Rating: 
Summary: Unique Technique
Review: Prior to purchasing this novel, I had read several reviews, all positive. Even Stephen King recommended this book in his "Entertainment Weekly" column. So, I knew going in that "The Curious Incident..." was written from the viewpoint of an autistic person, and that most people thought it to be a great book. Nothing, however, prepared me for just how shockingly authentic was the narrator's point of view. I expected to be impressed by some literary tricks, but what I discovered was a distinctly real, compassionate character who, like everyone, faces limitations in communicating emotion and understanding others. What impressed me most was the character's forthright honesty. Upon finishing this remarkable book, I gained the insight that the reason it is easier for "non-autistic" persons to function in this society is not due to a gift of human connection, but rather it's because of our ability to constantly weave and fabricate falsities and untruths. I wholeheartedly recommend this book. You'll learn a little about autistism, but you will learn much more about society.
Rating:
Summary: Viewpoint of an Asperger's parent
Review: Christopher, the teenaged narrator and main character of this book, is described on the cover as being Autistic. This is about as accurate as lumping the blind and amputees under the umbrella of "handicapped". It is an easily-identifiable label, but not in the least helpful in explaining the specifics of the condition.More precisely, Christopher would seem to have Asperger's syndrome. This is often described as a mild version of autism, but as I hear another Asperger's parent say, "there is nothing mild about my son". Christopher is far too high-functioning to fall in the general category of autistic. Here are the indicators: - Able to distinguish simple facile expressions such as a smile or frown, Christopher cannot, and further will not, interpret subtler facial expressions such as a cocked eyebrow or a "resigned" look. Having Asperger's has rather accurately been described as being like an anthropologist on Mars.
- Christopher excels in Maths. But this is not simply a savantism, like Raymond in the movie Rain Man. Rather, it is because Christopher can follow the unwaivering rules required by pure science, and he works continuously at improving those skills.
- Christopher is very precise about language. He will employ similes ("He looked like he had two white mice up his nose") but not metaphor ("she was the apple of his eye"). When asked by his father to make a specific promise, Christopher agrees. But he makes clear to the reader specifically what he agreed to, which falls far short of what his father intended. And here I can introduce a similar example, since my own 10-year boy has been similarly diagnosed. If I ask him "Haven't you finished your homework?" He will answer "No", if he has completed it. Reason being, if I asked "Have you finished" his answer would be "Yes", so the inclusion of the "not" in my question must negate his answer. He not trying to be smart-alecky - he is answering in the most honest way he can.
- Christopher does not like jokes. Well, he claims not to, but he does tell two of them. Specifically, puns. My son, too, creates riddles based around contrasting meaning of the same word. The riddles are about as subtle as a rock to the nose, but they will get better. Mine did. Christopher's condition is both the strong point and the weakness of this book. The limits of first-person narration are further constricted when that narrator begins nearly every paragraph with 'And I said "...' or "And then I..." but the patient read will soon get into the rhythm of this speech. Despite several setbacks for the protagonist, things end a little too "happily ever after" in the book. Haddon, the author, was formerly a worker with autistic individuals, and he makes Christopher's closest confident his special needs teacher. I can again speak from experience and say that a great teacher can make a world of difference in such a situation. (God bless you, Ms. Lavallee!) Christopher's parents are treated in an honest way, far from perfect, often and unintentionally setting their child back, but adaptive, willing to learn, and loving. Don't go into this book expecting a Christie-level mystery, or spectacularly imaginative prose. But parents of Asperger's diagnosed children will recognize Haddon's insight at once. And everyone else will perhaps learn to recognize and possibly tolerate if not accept the condition. You'll certainly be better for reading it.
Rating:
Summary: A bitterly funny book with a great description of autism
Review: Christopher Boone is a 15 year, 2 months and 3 days old boy who lives in Swindon together with his father. One night he finds the dog of the neighbour with a garden fork sticking out of it. He decides to solve this murder in the way his great example Sherlock homes would have done, because animals have the same rights as humans. Christopher really needs to stretch his limits while "detecting": he is autistic and cannot cope with simple things like the colour yellow, being touched, being in a place with lots of people or eating food of the wrong colour. But he uses his very rational mind (he wants to become a mathematician or, ideally, an astronaut) to make choices between options and to overcome some of his fears. And he ultimately discovers a truth far bigger than he could have imagined when he started his adventure. This is a bitterly funny book looking at the world through the eyes of somebody who has problems understanding emotions and other human behaviour and language that are taken for granted by non-autistic people. Mark Haddon really described the essence of what it is like to be autistic. A great read (and I loved the little drawings).
