The Perks of Being a Wallflower

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Rating: 10 | Votes: 2

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We accept the love we think we deserve.

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Perks of Being a Wallflower! 5 Stars!!!!
Review written by: Danna R. Cory From
This book is wonderful! And when I ordered it I received it in the perfect "reading" condition. I could tell someone had read it, but that's how a book should be! All people should read this book-me and my friends passed it around and the margins are now full of how it made us feel at particualr moments. Read it!!

If he's a wallflower, then I'm a dust mote...
Review written by: ricca From
My reaction to this novel is skewed, I admit. I was not able to give it due attention befitting of any work of literature: after reaching the halfway point, I just stashed it back onto the shelf and decided to finish it for some other time.

And, of course, when I did deign to pick up where I left off, I knew I already lost the momentum of what Chbosky was trying to convey.

And that's the crux of the matter: the fact that I was only able to bring myself to finish this after a...sabbatical, so to speak, speaks loudly of what I really felt about this story.

The young 'Charlie''s forays into the painful, sublime, befuddling, and intense world of adolescence is a bit of a stereotype--in the sense that the imageries evoked by the author are not that radically different from those that I have seen in Hollywood high-school movies (whether it's authentic or not need not be duly problematized): there is always the jock, the artsy, bohemian clique, the mousy spectacled-girl, the pretentious do-gooder, the depressed misanthrope, and other personas making up that stage of the teenage 'drama'.

I agree with some of the reviews stating that the lead character is not really a wallflower. In my opinion, 'Charlie' is just exceptionally observant, with a healthy level of genuine curiosity and introspection I barely find in people nowadays.

Anyway, I did feel a little cheated by the novel. I consider myself a wallflower (and perhaps one could understand if I'd rather not go into the embarrassing details) that's why I was excited about reading this book--I thought I would be able to form a sense of affinity with 'Charlie', to discover the "perks" touted by the title, if any.

But then, of course, he's not really `outside' of what is deemed the active 'experiencing' of life. He is actually brought into the fold of the 'infinite'--with 'Patrick' and 'Sam' he is able to experience a plethora of emotions--without having to take a step back into the shadows in order to blend with the woodwork.

He became at times drunk with heady giddiness, or morose with excruciating guilt, and sometimes simply patently confused with the boy-girl shenanigans that preoccupy the average teen's waking hours. Certainly, of course, the bit of popularity he earned well into the story, as well as the dramas that unfolded with him at the epicenter, are not symptomatic of someone who lived his life with his back stuck perpetually to the wall, watching everybody else cut a rug out in the middle of the floor.

And so, to (belatedly) make a story short, I was not that engaged with the story. There really was nothing striking or new about it--teenage dystopia is practically a transient rite of passage, whether experienced in seclusion or with a group. 'Patrick's homosexuality, the drinking bouts and drug-laced sessions of the 'infinite' trio, and whatever other highs or lows explored in this novel that are so controversial to so many readers...should really not be all that surprising. However, I am not saying that this is the norm, or something that should just be tolerated. But it is the unflinching reality in many places in modern societies.

I really did not feel uplifted in any significant way after turning the last page. Hence, I found difficulty in what the author was trying to convey to me. If his overall message was profound or infinitely inspirational to *you*, then all well and good.

In my case, I was unsure if Chbosky was simply getting in line with the countless other writers or artists who tried to give concrete form (read here as a piece of writing) to societal reality. Or was he simply depicting (again, like so many others) nothing more than another instance of teenage life seen through the eyes of someone purported to be an introvert?

Or was the message really only at the end: that despite the ridiculously horrid things in life, sometimes the only thing that one needs is to ride the back of a speeding pickup truck and feel the rush of wind on one's face.

And that whatever tears are shed while speeding down that road are simply the same ones that have cleansed one's soul.

What I did enjoy in the novel are the bits of practical curiosities 'Charlie' asked himself (and told the unnamed recipient of his letters) as he observed his family and friends. These observations were so simple and familiar that I did ask myself at times, "why indeed?"

(And, of course, there were the Beatles tunes the author was kind enough to pay homage to.

Sorry. Couldn't help myself.)

My favorite book
Review written by: Allex Borofsky From
this book is amazing. i have gotten over 10 of my friends to read it
and all of them have liked it. i would recommend this book to anyone.
i read a lot of books and this one is my favorite every time.

Awkwardness of Adolescence and Drug Use
Review written by: Natalie Radziejewski From
In this book, the protagonist Charlie is a freshman who grows up in experience and self-confidence throughout the book. In fact he is the one who is called a "wallflower", because he "hears things, understands them and keeps quiet about them". He also has to deal with the suicide of his best friend and the death of his favorite family member, his aunt. Altough, throughout the book he learns with the help of two seniors and his English teacher more about life, dealing with love, drugs and sexuality. He falls the first time in love, goes to partiess and takes drugs. He learns to share his problems and opinions by writing it down. The word choice in this book is directed towards young high school students. I also love how it's written. It is written in a series of letters to an anonymous friend. The basic theme of this book is that active participation is much better than passive. It's better to live your life participating and pursuing your dreams rather than standing on the sidelines and watching the actions.

Trulry growing up.
Review written by: Cindy Phelps From
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky is a wonderful novel about an odd teenage boy going through high school. The great thing about this book is that the reader gets to really imagine the characters, their images, and style. To be able to imagine their actual lives, and what they went through. Charlie does a great job with just adapting to his environment, with no discrimination towards his gay friends, or keeping control with his sisters boyfriends. Charlie grows and becomes such a great and strong person throughout this novel, it's very inspiring to see that even after all of his down's in life, he can still live and carry on. This was a great book with a rough but happy ending, because Charlie almost leaves you on a sad note, having to guess what will happen to him. Then pick's it up for one last time, letting you know he is okay, defiantly the best part of the book is knowing he will be okay. Stephen Chbosky is a great writer, and I would be glad to see a few more books from him.