Rating: 
Summary: utterly original and one of my favorites
Review: This was one of my favorite books of the year. Although it is very original, it did remind me of Motherless Brooklyn which tells a detective story through a child with Turret's Syndrome. Haddon in this novel captures perfectly a high functioning autistic child who decides to write a novel about the search for the cold blooded murderer of his neighbor's poodle with a garden fork. His quest leads to all sorts of interesting discoveries about those around him. I don't want to give away the plot, but you won't be able to put down this highly original book. The attention to details and the care Haddon takes in drawing his main character shows and makes this a highly accomplished and most memorable novel.
Rating:
Summary: We're all fragile
Review: The development of the protagonist, as well as your concern for his wellbeing, progresses steadily and in all dimensions, to the end. The mystery of the "dog incident" in the title takes an appropriate back seat to the real star of the show: the mind of our young man, with all it's pitfalls and idiosyncratic strengths. I actually worried about him, and then listened to him work things out in his unique way. Yes, he's working on solving a mystery (and a rather heinous one at that), but he's also trying to make sense of our world, emphasis on "our". As for his world, he's doing just fine, and in specific ways, far better than "just fine", which is much more than can be said about some people in his life. Finally, there is another character in the book, very subtley presented, who is someone we all need at some time or another; and, if you can identify or find a person like that for yourself, then you can navigate your world with assurance and in peace. We're all fragile, but only as broken, demeaned or helpless as we allow each other and ourselves to be. And our heroic young man, with his impressive array of implements in his mental toolbox, allows neither. I'll lend this book to as many friends as I can, and when I do, I'll make it very clear that I want it back.
Rating:
Summary: A "Novel" Novel and a Very, Very Good Book ...
Review: I listened to the author be interviewed on NPR, and he was asked why he didn't label the main character (Christopher) as having high-functioning autism, or Asberger's syndrome. He said that he was very careful not to label Christopher, and that virtually all of the characteristics Christopher exhibits (not liking food to touch other food on his place, etc.) was behavior exhibited by some otherwise normal acquaintance of the author. The author also pointed out that a friend of his, who taught mathematics at the University level, said "Christopher isn't a child with autism that likes math, he's a mathematician with some strange behavioral issues." There's a hundred ways to look at Christopher, to pre-judge and categorize him, to dismiss him as a human being because of how you perceive him to be. The great triumph of this novel is that by the very style of his narration, Christopher brings you in to see the world on his terms rather than on your own. And the author accomplishes this without flourishes or tricks with mirrors--he does it with clean, concise straightforward writing and what appears to be a built-in understanding and empathy toward his main character. This is one of those books that is worth reading simply because it gives you another view of the world, a view that, while most "normal" people can't imagine it, is nevertheless a perfectly rational and valid interpretation. After I finished it, I kept going back to look for passages because I wanted to figure out how the author did all this good stuff--it's been a while since I've found myself doing that with a book.
Rating:
Summary: Living with emotional chaos
Review: It's worth reading this book to spend time in Christopher's head. Apsberger's Syndrome provides a patina of emotional coolness that is constantly tested by circumstance. The tension between the two provides enough "suspense" to hold the reader's interest for the brief length of the book. The mystery at the heart of Haddon's wonderful novel is not a whodunit -- that one is pretty obvious long before it's solved at the book's midpoint. What sustain the reader are bigger mysteries: What is love? Who am I? How can I be safe? Christopher's wiring may be unconventional, but his observations are clear and his needs are so familiar that one reads in hope of understanding more about what life is. At the very least, I know more about the inner life of this mysterious boy. I hope it will help me relate to other people with more sensitivity and clearer perception. Since reading it, I've had several encounters where thinking of the other as Christopher has enabled me to express myself more clearly and directly. As a reader, I was merely bemused by his preference for some patterns and his rejection of others. It seemed perfectly natural. Applying that same coolness to people I love is much more difficult, but I'm convinced that it's a good idea. For two hours or so, I was a more compassionate person thanks to Mark Haddon. It's an experience I recommend.
