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A review by neenor
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
5.0
So two of my really good friends suggested this book to me, and considering that they both having amazing tastes in books, I thought, why not? And I'm so glad they suggested it to me, because I absolutely loved it.
At first, I wasn't too keen on how the book would be set - that it was told through letters, where the main character, Charlie, was not actually called Charlie. So I felt that I wouldn't be able to get close to any of the characters, because although it was their story, it wasn't their names - but my misgivings were false. I got attached to practically all of the characters - especially Charlie, Sam and Patrick. The way Chbosky presented each of them was brilliant - because they were so individually different, yet they were all together; Charlie was naive and insightful; Sam was outgoing and reckless; Patrick was caring and loving. And I couldn't help but wish they were all real - as if this doesn't happen ever time I read a book. But I think what made this different from a lot of other books was how realistic Chbosky made the characters and the storyline. No one was unrealistic - you can just imagine there being someone exactly like Charlie, or Sam, or Patrick, or Bob, or Mary Elizabeth is out there. Which just makes it so much more readable - and rereadable.
Another really great thing about this novel is how simple it is. Yes, it is insightful, and it does talk about a lot of powerful and controversial issues - but it's just told in such an easy and laid-back way that it isn't too heavy-going, yet it gets the point across. And admittedly, because certain bits weren't told in such a blunt, to-the-point way, it did take me a while to fully understand what was happening - but I got it after a while, and as you read on, you just become in-tune with the novel.
Even though I loved it, I know this book isn't for everyone. If you love authors like John Green, David Levithan and Julie Anne Peters, I reckon you'll really enjoy this novel, so I implore you to try it! You won't regret it - hopefully.
At first, I wasn't too keen on how the book would be set - that it was told through letters, where the main character, Charlie, was not actually called Charlie. So I felt that I wouldn't be able to get close to any of the characters, because although it was their story, it wasn't their names - but my misgivings were false. I got attached to practically all of the characters - especially Charlie, Sam and Patrick. The way Chbosky presented each of them was brilliant - because they were so individually different, yet they were all together; Charlie was naive and insightful; Sam was outgoing and reckless; Patrick was caring and loving. And I couldn't help but wish they were all real - as if this doesn't happen ever time I read a book. But I think what made this different from a lot of other books was how realistic Chbosky made the characters and the storyline. No one was unrealistic - you can just imagine there being someone exactly like Charlie, or Sam, or Patrick, or Bob, or Mary Elizabeth is out there. Which just makes it so much more readable - and rereadable.
Another really great thing about this novel is how simple it is. Yes, it is insightful, and it does talk about a lot of powerful and controversial issues - but it's just told in such an easy and laid-back way that it isn't too heavy-going, yet it gets the point across. And admittedly, because certain bits weren't told in such a blunt, to-the-point way, it did take me a while to fully understand what was happening - but I got it after a while, and as you read on, you just become in-tune with the novel.
Even though I loved it, I know this book isn't for everyone. If you love authors like John Green, David Levithan and Julie Anne Peters, I reckon you'll really enjoy this novel, so I implore you to try it! You won't regret it - hopefully.