Customer Reviews

Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction

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Adrian Mole is back, hitting 35, and his life is still a well intentioned shambles. Working at a used book store, deeply in debt, he still retains the charming naivite that made his youthful diaries so entertaining. I read Sue Townsend for the first time when I was in high school and much like the "35 Up" film series, keep returning to catch up with her delightful creation every five to seven years. Adrian never really changes, just accumulates more life experience and muddles on. He is as original a character as any I've ever read.

This volume is attuned to the times... the title itself hints at the emotional arc of the story. Adrian has some growing up to do, and does it by the journal's end. "Mass" is not without its poignant moments -- Adrian's son is serving in the war, for instance-- but it is never a downer.

Highly recommended to fans of the original. You won't be disappointed.

We've known Adrian Mole since his diaries were first published at the tender age of 13 and three quarters - (thanks Sue Townsend for finding them!) He has angsted his Generation X life through a painful adolescence, embarrassed and humiliated by his baby-boomer parents, with a constant and noble (if sometimes base) adoration for Pandora Braithwaite.

In this latest wonderful outing of his diaries Adrian is in his 30's, a solo father who works in a second-hand bookshop (he is no longer a chef at Offally Good). Townsend successfully links the political situation in Britain with Adrian Mole to hilarious effect. The book opens with (and frequently refers back to) Adrian Moles attempt to get a refund from the travel agent for a canceled holiday to the mediterranean - cancelled because Mole believes Tony Blair would never lie when he says there is a threat of Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq. Mole spends the book writing to Mr Blair, the British Prime Minister, asking him for a letter confirming the WMD because the travel agency won't refund his money.

Adrian meets the woman of his dreams, (who turns out to be the manipulating harridan of his nightmares) as she and her family drag him deeper into a manipulative nightmare - and in an utterly hilarious reflection of his earlier problems with the travel agency, he ends up sending her and her mother on an all expenses paid holiday to the mediterranean while he has to stay at home.

Townsend's writing is clever, sympathetic and full of underlying humour about both the social and political situation in Britain. I have really enjoyed the Adrian Mole series, the Capuccino years was good - but this one was GREAT - I look forward to following Mole through to his dotage.

I loved the first two books in the Adrian Mole series but was a bit let down by the Wilderness and Cappuccino years--however, the Weapons of Mass Destruction show Sue Townsend at her comic best again. I laughed outloud and couldn't put the book down. I was also moved by how effectively Townsend addressed the war in Iraq without making it heavy-handed. The end of the book is sad but wonderful...

If you like your humour very British and "spew your drink through your nose" funny, Adrian is your man. I can honestly say the funniest book I have ever read is "The Diaries of Adrian Mole, age 13 and 3/4". I'm happy to report this latest installment in the series does not disappoint. Adrian is still a hapless, hopeless man/child with more issues than he knows what to do with. Join Adrian for his hysterical misadventures, you will not be disappointed.

Firstly I wanted to clarify for people that might want to know, exactly how this series runs. I have bought and read all the books in the Adrian Mole series and I was dissappointed not to find anywhere to tell me which ones to get. So as a result I have them all.

US Versions
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4
The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole
Adrian Mole: The Lost Years
Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years
Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction

British Versions
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4
The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole
True Confessions of Adrian Albert Mole
Adrian Mole: From Minor To Major
Adrian Mole: The Wilderness Years
Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years
Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction


So, as for the review these books are great. I love the entire series and I just couldn't stop reading them all the way to the end. The one thing I might suggest is to keep in mind that with most series of books the first is always the best, which is probably the case here too, but if you like it and are a fan of Adrian Mole, there is no reason why you wouldn't want to read the rest.

I like the fact that is it written in diary form for easy reading and it is very clever how the story is told from the point of view of Adrian himself but you can see things about his life that he cannot.

Overall an excellent read for all ages from teen to adult.

The Adrian Mole saga which began with Adrian's secret diary (aged thirteen & three quarters) continues, as the famous loser moves into his mid-thirties. He's still wildly grandiose, his grip on reality is shaky at best, but life is starting to grind him down. He's living in a posh flat he can't possibly afford. He's still hopeless infatuated with Pandora, he finds himself (somehow) engaged to Marigold, who he can't stand, and he's falling hopelessly in debt. Oh yes, he's been writing to the British Prime Minister about those weapons of mass destruction. He needs the evidence for--well, never mind. Just read the book.

Improbable and depressing as all this might sound, it works. It's not knee-slapping comedy, but it's funny, and it's also sad, as Adrian's failures and mistakes accumulate and haunt his present life. He's still trying to get his life together, and this time he might just make it. Somehow you come to like Adrian Mole in spite of everything.

Sue Townsend is a brilliant comedic writer, with a flair for character development and social commentary. How she manages to keep this series going, with its improbable cast of characters, is simply amazing. She's just good. I enjoyed this book immensely and I recommend it highly. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.

It's been about ten years since I read the first Adrian Mole book and I was hooked. Sue Townsend, throughout the Adrian Mole series, has created one of the most interesting, entertaining and strangely lovable characters around.

Adrian has a good heart, but lives entirely in his own world-a strange bubble in which he's oblivious to the feelings of those around him. Adrian Mole isn't callous, he's just . . . . . . . Adrian. Townsend's tales are hilarious and heartbreaking, laugh out loud funny and, in the case of the new Weapons of Mass Destruction book, profoundly sad.

