Customer Reviews

Perks of Being a Wallflower

5 star:		(998)
4 star:		(240)
3 star:		(69)
2 star:		(45)
1 star:		(65)

 

 

I read The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky, in April of my sophomore year at college. A friend lent it to me and I had read it within twelve hours. This book reaches inside of you and pulls everything to the surface. It is a beautiful and painful story about a 15 year old boy, Charlie, moving through his freshmen year of highschool. It is written in letter form to an unknown friend. Charlie is always completely honest, whether he is describing his first "beer" party where he witnessed a girl being raped by her boyfriend, or explaining masturbation and his excitement for this newfound "activity." Charlie is a wallflower who observes people and feels very deeply for the experiences occuring around him. His favorite Aunt Helen died in a car accident when he was six, and he holds himself accountable, and his best friend committed suicide a year before he began the letters. His English teacher realizes Charlie's potential and brilliance and asks him to try and participate, which Charlie agrees to do. He becomes friends with two seniors Patrick and Samantha and begins to experience dances, parties, the Rocky Horror Picture Show, pot, love, bad trips and sexuality. We feel exhilerated when Charlie describes his happy moments, and we are swallowed in pain when Charlie is overwhelmed by his depression. Charlie's realizations are eye opening for us, and we are so captivated and immersed in his life that his life and stories become a very real experience. This book is about moments, and being as much alive within each moment as possible. It is about looking around us at the world and the people and appreciating that we don't know what their lives are like, and the pain and happiness that they experience day to day, so we shouldn't judge them but accept them and appreciate them. A favorite section of this book, for me, was when Charlie describes the movie It's A Wonderful Life, and how he wished the movie had been about one of the less heroic characters so the audience could have seen the meaning that this person's life held. That moment is just one example of Charlie's amazing intuition. This book should not be limited to a certain "category" of people. I truly believe that it would be understood, appreciated, and loved by everyone aged 12 (+ or - a few) and up regardless of gender, race, sexuality, etc. This book changes you, if only for a moment, but you are not the same upon completion, and you become more appreciative of life then ever.

I'll admit at first I was a bit put off by the overall "sweetness" of the main character, who I felt was created as a "sympathetic" movie-character fabrication (he loves his mom, loves his dad, loves his sister, loves his brother...it made me roll my eyes, seeing how "good" and "nice" this boy was; not since Leave It To Beaver have I seen such a "goodness" portrayed), but in the end the book won me over -- and I was moved by it. And that's what counts. The novel works! The only other book to affect me this way, despite my early misgivings, was The Losers' Club by Richard Perez. In much the same way the protagonist of that book was portrayed as a "good guy," a hapless loser -- and I couldn't get into it until the last half. There, too, I was finally affected by the main character -- and the book as whole. So you never know until the end. I say this to anyone reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower -- hang in there. I guarantee you'll be moved by this novel!

When I finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chybosky, I sat there in a stunned silence. The book was strongly powerful in a manner that diary or letter style books rarely achieve. There is usually a sense of implausibility in those types of books that Charlie's character completely negated. When trying to describe Charlie the mind suddenly reels, he's honest. Completely and utterly genuine in his perceptions and most of his actions. Charlie is also and emotional basket case that somehow manages to attract a special group of friends to him. A group of voluntary outcasts that go through the same problems teenagers face everywhere. Sex, drugs, relationships and acceptance figure heavily into everyone's lives, despite their personal beliefs on those subjects. I would like to mention Stephen's portrayal of Patrick, I was pleased to see the sbuject of homosexuality treated in such a plain manner. It was accepted as a fact and only the feelings invovled in the situations were important. I would recomment this book to a wide range of people, old or young, straight or gay, conservative or liberal. It was a pleasure to read and I enjoyed it immensely.

I don't usually enjoy reading. Most books are long-winded and boring and overrated, but I totally loved The Perks of Being a Wall Flower. In fact, I can't remember the last time I enjoyed reading a book this much! I actually LOOKED FORWARD TO the time I had alone with the book, and that almost never happens to me. Please check it out. Another short, snappy book I liked: The Losers' Club by Richard Perez. I think schools should throw out all those boring "classics" and start a brand-new list!

I, too, felt moved after reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and agree that almost any adolescent would be able to connect somehow to Charlie, the book's freshman protagonist. However, I'm a bit puzzled that so many reviewers have neglected to bring up the fact that Charlie is ill. Sure, he has all the normal teenage doubts and yearnings, but they're multiplied by the fact that he's not mentally stable. I don't want to give any of the book away, but I will say that throughout the letters to his friend, Charlie reveals more and more disturbing information about his background. So, although this IS quite a good book, and, as many have said, comparable to A Catcher in the Rye, I would warn readers to keep at the back of their minds that Charlie is not your average 15 year old boy. Having said that, I praise Mr. Chbosky for writing a book that's so true and raw, a book that all adolescents and anyone who's ever been an adolescent can relate to. A poignant read.

