The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13�: Amazon.co.uk: Sue Townsend: 9780749301385: Books

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Sue Townsend

David Walliams

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My father got the dog drunk on cherry brandy at the party last night. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

130 Reviews

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4.8 out of 5 stars (130 customer reviews)

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great fun and very nostalgic, 25 Jan 2001

By

Kevin (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 (New Windmills) (Hardcover)

I was 12 3/4 when I first read this book, soon after it was first published. I wondered what all the fuss was about as I didn't find it funny at all. That's because I was just as naive as Adrian Mole. A couple of years later I read it again and found it much funnier. Then, a couple of years later, funnier still. Adults growing up in the eighties will love this for the references (Falklands, Thatcher, Hitler diaries etc) but the teenage angst is timeless. My original is now much dog-eared, selotaped and, yes, loved. Buy the Growing Pains as well, it is equally as good. I must go now and update my Norwegian Leather Industry chart...

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely stands the test of time, 16 Dec 2011

By

S. Smith "sitorimon" (UK) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 (Adrian Mole 1) (Paperback)

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I first read this book when I was ten years old and absolutely loved it so when I was given the chance to read it again coming up twenty years later I was excited and nervous at the same time. I didn't want my rose tinted thoughts shattered. I needn't have worried. Instead of thinking "oh god, is this what I've got to look forward to", the diary style of writing opens you up to memories of what you used to do instead. It's still laugh out loud funny but for the reasons of fond remembrance of your own youth and school life and relating to being in similar stupid situations yourself. The account of the school trip is priceless. Great observational comedy in diary form. Timeless.

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29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Future Modern Classic?, 10 Mar 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 (Paperback)

This novel is a very simple idea. 13 year old Adrian starts his diary on January 1st in the early 80's. He writes an entry every day for nearly two years. He reflects on his school, his unrequited love (Pandora Baithwaite), and his parents (including his hilariously awful feminist mother). Adrian decides that he is an "undiscovered intellectual" and tries desperately to improve his brain by reading as many books as he can. He usually misses the point in all the books he reads but is confident about his wrong assertions. Here lies the some of the humour - we see the world through Adrian's eyes and we can understand what is really going on between his mother and Mr "Creep" Lucus, and also the symbolism of the worthy books he reads like Animal Farm. But Adrian doesn't quite understand it all yet.

This book is also hugely touching. We always understand and feel for Adrian's emotional problems and the physical changes he goes through. Adrian is like any other teenager - he has spots and he reads pornography. This book is very effective at communicating the confusion that adolescence can often be. It's even more amazing when you consider that the author is a middle-aged woman. You feel so sorry for Adrian when his parents argue or when he is bullied, but the next laugh is always just round the corner. I first read this wonderful little novel when I was actually about 13 and three quarters old. At the time I thought it was an interesting and perceptive read but not in the least bit funny. I made the same mistakes Adrian did having not read Animal Farm or really lived yet. Rereading it a few years later I finally saw the humour and I realised it was actually hilarious.

Don't be put off by the 1980's setting of the book. The references to the Royal Wedding, Abba, Punks, Margaret Thatcher and Toyah Willcox may be confusing to some younger readers. However teenagers will always be teenagers, and all the ideas and feelings are still valid. It makes you realise how little things change. The Sun, bad city schools, spots, school plays and Marmite are all part of everyday British life and will probably always be with us. One thing I would say is that there are so many references to uniquely British objects in this book that overseas readers might get confused. There are numerous references to PE shorts, Marmite, Spotted Dick, the PDSA, the Sunday Mirror and so on. (I seem to remember that a later volume of the Mole diaries even mentions this when Adrian lends his dairy to his America Pen Pal.)

I would recommend this book to anyone. The diary format makes it very easy to read, but there is also a great deal of depth and thought to the book. There are so many memorable and funny characters in this book: Deeply Conservative headmaster "pop eye" Scrunton in his hairy green suit. The tough but loving old Grandma. Mr and Mrs Singh and all the little Singhs who live down the Road. John Tydeman at the BBC who rejects Adrian's poems. Bullying skinhead Barry Kent and his gang drunk on two cans of Tartan bitter at the youth club disco. There are also so many great moments. The book is sensitive but also deeply funny. When you finish this book you'll want to read the other volumes of Adrian's Diary. None are quite as good as this one (although "Growing Pains" comes very close). Read this book now. It's thoroughly enjoyable.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Still funny, though you might remember it too well..
This book was read, re-read, passed around at school, stolen, lost, found, re-read....

I must have read this book dozens of times as a teenager, and re-reading it now... Read more

Published 1 day ago by Arheddis Varkenjaab