The Beach — Barley & Font Archive

The Beach — Barley & Font Archive

The Beach by Alex Garland — synopsis and club ratings from the Barley & Font gentlemen's book club.

The Beach

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Member ratings — Kokomo Chapter

Discussion notes

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A young backpacker named Richard hears a rumor of a hidden beach in Thailand — paradise, if you can find it. What begins as adventure turns into a closed society with its own rules, jealousies, and rot beneath the turquoise. Garland's debut is lean, hypnotic, and built around a male protagonist who wants utopia badly enough to help destroy it.

Ratings coming soon

We rate every book 1–5 after discussion. Scores and notes for The Beach will land here once member ratings are entered.

Member quotes from the Kokomo chapter's conversation will appear here — jackets on, bourbon poured, paradise on the table.

Barley & Font

A gentlemen's book club founded in Kokomo, Indiana.

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