I think this book should be read by those entering or finishing highschool, it teaches a lot about trauma and why people do things, there is plenty of lessons to be learned that can effect you long term. The writing style is interesting and something new to me, I loved it and was able to finish the book in 3 days, on and off reading. One of the best books I have read, it captures what kids go through outside of school. ( )

This was okay. Not my favorite. I read it for book club. It is not one I would have picked. ( )

Started out not really sure about this one, and felt out of the intended age range. But by the halfway point I had to stop myself from crying on the subway.

Good shit. ( )

(blank)

just a really good coming of age book, but for the older teens. ( )

Initial Thoughts

I was expecting a boring book that I would have a hard time getting into. I don’t usually read books in letter format but I was surprised at how easy this one was to read.

My New BFF

I think my favourite character was Sam. She was a really nice person even though she was a little strange sometimes. There’s not really much to say about her though because this book wasn’t really focused on characters.

My Crush

No crush here! Not that kind of book so if you’re expecting romance, maybe not the greatest pick for you.

Writing Style

What I like most about this book is the timelessness of it. It doesn’t feel like it takes place in the 90’s really. It’s a typical coming of age story and everyone goes through it so it’s easy to relate to. The writing was ok for me, not amazing. Probably because it was a little boring just like any other coming of age story I find. The focus wasn’t really on characters other than Charlie who was narrating, but you could see him start to grow up.

Closing Thoughts

I liked this book. I’m not in love with it but I’m glad I read it. It was easier to get through without much of a plot than I thought it was going to be and I’m glad. Charlie was a great narrator because he had a really interesting point of view. He’s young and very naive but it made for an interesting story. I’d recommend that everyone reads this book because it’s just one of those books that everyone should read. Kind of like The Kite Runner or To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s along those same lines. ( )

A sensitive, observant boy writes letters about his days to make sense of them, as he navigates adolescence and breakdown. Chobosky creates a character both obtuse and emotionally intelligent. Couldn’t quite suspend disbelief that this was a real human rather than an author’s sentimental creation. ( )

Pretty good ( )

A very interesting book with a very interesting writing style. ( )

Aspiring filmmaker/first-novelist Chbosky adds an upbeat ending to a tale of teenaged angst—the right combination of realism and uplift to allow it on high school reading lists, though some might object to the sexuality, drinking, and dope-smoking. More sophisticated readers might object to the rip-off of Salinger, though Chbosky pays homage by having his protagonist read Catcher in the Rye. Like Holden, Charlie oozes sincerity, rails against celebrity phoniness, and feels an extraliterary bond with his favorite writers (Harper Lee, Fitzgerald, Kerouac, Ayn Rand, etc.). But Charlie’s no rich kid: the third child in a middle-class family, he attends public school in western Pennsylvania, has an older brother who plays football at Penn State, and an older sister who worries about boys a lot. An epistolary novel addressed to an anonymous “friend,” Charlie’s letters cover his first year in high school, a time haunted by the recent suicide of his best friend. Always quick to shed tears, Charlie also feels guilty about the death of his Aunt Helen, a troubled woman who lived with Charlie’s family at the time of her fatal car wreck. Though he begins as a friendless observer, Charlie is soon pals with seniors Patrick and Sam (for Samantha), stepsiblings who include Charlie in their circle, where he smokes pot for the first time, drops acid, and falls madly in love with the inaccessible Sam. His first relationship ends miserably because Charlie remains compulsively honest, though he proves a loyal friend (to Patrick when he’s gay-bashed) and brother (when his sister needs an abortion). Depressed when all his friends prepare for college, Charlie has a catatonic breakdown, which resolves itself neatly and reveals a long-repressed truth about Aunt Helen. A plain-written narrative suggesting that passivity, and thinking too much, lead to confusion and anxiety. Perhaps the folks at (co-publisher) MTV see the synergy here with Daria or any number of videos by the sensitive singer-songwriters they feature.

-Kirkus Review

Unnecessarily childish writing ( )

This was quite good, and I always enjoy this "letter" writing style in books. I am one of the few who has never seen the movie, so I feel like I got an authentic read of it. ( )

I can't believe I never read this before. But I do often wait for Hollywood to introduce me to good stories. I read a few bad reviews of this book and don't agree with them -- they obviously don't get it. I appreciated having to "get to know" Charlie. I was distracted by wanting to know to whom he was writing the letters, but once I moved past that I was really enthralled with his journey. ( )

This was definitely a book I would never have picked for myself. I was doing the book elimination challenge on one of the Goodread book clubs. So I went to the library looking for a book on the banned list. I asked the librarian for a suggestion and this was it. When I first looked at it, I was sure I wouldn't like it. All it looked like was a collection of letters. I was pleasantly surprised as I started reading. Not my usual type of book but I enjoyed it. ( )

This coming of age story is told in letters to Dear Friend (never specified but seems to be the reader). It is the observations of Charlie during his freshman year in high school. Charlie doesn’t have many friends. At the beginning of the book he is trying to deal with his best friend’s suicide the previous year. He meets a new group of friends who are seniors but take Charlie into their circle. We see the ups and downs of their lives, his life and his family’s lives through his observations. There is lots of teen angst and confusion. As the story progresses we are drawn into Charlie’s precocious thoughts and finally into Charlie’s history. This was very well done. ( )

"This moment will just be another story someday."
"We accept the love we think we deserve."
"Sometimes people use thought to not participate in life."
Beautiful, just beautiful.
It's like the book is about my life (Well, at least 80% of it)
This book is so brilliantly written, it's honest and has really great quotes.
I'll definitely read this again. And watch the movie again.

