Customer Reviews

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In this day and age when people are so cynical and cruel, it was a pleasure to read a book from the point of view of a genuinely nice person. Charlie is a "wallflower," meaning he stands back timidly watching others live life, afraid to participate. In the course of the novel, we watch Charlie grow: make friends, go to parties, participate, even fall in love -- in other words, come out of his shell. And by the end we discover why Charlie is unable to participate in life until now; we come to understand the source of his pain. I truly loved this book; and I don't care if other people put it down! The chapters are written in letter format, and the writing is smooth and unpretentious. This is definitely the best book I've read since THE LOSERS CLUB by Richard Perez. And I discovered both books on Amazon. Anyway, if you like genuinely beautiful people, I'm sure you'll love the protagonist of this novel. You may even shed a tear for Charlie...bottom line: you'll be moved!

This book is simply brilliant. I honestly couldn't put the book down. I can imagine that many teens can associate with Charlie, the main character, in many ways... maybe we have not all experienced what he does, but we know the feelings that he feels, and the pain he is going through. The pain of a first crush and not fitting in. This a brilliant first novel by Stephen Chbosky and I hope to read more of his work in the future.

The book "The Perks of being a Wallflower" tells the story of the fifteen year old boy, Charlie, who writes letters to an unknown person. Charlie writes about his, sometimes, very sad life and about his ups and downs.
The book is full of feelings. There are sadness, happiness, love and jealousy.
Sometimes Charlie remembers the past, in which his only friend Michael killed himself and his aunt Helen died.
Personally, I like the story because as a reader you can identify with Charlie. Charlie's life changes when he comes to high school. He finds new friends, takes some drugs and drinks alcohol.
Relationship is also a very big theme of this really good novel. Charlie learns to come closer to other people and stops living in his own little world.
I would say this book is suitable for people, who like to read about emotions and problems in a "normal" life. But I think kids should not read this book if they are not older than 13 years because sometimes the plot is complicated but the language is good to understand.
All in all, I can recommend this book, because maybe you know some of Charlie's problems and so you can understand his reaction in special moments. If you do not know these problems you can still understand him. So it is not important to have experienced similar situations, this book is really beautiful.

This is the best book I have read in a very long time. The character of Charlie is the most real I have experienced in any fiction for years. To compare this novel with The Catcher In The Rye would be easy, I just wish I could have read it aged seventeen. I think many readers will identify with Charlie's experiences of teenage turmoil, hopefully fewer will be able to identify with the causes. Simply astounding, I believe it to be an instant classic, with an incredibly funky cover as a bonus. I urge anyone to read this book.

Feel more comfortable just watching life? Has anyone ever described you as quiet when really you're just to busy thinking about everything you see to say it? Well this is the book for you. I am Charlie in a sense. It gave me great encouragement and has now earned it's place as a childhood book of mine.

I have read this book about a hundred times and it just never gets old. Chbosky's style of writing the story through a series of letters is unique and gives the perfect insight into Charlies life from first person.
This book gives me hope and makes me feel sad and happy all at the same time.
A brilliant read, no-one can possibly be disappointed! A++++

Review

"The Perks of Being a Wallflower"

The book is about a sixteen-year-old boy who is sentimental and has very sensitive feelings. His name is Charlie. Charlie tells his life, which is sometimes very sad, in letters to an unknown person. His best and only friend Michael has killed himself.
But when Charlie comes to high school he finds new friends who are very nice to him and with them he goes to his first parties. At these parties he gets drunk and gets stoned.
He also has some problems with the past. For example there is his aunt Helen who died in an accident.
Charlie is a person who thinks all the time about important, but also about unimpor-tant things. This is sometimes a little bit boring.
But I like to read about Charlie's connections with Patrick, Sam and all his others friends or his feelings for Sam and Mary-Elizabeth.
Actually this is a very big problem. Charlie is in a relationship with Mary-Elizabeth but I think that he does it only to make Sam jealous, because when they play a game he should kiss the prettiest girl in the room and then he kisses Sam and not Mary-Elizabeth.
In the book mostly there are serious themes but sometimes it's really funny.
I like this novel, because whenever I read it I felt as if I were Charlie.

To pinpoint a theme? difficult.To pinpoint the main going on of the book? impossible.As charlie is so naive,entering his world is a lot more easier as at some points you are as bemused as he is.A truely sensational account of being a wallflower..from the eyes of the boy who saw it all and said nothing , recommend this book x

This book is amazing. At the recommendation of a friend, I purchased it two weeks ago yet read the book on one evening. I read it again the evening after and the evening after that. As the protagonist writes anonymous letters to an anonymous reader, you cannot help but feel drawn into the world he tries so hard to describe but at the same time not reveal.

Emotional, deep and containing something nearly everyone who has ever been Sixteen can relate to - this book is a must-read.

this book is my favourite book of all time. it touched me right to the soul because i related to it on so many levels. i would recommend this book to anyone to who is deep, who doesn't all think life is peachy and who is searching for something. i find sanctuary in this book every time i read it.