The Perks of Being a Wallflower: the most moving coming-of-age classic Paperback – 2 Feb. 2009

"He's a wallflower... You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand."I've never met a single person - friend, blogger, librarian or bookseller - who has read 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' and not fallen in love. This is such a wonderful book, and it's perfect summer reading too. It's the coming-of-age story of a fifteen year-old boy called Charlie, told entirely in epistolary form via letters to an unnamed friend-of-a-friend. Quiet, introspective and naive, Charlie is surely one of the most loveable and achingly sweet characters I've ever come across in my reading life. It is his freshman year, and to his surprise his largely solitary existence is turned upside down when he is 'adopted' by worldly older stepsiblings Patrick and Sam. At the same time his English teacher, Bill, begins to draw him out of his academic shell with some well-timed encouragement. Slowly, his new friends nudge Charlie out into the big wide world, into a bountiful land of music and books, love and longing, parties and 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' - and stand beside him through the hardships that teenage life and his own past conspire to throw his way.This is definitely going to be one of my favourite books of the year. I adored Charlie and found myself underlining things on almost every page as his thoughtful exploration of the world around him prompted me to stop and reflect. I also noted down dozens of movie, book and music references to check out later, which was a bit of an unexpected bonus! Through his letters we can see Charlie's style mature as he does, and our involvement becomes deeply personal because it feels like he's writing just for us. Chbosky's characters are complex and painfully real, and no one is all good or all bad, even Charlie himself. I think Patrick was my favourite, because he was all heart even when he wasn't necessarily doing the right thing! I loved Bill too - I think every student should have a Bill to see their strengths and provide a shining light of knowledge and hope during the difficult school years. Some really serious teen issues are discussed throughout the book - rape, drugs, gay identity, abuse - without ever feeling too heavy or gratuitous, and I can well understand the reputation it has gained as a positive, even life-saving cult classic for young readers.The only thing I didn't like - and the reason for the half-star drop - were those occasional moments when I felt like my heart would break because SURELY no one could be so naive at fifteen? The book becomes quite difficult to read at times as Charlie's naivety is stripped away - this is the true meaning of the word 'bittersweet'! But it really is an unmissable novel. Charlie is such an intuitive character, and the writing is beautiful; he thinks outside the box and it's a pleasure to read! He is inspiring and generous, and accepts everything with a high level of tolerance and emotional intelligence, even if he is very childlike in other ways. There is something for everyone here, whether you are 15 or 50 - and I can't WAIT until 2013 when Chbosky's adaptation finally hits the big screens. I'll be first in line to laugh and cry all over again... :)

This book really moved me, and is now high up on my list of all-time favourites. I recognised glimpses of myself in it, enjoyed the tone and voice of it, and found myself thinking about it even when I wasn't reading it. A wonderful book indeed.The Perks of Being a Wallflower is constructed as a series of letters from Charlie, a high-school student, to an anonymous `friend' who apparently doesn't actually know Charlie at all. The result is a narrative which is both personal and unashamedly honest. Charlie isn't unhappy, these letters are not pity-seeking; rather he is deeply thoughtful and reflective, trying to figure out life and how to make the most of it. He is intelligent and hard-working, loyal and thoughtful and caring, but shy and not socially confident. He admits that he'd like to have friends but is accepting of his lot in life. Then he meets Samantha and Patrick, a sister and brother a little older than him, who show Charlie what friendship means. They both initiate him into and help him navigate a world of dating, drama, drugs and desire.In some ways, I felt I found a kindred spirit in Charlie: someone who thinks too much and perhaps participates too little, who listens well but doesn't talk much. His letters are disarmingly honest and deeply affecting, articulate and peppered with some sweet turns of phrase. One minute he is a teenager describing what it feels like to be high, the next he is a boy practising the use of a new word he learnt at school. His letters cover everything from family dramas and his relationships to his thoughts on the books he's reading, and poor Charlie faces things no teenager should have to face (including the suicide of a friend, abortion, and the death of a much-loved relative). Nothing is censored and, while some things come as a surprise, it is all authentic. I felt so much empathy towards Charlie throughout; it is a sad story at times but never tragic, because Charlie isn't self-indulgent and is so matter-of-fact about things, understating some of the huge things he experiences and the creeping depression that starts to take hold of him.Charlie is the star of this novel, and a character who is easy to take to heart. But the other characters are deserving of mention too. Sam and Patrick are immediately endearing because of their ability to see what is special in Charlie, their willingness to invite him into their world but to take him as he is without trying to shape him into something else. It's easy to see why Charlie falls for them, and the relationship that develops between the three of them is beautiful to observe. I also enjoyed Charlie's accounts of his anonymous family, partly because they are so real: his parents bemuse and infuriate him at times, his sister and brother aren't always there for him the way he wants them to be, but he still loves them and isn't afraid to tell them so. Charlie is not unrealistically innocent - he is a teenage boy with teenage boy desires and compulsions - but he is sweetly naive and hasn't yet learnt to suppress his emotions the way many of his peers have.There are similarities in genre to other coming-of-age stories I've read recently, such as 600 Hours of Edward, The 10PM Question and The Most Beautiful Thing. But The Perks of Being a Wallflower affected me much more than any of those, with its beautiful writing, beautiful characters and understated narrative. I've heard good things about the film version, but I don't think I want to see it and risk it spoiling the pictures painted in my head by the novel.

[NO SPOILERS]i wanted a sad book to read, and let me tell you right now, this book was sad. i actually had to put it down for a moment to wipe my tears quite a few times, especially towards the end. i really liked this story and found it very touching. it was well written and you can tell the author put a lot of emotion and thought into it. my only complaint would be that the plot progression got slow at times, which i would say is because small details got dragged out at times when it wasn’t really necessary as they didn’t add to the story. nevertheless, i finished this book quite quickly and it did keep me engaged enough to sit there reading for around two hours at a time (it took me four hours altogether and i read it over a weekend). i would recommend this book to anyone who wants a good cry, but would suggest searching up content warnings online as it does contain some dark themes that may trigger some.