The Perks of Being a Wallflower
User reviews
This book isn't realistic to high schoolers. No one goes out for a drive and feels infinite unless they're high, while listening to some depressing Smith's song. No teacher cries along with their spouse/girlfriend in front of some kid because he is brillant. That's stupid and misleading. Just because u happen to be a loner, doesn't make you smart. The kid, charlie, is overexaggerated and that in my opinion is where the story falls apart. This kid is not real, tangible, or honest, which brings the plot of the book to a screeching halt because the author tries to deal with honest real situations, but ultimately fail because the kid himself isn't honest, but just false depiction of what a 30 year old man (and basically everybody else out there) wanted his teenage years to be like: introverted, but accepted by the coolest indie kids in school. Silent, yet thought of as the smartest and most brillant student alive.
I do admit this book has its touching moments, and quotes like "the love you get is equal to love u think u deserve" (or something like that) are really great. It just seems that the author had a bunch of great things he wanted to say about highschool and life, and threw them in the most overexagerated, stereotypical, pretentious book about school.
I also hated how the author would bring up important subject matters like suicide, rape, sex and whateverelse and drop them soon. I found that the one continous story line was the family's internal struggles and problems with themselves. Maybe, that's what the Chobsky had indeed experienced in high school, and maybe that's why he wrote so well about it.
Chbosky deals with real, impending teen issues such as sexuality, drugs abuse, suicide and teen pregnancy, just to name a few, and though he handled them reasonably well, I just felt that he was trying to cram too much into the book. The short sentences were annoying and resulted in a choppy reading experience but that wasn’t even my main problem.
I could not for the life of me, connect with our protagonist, Charlie. He grated on my nerves, plain and simple. At one point in the story, Charlie’s English teacher tells him he's the smartest person he's ever known and though Charlie has an interesting, very pure way of looking at things and seeing the world, I didn’t agree. For a supposedly super smart 15 year old, his letters were filled with the simplest language possible. There’s also the fact that he felt far too innocent for his age. Altogether, his character and voice just seemed unrealistic.
There were some really beautiful passages and quotes and I love how it got me thinking about things such as my first memory. In fact, I couldn’t wait to get back to it and read more. But Charlie? He irritated me to the extremes. But then *insert sound effects* DUN DUN DUN. I don’t why but after such a long time struggling, things with Charlie started to improve at about the half-way mark. Now, don’t go jumping to conclusions, Charlie and I aren’t friends but we’ve finally come to some sort of an understanding; a truce (or maybe it was just due to the fact that he started to grow on me?).
Despite my problem with Charlie, I liked The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I’m even looking forward to the movie, especially since the trailer looks so awesome; whether I see it in the cinemas or wait for it come out on DVD, I’ll definitely give it a watch.
Always intriguing. Never a dull moment.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is one of the best books ever because it is so interseting that it makes you want to keep reading and never put the book down. It also makes your mind wonder and think about different things.
If you like books from the point of view of a highschool student, then this is the book for you. I really enjoyed it, and I wish others had too. Yes, many controversial issues were mentioned, but in my opinion I think it was phenomenal. If I recall correctly, Charlie was very innocent and naive. He tells about his first experiences with masturbation, sex, and drugs. If you can't handle a lot at once, this probably wouldn't be a good book for you.
I am in love with this book. I have read it numerous times and learn something new each time I pick it up. It has changed my life, the way I see things from day to day, and I think I would be extremely beneficial for ALL students to read this book sometime in their high school careers. It's enthralling and hard to put down, and carries a great message at the same time.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is one of the most amazing books I have ever written. Charlie, as the main character calls himself, writes letters about his life to an anonymous person. His letters are extremely personal and revealing, so according to Charlie, all the names and actual events have been altered so the person he is writing to will not be able to identify him. Charlie experiences love, lust, drugs, and many other things that most of us have been in situations with (or will possibly in situations with) throughout our lives. Charlie develops a special relationship with a very unlikely person, which alters the way he thinks. He may be some what of a strange person, but continuing to read reveals that he isnt so strange. Charlie begins as a lonely naïve person, but by the end of the book, he has changed in many drastic ways. I strongly recommend reading this book. I do not find an interest in reading but this book pulls you in. The letters get more and more interesting as the book goes on, and Charlie begins to get more involved with other people besides the ones he is so familiar with in books. The book teaches you that there are unlikely people that you can become very close with, and discover things about those people that are completely unexpected. It stresses the saying you cant judge a book by its cover without actually really saying the phrase. Read the book, you wont regret it!
This book is one of the most riveting books I have ever read. It will draw you in, but what is most important is you can sympathize with the main character. The best thing about this book is the main character is just like every single person reading it. Although some of his experiences you may not actually have had happen to you, you can definitely relate to his emotions and how he handles certain things. I loved every minute of it and wish there was a second book to this story.
I originally picked this book up because someone had recommended it to me, but I didn't really have a clue of what it was about. When I started reading this book i realized i couldn't put it down. It was different than any other book i've before. I especially enjoyed the way that it was written in letter form. The main characters confessions were very frank and they made me feel sorry for him at times. Though there were many sad parts in it it was a different kind of sad. I would definetly recommend this book to anyone since it is definetly one of the top best books i have ever read
I thought this book was one of the best I have read. It's unique letter-form draws attention and makes it more exciting to read. Originally, I read the book because a friend of mine mentioned that music played an important factor in it. Since I adore music, I couldn't wait to try the novel out. I ended up reading it in two hours, because I couldn't tear myself away.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is trying to discover themselves. Watching Charlie grow and transform is truly an amazing expierince. If you're looking for a book that's an easy read, yet powerful enough to make you laugh, cry, and really think about things, then this book is perfect!
This book is about a boy going through his freshman year in high school. He goes through the experience of drugs, sex, and much more that most teens do experience. This book has a lot of teaching to it. I do not usually like to read but this book was simply amazing. As you are reading you start to feel what the boy, Charlie, is feeling. You almost become him. I recommend "the perks of being a wallflower" to anyone in middle school, high school, or college. It is a very, very good book.
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