The Growing Pains Of Adrian Mole (2003) - Plot & Excerpts
Adrian on the verge of Adulthood26 August 2013tThis continues on with the tradition of the first book that Townsend wrote and follows Adrian's life as he continues to struggle as a teenager in Britain in the 1980s. The series does continue on right up to the Iraq War and it appears that throughout his life he is madly in love with a woman named Pandora (I don't think that she is his first girlfriend, but I believe that he dumped his first girlfriend for Pandora). It seems that the idea is that Adrian Mole is a loser that seems to make predictions that never turn out the way he believes they will.tI guess I can relate to Adrian somewhat, and it is probably closer than I feel comfortable with because I was still behaving quite childishly even a couple of years ago. We all face struggles and problems though, and we all deal with them differently. I remember speaking to somebody once who said that the best thing he did was to move interstate because even though he loved his parents, he had to get away from their influence and learn to become his own person.tHowever this is interesting that in the world in which we now live this is possible. It used to be the case that unless you were wealthy, then you would be born, live with, and die in the same village among the same people. I guess this has changed with the more mobile nature of our world. We see this in modern American culture where it is expected that the child leave home at eighteen, and even move a considerable distance from their parents. I suspect that this is not only a result on the individualist nature of our society, but also reflects, and is probably responsible, for the breakdown of the family unit.tThe breakdown of the family unit is something that is explored in the Adrian Mole books, and at one point it simply becomes quite weird. The idea of the dysfunctional family (if there is actually such a thing as a functional family) is also explored. I guess this may be the result of us ditching our traditional morality or honour and loyalty. However, it is not necessarily the result of children rebelling against parents, but also of parents neglecting the children. Children, in may cases, are a hassle and a burden. They are unproductive and are a drain on resources, and when they grow up to become productive members of society (if they ever do, since the youth unemployment rate is quite high) they do not repay what they have earned. In fact, it almost appears that as an investment, children are the worst one people can make.tThen there is the issue of unemployment. Adrian Mole struggles with unemployment and low paid jobs as well as shattered dreams. He wishes to write a novel, and also considers himself an intellectual, however he appears to be forever ignored amongst the intelligentsia. Pandora is a member of the intelligentsia, but she seems to prefer people that are much more socially aware than he his. Despite his claims to being an intellectual, Adrian Mole is, in reality, naive.tI do wonder if Pandora was given that name because of the concept of Pandora's box. In a way Adrian did not have any choice when she came into his life, she simply appeared, but once she appeared, Mole's life was never going to be the same again. Maybe it is because of his infatuation with her, and maybe it is because he simply could not let go of her. I have been in situations like that, but thankfully I have managed to let go and walk away. I remember when I finally walked away from one of my pasts, and in walking away I actually became stronger. I have now walked away from the town of my youth, and once again feel stronger, and in a way much freer. Yes, I may have a sucky job, but with all the other blessings that I have received, this does not seem to be all that much.
The second in a series of popular epistolary novels starring the Adrian Mole of the title, a precocious, neurotic, anxiety-prone drama queen of an English adolescent living in the early 1980s. Adrian leads a chaotic life in a poor and disorganized working class family. Both parents have on and off lovers, and babies of questionable parentage pop up now and then. Adrian is romantically entangled with classmate Penelope Braithwaite, but seems to be in love with being in love as much as he is in love with Penelope. The novel pokes fun at figures in British popular media at the time it was written, the early 1980s, but much of it is unintelligible to an American today. The Thatcher administration and British politics in general is gently satirized.The primary note in this novel is comedy. Sometimes it is indeed very funny; sometimes the comedy never quite ignites. Rarely, comedy mixes well with poignancy, as when Adrian runs away from home. True seriousness is rare. There is one death, which seemed to me to be an awkward fit with the rest of the novel's tone. Adrian is a fine character, but I felt we never got beneath his surface. There were hints of true feeling beneath all the self-regarding bluster that were never quite revealed. Admittedly, the first person epistolary technique makes this difficult.Still, the novel is quite enjoyable, the prose is easy reading, and I would recommend it to about anyone. Male readers under the age of twelve will be terrified of their approaching adolescence, given the depiction of adolescence in this novel, which is reason enough to have them read it.
What do You think about The Growing Pains Of Adrian Mole (2003)?
Please see my detailed review at Amazon Graceann's "Growing Pains of Adrian Mole" Review"Second entry in the hilarious Adrian Mole series. He's coming up on age 16 now, and still as angst-ridden as he was in the first book. This is so accurate. I'm not SO far away from my own teen years that I'm not able to recognize the behavior as my own at that time. Very witty and all the more surprising as it comes from an adult woman writing about the feelings of a teenage boy. Genius. My only caveat is that if you don't have a familiarity with British personalities and humor, you probably won't find this as funny as those of us who live in the UK do. Even though I have been living here for two years, I still had to have my husband explain a few references to me.
—Graceann
I've had this book such a long time, the pages are falling out, at some point I've spilt tea all over it and those pages are all stained. It gives off a well read look about it. I don't think I'll be able to pass this book on. It shall have to stay with me for it's own saftey.I'd forgotten just how funny Adrian Mole was. I read the rest of the series a year or so ago but there was a gap where I'd misplaced this one. Adrian is best as a teenager, he becomes annoying as he turns into an adult. I think I'm less forgiving of adult Adrian. This book made me giggle most of the way through. His home life is a mess, his on/off relationship with Pandora never seems to get anywhere, no one seems to like his poetry....Poor Adrian. Being a teenager is hard but at least we can laugh along with him. Think I appreciate this more now than I did back when I last read it.
—Redfox5
Adrian Mole returns in the sequel to the classic ‘The Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13¾ ’ - 'The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole'. First published in 1984, the book remains popular and is well worth a read , especially if you agree that a laugh a day keeps the doctor away. The diary format works well, inviting you as a reader to step in the shoes of a British teenager in the 1980’s. I found it difficult to put the book down, having begun it again after an earlier craze when the book first came out. It is a highly readable book, suitable for older children through to older adults. Adrian is a nerdy, self-proposed intellectual teenager, who sees himself as a poet. His parents have moved back together after a lengthy separation, and Adrian provides a commentary to their antics, which include some surprise events on the maternal front. Although Adrian remains typically obsessed with his skin problems and inner desires, he gains a certain maturity as the novel progresses and we start to read less about the size of his personal parts and more about his relationships with those around him, including his parents, his girlfriend Pandora and the old-age pensioner, Bert Baxter, who becomes almost part of the family. Relevant social themes are woven into the text, including struggles with poverty and living in mixed families, dealing with the aged and their unpredictable temperaments, as well as touching on larger fields of politics and economics in a humanised way.A captivating book, entertaining and uplifting, and hard to put down. Great Vintage read! http://bookreview32.blogspot.com.au/2...
—Sue Oaks
