Have you read ... Adrian Mole?

 

    The series is thirty years old and has sold eight million copies, but I have never read any of Sue Townsend's Adrian Mole books. Now's a good opportunity, though, because to celebrate that milestone anniversary, Penguin are re-issuing the books on 19th. January (the first volume has a foreword by David Walliams), and they have most kindly sent me a full set.

    Beginning as a half-hour piece on Radio Four entitled The Diary of Nigel Mole, the publication in 1982 of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 followed two years later by The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole made Sue Townsend the bestselling author of the 1980s, and Adrian came to life not just on the page but through various adaptations for radio, television and theatre. I hadn't realised that there were as many as eight books in the series now with the latest being Adrian Mole and The Weapons of Mass Destruction (2004) which sees AM working as a bookseller and finding time to write letters of advice to Tim Henman and Tony Blair, and Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years (2009) in which our hero is facing troubles at work and on the home front.

    The reviews have been rapturous: "One of the great comic creations of our time" (The Scotsman), "Effortlessly hilarious. Brilliant satire ... " (The Times), "Richly comic ... stuffed full of humour, tragedy, vanity, pathos and, very occasionally, wisdom" (The Guardian), "What words can one use to describe Sue Townsend's prism-like view of 20th. century Little England? Funny, witty, human, anarchic, perceptive, cringe-making" (Zoe Wanamaker).

    The books' following is clearly large and loyal, but are you part of it? Have you read Adrian Mole?

Comments

[craftygreenpoet]

I've read the first two and thought they were very entertaining, I hadn't realised there were so many though....

[Cornflower]

I had no idea there were as many as eight books. Glad to hear you found the first two entertaining, though.

[Andy]

The original Adrian Mole volume was voted BBC Radio 4's Open Book 'funniest book' (24/12/11). Hear how the voting went:

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/openbook/openbook_20111224-2125a.mp3

[Andy]

more than was posted(?)

Keep losing text :(

[Andy]

Open Book's 'funniest book' was missing :)

[Nancy]

I also read the first two and found them entertaining. Somewhere along the years, I have picked up another one (in his adult years) but haven't read it.

Have you read other books by Townsend? I've read Rebuilding Coventry (a bit sad - it comes to mind occasionally) and The Queen and I - "a story about the British royal family living a 'normal' life on an urban housing estate following a republican revolution". I _loved_ that one - and see that in recent years she put out one called Queen Camilla (will look for that one).

[Barbara]

I've been in love with these books since the first one came out and have read the whole lot. Goodness knows how many times I've re-read the first one.
Sue Townsend is brilliant at catching the mood of the moment, so each book is set firmly in its own time. Adrian is a flawed hero but loveable and the books both laugh-out-loud funny and touching. I see he gets several mentions on my LJ. I'd also recommend The Queen and I.

I've had terrible trouble posting this comment! And I couldn't put in a link.

[Cornflower]

Many thanks, Andy.

[Cornflower]

No, I haven't read any of Sue Townsend's books, but I like the sound of The Queen and I.

[Mr Cornflower]

As some readers have reported problems when trying to post comments, this is a test.

[Cornflower]

Sorry to hear there seems to be a problem with comments - I haven't changed anything behind the scenes so I don't know why things have gone awry, but I'll look into it.

[ChrisCross53]

I've read the first two, and Wilderness Years, and found them amusing, but I wouldn't read them again - once was enough.

[Jade]

I read the first two as a teenager, so late '80s or early '90s then, but like CrissCross, I wouldn't reread them. I remember them as being similar to the Wimpy Kid series today.

[Rosie H]

I read the first two when I was quite young - certainly under ten - and think I spoilt them for myself by doing so, because I didn't realise they were meant to be funny. After all, my only other experience of reading a book in diary format was The Diary of Anne Frank ...

[Dark Puss]

Yes I read some of them, certainly the first three, and liked them a great deal at the time. I could certainly empathise with Adrian's teenage lust for Pandora! As Barbara says, they catch the mood of their time very well.