I bought this book for my 13 year old daughter but wanted to read it first to see if it is appropriate It is a wonderfully written book in which Charlie, a deeply sensitive boy, finds true friends and learns to live, to love, to lose, and move on. The author gives this boy a voice and it's magnificent. I so appreciate Charlie's depth of emotions. I have a sensitive, emotional son and will want him to read this book in a couple years. Suicide, homosexuality, infatuation, deep deep friendships, finding yourself and re-finding yourself are all themes in this book. The author captures "moments" of adolescence -- those incredible high moments that might last just minutes -- and makes them so real. If only more kids could put a voice to these feelings. One reviewer doesn't think this book captures adolescence in the 90's -- I don't know because I'm a Mom . . . but I don't care. Charlie deals with drugs, smoking, drinking, messing up friendships, feeling alone, and uncovers family problems he has to deal with. And he deals with it as a young man who can stand back, look at it all, and make decisions about what he has experienced. I want my daughter to read it, maybe now or maybe in a couple years, for the hope it left me with. Charlie survived being hopelessly in love with one of his best friends. It hurt and he felt it and it didn't defeat him. With everything thrown at kids in jr. high and high school this book might just help them survive it a little more intact. I think I'm going to go talk to my kids right now . . . .

The entire book revolves around Charlie's life; how his friends around him are, and how they betray him, his family and how much he values all of them. This book really has two different plots going for it at once. There are the scenes with friends (Sam and Patrick) and then the scenes with Charlie and his family. Now, in my opinion, the Sam and Patrick plot is more effective and worth while in this book and the family chapters were sentimental, but did not catch my interests nearly enough. I guess I look for stuff that I can relate to as a teenager and the high school plot is easier to follow. I also loved reading about Charlie learn about romance. Anyway, before I give anything else away, I give this book 5 big stars. It's rare that a book can hold my attention these days. This novel held my attention -- and made me very happy. Let me share the news about 2 other great books that I bought over Amazon.com: Dogrun by Nersesian, The Losers' Club by Richard Perez. These 3 books make up my new "home library" and I know I'll read them again and again. Coming from a big non-reader, that statement is pretty scary.

Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower is charming, sincere and amusing. Charlie, the main character or narrator, so to speak, is interesting and insightful and this angst-driven novel is one of the better ones I've read as of late. Fans of Blake Nelson's novel, Girl, will find Charlie the male version of Andrea Marr and those who liked the book Youth in Revolt will love The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Anyone who survived (barely, I'm sure) high school thanks to The Smiths, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, soul-searching classics like Catcher in the Rye, mix tapes and long drives with friends who were snubbed by the Beautiful People will find familiarity with Charlie's yearning to fit in while dealing with a friend's suicide, a family member's death and issues, like rape and homosexuality, that are now commonplace in the halls of today's High School USA. Chbosky has a nice writing style and draws the reader into Charlie's world to the point where you may not want to put the book down. This book falls short, however, with the ending. The last chapter thoroughly disappoints and makes me wonder how the book's ending got passed its editor. I was so irate at how Chbosky chose to leave his character at the end of his freshman year in high school that it almost ruined the book for me. Although I had a bad taste in my mouth when I was finished, the rest of the novel is worthwhile especially when more attention should be paid to the Darias of today's high schools and not the Star Football player or the Crazy Kid with the Gun.

i read this book a few days ago. i started it at 12:30 that night and read it straight until morning. i would be the first to admit that i'm an avid reader; reading constantly and sharing my opinions (solicited or unsolicited) about that books that i have read. i'm very critical and terribly hard to please, but yet this is the first book that i honestly COULDN'T PUT DOWN. it was fascinating, being a teenager of about Charlie's age, to read something that didn't preach, exaggerate, lie, or hide the truths of life. this book best described the side of highschool where they experience the "forbidden" things: drugs, alchohol, sex, and the rocky horror picture show. it had the raw aspect to it, Charlie was totally honest in the letters and showed that he was overwhelmed, struggling and desperate at times as many teenagers are. though it is easy to dismiss his type of friends as misfits, outcasts, misguided, they were true friends to him and helped him through a terribly difficult time. this is what high school is really like for many even though adults don't want to admit it. Charlie is such a great kid, you grow to love him and his friends as the letters progress and you feel pain when he does, happiness when Charlie is happy and betrayed when he is so. this isn't just a book, it's an experience and i promise you will be changed. i don't promise you'll like it, because if you don't want to acknowledge what you may be afriad of you won't, but you will be changed. that i can guarantee.

I just finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower this weekend, and I wasn't impressed. I didn't think Charlie (the narrator) was particularly likeable, nor was his story unique or moving. Although HE seemed to think he was making some incredible insights, his observations about high school life seemed pretty cliche to me, and the events in the story were as well. Charlie seems to keep pointing out "this is an insight." Also, I didn't like the technique Chbosky used of having the story take the form of letters from Charlie to an anonymous recipient--why not identify the person to whom he was writing? He hints that this will be revealed, and then it's not. I thought that would've made the end more satisfying. And why did the author feel compelled to put quotation marks around all the slang words? That bugged me--it made the use of all the pop culture terminology seem self-conscious and not realistic. Do we really need to have "magnetic poetry" explained to us? I hate when authors write as though they're conscious that their book might someday be looked back on as a piece of the decade.