About book The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 (2003)
I was around 13¾ years of age when I first read this novel, so I only had a couple of vague recollections about it. But I definitely remembered that I liked it, so I re-read it, and I still like it a lot, for many reasons.First of all, I like it because this novel is really laugh-out-loud funny. Adrian Mole, a moderately loser teenager – whose life is a never-ending fight against his pimples, his careless parents, the unmanageable family dog, the school bully, and, in general, the whole English reality of the 1980s – writes about his trials and tribulations (some of which can by no means be dismissed as the usual teenage whining) with a low-key, casually self-deprecating, ironic humor which I find irresistible – but of course I’m a great fan of this kind of deadpan, disrespectful humor in general.Besides the humor, I like the fact that this is a very „English” novel. I’m interested in every single era and facet of English life and literature (e.g. rural England; urban England; England as seen by a loser teenage boy; etc.), and the way Townsend’s slightly naive/childish hero depicts the England of the early 80s (both directly and indirectly) and the way he interprets some of the key events of the era is very interesting (and again: funny as hell). Just to give you an example, my favorite episode dealing with English reality is the one about the approaching wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana. The whole country is greatly anticipating the royal wedding, but Adrian’s father can only be bothered so far as to hang a Charles-and-Diana dish-towel on his front door – I guess this gesture speaks for itself and doesn’t need to be commented upon.By the way, re-reading this novel made me think (again) about the difference between proper teenage-novels and young adult novels. The distinction between these two became something of a hobby-horse of mine in recent years, but I haven’t yet been able to come up with an all-encompassing definition. For me the main difference is that I absolutely love proper teenage-novels, and I find them „true” because they don’t try to simplify what it’s like to be a teenager, while young adult novels ring false to me and make me mad, because they tend to simplify and oversimplify everything. Anyway, this novel is, fortunately, a proper teenage-novel, and I’m really glad that I read novels like this when I was a teenager, and not young adult stuff. (But recommend good YA-novels to me - I'm sure they must exist, and I want to read them.)But I guess I enjoyed and appreciated this novel more now than when I first read it as a teenager. This is mainly due to the fact that besides its depiction of England and English society which probably couldn’t have meant a lot to me when I was fourteen, it’s also full of nice, slightly idiotic and very funny literary references which I’m able to appreciate now. On the one hand, Adrian Mole is a voracious reader, and I’m always much interested in the reading lists of fictitious characters. On the other hand, there are half-hidden literary references as well, definitely directed at the reader – e.g. there’s a character called Grace Pool who’s serving her sentence in prison for arson. Isn't this funny? I think it is. And I know that details like this meant nothing to me at the age of almost-fourteen, but luckily, 15 years passed since then, I read a couple of other books in the meantime, and nowadays I’m always delighted to come across any kind of inter-textuality anywhere.
Like other things for the 13¾’s like Haribo and cheesy films, they can be enjoyed by adults and children alike. On the surface, Adrian lives an entertaining life, caught up in the dramas of the day-to-day: school, family, girls and a horribly tight budget. We can relate to his experiences, both trials and triumphs, and easily engage with the titular calendar. Sue Townsend does a brilliant job of regressing to her teenage years to remember the intimacies of the most awkward age group.For the adult reader, though, Adrian Mole represents more than daft fun. While his peers will share in his bewilderment, Townsend cleverly gives just enough clues to her more mature audience to piece the jigsaw together and read between the lines. Also set firmly in 1982—1983, Margaret Thatcher’s government has an important role to play. The political sympathies of the characters’ are alluded to and often stated explicitly, along with the bias and preconceptions Adrian has picked up from his parents.Mole, 13¾ – and the series in general – has a really clever element of social commentary, mapping the attitudes and sympathies of the British public throughout real events, such as the wedding of Charles and Diana in this first instalment. This takes the series from being disposable fun to a shrewd, carefully considered archive of public feeling.Townsend’s decision to present the story as a diary, as the title would suggest, gives us a unique insight into Adrian’s mind. There are some genuine laugh-out-loud moments that just invoke hysteria, with Adrian’s experiences, perceptions and rapidly changing views. The writing is short and snappy and keeps the pace going and it impressively doesn’t miss a single date in over a year, besides the brief couple of days he left his diary at home. Written from Adrian’s viewpoint entirely, the self-absorbed teenaged attitude provides a refreshingly fun alternative to the adult narrator you’d expect with their levelled understanding, and is a perfect vehicle to the social commentary and exposure of prejudices. Although it does, arguably, limit how well you can get to know the other characters, Townsend does a magnificent job of building a really vivid, colourful cast through Adrian’s eyes that doesn’t leave you cheated at all.A fantastic read that’s nostalgic (without a rose tint) for not just the 1980’s, but also the 13¾’s.
