Finally I’ve finished my series, re-reading my favourite books as a child. The last book in my series is The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend. A British classic of the 1980s.
Adrian is a painful teenager with delusions of intellectual grandeur living through Thatcher’s Britain with his dysfunctional and disappointing parents. Adrian copes with his first pimples, his parents’ marital problems and his own crushes with an amazing lack of self-awareness. It is laugh out funny and I knew most of the jokes already.
Reading Adrian Mole was like going back in time (in the Tardis with Peter Davison, of course because it’s 1983). I was thrown back into the 1980s when all my favourite music and television came out of the UK. I also vividly remember Adrian Mole TV series and recently watched part of episode 1. It is so faithful to the book, it made me realise why I seemed to remember every second word. I’ve also had the theme tune from the late great Ian Dury in my head ever since.
I had a quick look on Goodreads and it appears that Adrian Mole is now on school curriculums. It is a slice of life in Thatcher’s Britain but I wonder whether kids today would appreciate it like I did. Has it dated?
I remember this book too well to be subjective. In some way, I wished I’d never read it before, so I could enjoy it all over again. It’s funny and poignant. In a similar way to my first year of my arts degree when I finally got some of the gags from The Young Ones, I understood a whole lot more as an adult. The writing is simple, clever and layered.
It was fun visiting Adrian Mole again, but I’m glad I don’t actually know him. He really is a pretentious little git.
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