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raffy23 's review for:
Flowers for Algernon
by Daniel Keyes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
STOP - THAT ENDING!ðŸ˜
I knew it would happen and it was still:
P A I N.
I did NOT want to put this down, I always wanted to know what would happen next!
I was going to read this as a nominated book for a future month in a book club with friends, and I took a sneak peek, fully intending to read just 1 page...then just 1 section...then just a bit more - until I accidentally read about 30 pages. I forced myself to drop it until it was time (& even then, I still read it earlier than the beginning date we finally agreed on) and that was EXCRUCIATING.
This should tell you how much I enjoyed this book from the get-go.
This was a fascinating piece of ergodic literature and I would recommend it to everyone after a certain age.
I was captivated by the ergodic medium to break parts of the story into 'progress reports' that had the main character's (not author's) writing style and how it even told a story through his spelling, grammar & thought processes alone.
I love Charlie. There are times when you sit through some frustrations because of him, but what a fantastic character. I too could be frustrating at times if I experienced even half of what he did.
It took me some time to easily distinguish characteristics of Nemur, Strauss & Burt, but I got there. The change in how they are perceived is fascinating and relatable, almost how one would view a parent as a kid vs the upper-pedestal thoughts disappearing as you grow up.
Speaking of parents (+ sister), I thought the mum's incident near the end was ironic & fitting as she develops senility in her old age, almost mirroring her abused kid's beginning mental challenges. How the turns have tabled. Deserved. Horrible mother.
I wish we got a more final ending with his dad, Matt. I'm not sure why we never got that closure because that COULD have gone very well (or hey, maybe badly, but at least we'd know) for Charlie but he pushed the chance away. I would've liked to see how it'd go if Matt knew his son had come to see him. It was a missed opportunity for me, & while I'm sure it has an intentional point for the author, it misses the mark for me.
Everything about his sister's reveal was intriguing - that she too was abused despite the favouritism, that she was a contributing factor to him being sent away, that she didn't remember her (arguably excusable) lil kid/bratty anger at Charlie over the dog incident so it turned out she was actually waiting for Charlie after finding out her mum lied to her about him being dead, etc.
I was thankful for Alice & the Bakery owner, but otherwise wished death or vengeance on most other characters. I was FUMING.
The amount of times I sighed aloud angrily at the awful pieces of scum amongst humanity - I was like a steam engine train.
Just, how could you!? The sheer audacity & assholery of side characters in this book.
The amount of crap Charlie got from a range of people just for having an intellectual disability made me think I could be a morally grey vigilante.
Which brings me to Joe & Frank. My first targets.
I was very confused, & this is probably my only proper criticism of the book, when they were suddenly friends and protective of Charlie near the end when the new guy physically abused him.
You can't pay me to believe that these guys who: got him fired, verbally abused him, tricked him countless times, pushed him into uncomfortable/dangerous situations, drugged him at one point I'm pretty sure(!?), sexually harassed him through using a female friend, told him off in jealousy &/or inferiority even when he became smart & more 'human' to them - You just CAN'T make me think they would suddenly turn around and be friends with him for little reason. And Gimpy? He just suddenly is friendly again? Okay, Gimpy protecting him from physical harm is believable but to suddenly act like a friend again? Eh. Doubt. But Joe & Frank? Nope, no way. That's not in the psychology of these kinds of bullies - no, unconvicted felons - who always got away with their actions. No justice.
I was also uncomfortable at one point with the author's kind-of insinuation that it was better to laugh at yourself when others laugh at you, otherwise you won't have friends - BRO. THESE PEOPLE WEREN'T HIS FRIENDS. They were his bullies and he was the sole joke who was incapable of understanding & consenting. It really rubbed me the wrong way, that shadow of a message which was hovering under a couple of moments. It is a fine sentiment but this book is not the right time, right situation nor about the right person for the conveying of that message. The fact that Charlie didn't have many actual good friends despite wanting them so badly throughout the book made that even worse for me - as if he didn't deserve better, which of course I know isn't true for the author, sooo why put that BS in? It lessens accountability for culprits and forces a victim of systematic, verbal & physical(/somewhat sexual when they took him to pubs & parties) abuse to have to change their mindset DESPITE what will come to them. THE INJUSTICE.