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So much for the National Health Service. I will get a paper-round and go private. (Snort)If I was the loneliest person in the world I wouldn't phone up our school. I would ring the speaking clock; that talks to you every ten seconds. (Still available to dial on 123!)It is the first day of spring. The council have chopped all the elms down in Elm Tree Avenue. (Quite!)I am reading The Mill on the Floss, by a bloke called George Eliot. (Yes, I made the same assumption first read)Epiphany is something to do with the three wise men. Big Deal! (:P)Reading this again brought back some of my younger teenage memories... not just teenage curiosity, opinionated arguments and at times indifference, but also events of the 80's such as the Royal Wedding street party, the recession, the Falklands War... Then there is punk, disco, cassettes, conkering, spots, the poor dogs, parenting, Good Samaritans, first crush and crappy school dinners. It's an amusing trip down memory lane but I'm sure I found Adrian much funnier as a teen. I'm looking forward to connecting with Adrian Mole's older self in subsequent diaries.
—Hobbes
The Diary of Adrian Mole is like a snarky one-liner that continues for 135 pages. Adrian is a self-centered, irreverent British 14-year-old whose diary entries include nuggets of wisdom such as:Pandora and I are in love! It is official! She told Claire Neilson, who told Nigel, who told me.I told Nigel to tell Claire to tell Pandora that I return her love. I am over the moon with joy and rapture. I can overlook the fact that Pandora smokes five Benson and Hedges a day and has her own lighter. When you are in love such things cease to matter.It was entertaining, but never really got beyond the point of a quick, light read.I did learn that there was a short-lived BBC series based on the book. The intro is actually pretty sweetly tacky:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwXvBJ...
—Valerie
April 25I start reading a book called Diary of a Nobody. It is boring and not much happens, also Mr. Pooter is pretty dim. I don't get it. Why would anyone want to write a book about a nobody who takes himself far too seriously? I decide that I will write a book about myself that will be quite different, it will be full of important things I do and extremely interesting. Perhaps I will call it Diary of a Somebody. But then people won't know which somebody it is, since everyone is somebody. I decide that a better title will be Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 and 3/4. I am just about to start writing some important things when my mother reminds me that I said I would tidy up my room. I will write about them when I have finished tidying.April 26I have received letters from two people I don't know, called MJ Nicholls and Knig-o-lass. They both want to be in my diary. This is a bit strange, since my diary is secret, but I write back to say I will put them in if they do some silly things with yoga, teddy bears and toffee apples. I think this is very original, and shows I am a Somebody. April 27I have received another letter from MJ. He says he wants his own days in my diary, so I will not mention anyone else today. I had not understood that keeping a diary was so complicated. April 28I am trying to imagine what Miss Knig-o-lass looks like. I see her as a beautiful, treacle-haired temptress, like Pandora at school. I am hoping that she will also send me a request. Miss Knig-o-lass does not seem as demanding as MJ. Perhaps this is because she is a nicer person, or perhaps it is just because she hasn't noticed me. It's often hard to tell with girls.April 29Miss Knig-o-lass has also sent me a request! I don't really understand it, but there is a card with a stretched-out picture of a lady and something about how chocolate can't get you pregnant. I must make sure that Pandora does not find out about my friendship with this sophisticated older woman.April 30MJ has sent me another message! He says he might be jealous. I think he must be Miss Knig-o-lass's regular boyfriend. He used a Latin word I didn't know, I wish I had been paying more attention in biology yesterday when we were doing Human Reproduction. Since I started keeping this diary my life has become more and more interesting. I am definitely a Somebody.
—Manny
