The Universe versus Alex Woods: An UNFORGETTABLE story of an unexpected friendship, an unlikely hero and an improbable journey
Jan 2013 · Hachette UK
4.1star
227 reviewsreport
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416
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About this ebook
*Perfect for fans of A BOY MADE OF BLOCKS*
**RICHARD AND JUDY summer bookclub read 2013, Amazon Rising star, and shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize**
*** A funny and touching story of an unlikely friendship and an improbable journey***
Alex Woods knows that he hasn't had the most conventional start in life.
He knows that growing up with a clairvoyant single mother won't endear him to the local bullies.
He also knows that even the most improbable events can happen - he's got the scars to prove it.
What he doesn't know yet is that when he meets ill-tempered, reclusive widower Mr Peterson, he'll make an unlikely friend. Someone who tells him that you only get one shot at life. That you have to make the best possible choices.
So when, aged seventeen, Alex is stopped at Dover customs with 113 grams of marijuana, an urn full of ashes on the passenger seat, and an entire nation in uproar, he's fairly sure he's done the right thing.
A tale of an unexpected friendship, an unlikely hero and an improbable journey, Alex's story treads the fine line between light and dark, laughter and tears. And it might just strike you as one of the funniest, most heartbreaking novels you've ever read.
**RICHARD AND JUDY summer bookclub read 2013, Amazon Rising star, and shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize**
*** A funny and touching story of an unlikely friendship and an improbable journey***
Alex Woods knows that he hasn't had the most conventional start in life.
He knows that growing up with a clairvoyant single mother won't endear him to the local bullies.
He also knows that even the most improbable events can happen - he's got the scars to prove it.
What he doesn't know yet is that when he meets ill-tempered, reclusive widower Mr Peterson, he'll make an unlikely friend. Someone who tells him that you only get one shot at life. That you have to make the best possible choices.
So when, aged seventeen, Alex is stopped at Dover customs with 113 grams of marijuana, an urn full of ashes on the passenger seat, and an entire nation in uproar, he's fairly sure he's done the right thing.
A tale of an unexpected friendship, an unlikely hero and an improbable journey, Alex's story treads the fine line between light and dark, laughter and tears. And it might just strike you as one of the funniest, most heartbreaking novels you've ever read.
Ratings and reviews
4.1
227 reviews
Manish Sahai
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August 2, 2014
'The Universe versus Alex Woods' is one of the simplest books I have read, yet it made a powerful impact on me. It is the story of Alex Woods, a young boy living in England who gets hit on the head with a meteorite. This pikes his interest in celestial objects and in 'The Theory of Everything'. Along the way, he accidentally comes across Mr.Peterson, an old man living in his village. A friendship blossoms. While the first half of the book is about Alex, and how he sees himself as a misfit amongst his peers, the latter part of the book is about his friendship with Isaac Peterson, and the eventual turn it takes. It is one of the few books that made me smile and laugh through the middle, and literally had my eyes welled up towards the end of it. The social message (of being humane to fellow humans) it tries to deliver is a powerful and important one, yet is conveyed to subtly that you can't help but appreciate it immensely.
1 person found this review helpful
Andy McIntyre
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November 8, 2013
This book actually is funny unlike many crap ones that have been endorsed as 'hilarious' etc. I admit I both laughed out loudly and also cried at times, kinda embarrassing really as both occasions were on trains. I read stacks of books and this one really is total class. I guess you already read chapter 1 for free, if that didn't excite your emotions then walk away now. Wow, so many beautiful one liners and quotes to think about. They way he built up and use of the 'C' word was awesome and so biscuit spitingly funny, sorry about that if you were the lady in the seat opposite. (I brushed her down as best I could but she frowned upon me) Was it really a true story? Is he really that young? How very deep for one so young. It appears to be his first writing and a one off story so I am intrigued as to what the next one will be about.
steve wallace
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August 19, 2013
There are some books that draw you in and don't let you go till the very last page, this is one of them. I smiled and i cried during this book (many times) The characters are likeable and the story is involving. I'd like to say thank you to the author for a wonderful book. Recommended
About the author
Gavin Extence was born in 1982 and grew up in the interestingly named village of Swineshead, Lincolnshire. From the ages of 5-11, he enjoyed a brief but illustrious career as a chess player, winning numerous national championships and travelling to Moscow and St Petersburg to pit his wits against the finest young minds in Russia. He won only one game.
Gavin is currently working on his second novel. When he is not writing, he enjoys cooking, amateur astronomy and going to Alton Towers.
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