The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by: Stephen Chbosky
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Amazon.com Review:
What is most notable about this funny, touching, memorable first novel from Stephen Chbosky is the resounding accuracy with which the author capturesthe voice of a boy teetering on the brink of adulthood. Charlie is afreshman. And while's he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by nomeans popular. He's a wallflower--shy and introspective, and intelligentbeyond his years, if not very savvy in the social arts. We learn aboutCharlie through the letters he writes to someone of undisclosed name, age,and gender, a stylistic technique that adds to the heart-wrenchingearnestness saturating this teen's story. Charlie encounters the samestruggles that many kids face in high school--how to make friends, the intensity of acrush, family tensions, a first relationship, exploring sexuality,experimenting with drugs--but he must also deal with his best friend's recent suicide. Charlie's letters take on the intimatefeel of a journal as he shares his day-to-day thoughts and feelings:
Product Description:
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.
What is most notable about this funny, touching, memorable first novel from Stephen Chbosky is the resounding accuracy with which the author capturesthe voice of a boy teetering on the brink of adulthood. Charlie is afreshman. And while's he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by nomeans popular. He's a wallflower--shy and introspective, and intelligentbeyond his years, if not very savvy in the social arts. We learn aboutCharlie through the letters he writes to someone of undisclosed name, age,and gender, a stylistic technique that adds to the heart-wrenchingearnestness saturating this teen's story. Charlie encounters the samestruggles that many kids face in high school--how to make friends, the intensity of acrush, family tensions, a first relationship, exploring sexuality,experimenting with drugs--but he must also deal with his best friend's recent suicide. Charlie's letters take on the intimatefeel of a journal as he shares his day-to-day thoughts and feelings:
I walk around the school hallways and look at the people. I look at theteachers and wonder why they're here. If they like their jobs. Or us. And Iwonder how smart they were when they were fifteen. Not in a mean way. In acurious way. It's like looking at all the students and wondering who's hadtheir heart broken that day, and how they are able to cope with havingthree quizzes and a book report due on top of that. Or wondering who didthe heart breaking. And wondering why.With the help of a teacher who recognizes his wisdom and intuition, and histwo friends, seniors Samantha and Patrick, Charlie mostly manages to avoidthe depression he feels creeping up like kudzu. When it all becomes toomuch, after a shocking realization about his beloved late Aunt Helen,Charlie retreats from reality for awhile. But he makes it back in due time,ready to face his sophomore year and all that it may bring. Charlie,sincerely searching for that feeling of "being infinite," is a kindredspirit to the generation that's been slapped with the label X. --Brangien Davis
Product Description:
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.
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- Permanently in my Top 5
It's been awhile since I read Perks, and I don't recall when I first started reading it, but I distinctly remember the night I finished it.I couldn't put it down, reading until the middle of the night, out on the couch while my husband slept.And that's where he found me, sitting with the book in my lap, crying deeply.Stephen Chbosky created a protagonist who's adolescence was incredibly real and familiar, and in Charlie's story I saw my own high school memories -of being taken under the wing ... Read More
Rating: - Simply the best.
My younger sister bought this book and then after gave it to me-and it is one of those books that I will pick up and read again and again.It is so beautifully written and continues to leave the reader with a new outlook each time it is read.I am in college now and have passed this book along to others to be read and every one of them has loved it so far.It is by far one of the best books I have ever read, hands down.I would recommend it for everyone to read!
Rating: 
- Zzzzzz...
I'm not sure why the reviews on this site are so positive. I thought this was fairly boring and seemed to be somewhat of a copy of 'Catcher in the Rye' (which is over-rated in the first place). I think if I was still in high school I would have liked this more but having read these types of stories I was fairly bored with this. Recommended for readers of Young Adult books only.
Rating: 
- Thoughtful coming-of-age story
The Perks of Being a Wallflower tells the story of Charlie, an awkward and introspective high school freshman.The book is comprised of a series of letters that Charlie writes to an unknown recipient, relating the news of his life, the friendships with a group of seniors, his complex relationship with his family and his bond with a teacher who believes Charlie is special.
This is a wonderful coming-of-age tale.It's such a cliche to compare every tale of a misfit boy to The Catcher in ... Read More
Rating: - Pretty good.
exactly what i wanted, in great condition.
and super cheap!
but it was a little late on shipping...
- Permanently in my Top 5It's been awhile since I read Perks, and I don't recall when I first started reading it, but I distinctly remember the night I finished it.I couldn't put it down, reading until the middle of the night, out on the couch while my husband slept.And that's where he found me, sitting with the book in my lap, crying deeply.Stephen Chbosky created a protagonist who's adolescence was incredibly real and familiar, and in Charlie's story I saw my own high school memories -of being taken under the wing ... Read More
- Simply the best.My younger sister bought this book and then after gave it to me-and it is one of those books that I will pick up and read again and again.It is so beautifully written and continues to leave the reader with a new outlook each time it is read.I am in college now and have passed this book along to others to be read and every one of them has loved it so far.It is by far one of the best books I have ever read, hands down.I would recommend it for everyone to read!
- Zzzzzz...I'm not sure why the reviews on this site are so positive. I thought this was fairly boring and seemed to be somewhat of a copy of 'Catcher in the Rye' (which is over-rated in the first place). I think if I was still in high school I would have liked this more but having read these types of stories I was fairly bored with this. Recommended for readers of Young Adult books only.
- Thoughtful coming-of-age storyThe Perks of Being a Wallflower tells the story of Charlie, an awkward and introspective high school freshman.The book is comprised of a series of letters that Charlie writes to an unknown recipient, relating the news of his life, the friendships with a group of seniors, his complex relationship with his family and his bond with a teacher who believes Charlie is special.
This is a wonderful coming-of-age tale.It's such a cliche to compare every tale of a misfit boy to The Catcher in ... Read More
- Pretty good.exactly what i wanted, in great condition.
and super cheap!
but it was a little late on shipping...
