Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by gracer
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.0
I have a student writing her sophomore thesis on teen movies as cultural touchstones, and as part of her research she selected two films to watch in classes. As a result, my colleague and I ended up showing The Perks of Being a Wallflower in two of our classes.
The students didn't seem to like it, but we did.
I'm not a big fan of YA - I loved it when I was a young adult but these days I am not very motivated to explore it when there's so much else out there. However, between the movie itself and my conversations with my colleague during breaks and after the class really piqued my curiosity.
This is a great book! It isn't exactly my kind of book, and especially when I was a teen I don't know that I would have liked it as much as I did reading it now. (A lot of drugs and alcohol and so on that I just found rather unrelatable at the time.)
First of all, it's nice how the language changes as Charlie's writing improves, the way he writes in such a run-on way at the beginning that becomes much more coherent and fluid by the end. The whole "mystery" element in the plot is done well, too (although, perhaps because I saw the movie first, I think it might have been slightly more effective in the movie).
But perhaps my favorite part was the family itself. Charlie's extended family is kind of a mess. I guess that is part of the point. But his immediate family is such a good example of imperfect love and people just really trying to do their best - and succeeding, for the most part. Charlie's relationships with his brother and sister were very well done, and I thought the parents were nicely present in the book without being made into a big deal.
Anyway. It's a nice book and I see what all the buzz is about. And I think it's cool that the author directed the movie.
The students didn't seem to like it, but we did.
I'm not a big fan of YA - I loved it when I was a young adult but these days I am not very motivated to explore it when there's so much else out there. However, between the movie itself and my conversations with my colleague during breaks and after the class really piqued my curiosity.
This is a great book! It isn't exactly my kind of book, and especially when I was a teen I don't know that I would have liked it as much as I did reading it now. (A lot of drugs and alcohol and so on that I just found rather unrelatable at the time.)
First of all, it's nice how the language changes as Charlie's writing improves, the way he writes in such a run-on way at the beginning that becomes much more coherent and fluid by the end. The whole "mystery" element in the plot is done well, too (although, perhaps because I saw the movie first, I think it might have been slightly more effective in the movie).
But perhaps my favorite part was the family itself. Charlie's extended family is kind of a mess. I guess that is part of the point. But his immediate family is such a good example of imperfect love and people just really trying to do their best - and succeeding, for the most part. Charlie's relationships with his brother and sister were very well done, and I thought the parents were nicely present in the book without being made into a big deal.
Anyway. It's a nice book and I see what all the buzz is about. And I think it's cool that the author directed the movie.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Abortion, Pregnancy, Alcohol
Minor: Bullying