Review of 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Read very fast while sick abed. I thought it was fantastic: very moving.
eBook, 226 pages
English language
Published May 30, 2003 by jonathan cape.
the curious incident of the dog in the night-time
by Mark Haddon
4 stars
(281 reviews)
Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. Although gifted with a superbly logical brain, Christopher is autistic. Everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning for him. Routine, order and predictability shelter him from the messy, wider world. Then, at fifteen, Christopher's carefully constructed world falls apart when he finds his neighbor's dog, Wellington, impaled on a garden fork, and he is initially blamed for the killing. Christopher decides that he will track down the real killer and turns to his favorite fictional character, the impeccably logical Sherlock Holmes, for inspiration. But the investigation leads him down some unexpected paths and ultimately brings him face to face with the dissolution of his parents' marriage. As he tries to deal …
Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. Although gifted with a superbly logical brain, Christopher is autistic. Everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning for him. Routine, order and predictability shelter him from the messy, wider world. Then, at fifteen, Christopher's carefully constructed world falls apart when he finds his neighbor's dog, Wellington, impaled on a garden fork, and he is initially blamed for the killing. Christopher decides that he will track down the real killer and turns to his favorite fictional character, the impeccably logical Sherlock Holmes, for inspiration. But the investigation leads him down some unexpected paths and ultimately brings him face to face with the dissolution of his parents' marriage. As he tries to deal with the crisis within his own family, we are drawn into the workings of Christopher's mind.And herein lies the key to the brilliance of Mark Haddon's choice of narrator: The most wrenching of emotional moments are chronicled by a boy who cannot fathom emotion. The effect is dazzling, making for a novel that is deeply funny, poignant, and fascinating in its portrayal of a person whose curse and blessing is a mind that perceives the world literally.The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is one of the freshest debuts in years: a comedy, a heartbreaker, a mystery story, a novel of exceptional literary merit that is great fun to read.
Review of 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
This is a very clever book, a murder mystery told from the perspective of a boy with autism-spectrum disorder. When the neighbour's dog is found dead on the lawn, he sets out to find the murderer. This would be fun to read for young adults as well as adults - I read it shortly after it first came out (so I was no young adult by any measure) and I really enjoyed it. The boy narrator is very thorough in his investigation, goes down interesting roads in order to find out what really happened, even faces some of his fears. The chapters are numbered only with prime numbers, which I thought was a nice touch. Having studied psychology for some time, I can say that Mark Haddon does a good job of showing the world through the lens of autism / Aspergers.
Review of 'The curious incident of the dog in the night-time' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
An excellent book, beautifully written, that expertly tells the story of an autistic child and his quest to investigate the death of a neighboring dog. On the way, he finds out much more than he was expecting to, about himself, his family, and yes, his neighbor's dog.
The introduction says that Haddon worked with autistic individuals as a young man, and his skill in depicting Christopher's approach to the world testifies to that. Christopher's quest is one of determination, curiosity, and intelligence, that is thoughtful, intriguing, and often hilarious. It is a very enjoyable and quick read, but still a substantive story. As I write this review that I have left sitting half-finished for months, it in some ways reminds me of the book I just finished, [b:Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|4588|Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|Jonathan Safran Foer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165446871s/4588.jpg|1940137]. It is lighter, shorter, less ambitious and less complex, but these are …
An excellent book, beautifully written, that expertly tells the story of an autistic child and his quest to investigate the death of a neighboring dog. On the way, he finds out much more than he was expecting to, about himself, his family, and yes, his neighbor's dog.
The introduction says that Haddon worked with autistic individuals as a young man, and his skill in depicting Christopher's approach to the world testifies to that. Christopher's quest is one of determination, curiosity, and intelligence, that is thoughtful, intriguing, and often hilarious. It is a very enjoyable and quick read, but still a substantive story. As I write this review that I have left sitting half-finished for months, it in some ways reminds me of the book I just finished, [b:Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|4588|Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|Jonathan Safran Foer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165446871s/4588.jpg|1940137]. It is lighter, shorter, less ambitious and less complex, but these are not slights on the former book at all, but rather admissions to the excellence of the latter.
The Curious Incident is similarly crafted, and tells a good story well. It is an engaging, intelligent read that is humorous but certainly not trite, and is certainly worth the time it will take you to read through the 221 short pages.
