Wednesday, October 07, 2009

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky


Rating: 4/5 Stars

A coming of age story about a boy named Charlie, who is a teenager starting High School. Charlie is a little on the geeky side and has trouble making friends and participating in things. The main theme of this book seems to be that we should be actively participating in our own lives, not just standing by watching it happen.

I am on the fence with how I felt about this book. One one hand I felt for this kid who is obviously awkward and when he meets the right people is able to bloom. I could relate to this character and it did bring back some of the angst of highschool and being a teenager. I loved some of the vivid scenes, like the Rocky Horror Picture show events. On the other hand I think about this kid going to parties, drinking, doing drugs and yet still able to get straight A's in school, this does seem somewhat unrealistic. The repressed memory seemed unnecessary to me, he seemed very much like a normal awkward teenager and there didn't necessarily need to be a reason for it.

All in all, I enjoyed the book and gave it 4 stars because it made me think about things and the author did a good job with making you feel like it was written by a teenager. I cared about the characters and what happened to them, and I think that makes for a good story when you can care about the characters. There was alot crammed into this book but it was a pleasurable read.
Favorite Quote: "We accept the love we think we deserve"

This book fits into the following groups and/or challenges:


  • PBT Oct Tag: Contemporary Fiction

1 comment:

  1. This book touched me in ways i can not imagine. The heart stopping memories of what Charlie had to go through. His Ups and Downs in his life. So much feeling Charlie put into this book made me feel that i was part of it also. How Chbosky's magnificent idea to make it in letters really attracted me to this story alot. I love the most of how what Charlie went through in his first year of high school portrays any normal teenager would go through in their life. This is a story that everyone needs to read and appreaciate and love.

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