So scratch the previous disclaimer, cause this is my second major criticism.
As soon as I caught on that Charlie missed a couple of apostrophes, then he spelt 'remembered' the way he used to at the beginning of the book, and then so on with the regression , I was SHAKEN. On the verge of a dive of emotions. I was teary eyed with the last two pages, but I wanted to let it out - so onto the hubby's shoulder I went.
DISTRAUGHT.
That's how I feel from this book.
But hey, I recommend it, you should totally read it too & suffer with us.😂
I knew it would happen and it was still:
P A I N.
I did NOT want to put this down, I always wanted to know what would happen next!
I was going to read this as a nominated book for a future month in a book club with friends, and I took a sneak peek, fully intending to read just 1 page...then just 1 section...then just a bit more - until I accidentally read about 30 pages. I forced myself to drop it until it was time (& even then, I still read it earlier than the beginning date we finally agreed on) and that was EXCRUCIATING.
This should tell you how much I enjoyed this book from the get-go.
This was a fascinating piece of ergodic literature and I would recommend it to everyone after a certain age.
I was captivated by the ergodic medium to break parts of the story into 'progress reports' that had the main character's (not author's) writing style and how it even told a story through his spelling, grammar & thought processes alone.
I love Charlie. There are times when you sit through some frustrations because of him, but what a fantastic character. I too could be frustrating at times if I experienced even half of what he did.
It took me some time to easily distinguish characteristics of Nemur, Strauss & Burt, but I got there. The change in how they are perceived is fascinating and relatable, almost how one would view a parent as a kid vs the upper-pedestal thoughts disappearing as you grow up.
Speaking of parents (+ sister), I thought the mum's incident near the end was ironic &
I wish we got a more final ending with his dad, Matt. I'm not sure why we never got that closure because that COULD have gone very well (or hey, maybe badly, but at least we'd know) for Charlie but he pushed the chance away. I would've liked to see how it'd go if Matt knew his son had come to see him. It was a missed opportunity for me, & while I'm sure it has an intentional point for the author, it misses the mark for me.
Everything about his sister's reveal was intriguing - that she too was abused despite the favouritism, that she was a contributing factor to him being sent away, that she didn't remember her (arguably excusable) lil kid/bratty anger at Charlie over the dog incident so it turned out she was actually waiting for Charlie after finding out her mum lied to her about him being dead, etc.
I was thankful for Alice & the Bakery owner, but otherwise wished death or vengeance on most other characters. I was FUMING.
The amount of times I sighed aloud angrily at the awful pieces of scum amongst humanity - I was like a steam engine train.
Just, how could you!? The sheer audacity & assholery of side characters in this book.
The amount of crap Charlie got from a range of people just for having an intellectual disability made me think I could be a morally grey vigilante.
Which brings me to Joe & Frank. My first targets.
I was very confused, & this is probably my only proper criticism of the book, when they were
You can't pay me to believe that these guys who: got him fired, verbally abused him, tricked him countless times, pushed him into uncomfortable/dangerous situations, drugged him at one point I'm pretty sure(!?), sexually harassed him through using a female friend, told him off in jealousy &/or inferiority even when he became smart & more 'human' to them - You just CAN'T make me think they would suddenly turn around and be friends with him for little reason. And Gimpy? He just suddenly is friendly again? Okay, Gimpy protecting him from physical harm is believable but to suddenly act like a friend again? Eh. Doubt. But Joe & Frank? Nope, no way. That's not in the psychology of these kinds of bullies - no, unconvicted felons - who always got away with their actions. No justice.
I was also uncomfortable at one point with the author's kind-of insinuation that it was better to laugh at yourself when others laugh at you, otherwise you won't have friends - BRO. THESE PEOPLE WEREN'T HIS FRIENDS. They were his bullies and he was the sole joke who was incapable of understanding & consenting. It really rubbed me the wrong way, that shadow of a message which was hovering under a couple of moments. It is a fine sentiment but this book is not the right time, right situation nor about the right person for the conveying of that message. The fact that Charlie
So scratch the previous disclaimer, cause this is my second major criticism.
As soon as I caught on that Charlie
DISTRAUGHT.
That's how I feel from this book.
But hey, I recommend it, you should totally read it too & suffer with us.😂