The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky
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Book Reviews of The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Book Review: Unrealistic
Summary: 2 Stars
Okay, this book was not the be-all, end-all of YA literature that some previous reviewers seem to think it was. It wasn't complete trash - the author obviously made an attempt to tap into that crazy world we call adolescence.
However, it fell short of the mark for me, and I'll be fifteen in a week, so I think I would have some clue about what's really going on in our minds.
For one thing, Charlie's view of life was incredibly simplistic and did not leave a lot of room for self-revelation or growth of any kind. Basically, he was the nice, somewhat reserved guy who had the misfortune of watching other people foul up, until he joined them. Then, they still kept being human, you know, doing "teen" stuff, breaking up, getting high, except that he joined them and uncovered something painful and repressed about himself along the way. I won't say anything more plot-wise, but in terms of how "universal" this book is, I really don't see it. The characters seemed to serve no purpose except help (or sometimes not help) Charlie feel better about himself and the situations he was put through, which were, save for maybe two instances, ridiculously contrived.
If you're expecting Catcher in the Rye, forget it. This book does not even come close to touching Salinger's masterpiece, because of the predictable banality of its lead character, who seems to be a "prodigy" and yet doesn't come close to the writing talents of many sixteen year olds I know. Hell, I'm a year younger than the guy, and he makes ME look like Kafka.
There is nothing "universal" about transcribing events of adolescence that we may or may not have experienced. What makes Salinger (vs Chbosky) so great is he does so in a way that's actually realistic, i.e. hypocrisy, cynicism, and a view of life that isn't so Mister Rogers. Most of us can't be some kind of saints as days pass on this complicated, very unpredictable world.
The book just felt like it was set somewhere else, somewhere we've all seen before and yet doesn't really exist. It's not a completely wasted effort, as there were a few moments that were quite touching and unexpectedly so, but in my opinion, the author could take a few lessons from J.D. before spouting off another caricature.
Book Review: The perks of trying to make sense
Summary: 3 Stars
While what this novel explores is by no means new ground, it is at the same time so honest and accurate in depicting the psyche of its teenager protagonist that it will easily keep you intrigued and interested.Using a very effective trick, namely, a letter (or diary) form narration you become acquainted with the life and works of Charlie, a teenager, who is not "cool" or in any way popular (thus "wallflower"), but who becomes sort of an escort for you you in his world as he tries to cope: growing up, learning, failing, failing again, sometimes succeeding, and everything the journey at that particular age involves.
Naturally, it envolves themes that everyone that has been a teenager is to one degree or another familiar with. Drugs, experimenting with sexuality, learning about emotions, trying to interpret, trying to define the everyday reality he's into.
Utterly convincing, the story feels like it was written by a teenager at his teenage years (kudos to the author then ).
I personally caught myself reminiscing most of the time as i went through the sometimes simplistic questions that Charlie poses. That speaks volumes because caught reminiscing while reading a story like that is a good sign. It means the story is "accurate" , as accurate a novel like that can be since we all experience many different types of reality.
"The perks of being a wallflower" is also full of many humorous moments the kind of "funniness" that emerges when you are learning about life and commit yourself to mistakes or situations that might seem to you as super tragic or critical but they are just part of the process of growing up and later on you reinstate them for what they really are.
One of the few novels of that kind that explore homosexuality in a plain natural manner "The perks..." is a winner there too.
Recommended reading not only for those that want to compare notes of their past (or even present) but especially for those bringing up kids. It's one thing to have been there and another to remember how it really feels like going through it.
And when it comes to describing the "feeling" of it all, the helplessness and the agony or the angst of teenagehood "The perks..." is a wonderful contribution.
