Saturday, September 22, 2012

Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Title: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Author: Stephen Chbosky
Pages: 213
Publication Date: February 1st 1999
Publisher: MTV Books and Pocket Books
Synopsis: 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.

This haunting novel about the dilemma of passivity vs. passion marks the stunning debut of a provocative new voice in contemporary fiction: The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

This is the story of what it's like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed 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.

Through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting coming-of-age story, a powerful novel that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up

My Review: The Perks of Being a wallflower is a absolutely amazing book. It left me speechless, breathless. 

 The Perks of Being a Wallflower is really a incredible coming of age story. The book follows the main character charlie through his freshman year of high school. I think this is a must read for teenagers experiencing high school for the first time. We may not have gone through some of the same things Charlie did but i think every teen can relate to what he is saying and feeling in some way. 

The characters in this book were phenomenal.    They were all so real and it felt like they could be going to your school. These are the kind of characters you wish for and think man why can't these people be real and be my friend. You will fall for these characters immediately. They really jump off the pages especially the main character charlie  and his too best friends Sam and Patrick. They are so well developed but they are not to developed. Chbosky did a great job creating some of the best characters i have seen in young adult literature to date.

I really liked the writing style of this book. This book is written in letters that Charlie is writing to another person about his life. And I thought this made the book an even better read because it felt like Charlie was speaking right to us. I think it gave a much more powerful impact that way. And another great thing about it is its like Charlie is telling you his story to you verbally so it is easy to understand and read. Flawless writing.

I personally thought this book was pure genius. Probably the greatest thing about this book is that it doesn't really seem like fiction. It seems so real the characters, the events, the stories, the emotions. It feels like it could be happening in your life today. And because of that it really left a lasting impact on me. This is one of those books that once you finish it makes you take a moment and really think about life. And i think books like that are precious because they can be hard to find especially in YA. This book makes you feel that your not alone and every teen needs that. 

By far one of the best young adult coming of age novels i have ever read. Highly recommended to everyone even if your not normally a reader of coming of age books. 

5 stars- A Must Read


About The Author: 


Stephen Chbosky

Author profile


born
January 25, 1970 in Pittsburgh, PA, The United States

gender
male


About this author

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 Everything Divided as well as a participant in the Sundance Institute's filmmakers' lab for his current project, Fingernails and Smooth Skin. Chbosky lives in New York

1 comment:

  1. YES AND YES AND YES. This was such a moving read, and it does not feel like anything else I have read in a long time.

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