 (Very useful, 17 readings)
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First of all, do not listen to the hype surrounding the book. This has obviously been generated by the film, but the book and film are very different. However, this is still a good read and is easily in the very good category. I read the book and was very absorbed from start to finish. It is well written, and flows easily due to the layout of the book, which is frequently interrupted by chapters. The story is about a backpacker who visits a secluded island in the Far East after over hearing the story of the legend of the Beach. He finds an idyllic community of young people who work for each other and smoke lots of joints! However, as in Lord of the Flies, there ...