clara_moore's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
pbanditp's review against another edition
3.0
A childs version of Rainman. A high functioning autistic child trying to get along in life with his known walls crashing down on him. It wasn't bad, I just expected more because of all the hype. I didn't really get compelled to keep reading until the last 30 pages
whupdidup's review against another edition
5.0
So moving in a strange way... Very original, giving the reader a look into the lives of people who are different.
ionag's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
abbyisabellas's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Child abuse
burniereads's review against another edition
4.0
Being a person with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder for those who don't know), it's hard to find much representation in mainstream literature. I did read this for school, but I picked it up way earlier than I needed to because I was incredibly impatient as usual. It was hard to read at points, not only because of my personal experience and perspective but also because of the extensively detailed writing. This isn't at all the fault of the author or the writing in and of itself, as it is a necessity and does make the representation more accurate and does add a layer of depth to Christopher's character. It was more the amount of concentration it took to be able to fully digest what was going on because of the unconventional writing style. The start was kind of slow, the middle fully blew me away, and the end felt kind of unfinished. The ending was super abrupt. I'm not going to lie, I don't really know how else he could've ended it?
This, in general, was really awesome representation and really educational for those interested in learning more about the spectrum.
EDIT: So after reading a bunch of one-star reviews for this book, I just have to edit this. Yes, Mark Haddon didn't explicitly state that he was portraying an autistic character, but that doesn't make up for the people calling Christopher a sociopath or a monster. If you genuinely believe this, I don't think we read the same book? Yes, Christopher is very blunt and often doesn't understand the concept of love, but that's a possibility for those on the spectrum. People seem to forget that what Christopher is going through is incredibly traumatic. Any person not on the spectrum would no doubt be affected, but as someone who is on the spectrum, I can recognise that I've reacted similarly to things of less gravitas. Yes, everyone on the spectrum is different, and everyone's reactions to things will be different. But people on the spectrum aren't monsters or sociopaths.
I genuinely felt really disgusted reading some of these reviews. Do some research before you comment on something you don't fully understand. I'm not talking to those who have done said research and still aren't a fan of the book, I'm talking to those people who seem to think they know exactly how autistic brains work and why. I'm not here to start any fights, more so to hope to educate some people about the way what they're saying might be really harmful.
This, in general, was really awesome representation and really educational for those interested in learning more about the spectrum.
EDIT: So after reading a bunch of one-star reviews for this book, I just have to edit this. Yes, Mark Haddon didn't explicitly state that he was portraying an autistic character, but that doesn't make up for the people calling Christopher a sociopath or a monster. If you genuinely believe this, I don't think we read the same book? Yes, Christopher is very blunt and often doesn't understand the concept of love, but that's a possibility for those on the spectrum. People seem to forget that what Christopher is going through is incredibly traumatic. Any person not on the spectrum would no doubt be affected, but as someone who is on the spectrum, I can recognise that I've reacted similarly to things of less gravitas. Yes, everyone on the spectrum is different, and everyone's reactions to things will be different. But people on the spectrum aren't monsters or sociopaths.
I genuinely felt really disgusted reading some of these reviews. Do some research before you comment on something you don't fully understand. I'm not talking to those who have done said research and still aren't a fan of the book, I'm talking to those people who seem to think they know exactly how autistic brains work and why. I'm not here to start any fights, more so to hope to educate some people about the way what they're saying might be really harmful.
aggaertner's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
caitgiam's review against another edition
3.0
I had a lot of trouble getting through this book. It's not very long and the story is interesting, but it was a slow read for me. The narrator is a teen with Asperger's and is written in a very stiff style with a lot of seemingly random chapters thrown in. He went off on too many tangents and I just wanted to know what was going to happen. I think the author definitely achieved what he was trying to with this book, but the style just wasn't really for me. Worth the read, just know that it might be a little slow.
katiekopetic's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0