Review of 'The curious incident of the dog in the night-time' on Goodreads
4 stars
An excellent book, beautifully written, that expertly tells the story of an autistic child and his quest to investigate the death of a neighboring dog. On the way, he finds out much more than he was expecting to, about himself, his family, and yes, his neighbor's dog.
The introduction says that Haddon worked with autistic individuals as a young man, and his skill in depicting Christopher's approach to the world testifies to that. Christopher's quest is one of determination, curiosity, and intelligence, that is thoughtful, intriguing, and often hilarious. It is a very enjoyable and quick read, but still a substantive story. As I write this review that I have left sitting half-finished for months, it in some ways reminds me of the book I just finished, [b:Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|4588|Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|Jonathan Safran Foer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165446871s/4588.jpg|1940137]. It is lighter, shorter, less ambitious and less complex, but these are …
An excellent book, beautifully written, that expertly tells the story of an autistic child and his quest to investigate the death of a neighboring dog. On the way, he finds out much more than he was expecting to, about himself, his family, and yes, his neighbor's dog.
The introduction says that Haddon worked with autistic individuals as a young man, and his skill in depicting Christopher's approach to the world testifies to that. Christopher's quest is one of determination, curiosity, and intelligence, that is thoughtful, intriguing, and often hilarious. It is a very enjoyable and quick read, but still a substantive story. As I write this review that I have left sitting half-finished for months, it in some ways reminds me of the book I just finished, [b:Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|4588|Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|Jonathan Safran Foer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165446871s/4588.jpg|1940137]. It is lighter, shorter, less ambitious and less complex, but these are not slights on the former book at all, but rather admissions to the excellence of the latter.
The Curious Incident is similarly crafted, and tells a good story well. It is an engaging, intelligent read that is humorous but certainly not trite, and is certainly worth the time it will take you to read through the 221 short pages.
Review of 'The curious incident of the dog in the night-time' on 'GoodReads'
4 stars
An excellent book, beautifully written, that expertly tells the story of an autistic child and his quest to investigate the death of a neighboring dog. On the way, he finds out much more than he was expecting to, about himself, his family, and yes, his neighbor's dog.
The introduction says that Haddon worked with autistic individuals as a young man, and his skill in depicting Christopher's approach to the world testifies to that. Christopher's quest is one of determination, curiosity, and intelligence, that is thoughtful, intriguing, and often hilarious. It is a very enjoyable and quick read, but still a substantive story. As I write this review that I have left sitting half-finished for months, it in some ways reminds me of the book I just finished, [b:Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|4588|Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|Jonathan Safran Foer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165446871s/4588.jpg|1940137]. It is lighter, shorter, less ambitious and less complex, but these are …
An excellent book, beautifully written, that expertly tells the story of an autistic child and his quest to investigate the death of a neighboring dog. On the way, he finds out much more than he was expecting to, about himself, his family, and yes, his neighbor's dog.
The introduction says that Haddon worked with autistic individuals as a young man, and his skill in depicting Christopher's approach to the world testifies to that. Christopher's quest is one of determination, curiosity, and intelligence, that is thoughtful, intriguing, and often hilarious. It is a very enjoyable and quick read, but still a substantive story. As I write this review that I have left sitting half-finished for months, it in some ways reminds me of the book I just finished, [b:Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|4588|Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|Jonathan Safran Foer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165446871s/4588.jpg|1940137]. It is lighter, shorter, less ambitious and less complex, but these are not slights on the former book at all, but rather admissions to the excellence of the latter.
The Curious Incident is similarly crafted, and tells a good story well. It is an engaging, intelligent read that is humorous but certainly not trite, and is certainly worth the time it will take you to read through the 221 short pages.
Review of 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
This book was interesting as an exploration of what is might be like to be on the Autism spectrum; however, the story itself was unremarkable.
I guess if you view those on the spectrum as severely handicapped, then the outcome of the story might be extraordinary--however, reality is much different and the limited experience I have took away the irony of the successes Christopher had.
Review of 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
The story is written from the point of view of an autistic boy with Aspberger's Syndrome, which causes him problems understanding social interactions among other things. It does an excellent job of conveying what the world looks like from inside the head of the hero, and how some of the things we take for granted can be huge challenges for the differently abled. A very thought-provoking read.
