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The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Stephen Chbosky

4.20 · Rating details · 1,077,272 ratings · 51,249 reviews

The critically acclaimed debut novel from Stephen Chbosky, Perks follows observant “wallflower” Charlie as he charts a course through the strange world between adolescence and adulthood. First dates, family drama, and new friends. Sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Devastating loss, young love, and life on the fringes. Caught between trying to live his life and ...more

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Paperback, 213 pages

Published February 1999 by MTV Books/Pocket Books

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Jun 30, 2011 MizzSandie rated it did not like it

Shelves: characters-that-annoy-me, books-everyone-loves-but-me, bored-so-bored, dissappointed, hate-the-cover, overrated, own, why-the-hype, terrible-writing, had-high-expectations

DISCLAIMER:

I did not like this book.

I am about to try to explain why that is so, here, in my own, personal review space. I am critiqing this book, based on my own opinions, personal taste, experiences and perspective, criteria and standards for literary work. It is entirely subjective, as I think all reviews, per definition, are.

I mean no disrespect to the people who like this book, and who have found in it something of value. You are as entitled to your own opinion, subjective readingexperie ...more

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Dec 01, 2011 Reynje rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Reynje by: Shirley Marr

Shelves: books-that-linger, read-2012, shelf-of-ambivalence, young-adult, it-s-complicated, release-the-drama-llamas, contemp-or-realistic, rory-gilmore

If, like me, you ~~lurk on~~ frequent tumblr, you will have realised that there is only so far you can scroll before you hit something like this:

Stephen Chbosky’s epistolary novel has something of a cult following, and the quotes that litter the internet seem almost anthemic, given the passion with which they are re-blogged, quoted, slapped across artfully light-leaked photographs and “liked”.

A generation appears to have adopted The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and by extension it’s narrator Charl ...more

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Nov 02, 2011 Sandra rated it it was amazing

Wallflower (noun)

a shy or retiring person who remains unnoticed at social events, especially a woman without a dance partner

I decided to read this book not because there was going to be a movie coming out soon.
It one of the reasons but then again it wasn’t the main one.
I wanted to read it because the word “wallflower” caught my attention.

I was a wallflower.
I was not one of those kids people notice immediately.
I was one of those people who blends in very well that I was no longer noticeable.
I w ...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Karolina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, one-of-a-kind, loved-it, conteporary

February 25, 2013

Dear Charlie,

I am writing to you because I feel like you're the only one that would listen to me right now. From all the friends that I have made you are the one that's the most understanding. I guess what I'm trying to do is thank you for being there for me these last couple of days. I didn't expect to learn from you as much as I have. My mom always says that you can never really understand a person until you walk in their shoes, but I guess getting to know you and reading your ...more

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Dec 01, 2011 Tatiana rated it it was ok

Recommends it for: Lifetime movies fans

Recommended to Tatiana by: book club pick

Shelves: why-the-hype, ya, 2011

There may be a book in the world that can address, just within very few pages, suicide, molestation, domestic abuse, homosexuality, drug use, mental issues, first sexual experiences, rape, abortion, etc., and not sound like a Lifetime movie, but The Perks of Being a Wallflower is not an example of that.

For me, the straw that broke the camel's back was when I realized that, to add to all of the above mentioned melodrama, the narrator was either emotionally or mentally handicapped. It appeared, C ...more

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Sep 30, 2013 Emily May rated it did not like it

Shelves: young-adult, contemporary, 2014

Clueless. I am clueless. The popularity of this book baffles me even more than the popularity of The Fault in Our Stars. Maybe I really am just a coldhearted person with no feelings.

Amazingly, I actually managed to start The Perks of Being a Wallflower knowing absolutely nothing about it. I've avoided all the reviews and hype over the years, I've purposely put off seeing the movie because I wanted to check out the book first. I knew nothing except that so many people LOVE this book. I was a bit ...more

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Jun 15, 2007 Rachel rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

As much as people say it, this really is one of my favorite books of all time. MTV promoted it, it got a lot of press, so many people shun it and say it is overrated. I disagree.

I didn't read this book until last year, when I turned 21. My boyfriend owned it, it seemed like a quick read, and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

Main character Charlie is loveable from the first sentence out of his mouth. There are endless quoteable quotes in this book that had me folding the page over so I ...more

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Jun 02, 2012 Jesse (JesseTheReader) rated it it was amazing

THIS BOOK ALWAYS BRINGS ME SO MANY FEELS. 3rd time re-reading it and I still feel infinite.