Rating:
Summary: Read this!
Review: What a remarkable and brilliant book this is. I had read all of the reviews and read it to see what the fuss was about. It is certainly my favourite read of 2004. It is an apparently simple whodunnit but told from the persepctive of the 15 year old Asperger's sufferer Christopher Boone. Domestic problems, simple journeys and idle chatter become intriguing adventures through the eys of the narrator who sees things very differently. Mark Haddon shows a very clear insight into the autistic mind. We get a real insight into what we dismiss as 'behavioural problems'. On one page you cry and on the next you laugh out loud. This book deserves to be read. Now!
Rating: 
Summary: Mixed Gifts
Review: In Swindon, the schoolboy Christopher Boone discovers that Mrs Shears's dog Wellington has been killed - run through with a garden fork. Christopher is at first blamed for the deed, but then decides to track down the dog's true killer. Christopher has Asperger's Syndrome: he's brilliant at mathematics and physics, but is a handful for both his father and his teachers. As Christopher's investigation proceeds, he unearths truths about his family and embarks on a voyage of discovery about the world and people outside of home and school. The main attraction of this novel is seeing the world through Christopher's eyes: it appears to be disturbingly puzzling and yet at times absurdly amusing. I've no real experience of people with Asperger's Syndrome, but if Haddon's writing is true to life it appears that their existence can be lived at extremes: Christopher is superbly gifted yet he has great emotional difficulties just coping with everyday events. It is as if he sees the world too logically, in too much detail. Whilst the book has several "mysteries" running in parallel, its charm and interest is in the way that Haddon builds up Christopher's character and the empathy he evokes for him. Essentially an engaging and enjoyable read (apart from the maths problems, which were way beyond me!). G Rodgers
Rating:
Summary: A Triumphant Journey!
Review: I absolutely loved this novel, it gives insight into the minds of people who are not often acknowledged in our society as individuals. It is the journey of a boy to find the truth, but what is most realistic for me is that he's not motivated by what are deemed "normal" motivating factors, instead, Mark Haddon delves deep into the mind of this boy and returns with a captivating and moving story. Definitely read this book!
Rating:
Summary: 5 gold stars means it's going to be a Super Good Book
Review: I bought this book because I liked its cover. I liked its cover because it was red, which is my favorite color, and also it had a picture of a dog and I like dogs, but I do not like dogs to be murdered, which is what happens to a dog at the start of this book. I do not like proper novels, because proper novels contain lies, but I like this book because it is not like a proper novel, but more like a book of maths or science, because it does not contain lies but contains the truth. I give this book 5 stars because it is a Super Good Book, but also because 5 is a prime number and I like prime numbers.
Rating:
Summary: Hmmm
Review: I really enjoyed this book. I went into it not quite sure what I was coming into. The author did a great job narrating the facts of autism. I was intrigued by the characters more than the story, but still enojoyed the read.
Rating:
Summary: Unique voice
Review: Narrated by the unique voice of an autistic teenager, the book recounts his life - from his investigation into who killed the neighbor's dog Wellington, his efforts to pass math A-levels, and his observations about life and his parents relations, all the time providing a compassionate look at the both incredible and sad functioning of an autistic mind. The middle of the book, as Christopher journeys to his mother in London, gets boring, but overall it's a good read and a unique voice.
Rating:
Summary: Understanding comes when you've walked in his shoes
Review: Having an autistic step-brother, I eagerly anticipated reading Haddon's book with the expectation of becoming more enlightened about his withdrawn world. I was not disappointed. The relationships between parents and children, the ways they must live in order to cope, tugged at my heart. I have been in similar situations, and it affirmed my reactions and the consequences. Some people avoid special needs people for a variety of reasons, but this book opens up the question, "Are special needs people just like you and me, who indeed need a bit more patience, understanding, and focus?" I appreciate being given this glimpse inside the heart of a boy with special needs, but I would have thoroughly enjoyed it if the profanity had been left out, or at least minimized.
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