Review of 'Le bizarre incident du chien pendant la nuit' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Un ami m'avait conseillé Le bizarre incident du chien pendant la nuit il y a quelques mois, je l'ai acheté la semaine dernière et je l'ai dévoré en quelques jours. Publié en 2003, il s'agissait du premier roman pour adultes du romancier britannique Mark Haddon, également auteur de plusieurs livres pour enfants.
Qui a tué Wellington, le grand caniche noir de Mme Shears, la voisine ?
Christopher Boone, « quinze ans, trois mois et deux jours », décide de mener l'enquête. Christopher aime les listes, les plans, la vérité. Il comprend les mathématiques et la théorie de la relativité. Mais Christopher ne s'est jamais aventuré plus loin que le bout de la rue. Il ne supporte pas qu'on le touche, et trouve les autres êtres humains ... déconcertants.
Quand son père lui demande d'arrêter ses investigations, Christopher refuse d'obéir. Au risque de bouleverser le délicat équilibre de l'univers qu'il s'est …
Un ami m'avait conseillé Le bizarre incident du chien pendant la nuit il y a quelques mois, je l'ai acheté la semaine dernière et je l'ai dévoré en quelques jours. Publié en 2003, il s'agissait du premier roman pour adultes du romancier britannique Mark Haddon, également auteur de plusieurs livres pour enfants.
Qui a tué Wellington, le grand caniche noir de Mme Shears, la voisine ?
Christopher Boone, « quinze ans, trois mois et deux jours », décide de mener l'enquête. Christopher aime les listes, les plans, la vérité. Il comprend les mathématiques et la théorie de la relativité. Mais Christopher ne s'est jamais aventuré plus loin que le bout de la rue. Il ne supporte pas qu'on le touche, et trouve les autres êtres humains ... déconcertants.
Quand son père lui demande d'arrêter ses investigations, Christopher refuse d'obéir. Au risque de bouleverser le délicat équilibre de l'univers qu'il s'est construit ...
Le roman est écrit à la première personne : le narrateur est Christopher lui-même, un jeune autiste atteint du syndrome d'Asperger. Cela donne au livre un ton particulier, avec une naïveté touchante. Les réflexions et les réactions de Christopher sont parfois déconcertantes mais toujours logiques, et j'ai pris beaucoup de plaisir à suivre ses mésaventures tout au long du roman. Je ne voudrais pas tout raconter et gâcher le plaisir des futurs lecteurs, je me contenterai de dire qu'il fait preuve de beaucoup de détermination et de courage du début à la fin.
Le roman est très divertissant, souvent drôle, et se lit très vite. Entre deux chapitres qui font avancer le récit lui-même, Christopher nous fait découvrir ses réflexions sur différents sujets, sa façon d'aborder les relations humaines, parfois à travers des schémas et des dessins sympathiques. J'ai lu que Mark Haddon, l'auteur, a eu l'occasion de travailler auprès d'enfants autistes ; je suppose donc qu'une grande partie de ce qu'il nous dit dans ce roman est proche de la réalité et c'est un véritable enrichissement de découvrir le mode de pensée de Christopher et ses relations avec son entourage, en particulier avec son père.
C'est vraiment l'un de mes coups de coeur, un petit bijou d'humour et de sensibilité : tout ce que j'aime !
J'ai retenu ce passage :
Je trouve que les nombres premiers sont comme la vie. Ils sont tout à fait logiques, mais il est impossible d'en trouver les règles, même si on en consacre tout son temps à y réfléchir.
J'ai également été secoué par le dernier paragraphe, que je ne citerai pas ici pour ne pas raconter la fin mais qui est très touchant, avec des mots pourtant simples, tout à fait dans le ton du reste du roman.
Review of 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time' on Goodreads
3 stars
Prime numbers are what is left when you have taken all the patterns away. I think prime numbers are like life. They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them.
Review of 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
An amazingly powerful and innovative novel. On of my all-time favourites.
Review of 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' on 'Goodreads'
Extraordinary book. It's an excellent novel, and it's also an education in how autism changes one's perception of the world.
Subjects
- Autism -- Fiction.
- Savants (Savant syndrome) -- Fiction.
- England -- Fiction.