Book Review: WAY over rated
Summary: 2 Stars
This book makes me think I could write a teeny bopper anthem. It makes it look that easy. Just recall my early high school days and exaggerate a little. Social trouble since I wasn't in a clique... lets make that social outcast that no one will talk to... ever. And on top of that, lets make that bother me a lot, and I will be an emotional sissy as well. Charlie really didn't seem very schooled in the art of being a wall flower. Yeah, I understand the death of his aunt and other childhood experiences shook him up. But he was still way too emotional. Too extreme for a character people seem to relate to so well (maybe I was just boring?). Meh, I'll move on.This book is basically the journal of a social idiot. I don't see how anyone could act as poorly around people as the kid in this book does. More than anything, this book made me laugh, because the people the main character was calling his friends seemed to do little more than drug him up so they would have something to laugh at. It was kind of sad, but he put himself in all of these situations. I enjoyed reading it, but not because it was "eye openning" or "inspirational" like I had heard from numerous sources, but because I found it hilarious how naive this kid was. It is like a really bad, really stupid version of Catcher in the rye. I would classify it as utter crap if not for the last 15 pages or so, when it actually delivered a message. But this message is nowhere near ground breaking. Maybe that is just because I am 19 and have had time to figure out the topics it hit for myself. But when I was talking to a couple of friends that had read it, and reading reviews of it, this book was being hailed as a classic. People were calling it their favorite book ever. I just don't see where you can get that. You go through 190 pages of a kid going through unrealistic emotional swings, around people who bury themselves and then whine about it. And then you get 15 pages that are kind of interesting. And that just doesn't make a classic for me. Maybe I am missing something, but I am pretty confident in my reading comprehension skills. It just gets really old reading other people portray this time of life, and then others praising their work as genious.
Book Review: The Perks of the Perks of Being a Wallflower
Summary: 3 Stars
"I am writing to you because she said you listen and understand and didn't try to sleep with that person at the party even though you could have. Please don't try to figure out who she is because then you might figure out who I am, and I really don't want you to do that. I will call people by different names or generic names because I don't want you to find me. I didn't enclose a return address for the same reason. I mean nothing bad by this. Honest." -Charlie
Written by Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is one of the most wonderful, daring, extravagant, controversial, and realistic books I've ever read. Written in journal format, it is a diary that Charlie sends in letters, yet the recipient is never revealed.
Charlie has just lost his best friend to suicide. He starts his freshman year of high-school with no friends and no confidence. His brother is hitting the big time at Penn State and his sister is a senior. He really doesn't mind not having friends...until, he meets the best he's ever had.
Patrick and Sam, who are step-brother and sister, welcome Charlie into their group of friends. Charlie, being the wallflower he is, listens and tries to please everyone. They introduce him to the crazy Friday nights of Rocky Horror Picture Show and make going to school much better than the horrible first day. As school progresses, Charlie's English teacher, Bill, recognizes the potential in Charlie that no one else sees. He starts giving Charlie extra reading and assignments. Bill is the only person to see Charlie's intellectual abilities, and the only person to make him feel special about it.
Chbosky does a magnificent job of making you fall in love with his characters. I feel like I've gotten the best letters that have ever been sent to me, from Charlie. Charlie's unique teen mind is intriguing. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a book that I won't soon forget, and will cherish in my memory forever.
The most fun I have ever had reading was spent following Charlie through his rollercoaster of freshman year. From drugs, to a semi-functional family, to being in love with your best friend, Charlie learns more and more about himself and what he cares about most, feeling infinite.
Book Review: The perks of reading this book
Summary: 5 Stars
The Perks of Being a Wallflower completely revamps the conception of the generic wallflower everyone knew in high school. Stephen Chbosky tells a true tale of someone who is not well liked in high school, a road not usually traveled by writers. The tale is spun in the form of letters to an anonymous person, never revealed throughout the book, which adds a mysterious spin on the story. I had very high expectations of the book given that everyone one around me had read the book and now swears by it. The book starts out with a very unhappy letter to the said anonymous person by Charlie, a freshman just starting out in high school with no friends for his best friend just committed suicide, the hatred of his siblings, and book for a companion. Since Charlie has so much free time, he runs through books like tissues, discarding one and immediately taking up another. It is only when Charlie meets a nice guy in shop class called Nothing, that he luck begins to change and Charlie is thrown into a wild first year of the rest of his life. Charlie encounters everything from the intensity of his first crush to experiencing drugs for the first time. And yet he never fails to write a letter to his special friend. The book is about high school and yet only touches delicately on the hierarchy of the cruel world that kids exist in today. Stephen Chbosky sheds light on finding yourself in a particularly difficult time in ones life and shows that the worst situations bring out the best in everyone. Charlie being shy observes everyone around him and tries to memorize peoples exact moments so he can keep them in his mind forever, afraid that this dream will suddenly go away. I am very picky when it comes to choosing a book to read. The world is filled with bad books and I refuse to pledge my time to any one of them. So reading this book was a leap of faith for me and it turned out this was one special exception of the world filled with ...endings. I somehow identified with Charlie; it was almost like he was telling me his day, step-by-step, play-by-play. I recommend this book because it might remind you of the good old days when you were the loser in the corner or the geek in the cafeteria and for once the wallflower prevails and that's the way it should be.