Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

94 reviews

ada_elisabeth's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• 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

Well, that wasn't particularly lighthearted. 

~

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,

and towards the end of the book, that personality seems to reappear a little.

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?'"

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death

emmagreenwood's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Violence, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Alcoholism, Ableism, Confinement, Dementia, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Excrement, Alcohol, Animal death, Bullying, Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

g3mmons's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, and Bullying

Minor: Medical trauma and Suicidal thoughts

ajay913's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Ableism, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Abandonment

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Excrement, and Alcohol

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Homophobia

lisesenb's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Dementia, Ableism, and Animal death

Minor: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Grief, and Sexual content

c430's review against another edition

challenging emotional medium-paced

• 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

4.0

I remember reading this as a kid and not completely understanding everything that happened. Rereading as an adult hits different... It's hard to describe this book... 
You have to keep in mind that it was written in the 50's, so depictions of women are either Madonna or the whore, thiugh definitely not as bad as it could be. Charlie is a very sympathetic character and it's very interesting to see the world through his eyes going from one end of intelligence to the opposite

and back again.

This book brings up the moral complications of animal testing/human testing and  informed consent. Charlie didn't really know what he was getting into when he went in for the operation in the first place, though really it was hard to know where it would end up in the end. 
All he wanted was to be smart and accepted by society and those he called his friends. 
It's a hard book to read emotionally, but it's very interesting as well.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Ableism, and Child abuse

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Animal death

milly_gm01's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Ableism, Abandonment, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Medical content, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Toxic friendship, Suicide, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Dementia

scifi_rat's review

reflective fast-paced

3.5

the reviews that talk about how sad charlie's journey made them and how this is generally a very sad and tragic book feel inherently ableist. if anything this book is about trauma and learning and coming to terms with the kind of pain that self awareness can bring.

some of the psychology and sociology feels dated in many ways but ultimately it does the job it sets out to do.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism

Moderate: Child abuse, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Dementia, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Confinement, and Excrement

Minor: Sexism, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Stalking, and Suicidal thoughts

shannay_05's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment and Ableism

Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

m_a_j's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, and Child abuse

Moderate: Sexual content and Animal death

Minor: Suicidal thoughts