2nd read: Sep 22-23
3rd read: Oct 5
4th read: June 24-25 ( )

so far, this is one of the best coming of age books i’ve read. the story is told so well by charlie. i was thinking of quotations or certain scenes i could highlight in this but there are just so many that i thought were done perfectly!! ( )

This is one of those classics that I read back in high school I have wanted to revisit because I feel like most of the story went over my head at that time. Reading it now, there are so many deeper pockets of Charlie’s mind, depression, PTSD, repression, trauma, anxiety, etc. that manifest in his writings to the unknown recipient of his letters. The teenage mind trying to comprehend drugs, sex, friendships, grief, as well as understanding one’s own trauma was delicately depicted in Charlies writing, his confusion, his frustration, his anger all communicated his thoughts in the moment, as well as the deeper struggles he was trying to comprehend. While I believe that it truly is a classic, it remains to fall among the average in my own opinion. ( )

Even though I raised several teenagers, I had never read this book before. Now I can see why some parents may have concerns about this book being read by middle school or younger children. However, I think that this book when read by high school students could be the basis for diverse curriculum topics. After all, by high school, most students have been exposed in some way to all of the controversial topics in this book. In addition, it provides another framework for discussing all of these under the umbrella of a "coming of age" story. These stories have always walked the edge of "acceptable" topics because of the desire to shelter children as long as possible from the world. ( )

Vivir al margen ofrece, una perspectiva única. pero siempre llega el momento de entrar en escena y ver, el mundo desde dentro. Charlie es un chico realmente especial: lee muchísimo, no sale con amigos ni con chicas y reflexiona sobre el mundo desde un punto de vista muy particular. Su ingenuidad, su incapacidad para relacionarse normalmente y su extrema sinceridad le crean más de un problema, especialmente ahora que su único amigo ha muerto. Conocer a Sam y Patrick, los chicos más populares e interesantes del instituto, provocará un giro radical en su vida que lo sumergirá de pleno en la adolescencia. Charlie, un chico ingenuo, mordaz y solitario, acaba de empezar el instituto. Vive con sus padres, su popular hermana y un hermano mayor que está a punto de comenzar la universidad. La cosa no pinta demasiado bien el primer día de instituto cuando solo consigue hacer un amigo: un alternativo profesor de lengua interesado en despertar el genio creativo de Charlie. Cuando conoce a la bella Sam y el excéntrico Patrick, unos chicos llenos de ganas de exprimir la vida al máximo, empieza a comprender lo que es crecer y hacerse adulto. Junto a ellos recorrerá caminos nuevos e inesperados: descubrirá música nueva, comenzará a salir de fiesta e incluso se enamorará por primera vez.

I really wanted to like this book. And it isn't that the story was bad. It really wasn't. But this is an epistolary novel - and the letters are written by a 15-year-old boy named Charlie who clearly has some issues socializing - like maybe he has Aspergers or something. And Charlie writes like he is about seven years old. It was, at times, painful to read. I've taught many children with autism spectrum disorder who are even younger than Charlie is, and my 11-year-old niece has Aspergers - but none of these kids writes the way Charlie writes in this novel. His writing is far too childlike. His teacher calls him gifted - tells him how bright he is - but Charlie can barely express himself, writing in clipped sentences too simple for anyone more than half his age to have written. He is supposed to be writing essays about all these novels he is reading - these are extra assignments given to him by the teacher who thinks Charlie is so brilliant - but Charlie's writing, as evidenced by his letters, is just awful. While I was interested in the story itself and determined to read the whole novel to find out what happened to all the characters, I have to admit that by the time I was a little past half-way through it, I couldn't wait for it to be over. I heard so many good things about this novel, but I just didn't happen to be as impressed with it as a lot of other people were. I hear the movie is very good - I have a feeling I may enjoy it more than the novel, which is not usually the case for me. ( )

School

2.5 ( )

Read this in a single day. I was interested on the characters and the plotting but hated the final twist/reveal about Charlie's past. I thought it was over the top and unnecessary.

Enjoyed all the other teenaged angst but felt it was pretty ridiculous that the seniors - oddballs or not - would have taken Charlie under their wing and therefore the entire premise is flawed.

Can't imagine what they actually chose to put into the movie. ( )

this was fast paced and cute. I could have done without the Love charlie! it just felt like i was reading someones journal ( )