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Title: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
ISBN: 1402555989
Author:
Mark Haddon
Publicate Date: 2003-06-17
Publish: 2003-06-17
List Price: $19.99
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Format: Audio Cassette
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $12.58
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $4.09
Amazon Merchant Price: $15.59
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Great book!
I was recommended this book in a book group, and it was great! Very easy read but makes you really think! It brings you into the mind of a boy who is almost trapped in his, lets you in on his quirks, and his pain. Definitely a must read!
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2: Not your usual read . . .
After having this book lying around, I finally got around to reading it.
It's a relatively short book, and it kept me going, so it only took a few days.
I have to write this review on two levels: as a piece of fiction compared to all the other fiction I have read, and as the portrayal of someone on the autism spectrum.
This was a good book. Once I got used to Christopher's way of writing and how he views the world, the book went by pretty quickly. His narrative teased out what we needed to know about his back story as it went along. I genuinely wanted to know who killed the dog. The drawings and math problems added to the quirkiness of the story, but didn't overwhelm it (hopefully Neal Stephenson reads this book). So it was a Good Read.
As for Christopher's narrative being an accurate portrayal of an autistic/Aspie: does it really matter if it was accurate? Any neurotypical person who reads this book might finally understand what made the "weird" kid everyone had in their class so weird. I think it was pretty accurate; I am mildly "Asperger-y" and could understand Christopher's frustrations.
Bottom line: this is a good book everyone should read.
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3: Horrible
I consider myself fairly well read and this book is a similar in a long line of over-hyped contemporary novels. I would'nt through this in the trash can it's that bad!
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4: An unusual and striking first novel
In addition to all the other unusual aspects of this novel, it's also worth noting that it is in some ways a postmodern, self-referential novel. The 15-year-old boy who is the protagonist and the first-person "author" refers from time to time to the fact that he is writing a novel -- i.e., this novel, and to Siobhan's encouraging words to him regarding his writing project. He demurs that he has no sense of humor so that the book cannot be funny. Of course, the irony is that it is funny in its own self-referential way.
I felt that the book trailed off at the end and became less interesting. Still, this is a memorable novel.
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5: Fun and engaging
A very interestingly-written exploration into an unlikely protagonist, a seemingly mediocre / dark plot, and unusual writing styles. I had so much fun reading this and was captivated by our dear writer, Christopher, who is somehow whimsical and engaging while being relatively bereft of the emotions we consider "normal." Bravo.
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