Charlie writes letters to an unknown mail recipient, detailing his struggles with high school, family, and finding his place in the world. Full of beautiful quotes and written with such sincerity, this is a book that makes the reader reflect on their purpose in life, while simultaneously reminding us about the power music, friendships, and "feeling infinite" can have on our life. Read this book.
Review of 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Après avoir beaucoup aimé le film au début de l'année, j'ai eu envie de lire le roman dont il a été adapté. Je ne saurais pas si j'ai préféré le film ou le livre : les deux sont différents, même si l'histoire et les personnages sont évidemment très proches. Dans le livre, Charlie est peut-être plus immature et plus perturbé psychologiquement que dans le film, où il apparait comme un adolescent presque comme les autres, avec son histoire et ses angoisses, mais presque comme les autres. Dans le livre, on remarque plus facilement sa différence et on apprécie d'autant plus son intégration au sein de son nouveau groupe d'amis. Dans les deux cas, ce sont deux histoires agréables à découvrir et des personnages que l'on suit avec émotion.
Review of 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
I need some time to digest this book. Did I like it? Yes. But Charlie was simplistic and childlike, and I can't decide if he is autistic, or if the author was really so out of touch with the mind of a freshman in high school. He was written like he was 10, not 15, and the comments from everyone about his brilliance did not come through in his letters to his friend. But the book has stayed with me, so I am giving it two 1/2 stars.
Review of 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Charlie is starting high school, not long after the death of his friend, Michael. Charlie is a wallflower, observing school life from the outskirts. When his advanced English teacher tells him to participate in life, things start to change and Charlie starts to live. Forming friendships and learning about girls; standing up for others and coming to terms with everything good and bad that has happened in his short life.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a collection of first experiences, told in letter form through the eyes of an intelligent yet lonely boy. In short, it is just brilliant. From page to page, emotions go from high to low. Yet the actions are nothing dramatic, this is purely the life that many go through at school. Charlie isn’t explicit in explaining his emotions, which makes it all the more heart-breaking when he writes something which indicates how lonely …
Charlie is starting high school, not long after the death of his friend, Michael. Charlie is a wallflower, observing school life from the outskirts. When his advanced English teacher tells him to participate in life, things start to change and Charlie starts to live. Forming friendships and learning about girls; standing up for others and coming to terms with everything good and bad that has happened in his short life.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a collection of first experiences, told in letter form through the eyes of an intelligent yet lonely boy. In short, it is just brilliant. From page to page, emotions go from high to low. Yet the actions are nothing dramatic, this is purely the life that many go through at school. Charlie isn’t explicit in explaining his emotions, which makes it all the more heart-breaking when he writes something which indicates how lonely or depressed he is. As an adult, we understand, as a confused teenager, he can’t quite grasp what he’s feeling.
But for all the heart breaks there is happiness and humour. Warm and touching, you should definitely read the book before going to see the film. Though I am late to the party and Perks is already a cult classic, deservedly so.
The early nineties really do feel like a different era! A world without internet and mobile phones; where a mix tape is a true definition of friendship. I’m not sure Perks would be quite so convincing in the present day. Charlie’s voice is a little too young and naïve as a 15/16 year-old by today’s standards. They definitely don’t need sex explaining to them at that age now but back then, information was a lot more restricted and it works in an historical way. I can’t believe I’m saying 1991 counts as a historical setting but seriously, so much has changed!
Review of 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
I've got to stop reading these YA novels. Not enough sex, lol. Not to mention, they're getting increasingly hard to relate to! One thing about this book that just did not ring true was how the main character, a 15-16 year old boy, was crying ALL THE TIME. I mean, yeah, he's emotionally troubled...but come on. NOBODY cries that much. The sad thing is my husband has a "socially retarded" friend who is about 70 yrs old...Poor Charlie ain't gonna grow out of being as socially awkward as he is portrayed in this book. hohum
Review of 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
A quick and entertaining read. I did not find Charlie's character to be all that believable. It seems he glossed over many of the experiences that would typically be quite significant for a fourteen-year-old but dwelled on more mundane, routine events. Perhaps that was intentional; I can see how it might be given his nature.
I think this is a book that has something any teenager, or anyone who remembers being a teenager, can relate to. I think the intended young adult audience will appreciate that the book addresses many of the experiences of adolescence without being preachy or making moral judgments.
Overall, it's worth reading, but I don't think it will stay with me for long.
Review of 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' on Goodreads
4 stars
This is a book that's very different from what I'd been reading, that I really enjoyed, but am not entirely sure why, and I can't review it like I have the books I've been reviewing recently, because it's not the same, so I'm not really sure what to put in this big, empty box.
