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The Beach

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About this listen

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of The Beach by Alex Garland, read by Alfie Allen.

The classic story of paradise found - and lost.

Richard lands in East Asia in search of an earthly utopia. In Thailand, he is given a map promising an unknown island, a secluded beach - and a new way of life. What Richard finds when he gets there is breathtaking: more extraordinary, more frightening than his wildest dreams.

But how long can paradise survive here on Earth? And what lengths will Richard go to in order to save it?

 Thriller & Suspense Suspense Exciting Scary

Critic reviews

A gripping adventure, and a fascinating jigsaw
Fresh, fast-paced, compulsive and clever (Nick Hornby)
A white-knuckle ride into the heart of darkness
Lord of the Flies and The Magus lurk at the roots of this novel, but Garland reshapes them with panache into something terrifyingly new
A mesmerising, knuckle-clenching read
Winningly compulsive, brilliantly conceived
Garland's prose is stunningly lucid. Addictive and compelling
A highly confident debut...this incisive novel may well come to be regarded as a defining text in the history of imaginative travel writing
Alex Garland is writing a brand new kind of adventure novel. His style is dangerously simple yet altogether captivating (Douglas Rushkoff)
An exceptional first novel...An action novel that provokes subtle responses, The Beach takes in ideas about man's inevitable progress from noble savage to social breakdown (and) the related tradition of nature versus art
All stars
Most relevant
The story from the point of view of Richard is do thought provoking and dangerous that you will lose yourself in this book

Twisting and turning adrenaline

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I enjoyed the film but the book is so much better. Alfie Allen is a really good narrator (although I didn't much like his Sal).

Better than the film

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One of my favourite books from my youth. The narrator really brought the characters and scene to life.

I had a solondrive from England to Switzerland yesterday and binges the whole thing.

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Without this book there would not be the movie, but the movie is far better still I enjoy that daffy is around with his lovely Scottish accent. Thank you

Movie is better than the book

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I loved it, it's an amazing story, much better than the movie, excellent for the summer.

brilliant

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