Sorry this post is late! Internet went on Friday and yesterday we were out all day.
I have once again proved my theory correct. Every book I buy thinking, "well... I'm not sure whether I REALLY want this... but I guess I'll buy it. What the hey" -- I end up loving. Seriously. It happened with four out of my five favourite books ever -- and number five was a magazine freebie. I kid you not.
So now it has happened yet again, with Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower. This post is perfectly timed actually, because I literally just saw the movie, oh, ten minutes ago? I approve of the film, by the way, which is rare for me. They did the book justice.
Quiet, friendless freshman Charlie has spent his whole life watching from the sidelines. His first experience of high school is nerve-wrecking to say the least. Never had a date, never kissed a girl, never been to a school dance... Charlie is a wallflower, and while this allows him to absorb and understand the world, he has never experienced it. That is why Charlie sets out to "participate" with the help of his new friends Patrick and Sam, the latter of which Charlie might just have a teensy weensy *cough* HUGE crush on. Just maybe.
What makes this book really interesting is that it's all told through letters from Charlie to his "dear friend" -- whom he actually doesn't know. Confused? Read the book and you'll understand. The reason I didn't think I'd really like this book was that at first glance it struck me as too normal. I like weird books -- as you can probably tell from previous Book Talks. Where were all the ghosts? Where were all the werewolves? Where were all the secret societies of immortal Russian monks compelling witches from folklore to save doomed princesses and stalking girls to fulfil the prophecy?!?! A high school coming-of-age book? For me?
But I was so wrong. This is not an ordinary book. This is an extraordinary book. It gave me chills. The letter thing was really cool. The writing is beautiful, but not in the simile-and-metaphor way that usually comes to mind; it's beautiful because Charlie is so utterly honest. I got two amazing quotes for my collection from this book -- "we accept the love we think we deserve" and "and in that moment, I swear we were infinite" -- which I loved so much I took a picture of the page and set it as my top bar picture thingy on google plus. This book was an emotional rollercoaster. By the end I was feeling pretty bipolar to tell you the truth. The highs are high, but the lows... are very low. All in all, despite the slightly melancholy feel to some parts, still a great read.
Star rating: I'm going to cheat and say 4 1/2
Amazon's page:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Perks-Being-Wallflower-Stephen-Chbosky/dp/147111614X
And while you're at it, see the film too!!
I have once again proved my theory correct. Every book I buy thinking, "well... I'm not sure whether I REALLY want this... but I guess I'll buy it. What the hey" -- I end up loving. Seriously. It happened with four out of my five favourite books ever -- and number five was a magazine freebie. I kid you not.
So now it has happened yet again, with Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower. This post is perfectly timed actually, because I literally just saw the movie, oh, ten minutes ago? I approve of the film, by the way, which is rare for me. They did the book justice.
Quiet, friendless freshman Charlie has spent his whole life watching from the sidelines. His first experience of high school is nerve-wrecking to say the least. Never had a date, never kissed a girl, never been to a school dance... Charlie is a wallflower, and while this allows him to absorb and understand the world, he has never experienced it. That is why Charlie sets out to "participate" with the help of his new friends Patrick and Sam, the latter of which Charlie might just have a teensy weensy *cough* HUGE crush on. Just maybe.
What makes this book really interesting is that it's all told through letters from Charlie to his "dear friend" -- whom he actually doesn't know. Confused? Read the book and you'll understand. The reason I didn't think I'd really like this book was that at first glance it struck me as too normal. I like weird books -- as you can probably tell from previous Book Talks. Where were all the ghosts? Where were all the werewolves? Where were all the secret societies of immortal Russian monks compelling witches from folklore to save doomed princesses and stalking girls to fulfil the prophecy?!?! A high school coming-of-age book? For me?
But I was so wrong. This is not an ordinary book. This is an extraordinary book. It gave me chills. The letter thing was really cool. The writing is beautiful, but not in the simile-and-metaphor way that usually comes to mind; it's beautiful because Charlie is so utterly honest. I got two amazing quotes for my collection from this book -- "we accept the love we think we deserve" and "and in that moment, I swear we were infinite" -- which I loved so much I took a picture of the page and set it as my top bar picture thingy on google plus. This book was an emotional rollercoaster. By the end I was feeling pretty bipolar to tell you the truth. The highs are high, but the lows... are very low. All in all, despite the slightly melancholy feel to some parts, still a great read.
Star rating: I'm going to cheat and say 4 1/2
Amazon's page:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Perks-Being-Wallflower-Stephen-Chbosky/dp/147111614X
And while you're at it, see the film too!!
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