I read this book after [b:Cloud Atlas|49628|Cloud Atlas|David Mitchell|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170360941s/49628.jpg|1871423] and [b:Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|4588|Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|Jonathan Safran Foer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165446871s/4588.jpg|1940137], which was weird, because this is a very different book, so there was a bit of literary whiplash involved, which wasn't bad at all, but was kind of disorienting. To make things more interesting, Charlie (the narrator here) is superficially similar to Oskar, the narrator in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - they're both youngish, intelligent, kind of socially awkward kids, so I kept getting them mixed up in my head.
So, all that to …
This is a book that's very different from what I'd been reading, that I really enjoyed, but am not entirely sure why, and I can't review it like I have the books I've been reviewing recently, because it's not the same, so I'm not really sure what to put in this big, empty box.
I read this book after [b:Cloud Atlas|49628|Cloud Atlas|David Mitchell|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170360941s/49628.jpg|1871423] and [b:Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|4588|Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|Jonathan Safran Foer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165446871s/4588.jpg|1940137], which was weird, because this is a very different book, so there was a bit of literary whiplash involved, which wasn't bad at all, but was kind of disorienting. To make things more interesting, Charlie (the narrator here) is superficially similar to Oskar, the narrator in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - they're both youngish, intelligent, kind of socially awkward kids, so I kept getting them mixed up in my head.
So, all that to say, I'm not entirely sure what to say about this book. It's been a (busy) week since I actually finished it, and I'm not really sure where it sits. I definitely enjoyed it, and it's the shortest book I've read in a while. Charlie is an endearing, lovable, open, honest, very interesting narrator, and I really enjoyed following him through his life, laughing, soaring, learning, cringing with him. Chbosky does and excellent job of bringing him to life, making it easy to forget that it's not actually Charlie writing these letters, which is of course how it should be. And Charlie's letters provide an interesting window on all of the interacting subplots and relationships and storylines that make up his life, and the lives of those around him. And more than anything, everything about this book just makes you fall in love with Charlie as he works through his life. Basically, this book introduces you to and lets you get to know Charlie and by extension his friends, and that alone is a wonderful experience.
Review of 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
This is a book that's very different from what I'd been reading, that I really enjoyed, but am not entirely sure why, and I can't review it like I have the books I've been reviewing recently, because it's not the same, so I'm not really sure what to put in this big, empty box.
I read this book after [b:Cloud Atlas|49628|Cloud Atlas|David Mitchell|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170360941s/49628.jpg|1871423] and [b:Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|4588|Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|Jonathan Safran Foer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165446871s/4588.jpg|1940137], which was weird, because this is a very different book, so there was a bit of literary whiplash involved, which wasn't bad at all, but was kind of disorienting. To make things more interesting, Charlie (the narrator here) is superficially similar to Oskar, the narrator in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - they're both youngish, intelligent, kind of socially awkward kids, so I kept getting them mixed up in my head.
So, all that to …
This is a book that's very different from what I'd been reading, that I really enjoyed, but am not entirely sure why, and I can't review it like I have the books I've been reviewing recently, because it's not the same, so I'm not really sure what to put in this big, empty box.
I read this book after [b:Cloud Atlas|49628|Cloud Atlas|David Mitchell|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170360941s/49628.jpg|1871423] and [b:Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|4588|Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|Jonathan Safran Foer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165446871s/4588.jpg|1940137], which was weird, because this is a very different book, so there was a bit of literary whiplash involved, which wasn't bad at all, but was kind of disorienting. To make things more interesting, Charlie (the narrator here) is superficially similar to Oskar, the narrator in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - they're both youngish, intelligent, kind of socially awkward kids, so I kept getting them mixed up in my head.
So, all that to say, I'm not entirely sure what to say about this book. It's been a (busy) week since I actually finished it, and I'm not really sure where it sits. I definitely enjoyed it, and it's the shortest book I've read in a while. Charlie is an endearing, lovable, open, honest, very interesting narrator, and I really enjoyed following him through his life, laughing, soaring, learning, cringing with him. Chbosky does and excellent job of bringing him to life, making it easy to forget that it's not actually Charlie writing these letters, which is of course how it should be. And Charlie's letters provide an interesting window on all of the interacting subplots and relationships and storylines that make up his life, and the lives of those around him. And more than anything, everything about this book just makes you fall in love with Charlie as he works through his life. Basically, this book introduces you to and lets you get to know Charlie and by extension his friends, and that alone is a wonderful experience.