Rating: 
Summary: A Gimmick, Not A Novel
Review: To call "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" a light read would be according it a heft it does not merit. It's as lean as Twiggy, as thin as Oliver Twist's gruel, and as satisfying as a single McDonald's hash brown. It's a good idea for a story -- a bright but autistic English teenage boy turns detective when his neighbor's dog is brutally murdered -- but the novelty wears off quickly and the story is, at best, perfunctory. In fact, the promised "detective story" is resolved less than half-way through the book when the culprit abruptly confesses in one of the most anticlimactic murderer-revelations in the history of mysteries. Hercule Poirot must be turning over in his fictional grave. The autistic narrator and protagonist of the book, 15-year-old Christopher Boone, has the deductive skills of Sherlock Holmes and the social skills of Raymond "Rain Man" Babbitt. His obsession with logic makes Mr. Spock look like Dr. McCoy. He -- literally -- takes everything literally and, in doing so, presents a distinctive literary voice, incapable and disdainful of all metaphor. The book's value lies in the uniqueness of that voice, which, for a short while, is compelling. Then, about the time the murderer up and confesses, it deteriorates into gimmick as the story takes an unexpected (and banal) turn into Soap Operaville, where Christopher's stock-figure parents and their marriage become the central characters. The book is not without its minor pleasures, though, especially a long set-piece in which Christopher attempts to ride a bus and take the subway by himself and to find an address in London to which he's never been before. I will never look at public transportation quite the same way again. But the book is in no sense a novel, no matter what it says on the cover. It's at best a good and quirky short story puffed up and out into book form.
Rating: 
Summary: okay
Review: I enjoyed this book, but it was just okay. Frankly, it's not really a book for adults--it's a kids book, and the author is a children's book author. It's being marketed as an adult book, and I'm not quite sure why. Like most literature for children, it's fun to read, but it's only skin deep. You will forget this story as soon as you close the covers. So if you want to spend your money on a book that you will enjoy for about two hours and then forget about, then go for it. For me, however, I wish I would have waited for the paperback.
Rating: 
Summary: Teen angst, through autistic eyes
Review: Through Christopher's voice, Haddon offers a unique narrative perspective, transforming what would otherwise be a fairly typical coming-of-age story into a sensitive exploration of how autistic people perceive the world around them. Largely unaware of the upheaval brewing in his own life, Christopher -- inspired by the logical and emotionless Sherlock Holmes -- sets out intending to solve the mystery of the dead dog...and winds up finding curiously redeeming solutions to his own problems along the way. Haddon deftly sidesteps the "sympathy factor," skipping violins and tears for a realistic depiction of the joys and the frustrations of life with autism. This is an enjoyable little book (read in 2 sittings) that can be enjoyed on many levels.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderous book about autism and adult relationships
Review: This was NOT a children's book, as many have hyped, but a thoughful look at adult relationships and a literary take on the way that we shape our own sense of reality. There is humor here, and most delightful was the protagonist's deconstruction of Sherlock Holmes and "The Hound of the Baskervilles."
Rating:
Summary: a fantastic book with a little brown and yellow.
Review: I loved this book and would totally recommend it. My only reservation in my rating is the fact that I, unlike others who have reviewed this, do not work with autistic kids, am not a math teacher, and such. I am looking at the book as a cohesive unit and don't actually feel that it holds up as a story that well.
All that means is that as an insight into autism, and emapthy it is amazing. (The section with Christopher in the train station is amazing, even more so since it is told by a boy who does not experience emotion. It does lead me to wonder how often I may misinterpret peoples behavior ) but if you are looking for this to be a mystery from beginning to end...it is not. It almost seems like the investigation, the sherlock holmes idea is dropped, and something else takes it's place. To me, a little brown and yellow got into the book (Christopher hates brown and yellow) and it doesn't truly deliver on the book jackets promise...
but as a unique voice...a snapshot into the world of the different and unique, hey it is a wonder. And ultimately, if it doesn't deliver on the mystery thing that well, it does have some surprises, and maybe, as I write this, the mystery itself is a red herring for the rest of Christopher's journey.. A book unlike anything that has been written, a book that is desacriptive in the voice of a boy who cannot describe, an emotional piece by a voice with no emotion...
so, check this out. You may not think it holds up, but it is a very good read...
and it will leave you thinking alot.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic book for everyone
Review: My cousin's son is autistic, but that's not why I bought this book. Admittedly, that influenced my decision, but it was the Fresh Air (NPR) interview of Mark Haddon that really made me want to buy this book. His exuberant, intelligent comments about his life and his first adult novel were wonderful. "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" is the first novel I've read in several years. Even so, I finished it in less than a day. It was a book I simply could not put down. From the first moment when we learn that Christopher is in search of Wellington's killer, to the twists and turns as the plot progresses, we know we're in for a wonderful ride. I mentioned that my cousin's son is autistic. All of the autism references in the book were definitely true to life, insofar as my experiences with my cousin have shown. The way Haddon shows us the life of Christopher and all of his myriad emotions truly envelops us, the readers. It's a fantastic book. Truly an exquisite novel!
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