The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I have to admit that at first I wasn't feeling this book. Charlie and I were on two different wavelengths, one of which was much weepier than the other and prone to sounding younger than fifteen by several years. Plus the epistolary format always feels a little stilted to me. However as I raced through something clicked--I got used to his writing style or I liked his friends or something--and suddenly I really dug the poor kid and wanted him to have a good year despite how obviously difficult it was for him. I got mad when he was drinking too much and smoking too much and otherwise just being too much of a fifteen-year-old with certain unique problems, which is probably the right reaction for me to have this far away from my own fifteen-year-oldness. This is a great teen novel for teens who don't feel like they fit in, which means of course that it's a great novel for teens period. And adults can read it and remember what it was like to be young and awkward and maybe prone to drinking too much and smoking too much and being too much of a fifteen-year-old with certain unique problems. ( )

A poignant coming-of-age tale and it is so well-written. Charlie is likable and flawed. I enjoyed the epistolary delivery of the plot. ( )

SPOILERS

Damn you...I'm crying, for real. The last two chapters made me cry. You just get attached to Charlie so fast, so easily! And all of the other characters, too, but Charlie...You just want to hug him. He's sweet, selfless, and he has gone through so much, so to have this last chapter of him writing the last letter, and those words "He made it, and so will you" OH MY GOD! I just...I'm fine. (not.) Thank you Stephen Chbosky for this book, once again, I don't know what took me so long to read this masterpiece! ( )

After rereading this, I'm shocked my mom didn't stop me from reading it in sixth grade, especially considering she wasn't a big fan of the film. In all honesty, I'm not completely sure I fully comprehended the book the first time I read it; I remember feeling mostly confused, but I still loved it.

It's been about six years now, and because my dad recently found a DVD copy of the film for me, I figured it was time to reread it again. I certainly didn't love it as much as I did last time, but I did still really like it. It's definitely darker and more emotional than I remember.

Charlie's narration felt a bit childish to me, and it definitely didn't feel like a fifteen year old. He honestly annoyed me at times, no matter how hard I tried to ignore it. I'm not sure if anyone else felt the same, but Bill gave me a creepy vibe; he seemed like a good man, but his interest in Charlie made me a bit uncomfortable. My favorite character would have to be Sam. She was such a well-written character.

The high school experience did seem accurate, just a bit exaggerated. Maybe I'm just not a student that was surrounded by the drugs and alcohol, but it felt a little hard to believe that it was such a frequent past time, not to mention the parents not noticing and/or caring.

Despite my issues, I do think this is an important book that people need to read. It is pretty dark, though, and may trigger some people, so I'd suggest going into it carefully if abuse, mental illness, sex, and drug use bother you. ( )

The main character tells his story through a series of letters which make it an easy read. In addition, his honesty and genuine nature draws you into his life as a teenager with all its twists and turns. Enjoyable! ( )