Cheap The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole (Book) (Sue Townsend) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole

Ball Bouncingly Funny!
Ah, yes. Now in my thirties I remember when I was a spotty, sex-craved teenager who listened to The Smiths all day and complained about my parents. Then my high school English teacher made us read this book and my life looked absolutley fantastic!! At least I was not a part of the Mole family and at least I was not Adrian. But the way Adrian deals with his 'lusts' is absolutley spot-on. Big n' Bouncy indeed! Having said that, he is a wonderful character who is at the same time as funny as he is sad. His mum and dad are wonderfully written and it is easy to understand everyone's prediciment (except for the gran). Of course, the dog deserves the St. George's Cross for all the pain it is put through. Also, read The Queen and I. Wonderful.

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One of the Most Hilarious Characters to Come Out of Britain!
My mother has had a copy of this book for ages, and when I finally read it a few years ago I wanted to kick myself for not reading it sooner! I have read Adrian's account countless times since, because I just can't get enough of his crazy world. Perhaps what I appreciate most about this teenage boy survival story is the format. It is a great personal diary which Adrian keeps up on a daily basis. Adrian is so naive and oblivious and is at once completely lovable. This innocence or ignorance of his is probably what makes the book so humorous; he honestly has no idea why a girl would be offended if he compared her eyes to those of his dog! Townsend must have been a teenage boy in another life I always reckon; and being a girl myself, I have always found Adrian's trials and tribulations very entertaining and informative. The fact of the matter is, Sue Townsend has created a character with a life completely of his own. Adrian and his family and friends will always have a place in my heart. This book is a supreme resource for those interested in working-class Britain of the 1980s.
Sue Townsend has also produced books chronicling Adrian's adult years, which are also worth reading, but nothing compares with the diaries of Adrian's turbulent formulative teenage years. Another good Townsend book is The Queen and I, a fantasy which accounts the abdication of the royal family and their struggles as regular working class folks.

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A laugh-out-loud read
"The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, aged 13 3/4" is hilarious, a lot of the time painfully so. It chronicles the turbulent adolescence of the idiosyncratic Adrian through the time he turns fifteen. There are highlights consistently throughout the story, such as his submissions of poetry to the BBC (and the letters he consequently receives in return), his romance with the memorable Pandora Braithwaite, and his occasional references to a magazine called "Big & Bouncy" which he keeps hidden under his mattress.

Author Sue Townsend's writing is entertaining and funny throughout, and this book is a welcome change from the plethora of "teen diaries" that seem to dominate every library and bookstore's young adult section.