Mark Haddon: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Davina wrote:

No he plays him as a Brit tonnaree. Once you have read the book try and watch the film as well. Benedict and Tom Hardy are very good in it. It made me cry though.,

Thank you D!  

Book is wonderful so far.  I think it's going to be an emotional roller coaster.

Lily wrote:

Mark Haddon: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

I don't understand why this book is so highly praised. I didn't like it much.
The main character was neither likeable nor relatable and - in my opinion - not a good  despiction of a person with autism. I felt like the author looked up a list of characteristics of people with autism and just cramped as many aspects as possible into this book while forgetting to give his protagonist a proper personality.

tonnaree wrote:

Lily wrote:

Lily wrote:

Mark Haddon: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

I don't understand why this book is so highly praised. I didn't like it much.
The main character was neither likeable nor relatable and - in my opinion - not a good  despiction of a person with autism. I felt like the author looked up a list of characteristics of people with autism and just cramped as many aspects as possible into this book while forgetting to give his protagonist a proper personality.

I have to respectfully disagree wtih you there Lily.  

My son is a high functioning autistic and I was very moved by the main character's portryal.  I really related to both him and his father.
 

I hope I haven't offended you, tonnaree! Maybe it's a stupid thing for me to say that I find it an unrealistic portrayal, since I don't know people with autism myself. I had a great interest in the topic some time ago and read several books about autism and many of them written by autistic people, and I liked those much more than this book. It's just... maybe it was the writing style,  I don't know.I just wasn't able to find anything likable about Christopher.
Also the fact that no one really seems to care about the fact that an innocent animal got brutally murdered in this story. 'Oh, it's just a minor crime, nothing to worry about.'
I know that many people love this book but I just don't understand it.

Lily wrote:

tonnaree wrote:

Lily wrote:

I don't understand why this book is so highly praised. I didn't like it much.
The main character was neither likeable nor relatable and - in my opinion - not a good  despiction of a person with autism. I felt like the author looked up a list of characteristics of people with autism and just cramped as many aspects as possible into this book while forgetting to give his protagonist a proper personality.

I have to respectfully disagree wtih you there Lily.  

My son is a high functioning autistic and I was very moved by the main character's portryal.  I really related to both him and his father.
 

I hope I haven't offended you, tonnaree! Maybe it's a stupid thing for me to say that I find it an unrealistic portrayal, since I don't know people with autism myself. I had a great interest in the topic some time ago and read several books about autism and many of them written by autistic people, and I liked those much more than this book. It's just... maybe it was the writing style,  I don't know.I just wasn't able to find anything likable about Christopher.
Also the fact that no one really seems to care about the fact that an innocent animal got brutally murdered in this story. 'Oh, it's just a minor crime, nothing to worry about.'
I know that many people love this book but I just don't understand it.

 
No no, not insulted at all.    Just offering another opinion.
Needless to say with my son the subject is very close to my heart.

Another book I really liked was "House Rules" by Jodi Picoult
http://www.amazon.com/House-Rules-Novel-Jodi-Picoult/dp/0743296443/ref=sr_1_13?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393612947&sr=1-13&keywords=jodi+picoult"When your son can’t look you in the eye . . . does that mean he’s guilty?Jacob Hunt is a teen with Asperger’s syndrome. He’s hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, though he is brilliant in many ways. But he has a special focus on one subject—forensic analysis. A police scanner in his room clues him in to crime scenes, and he’s always showing up and telling the cops what to do. And he’s usually right.But when Jacob’s small hometown is rocked by a terrible murder, law enforcement comes to him. Jacob’s behaviors are hallmark Asperger’s, but they look a lot like guilt to the local police. Suddenly the Hunt family, who only want to fit in, are directly in the spotlight. For Jacob’s mother, Emma, it’s a brutal reminder of the intolerance and misunderstanding that always threaten her family. For his brother, Theo, it’s another indication why nothing is normal because of Jacob.And over this small family, the soul-searing question looms: Did Jacob commit murder?"

I think that JP did a great job of showing how a child with autism effects the entire family dynamic.

One of the problems people with autism face is seeming very unlikeable on the surface, through no fault of their own.

I am reading The Secret Lives of Code Breakers: The Men and Women who cracked the Enigma Code at Benchley Park by Sinclair McKay. A fascinating look at the daily lives of people both ordinary and extraordinary people who broke the code and saved many lives.

Just started my first Bateman book; 'Mystery Man: Murder, Mayhem and Damn Sexy Trousers'. As recommended by Benedict.

http://colinbateman.com/titles/mystery-man/   

Reviewed  by Benedict
 

I just finished 'The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly' - amazing book, but I had better stopped for a second and thought first before plunging into it.. not the best read for someone with hospital trauma.. o_O 

Misquoting Jesus, Bart Ehrman.

I love that book,Susi.