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001's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, and Child abuse
ricksilva's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book is an impressive achievement in its ability to gradually shift the voice of the protagonist as he changes. The use of language is excellent.
Charlie himself, however is not a very appealing character. The book has a strong incel vibe to it, and takes a lot of the joy out of the learning and discovery that Charlie embarks on, as he discovers that his growing awareness creates its own sets of problems. Moments of happiness are fleeting, and the victories that Charlie achieves are glossed over in favor of the problems he encounters. The story is also based on some fairly outdated ideas about the nature of intelligence.
I enjoyed the complexities of the characters, but found the story overall to be frustrating mostly hopeless.
Graphic: Ableism and Bullying
Moderate: Animal death
moxiereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Dementia, Abandonment, and Alcohol
charliebites's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Abandonment
Minor: Excrement, Dementia, Medical trauma, and Gaslighting
jlye's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Alcoholism and Animal death
ada_elisabeth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
~
In fact, Flowers for Algernon was actually somewhat devastating: it was moving and tender, but also deeply unsettling. I've been wanting to read this book for at least a year, so I got it for my birthday and have finally gotten around to it now. I'd read the first few pages last year when I found it on my English teacher's shelf before class began, but I didn't really know anything about it. And I certainly wasn't expecting it to be so sad, but I guess it's ✨ sad book season ✨ now anyway, so maybe this was a fitting choice.
I have quite a few thoughts about this book, but it's late and I'm tired, so I'll try to condense them down into a few manageable bullet points:
- Relationship between intelligence and kindness-- is it possible to be both incredibly smart and incredibly kind? Does intelligence lead to self-centeredness? Does lower IQ = higher EQ? Is there a reason why I'm so antisocial?
- Are a lot of the quotes in this book extremely cliche, or is it just so old that they were new ideas when this book was published? I felt like a lot of the general ideas and topics were somewhat unoriginal, but it's also entirely possible that they were new and unique in 1959.
- "Please... please... dont let me forget how to reed and rite..." Ouch. I feel that. The premise of this book is absolutely terrifying and although I know that I won't wake up tomorrow suddenly unable to read or write like I can now, it's still mildly horrifying. So much of myself is based on those two things and I'm not entirely sure who I would be without them. At least Charlie had a life and personality before he could read and write well,
I was just told to go to sleep, so I'll leave you with my rating (5/5 stars because I was about three seconds away from completely sobbing at that final sentence) and a favorite quote. Happy reading!
~
"'I've learned a lot in the past few months," I said. "Not only about Charlie Gordon, but about life and people, and I've discovered that nobody really cares about Charlie Gordon, whether he's a moron or a genius. So what difference does it make?'"
Moderate: Animal death
emmagreenwood's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Dementia, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol
g3mmons's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, and Abandonment
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Medical trauma
ajay913's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Excrement, and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia and Suicidal thoughts
lisesenb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, and Dementia
Minor: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Grief, and Alcohol