The Perks of Being a Wallflower

[Eirelyn]

Thanks, Kristin! :D

[Eirelyn]

I'm waiting for my digital hold to come through. I'm 1st in line and the person before me only has it for 14 days, so it shouldn't be too much longer. :D

[Dani]

Reading this now!

[Trisha]

I have my copy but I’m to finish off two other buddy reads before I start this one. Mostly, I’ll start by the end of this fortnight.

[Trisha]

I’m starting this tonight!

@Eirelyn - How about you? Did you get your hands on the copy?

@Dani - How much have you read? And how do you find it so far?

[Eirelyn]

My hold just came through today, so I should be starting this really soon! :D

[Dani]

Just finished it. It made me feel every emotion, and really sympathise with the main characters. Interested to see how it’s portrayed in the film version!

[Trisha]

Finished this a few hours ago and loved it! I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t know what a wallflower meant before I came across this book and now that I know the meaning, I wonder how many wallflowers I know in real life. Unsurprisingly, it’s a big number! Chbosky’s writing is hypnotic and lyrical! He puts across his views on topics like (view spoiler)[depression, sexuality, substance abuse and suicide in a simple yet compelling way. He draws the readers into the plot, makes us feel the sadness of the characters like our own and then gives us the hope we all deserve.

However, the climax seemed a bit hasty for me. Sexual abuse is an important topic in the book since one of the protagonist is a victim of it but despite that there is hardly any discussion of it. I wish Chbosky had given it as much attention as he gave to the other subjects. (hide spoiler)]

[Eirelyn]

I just finished Part 2, and while I'm enjoying it, Charlie reminds me so much of someone I know. Just the rambly narrative of someone very young. I can't help but imagine the person I know when I read this because she converses in a very similar manner.

[Eirelyn]

I just finished this tonight. I liked it overall, and it dealt with some heavy issues. Trisha, I agree with you about (view spoiler)[the climax feeling rushed. Almost to the point that the sexual abuse seemed more like a plot device just to implement a "twist" in the story, rather than a serious & important issue that really should have been discussed & shown appropriate attention (hide spoiler)].

I think the biggest issue for me was the way Charlie told the story. Facts. Facts. And more facts. "I did this. He did that. He said this. Then, I cried." (view spoiler)[Charlie cried a lot in this novel; yet, I never felt like his emotions were portrayed very well at all. He seemed detached from emotion most of the time. And maybe that was intentional because once he starts to feel something deeply, he slips into a funk which often leads to depression, so in order to avoid that, he can't dive too deeply into what he actually feels. But that kept me from really feeling for him most of the time like I wanted to because he was so detached from his own emotions (hide spoiler)].

I did like the characters in this story. I also really enjoyed how the book dealt with a lot of heavy life topics. All of the book & pop culture references were fun (I kind of wish there had been a few more of the latter throughout). As a whole, I enjoyed it and would recommend it.

[Trisha]

Eirelyn wrote: "I just finished this tonight. I liked it overall, and it dealt with some heavy issues. Trisha, I agree with you about [spoilers removed].

I think the biggest issue for me was the way Charlie told ..."

So aptly put, Eirelyn! Can’t agree with you more.

[Fenris]

I read it late in 2019, but would love to be part of the 2020 conversation, if that's okay?

[Eirelyn]

Of course, Fenris. Join right in. :D