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Jan 19, 2014 Lola rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: realistic-fiction, coming-of-age, lgbt, sad, friendship, love, family, abuse, contemporary

‘‘Charlie, we accept the love we think we deserve.’’

That is quite true. I have stumbled across many beautiful sentences, throughout my reading, and ones that make us think but, this one, is my absolute favorite of them all.

description

There is so much that can be said about this, yet I don’t seem to find the right words, but I will try my best. It was such an… emotional, deep and realistic story. The plot was simple, if we only look at it as a whole, but every detail contributed to make it an incredible r ...more

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Jun 29, 2014 Emma Giordano rated it it was amazing

I don't even think I can truly convey how much I loved this book other than to say it was entirely life changing and I'm so upset it took me this long to read it.

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Sep 13, 2018 Miranda Reads rated it did not like it

Shelves: che-103-suggested-reads-fall-2018

All I have to say to the author is...REALLY? Are you effing kidding me right now??

Charlie is a freshman, a loner and an odd duck, all wrapped up in one stunningly awkward package.

How awkward? Cripplingly so.

I am very interested and fascinated how everyone loves each other, but no one really likes each other.

He's always been a bit....out there...but his family knows how to handle his moods and step around his antics.

So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad a

...more

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Jun 22, 2012 Megan rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: high schoolers and beyond

Recommended to Megan by: Kelsey Fernandez

*UPDATE:* I went and saw the movie today and it was a very good movie. Stephen Chbosky directed the movie and it was very true to the book, I would say almost exact. So if you liked the book I would definitely recommend going to see the movie, you will enjoy it!

I have been struggling with how to rate this book since I finished it. I loved this book but then at the same time it was just okay. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I am finally secure with who I am… but in high school that *UPDATE:* I went and saw the movie today and it was a very good movie. Stephen Chbosky directed the movie and it was very true to the book, I would say almost exact. So if you liked the book I would definitely recommend going to see the movie, you will enjoy it!

I have been struggling with how to rate this book since I finished it. I loved this book but then at the same time it was just okay. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I am finally secure with who I am… but in high school that wasn’t true. If I would have read this book in high school I think I would be absolutely in love with it because of the fact, that probably, like most of us at one point in our teens, I felt like an outsider like Charlie. Without my closest friends around me I was a definite “wallflower,” the insecure, quite, nerd who would rather blend in then be seen.

As I’m thinking about it now I think that is what was hard about this book for me at points it reminded me of who I was in middle school and the beginning of high school and that is a person I would much rather leave in the past. Sam and Patrick were the friends that pulled Charlie off the wall just as my friends did. I could relate to a lot of what Charlie felt, which I think a lot of us can. I didn’t do drugs or drink in high school but I’m sure we all had friends who did or even just know the feelings that led him too.

“ We accept the love we think we deserve,”

When I first started the book and after the suicide of Michael and the death of his aunt being carefully tiptoed around I initially thought the book was going to be mainly about suicide. In a way I guess it was but not as much as I thought. These are the parts that really spoke to me and I connected to having seen the effects of depression and suicide. After reading about the mixed tape Charlie makes I went and downloaded all the songs and I love the song Asleep by the Smiths. I wish I had heard this song when I was dealing with everything in high school. I am glad that Stephen Chbosky introduced me to this song and the poem Charlie reads to his friends:

“That's why on the back of a brown paper bag
he tried another poem
And he called it "Absolutely Nothing"
Because that's what it was really all about
And he gave himself an A
and a slash on each damned wrist
And he hung it on the bathroom door
because this time he didn't think
he could reach the kitchen”

The Pros of this book: The letter writing was a unique format that felt very open and sincere. (Even though I still want to know who he was writing to and what that person thought as they received the letters.) The events in the book seemed real as if they happened in my own high school. The characters were fantastic even if I felt Charlie was being whinny at points, but hey it’s a letter that’s probably how it would sound.

The Cons: Okay the main thing that really bothered me in this book was the essays he was writing for extra work. His teacher claims that he is becoming a better writer each time. The problem I have with that is wouldn’t his letter writing get better as well? I know it isn’t in a formal setting but I expected his writing overall to get better which it didn’t. I don’t know if it is just me but the writing in the book seemed below a freshman level but that could have to do with the fact that I think that Charlie suffered from some sort of autism.

Overall I’m going to give this book a solid 4 stars. The book was quite relatable but I didn’t expect the twist at the end even though it did make the rest of the book make more sense. I know have a playlist on my iPod labeled as “Charlie’s Playlist” and I’m in love with the song Asleep.

“And in that moment, I swear we were infinite.”

This was a powerful line that really spoke to me. I never thought as moments as “infinite” but it really is true. Those moments when you are truly happy or even on the flip side when the world is crashing down they seem infinite. I love this line. Some may hate it and think it cheesy but sometimes life needs to be cheesy and it needs to be infinite.
...more

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Jun 23, 2012 DC rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: recommended-to-me

June 30, 2012

Dear Charlie,

First of all, thank you for sending me your poignant letters. I'm honored you think of me as a person that didn't try to sleep with that person at that party even though I could have. I'm ecstatic you decided to allow me to read your thoughts. I'm glad you proved to be such a great letter-writer/story-teller. I am really quite happy about this.

It was nice receiving letters from you, even though they're dated long ago. I know that I got them for only a couple of months ( June 30, 2012

Dear Charlie,

First of all, thank you for sending me your poignant letters. I'm honored you think of me as a person that didn't try to sleep with that person at that party even though I could have. I'm ecstatic you decided to allow me to read your thoughts. I'm glad you proved to be such a great letter-writer/story-teller. I am really quite happy about this.

It was nice receiving letters from you, even though they're dated long ago. I know that I got them for only a couple of months (in a span of one year), but it felt like you've been talking to me since you were very young. (Remember that memory you called the first one you ever remembered?) I sometimes felt like the things you were pouring out in your letters were a little too personal, but you let me into your head, into your heart, into your soul.

With only your words, I saw you "participate", I saw you have friends, I saw you fall in love, I saw you grow. I may not have ever seen you or the persons you know personally, but I could almost taste your fries from that fastfood chain, I could almost hear Mary Elizabeth's chatter, I could almost see Patrick's smile, I could almost feel the winter cold of your world there. Your friends and family were as real to me as if I saw them every single day of my life.

Now... While I was glad you were very honest in your letters, I have to admit that your highs and lows were brutal and enlightening to me, as they were to you. Your first kiss (remember her tears?), your first "girlfriend" (e.e. cummings will always remind me of her), your first experiments with different substances (I was a little appalled, a little sad, a little curiously happy for you), your first drive (oh, the silly sophomores), your first mix tape (thank you very much for introducing me to a number of memorable songs!), your first time watching the last episode of M*A*S*H (I promise to keep that incident secret, too). You had your issues, but you seemed more interested in those of others. I felt more than a little sad when you were being too nice to some people... But boy was I rather depressed when you had to be all alone! I wish I could've always been there, instead of reading of your exploits on a date after you've had them.

I'll sincerely cherish your words, your thoughts, your ideas. Thank you very much for the pop culture references - you surely made me add more books and more songs and more "films" to my to-check-out list!

I'm a little sad that I haven't gotten any more letters from you after that last one, but I understand. I'm sure you're doing well, and rest assured: I'll always be here to hear you out when you need it.

Thank you for being so wonderfully Charlie-esque. Thank you for letting me feel infinite.

Love always,
Your friend ...more

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Aug 14, 2016 Alienor ✘ French Frowner ✘ rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2016-reads, young-adult, in-a-minority-here, terrible

The book be like - CRY, BITCH.

After 50 pages I would have written that The Perks of Being a Wallflower was poorly written, boring and tasteless.

After 100 pages I would have clapped because really, wow, Stephen Chbosky really did want to tick all the strong issues boxes, haha. /sarcasm.

After 150 pages I would have needed a drink to handle all that fucking CRYING and talking and the total LACK of any attempt to actually DEAL with the issues piling up. No, three pages of so-called teenage philosop ...more

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Oct 18, 2007 Stephanie rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: everyone

This book is beautiful. It is a classic teenager read. I have probably read this book a million times and it never gets old. I love how honest and deep Charlie is. He will get you thinking about the good things and what really matters in life. I am inspired whenever I read this book and I hope you can get as much out of it as I do each and every time.
This is was my book report for school. Hope it helps!

“We are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if This book is beautiful. It is a classic teenager read. I have probably read this book a million times and it never gets old. I love how honest and deep Charlie is. He will get you thinking about the good things and what really matters in life. I am inspired whenever I read this book and I hope you can get as much out of it as I do each and every time.
This is was my book report for school. Hope it helps!

“We are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose wherever we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.” (pg.211) Every word spoken by Charlie has touched my heart. I love how honest and deep Charlie is. He will get you thinking about the good things and what really matters in life. I am inspired whenever I read this book.
Written by Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower would have to be one of the most insightful young adult novels I have read. It’s a collection of letters written by a boy who calls himself Charlie. He writes “to know that someone out there listens and understands and doesn’t try to sleep with people even if they could have. (He) need(s) to know that these people exist.” (pg.2)
This books talks about drugs, sex, sexuality, literature, films, music, and daily adolescent life. The main character, Charlie, a freshman in the early 1990’s, is just beginning high school like all of us. Following his meeting with Sam and Patrick, two seniors who become his best friends, Charlie begins to experience more of life. He was always more of the shy understanding type who would “use thought to not participate in life.” (pg.24)
"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 you need is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite…" (Back cover) When I read certain books, or certain lines I can get the chills. Not just “oh that I was so good I got the chills” but the true hair raising shiver with a small sweep of coldness, chills. That line does it for me. “And in that moment, I swear we were infinite." (pg.39) If these lines have no affect on you, I do not recommend reading this book. It’s for the thinkers as well as the participators. It’s for the ones who enjoy simplicity and want to widen and better their point of view. Don’t take me wrong though, everyone should read it, but at their own time.
This book has inspired me to try and do so much more. Charlie did and achieved so much in just his freshman year alone. I want to live a life like him. One that I can look back and be proud of, one that I can tell my kids about, of walking home from school and spending the best times with my friends. To you, right now in this classroom it may seem little and petty, but to Charlie and I, this is real. After reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower, I assure you that Charlie will be with you forever. ...more

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Aug 09, 2012 jessica rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites

nothing makes me feel more nostalgic than this book.

this book is long summer nights, spent with those we so carefully let in, not caring about what the next year of school would bring. just those evenings where our only companions were the stars. because in those moments, i swear we were infinite.

thats what this book is. those moments that truly define who we are and what happiness to means to us. this book is our teenage years filled with friendship, and angst, and heartbreak, and future plan ...more

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Jun 06, 2008 Meredith rated it it was ok

Recommends it for: someone bored. it's an easy read.

Resounding accuracy of the voice of a boy teetering on the brink of adulthood, goodreads? Um yeah, maybe if all kids teetering on the brink of adulthood made you question if they were autistic and spent the majority of their free time reading the classics and going to therapy. Don't get me wrong. This book is good. You want to find out what the deal is with the main character for the entire book and at the end, you eventually get a pretty damn good idea. But for the love, this is not the Catcher ...more

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May 25, 2011 K.D. Absolutely rated it really liked it

Recommended to K.D. by: ☼~Marian~☼

Shelves: ya

The Perks of Being a Wallflower: A. Free live sex shows but you are not allowed to tell anyone. B. Free LSD mixed in a brownie. C. Free to make out with girls who take fancy on you because you seem to be harmless. D. Free books because you are autistic hence you can finish a challenging book to read like Ayn Rand’s “The Fountainhead” in 12 days and your English teacher wants to challenge you by giving you more and more books to read. E. All of the above. F. None of the above.

I read this novel ...more

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Jun 01, 2009 Allie rated it did not like it

Shelves: young-adult, coming-of-age

Drugs, abuse, child molestation, anything that would make people cry & be traumatizing for a teenager, it's all here in overdose, injected wherever possible into every character's life. How can the author be such a douche.

I felt emotionally manipulated by this inconsistently written, I'm-trying-to-be-deep-and-real-and-strike-emotional-chords crying fest.

So I Hulk-smashed it into the recycling bin.

God.

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Mar 08, 2016 Mario rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, own-read, own

I think that if I ever have kids, and they are upset, I won't tell them that people are starving in China or anything like that because it wouldn't change the fact that they were upset. And even if somebody else has it much worse, that doesn't really change the fact that you have what you have.

Damn, this book was amazing. And it's not one of those books where you figure out how amazing it is at the beginning, or even through the first half. It slowly creeps up on you. Or at least is slowly crept I think that if I ever have kids, and they are upset, I won't tell them that people are starving in China or anything like that because it wouldn't change the fact that they were upset. And even if somebody else has it much worse, that doesn't really change the fact that you have what you have.

Damn, this book was amazing. And it's not one of those books where you figure out how amazing it is at the beginning, or even through the first half. It slowly creeps up on you. Or at least is slowly crept up on me. And the more I read, the more I loved it. And now that I've read it, I can safely say that this book definitely will go on a list of my favorite books ever. And another thing I should mention is that I've been avoiding this book for a while. One of the reasons was because I thought it was over-hyped (silly me). But then, finally, we had to read this book for University, and I'm so glad that the professor choose this book. It was the first book which I had to read, that I absolutely loved. And I haven't seen the movie, so I didn't know anything about the plot. And I'm glad that that was the case.

The Perks of Being A Wallflower is a coming-of-age story. But it is also so much more than that. It is a story about a boy named Charlie who just started high school. Because he felt alone and scared, he started writing letters to... well to whoever is reading this book. At the beginning, I didn't quite like Charlie as a character. He cried way too much, and was a bit weird. But as the book went, I started liking him more and more. I also stared understanding him, and actually relating to him. Also, I liked most of the other characters (some more, some less). Yeah, they all had some flaws, and they all did some things which I sometimes didn't understand why, but we all act like that sometimes. One more thing that I absolutely loved was the friendship between Charlie, Sam and Patrick. I really wish I had a friendship like they did, in my own high school. It would certainly made things easier. I also loved that this book felt so nostalgic. Even though I finished high school not that long ago, it still brought me back to days when I just started school. And I loved that it did. So many times I've read a quote that described perfectly how I felt back then (or sometimes even now), which I couldn't find words to describe. But Charlie described it perfectly.

Now, I should probably stop here and end this review, before I get too emotional. So in conclusion, I loved this book, and I can't say how much I'm glad that I've finally read it. And I'm sure that I'll re-read it many times in the future. ...more

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Oct 30, 2016 Christy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016-audios, 2016-ya-challenge

photo stencil.facebook-post-2_zps6rzhcyjz.jpg

This is one of those books that has been on my TBR for years. I’m glad I finally made the time to listen to it. Charlie’s story is an endearing coming of age tale. It’s a journey. Charlie is finding himself, who his true friends are, and really coming into his own. I loved Charlie’s character. He was such a real and genuine person. Sam and Patrick were fantastic, too. Now that I’ve finally made the time to read this, I’m looking forward to watching the film!

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Oct 26, 2014 Anne rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Anne by: Kat Stark

Shelves: drama-in-the-burbs, read-in-2015

Ok.
So, why does no one really mention that Charlie seems to be a high functioning autistic? I mean, there's a difference between shy or wallflower, and autistic. The way he doesn't understand social norms, his thought process, his actions (and inactions in certain situations), even the awkward ways he expresses his feelings. They all point to someone who sees the world differently than the rest of us.
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm totally misreading what Chbosky was trying to portray. Or maybe Chbos ...more

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Nov 30, 2011 Annalisa rated it liked it

Recommends it for: language, drugs, sex, gay sex, rape, etc

Shelves: book-club, issue, voice, young-adult

3. 5 stars.

I almost didn't finish this book. The main character was so hard to figure out. He was supposed to be intelligent but he was so naive. I get being book smart but dumb streetwise, but it was basic social and life knowledge that he didn't get. One minute he seemed wise beyond his years and the next he acted like a child thrust into a teenage life.

There were also a couple of scenes that I didn't think were believable. I almost put the book down (view spoiler) ...more

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Dec 01, 2011 Shirley Marr rated it liked it

Recommends it for: Reynje

Recommended to Shirley by: Tatiana

Shelves: usa-crossover

"And in that moment, I swear we were infinite." URGH! I hate that quote! It smacks of a forced whimsy and I bet you that nobody actually knows what it means because they don't want to be outed as a non-cool kid, so everyone pretends that it's deep instead of perhaps the matter of the truth - that it probably doesn't make any sense and therefore means squat all.

This quote just makes me think of this: The Infinite Cat Project. But that type of infinity is better because it a) involves cats and c) ...more

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Oct 20, 2013 Kristin (KC) - Traveling Sister rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, powerful, favorites

*5 Stars*

A touching and emotional portrayal of an ordinary boy finding his significance...

The brilliance and beauty of this book is discreet and quiet. We have Charlie — the awkward, lovable narrator — revealing his story through a consistent flow of letters to a "friend". The letters are candid and based off emotion — exactly what you'd expect from a teenaged perspective.

There is no specific plot design; no standard structure this story follows, In fact, at first glance, you may be inclined t ...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 21th-century, fiction, novel, young-adult

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
Through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting coming-of-age story, powerful novel that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up.
August 25, 1991 Dear friend,
I am writing to you because she said you listen and understand and didn’t try to sleep with that
person at that party even though you could have. Please don’t try to figure out who she is because
then you might figure out who I am, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
Through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting coming-of-age story, powerful novel that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up.
August 25, 1991 Dear friend,
I am writing to you because she said you listen and understand and didn’t try to sleep with that
person at that party even though you could have. Please don’t try to figure out who she is because
then you might figure out who I am, and I really don’t want you to do that. I will call people by
different names or generic names because I don’t want you to find me. I didn’t enclose a return address
for the same reason. I mean nothing bad by this. Honest.
I just need to know that someone out there listens and understands and doesn’t try to sleep with
people even if they could have. I need to know that these people exist.
I think you of all people would understand that because I think you of all people are alive and
appreciate what that means. At least I hope you do because other people look to you for strength
and friendship and it’s that simple. At least that’s what I’ve heard.
So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I’m still trying to
figure out how that could be.
...
عنوانها: شاه بوف بودن؛ مزایای سر به زیر بودن؛ مزایای گوشه گیر بودن؛ مزایای خجالتی بودن؛ نویسنده: استیون (استیفن - استفان) چبوسکی (چباسکی)؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: بیست و هفتم ماه دسامبر سال 2016 میلادی
عنوان: شاه بوف بودن؛ نویسنده: استیون (استیفن - استفان) چبوسکی (چباسکی)؛ مترجم: کاوان بشیری؛ تهران، میلکان، 1394، در 250 ص، شابک: 9786007845370؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان امریکایی قرن 21 م
عنوان: مزایای سر به زیر بودن؛ نویسنده: استفان چباسکی؛ مترجم: محمدرضا قاسمی؛ تهران، آذرباد، 1395، در 240 ص، شابک: 9786008537069؛
عنوان فیلم: مزایای گوشه گیر بودن؛ نویسنده و کارگردان: استیفن چبوسکی؛ تهیه‌ کننده: راسل اسمیت؛ جان مالکوویچ؛ براساس رمان: مزایای خجالتی بودن؛ بازیگران: لوگان لرمان؛ اما واتسون؛ ازرا میلر؛ نینا دوبرو؛ پل راد؛ موسیقی: مایکل بروک؛ فیلم‌برداری: اندرو دان؛ تدوین: ماری جو مارکی؛ تاریخ‌های انتشار: 21 سپتامبر 2012؛ مدت زمان: 103 دقیقه؛ کشور: ایالات متحده آمریکا؛ زبان: انگلیسی؛ هزینهٔ فیلم: 13 میلیون دلار؛ فروش گیشه: 33 میلیون و 348 هزار و 127 دلار
چارلی نوجوانی گوشه گیر و منزوی ست که به تازگی وارد دبیرستان شده؛ چارلی هیچ دوستی ندارد و اوقات فراغتش را با نوشتن نامه به دوست خیالی خویش پر میکند. آشنایی او با پاتریک و خواهرش سم، دریچه ای برای ورود به زندگی جدید است، اما علی‌رغم همه ی اینها چیزی چارلی را آزار میدهد. او مدام تصاویری از گذشته ی تاریک خود میبیند و طولی نمی‌کشد که حقیقتی وحشتناک برایش برملا میشود. ا. شربیانی ...more

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Feb 25, 2013 Kenny rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, young-adult, desert-island-books, queer-lit

Passivity vs. Passion …

Yes Charlie ~~ I know all too well what it’s like.

Charlie is an outsider ~~ a typical wallflower. He gets bullied at school and prefers taking the forty minute walk home instead of the school bus. Written in the form of letters from Charlie to an anonymous recipient, it is a compelling read. Don't let its simplicity fool you, as this book has much depth. Readers learn that Charlie has many secrets that have been entrusted to him; one in particular has caused him to beco Passivity vs. Passion …

Yes Charlie ~~ I know all too well what it’s like.

Charlie is an outsider ~~ a typical wallflower. He gets bullied at school and prefers taking the forty minute walk home instead of the school bus. Written in the form of letters from Charlie to an anonymous recipient, it is a compelling read. Don't let its simplicity fool you, as this book has much depth. Readers learn that Charlie has many secrets that have been entrusted to him; one in particular has caused him to become a quiet person without a voice, letting people do what they want to him. (view spoiler) These things upset Charlie, but he internalizes them. Sam, the girl he desires from a distance, encourages Charlie to form his own opinions, speak his mind, and to show passion about his desires.

Charlie himself is a mystery. He has mental problems, gets angry, sees things and then passes out and cries. Right before he started high school his best friend shot himself, but there is also another, worse reason for his problems. At school Charlie meets Patrick and Sam, both of whom are outsiders too, just cooler ones. Patrick is gay and before his stepsister Sam introduced him to "good" music, he was a popular kid. They introduce Charlie to all kinds of new things. Parties, drugs, Rocky Horror, Billie Holliday and rock music become new parts of Charlie's life. For the first time in his life, Patrick knows what it really means to have good friends.

Charlie's immediate family is loving and supportive. Charlie's friend Patrick is gay and in a relationship that is accepted in their social circle. Homophobia is present, however--a boy is beaten by his father for being gay after he’s caught being intimate with Patrick, and Patrick is in turn beaten by his boyfriend and the football jocks at school.

Aren’t we all too familiar with the set-up where the loser turns out to be the really cool, popular guy? Well, all this is true too for The Perks of Being a Wallflower but just wait and you will find so much more. This book is going to catch and surprise you every time you turn a page.

In a series of letters written by Charlie and sent to an anonymous person we learn about his life, his new friends, his family and especially Charlie himself. He writes about school and his English teacher, Bill, who gives Charlie extra books to read. Charlie then writes essays about them. He would like to become a writer someday.

What makes this book so special and authentic is its reality. As an adult it takes you back to when you were a teenager, as a child it shows you what lies ahead and as a teenager it inspires you. And as we all know there is no other time when finding out who you are and where you belong to is more immediate than when you are a teenager.

...more

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May 10, 2010 Daniel rated it did not like it

Bloody awful.

Imagine this: The Catcher In The Rye was fucked rough by A Million Little Pieces. The zygote's DNA was re-spliced with 1980's panic journalism and bombarded with x-rays for six months. It was then delivered premature on a bloody altar beneath a full moon and methodically, repeatedly dropped on its head by Chuck Palahniuk.

Any plot whose central premise is an amnesia of the daytime TV variety belongs in a very special category. For me that category is "books to be burned with their a ...more

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Mar 27, 2015 Madeline rated it it was ok

Shelves: kids-and-young-adult

Not for the first time, I find myself reading a book about ten years too late and being utterly incapable of connecting with it on any level. Someone probably should have made me read this when I was in high school, and I most likely would have reviewed it more favorably - then again, I read The Catcher in the Rye when I was fifteen and found Holden Caulfield to be utterly insufferable, so it's entirely possible that I just do not care about the struggle of the middle-class teenage white boy.

Re Not for the first time, I find myself reading a book about ten years too late and being utterly incapable of connecting with it on any level. Someone probably should have made me read this when I was in high school, and I most likely would have reviewed it more favorably - then again, I read The Catcher in the Rye when I was fifteen and found Holden Caulfield to be utterly insufferable, so it's entirely possible that I just do not care about the struggle of the middle-class teenage white boy.

Reading this as an adult, all the issues hidden in the text were glaringly obvious. I kept waiting for the English teacher to turn out to be a total creep, but instead he just keeps telling Charlie how smart he is and being the perfect high school teacher that no one actually had, ever (apparently he's played by Paul Rudd in the movie version, which should have been a tip-off that his character was going to be perfect in every way). And why are these high school kids hanging out with a guy who's already graduated? I can't decide what's sadder - that a bunch of teenagers don't realize how pathetic their older friend is, or that the guy seems to think that these teenagers (for whom he provides drugs and alcohol and a safe place to consume them) are really his friends.

Also, the writing. Stephen Chbosky is either the worst writer in the world, or he's a genius who is able to perfectly capture the shitty, self-absorbed voice of the average fifteen-year-old. Considering how gifted and smart Charlie is, I would have expected his writing to be a little better, but as it is, the book was like reading my old high school diaries, and I'm still suffering from secondhand embarrassment. Thank God I deleted my Livejournal back in college.

I tried very hard to sympathize with Charlie. I am aware that he has been through hell and he Has Issues, but for Christ's sake could he stop bursting into tears every five pages? Throughout the book, every time Charlie would start crying because, I don't know, the wind hit him at the wrong angle, I would stare at the pages and think, "If you were a female character, readers would hate you. They would mock you endlessly and say you were pathetic. If you were written as a girl, no one would have any sympathy for you at all." And that made me sad.

There were brief flashes in this book, little pieces of writing, where even as a cynical twenty-five-year-old I was able to read them and understand why teenagers connect so hard with this book. Like when Charlie writes:

"I wish that God or my parents or Sam or my sister or someone would just tell me what's wrong with me. Just tell me how to be different in a way that makes sense. To make this all go away. And disappear. I know that's wrong because it's my responsibility, and I know that things get worse before they get better because that's what my psychiatrist says, but this is a worse that feels too big."

(quick note to all the teenagers reading this review: that feeling that Charlie is describing doesn't go away when you leave high school. Have fun!)

And the book's subtle lesson struck me deeply: loving your friends and supporting them is important, but not at the expense of your own happiness. But for the most part, I read this book and could only think one thing: thank CHRIST I'm not fifteen anymore. ...more

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Feb 19, 2008 Brigid ✩ Cool Ninja Sharpshooter ✩ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: on-my-kindle, favorites, young-adult, realistic-fiction, romance, novellas

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

So, I've read this twice now. The first time I read it, I think I was about 14 years old and I believe I originally gave it three stars. But after waiting a few years and reading it again, discussing it with my book group at school, and seeing the movie (which I loved), my appreciation for it has grown immensely. And I think there's a lot of things I missed out on or didn't sympathize with as much when I read it as a younger teenager. Thus, I'm bumping my rating up to 4.5 Actual rating: 4.5 stars

So, I've read this twice now. The first time I read it, I think I was about 14 years old and I believe I originally gave it three stars. But after waiting a few years and reading it again, discussing it with my book group at school, and seeing the movie (which I loved), my appreciation for it has grown immensely. And I think there's a lot of things I missed out on or didn't sympathize with as much when I read it as a younger teenager. Thus, I'm bumping my rating up to 4.5 stars (and rounding it up to 5 because Goodreads doesn't allow half-ratings, hmmph).

There are a lot of things I love about this book.

First of all, it covers a lot of important issues without (usually) coming off as too preachy or trying to be too controversial. I say "usually" because there are times I feel when it gets to be a little too much. I mean, everyone's life in this book is really screwed up––and while I think addressing all these issues is important, it does feel like overkill at times and not entirely realistic. So, there are some parts that seem unnecessary to the plot. But for the most part, Chbosky handles the controversial subjects very well, and deals with them in a careful manner without hitting the reader over the head with it.

Secondly, I love the writing. It's interesting how it starts out being rather mediocre and almost painful to read, but improves a lot throughout the book as Charlie learns more and more about how to write more skillfully. (Someone in my book group brought up that it was somewhat similar to Flowers for Algernon in that regard). We see a lot of growth in Charlie just in his writing style alone. And I just love how Charlie says everything, how can get across so much meaning in so few words.

It's one of those books that is able to put complicated thoughts into very understandable sentences. I understand why many people feel that this book has changed their lives and/or saved them. While reading it a second time, I came to realize just how often I had those moments where I thought, "Wow, I've always had a thought like that but I've never known how to put it into words." As you can see below, I like a lot of quotes from this book. There are just so many little things in it that speak to me.

(Random note: OH GOD I just accidentally turned off my computer but when I turned it on again this review was still here and didn't get deleted. PRAISE THE LORD.)

Anyway ... back to what I was saying.

So, I think that's what's the most important thing about this book. It speaks to people. And sure, there are a lot of people dislike the way this book is written or think it's unrealistic or that it's a pretentious piece of hipster crap. But, in the end, it has still changed a lot of people's lives. I don't think it has impacted me quite as much as it has a lot of other kids, but I'm just very glad that this book exists because I think a lot of suffering teenagers can find themselves in it.

And although I haven't gone through a lot of the horrendous things that characters suffer in this book, it's still something I found comforting to read merely as someone who has dealt with anxiety/depression. Although it's a dark book in a lot of ways, ultimately it conveys a lot of optimism that things won't always be this bad. I can't find the quote unfortunately, but there's one part about just waiting for the happy moments in life ... and when you experience them, you try to remind yourself that you will be happy again just like you are now, and how difficult that can be. I'm not saying it as well as Chbosky does, but I just think that idea is so easy to relate to––that when you're depressed, it's hard waiting for those happy moments, but they do happen. And ultimately, you're not alone and you have family and friends who can help you.

I'm kind of rushing now because I have to go out of the house. But I think that about covers it anyway. Basically, I think this book does a great job portraying high school life and showing depressed teenagers that they are not alone.
...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
To whom was charlie sending letters to?	30	4701	Jan 12, 2019 05:09PM
“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.”	1	3	Jan 12, 2019 10:36AM
Stories about and for people in their 20s? Neither YA nor Adult?	1	8	Jan 09, 2019 08:30AM
Fiction Fanatics: November 2018 - The Perks of Being a Wallflower	5	17	Dec 21, 2018 02:44PM

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About Stephen Chbosky

Stephen Chbosky

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Stephen Chbosky grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the University of Southern California's Filmic Writing Program. His first film, The Four Corners of Nowhere, premiered at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival and went on to win Best Narrative Feature honors at the Chicago Underground Film Festival.

He is the recipient of the Abraham Polonsky Screenwriting Award for his screenplay ...more