Today's book review is entitled 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower'. Given the title, it will not come as a total surprise to most of you lovely people that it's a book review of 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower'.
Okay so, here's how I came across it:
It was £2.99 when I went to buy a film from HMV. I'd heard about it, heard about the film, but never read it so I thought I'd give it a go. (Incidentally, the film I went to buy was What If with Daniel Radcliffe starring. I may do a review sometime in the future...)
Anyway, I picked up the book for £2.99 whilst buying a rom-com with a friend of mine. And predictably, as with so many of my books, it sat on my book shelf at uni for a while, gathering dust while I enjoyed the less intellectual past-time of vodka shots in clubs. Meh, uni life, what you gonna do?
But when I did finally pick it up I read it in about 3 days, to the detriment of a debate script I should have been working on at the time.
Published in 1999 by American author Stephen Chbosky whilst he was still in college, this coming-of-age novel follows an introspective, overly-emotional but vastly intelligent 15 year old boy, Charlie, through a series of letters that he writes about his life to an unknown recipient. With a wonderful musical soundtrack of mix-tapes, Charlie attempts to navigate the emotional roller-coaster that is high-school life. His vast array of encounters with girls, sex, drugs, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and more, will ultimately lead him to the best friends anyone could wish for.
Occasionally I felt that Chbosky strayed too much into Catcher in the Rye territory, given the age, situations and feelings that Charlie shares with Holden. Whether or not we needed another book to tell us all that is for you to decide.
Age group: Anyone can relate to the stories and messages in this book but perhaps teens will find it reassuring and engaging in a way that adults won't...
Final comments: Chbosky crafts a novel that intertwines themes such as secrecy, sexuality, happiness and participation, and the end result is a book that makes you laugh and cry in equal measures, as Charlie, like us all, struggles to find a place he fits in.
Rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
Once again, here's the link to Amazon to buy the book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Perks-Being-Wallflower-Stephen-Chbosky/dp/1847394078/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430297399&sr=8-1&keywords=perks+of+being+a+wallflower
A link where you can buy the film (not that I've seen it yet): http://www.amazon.co.uk/Perks-Being-Wallflower-DVD/dp/B008OPZYNQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1430297450&sr=8-2&keywords=perks+of+being+a+wallflower
And as always do comment and tell me what you thought of the book, whether you agree/disagree with my post, whatever your standpoint, I'm always interested!
Love as always,
Philly
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