It's been four years since Sue Townsend's last Adrian Mole book (The Cappuccino Years) and when I picked up this latest in the series I remembered Adrian and the usual cast of characters, but at the same time I thought "It's been a while since I've read Adrian's unique musings. I hope it all clicks back into place again." I didn't need to worry. Within two pages I was laughing and shaking my head. Poor, unlucky, hilarious, oblivious Adrian. It was like meeting up again with an old friend.

I can't recommend the Adrian Mole books highly enough. And Sue Townsend's latest Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction ranks among the best in the series. I always laugh at Adrian's ongoing misadventures. And applaud Sue Townsend for yet another brilliant addition to a wonderful series.

Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction by Sue Townsend was one of those library books that attracted me due to the quirky title and unusual cover. Having no background with Townsend's work or any other Mole novels, I really didn't know what to expect. What I found was an incredibly funny English novel that I was unable to put down until I was finished.

Adrian Mole is a 34 year old single guy living with his parents and working in a second-hand bookstore. He has a couple kids by different women, but the relationships didn't work out in the long run. In order to live the style of life he envisions for himself, he buys a flat on Rat Wharf and proceeds to spend himself into an incredible crushing load of debt using credit cards. His life starts to spiral downhill when he dates a mousey "organic" lady by the name of Marigold Flowers. Her parents are into "natural living" to the extreme, and he quickly figures out that this is not the family and lady he wants. But he has a hard time saying no, and pretty soon he's engaged to be married to a woman he doesn't love and that is apparently with child. To complicate issues further (as if they weren't already warped), he's madly in love with Marigold's sister, a fashionable public relations woman who is as wild as Marigold is sedate. He knows what he needs to do, and everyone else can see what he should be doing. But knowing and doing are separated by an ever-widening gap...

This story is told in diary fashion, with Mole writing in the first person. In many ways, it's like watching a reality TV show. Mole has a much more important view of himself than what really is the case, and it's a hoot watching the train wreck unfold. There are a number of current event themes running through the couple of years covered by the diary, mainly centered around the start of the Iraq war. I'm sure having a good grasp of British life would make a few of the things more clear to this American reader, but it really doesn't matter. It was all too funny and felt all too real...

My next step is to check out the first four Adrian Mole novels... If they are anything like this, I'll be losing a couple more weekends to these pages.

I picked up this book having not read any Adrian Mole for many years. As I am roughly the same age as Adrian I was curious to see where life had taken him. I was so glad that I did because this book is fantastic. I don't think I have ever read a book so fast! I will use the well worn cliches that 'I couldn't put this book down' and that it is 'laugh out loud funny'. I usually hate it when people smugly laugh out loud whilst reading books, but I honestly couldn't help myself with this one. Much to the annoyance of my wife!

Adrian is now 35 (going on 70) and his love life and financial situation are both in turmoil. He gets himself into such sticky situations due to the naivity which has been evident throughout all of his diaries. He makes very bad decisions but still remains totally charming and lovable. It is to Townshends credit that she is able to make this motley collection of characters feel so real and sympathetic. Add to that a biting sense of humour about recent world affairs and pop culture and you have a book that is hilarious and heartwarming. Perfect. This made me go back and re-read all of the other Mole books again.

Is it the last volume of the Adrian Mole saga? Of course not. I doubt it very much. There is no end to a good recipe, a ratatouille or a beef and kidney pie. But we'll see. This volume is extremely interesting. For our Adrian Mole is still Adrian Mole. He is naïve and he is sending to us a very simple-minded vision of the world that is absolutely disarming - a must with the title we know - in naivety and vanity. This vain naivety or naïve vanity is his trademark and it is marvelously refreshing. It could probably not break a man's arm, but it can break, even smash, a man's despair. And this here volume is still a perfect example, at the age of 35, nearly middle-aged, of this entertaining village philosopher from Leicester. The book is also fascinating because we are in 2002-2004 and the central problem is the war on Iraq and Blair's support, till the day when he acknowledges there were no WMDs. The political question is systematically shown through the opinions of various people. Adrian is pro-Blair and he supports his own son when he is sent to Iraq, though he is frightened by the prospect of his son's death for and with no cause, and actually the son's best friend is killed by shrapnel. Pandora is against the war and she resigns from Blair's government. And between the two we find all kinds of shades. The dramatic dimension of the problem is strong because of the son's position in the armed forces. At the same time the book criticizes all kinds pf shortcomings of Blair's policy and of capitalistic greed. Adrian and his father are confronted to the National Health Service, and Adrian is suddenly thrown into bankruptcy by greedy banks and various store- or credit-card providers as well as by his vain desire to live over his means. The book is also fascinating because of the love life or rather non-love and/versus love lives of Adrian. He finds himself trapped by a false pregnancy and ends with a real third child born in love. Finally the book is fascinating because of the numerous vignettes it provides on various characters and situations: the independent bookseller, the local would-be or wanna-be writer, the protection of Her Majesty's swans, the Koran, Chinese restaurants, baby-boomers, vegetarian or bio-friendly people, etc... There you feel a high level of irony, humor, sarcasm, and that is so English, so brilliantly English.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines