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perksWhat: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Who: Simon & Schuster

When: 2012

How: Borrowed from library.

Charlie is a freshman.

And while he’s not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his year yet socially awkward,he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it.

Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mix tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But he can’t stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.

3cats2The Perks of Being a Wallflower follows a year in the life of Charlie, a boy who is about to start high school, and is about to be thrown into the midst of the teenage world of love, lust, sex, drugs, fear, and hope.

I picked up The Perks of Being a Wallflower because I adored the movie. Now before all of you ‘read the book before you see the movie’ people get on your high horse, Stephen Chbosky wrote the screenplay for, and directed the movie. So there.

To be honest, I felt like I connected to Charlie, and a lot of the other characters in The Perks of Being a Wallflower more whilst watching the movie than reading the book. I suppose I liked the flow of the movie better.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed this book.

I loved Charlie’s description of things, the way he was so open with the thoughts that ran through his head. Sometimes I laughed with him, and sometimes I felt like crying with him. His thought-train was the aspect of this book that I loved. I loved how he described his feelings, and what he saw, and what he listened to, and how it all affected him.

Often, in books and movies, teenagers are presented as these very stereotypical characters, and in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, this was not the case.

Sometimes the story felt a little unrealistic, as did the dialogue, but at other times, it was so true to life, I knew exactly how Charlie felt as I had experienced the same thing; as have many other people.

I can sort of understand why many people say this book is life changing, or the best book they have ever read; but it just didn’t reach me on that level.

I cried in the movie, for it overwhelmed me, and I understood Charlie on a greater level. But I just didn’t get those emotions from the book.

Overall, I enjoyed it, but it is not one of my favourites, and I suppose I was expecting a little more.

© 2013, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity. All rights reserved.

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Posted on: June 10, 2013 • By: Chiara

6 Responses to Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

  1. Saraaaaa says:

    I love this book. Others say that they got bored while reading this, but I don’t. In here, I’ve learned that just because someone never says anything about something doesn’t mean they didn’t notice. And most of the time, the wallflowers notice more than the social butterflies.

  2. I personally liked the book better than the movie. Maybe because it was more detailed, and I could see more into Charlie’s mind. But Logan Lerman and Ezra Miller are such cuties~ Haha! I think what I liked a lot about the movie is that you can actually hear the music, plus I think Logan Lerman did a good job portraying Charlie.

    • I absolutely loved Logan Lerman’s portrayal of Charlie – I thought he did a brilliant job :D
      I can understand why you might have liked the book better.There was a lot more about Charlie as a pereson. But for me, the movie just tugged at my heart. I cried like a baby!

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