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The Adrian Mole Diaries( The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 / The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole)[ADRIAN MOLE DIARIES][Paperback]
The Adrian Mole Diaries( The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 / The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole) <> Paperback <> SueTownsend <> HarperPerennial
Paperback
Published November 30, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 25, 2025
Yes, this is a book I really would not have understood 70 years ago when I was 13 and 3/4.
It's ben a hot and steamy couple of days. I have a pile of 8 books from the library. I just took the 700 page Covenant of Water (Verghese) back and am borrowing a neighbor's copy, one that doesn't have time limit on it.
But I also was NOT in the mood for thinking about serious things, like the brief Chekov story that my reading group is going to discuss next week... SO at the recommendation of a severely Anglophile friend, I picked up The Adrian Mole Diaries (edition as noted above). It was easy to sink into, and not long until I realized I had actually read it some time in the deep past.
I read on, sinking into the anguish, despair, hopefulness, hubris of a nearly 15 year old kid who lives on the edge of poverty with parents who aren't getting on well, grandmothers who want to rule his life, and an active mind who would prefer to be.... well, 30 anyway.
The story really IS written as a diary, Adrian is terse and honest, mostly child but verging on the idea of who he might be as... Oh as an intellectual, which is what he aspires to. That or a poet.
An adult who has ever been a thoughtful teen will appreciate this diary much more than an actual teen would, (I think). I recommend it as an alternative to reading all the newspaper articles that are creeping into one's email or onto one's television and radio of late
It's ben a hot and steamy couple of days. I have a pile of 8 books from the library. I just took the 700 page Covenant of Water (Verghese) back and am borrowing a neighbor's copy, one that doesn't have time limit on it.
But I also was NOT in the mood for thinking about serious things, like the brief Chekov story that my reading group is going to discuss next week... SO at the recommendation of a severely Anglophile friend, I picked up The Adrian Mole Diaries (edition as noted above). It was easy to sink into, and not long until I realized I had actually read it some time in the deep past.
I read on, sinking into the anguish, despair, hopefulness, hubris of a nearly 15 year old kid who lives on the edge of poverty with parents who aren't getting on well, grandmothers who want to rule his life, and an active mind who would prefer to be.... well, 30 anyway.
The story really IS written as a diary, Adrian is terse and honest, mostly child but verging on the idea of who he might be as... Oh as an intellectual, which is what he aspires to. That or a poet.
An adult who has ever been a thoughtful teen will appreciate this diary much more than an actual teen would, (I think). I recommend it as an alternative to reading all the newspaper articles that are creeping into one's email or onto one's television and radio of late
November 7, 2024
I knew Adrian will be awkward but I'm glad that it didn't stop him from being true to himself. In fact, he thinks highly of himself which gives him great confidence and thus think he's an intellectual.
Through his diary, we get to know his parents, Bert Baxter, his sexual desires, the length of his dick, Pandora (and other characters).. We also relived the events that took place back in those years (the diary started on 1 January 1982), such as the Royal Wedding of Princess Diana and that dude (forgot his name). Maybe I could relate more if I'm British but I'm not so that's that.
I found few funny instances that made me laugh out lot. So all is not lot lost.
Story 3/5
Characters 4/5
Development 3/5
Enjoyment 3/5
Style of writing 4/5
Overall 3/5
Through his diary, we get to know his parents, Bert Baxter, his sexual desires, the length of his dick, Pandora (and other characters).. We also relived the events that took place back in those years (the diary started on 1 January 1982), such as the Royal Wedding of Princess Diana and that dude (forgot his name). Maybe I could relate more if I'm British but I'm not so that's that.
I found few funny instances that made me laugh out lot. So all is not lot lost.
Story 3/5
Characters 4/5
Development 3/5
Enjoyment 3/5
Style of writing 4/5
Overall 3/5
June 16, 2025
Toen ik dit voor het eerst las, in 1985, kreeg ik de slappe lach, in de trein. Dat kan nog steeds, al is de truc wat gesleten. Maar toch: stijlvast en een prachtig beeld van het geestelijk leven van een 13 3/4-jarige. Nog steeds de moeite waard.
April 1, 2025
Very funny, adult humour
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews