Few comic literary characters have captured the peculiar anxieties of adolescence and adulthood as much as the Adrian Mole books.
The eternally self-conscious diarist created by Leicester-born legendary author Sue Townsend first appeared in the early 1980s and in the years that followed Townsend documented Adrian’s journey through teenage angst, romantic turmoil, political outrage, and middle‑aged confusion with warmth, sharp satire, and unforgettable humour.
There are eight novels in total, and I’ve ranked my top five in order of preference and shared my humble opinions below.
5. The Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years (1999)
Set during the rise of celebrity culture and New Labour, this instalment finds Adrian juggling single fatherhood, media scandals, and culinary misadventures as a reluctant TV chef. Cappuccino not only features some of Townsend’s most successful attempts at political satire, but also features Adrian as a flawed but genuinely endearing adult.
4. Adrian Mole: The Wilderness Years (1993)
Now in his early twenties, Adrian faces heartbreak, unemployment, failed writing dreams and unwanted lodgers and his self‑pity reaches new comic heights. I love Wilderness because it has a darker, more mature comedic tone. It also really capturers early‑1990s British culture. Adrian’s earnest attempts at adulthood in this are especially funny.
3. The True Confessions of Adrian Albert Mole (1989)
A mix of diary extracts, letters, and other documents, this volume provides a broader picture of Adrian’s late‑teen years—his job woes, his relationship with Pandora, and his persistent sense that he’s destined for greatness. Confessions for me perfectly bridges the gap between Adrian the teenager and Adrian the adult and sees Townsend offers us fresh insights into Adrian’s world. This is a book that many are put off by due to its “all over the shop” style but am a real fan of its experimental and varying tone.
2. The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole (1984)
The sequel to Secret Diary follows Adrian as he struggles with exams, his parents’ messy love lives, and his lofty ambitions to become an intellectual. Growing Pains builds on the emotional heart introduced in the first book and deepens Adrian’s character without ever losing the comedy. It also tackles many social issues with Townsend’s trademark light touch
1. The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ (1982)
The book that started it all will always be my favourite. Told entirely through diary entries, it introduces Adrian as a precocious, insecure teenager navigating spots, poetry, the Falklands War, and an on‑again off‑again romance with the enigmatic Pandora. Diary establishes Townsend’s pitch‑perfect diary format while capturing adolescence with painful accuracy and hilarious detail. A cultural touchstone that defined 1980s British humour.
