stargirlmolly's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Dementia, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Ableism, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Animal death
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, and Grief
luckyone's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Excrement, Abandonment, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Bullying, Classism, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Physical abuse, and Animal death
Minor: Alcohol, Classism, Confinement, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Bullying, Child abuse, Dementia, Excrement, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Terminal illness
wildestdreams's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Physical abuse, and Child abuse
Moderate: Medical content and Medical trauma
Minor: Excrement and Alcohol
delvainy's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This made me so sad. That last line killed me. Obviously, this book has things about it that are uncomfortable to read, such as the constant use of the r-slur. I’m aware, however, that it makes sense in a book from like the 60s? The past is a foreign country and all. I see the flaws in this book, yet I’m still glad I read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Ableism, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Animal death
leahb88's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I was really engaged with this story and read it all in one day. The structure of the book as progress reports and use of spelling/punctuation/language was really well done. I enjoy a good unreliable narrator and I like how we know I love how the author created the unbalance between emotional and intellectual growth. This book definitely made me think about what we value in people and what truly matters for a full life.
Spoiler
things have been left out of the reports. As Charlie became less trustful of the researchers, what did he keep to himself?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Ableism, Emotional abuse, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
katsusho_'s review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Ableism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Emotional abuse, and Medical trauma
pandemonicbaby's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
There are a few things I'd like to point at regarding this book.
First of all, I do really like the concept. The story is intriguing: what if an intelectually disabled person had their intelligence enhanced by science? How would they turn out? How would the change their behaviour? Their interaction with the world around them? And most importantly, what would they find out about themselves in the process?
There are many questions this book brings about. I do think it did its job in answering them. It shows us the changes in the life of Charlie, after he goes through a scientific procedure to artifically augmentate his intellect, and how he reacted to them as he started to notice things that he hadn't before. My favourite part of the book is exactly that: the fact that - even though it was published in 1959 - it focuses on Charlie's trauma and him realizing the mistreatment that he used to suffer from people whom he thought were his friends; actions that, before the procedure, he didn't notice were ill-intentioned. It was a really innovative book that brought to light the struggles of the disabled community, - especially the *intelectually* disabled community - that often go overlooked. I feel like this could've been touched upon even more, but considering the time period, it was still enormously groundbreaking.
Anyhow, as Charlie notices during the development of the story, many people who seem to be good, intelligent and sophisticated do not hesitate in making fun of or using a disabled man for their own personal satisfactions. This is very important as it shows how anyone can contribute to ableism, even if they consider themselves to be a person of high moral standards.
However. I do feel that the writing itself lacked a bit of nuance - sometimes, it relied to much in tell, not show instead of the opposite. Some passages were very good at showing what Charlie was going through without outright saying it, but some lacked on that department and seemed to repeat an idea over and over, throwing it at the reader's face so that they'd get it.
Some of the conflict also seemed to be solved very quickly when it seemed like it would need a longer time to be processed, but even though it was rushed it didn't present itself as much of a detriment to the overall enjoyment of the book.
My biggest issue with the book, however, is that many times it seems obviously written by a man (you know what I mean), and sometimes the author seemed to write some things just to make the main character seem "cooler" as his intelligence progressed which kind of broke the immersion a bit. This as in, sometimes it seemed like Charlie was written to be an ideal "Cool Smart Guy" that didn't really fit the overall character.
It really makes you think that the best we can do, as humans, is cherish the love that we have while we still have it.
TL;DR: Although for me, personally, it could've been executed better, the concept of the story itself *is* intriguing and I believe this was a step forward regarding the understanding of disability and ableism by the general population.
First of all, I do really like the concept. The story is intriguing: what if an intelectually disabled person had their intelligence enhanced by science? How would they turn out? How would the change their behaviour? Their interaction with the world around them? And most importantly, what would they find out about themselves in the process?
There are many questions this book brings about. I do think it did its job in answering them. It shows us the changes in the life of Charlie, after he goes through a scientific procedure to artifically augmentate his intellect, and how he reacted to them as he started to notice things that he hadn't before. My favourite part of the book is exactly that: the fact that - even though it was published in 1959 - it focuses on Charlie's trauma and him realizing the mistreatment that he used to suffer from people whom he thought were his friends; actions that, before the procedure, he didn't notice were ill-intentioned. It was a really innovative book that brought to light the struggles of the disabled community, - especially the *intelectually* disabled community - that often go overlooked. I feel like this could've been touched upon even more, but considering the time period, it was still enormously groundbreaking.
Anyhow, as Charlie notices during the development of the story, many people who seem to be good, intelligent and sophisticated do not hesitate in making fun of or using a disabled man for their own personal satisfactions. This is very important as it shows how anyone can contribute to ableism, even if they consider themselves to be a person of high moral standards.
However. I do feel that the writing itself lacked a bit of nuance - sometimes, it relied to much in tell, not show instead of the opposite. Some passages were very good at showing what Charlie was going through without outright saying it, but some lacked on that department and seemed to repeat an idea over and over, throwing it at the reader's face so that they'd get it.
Some of the conflict also seemed to be solved very quickly when it seemed like it would need a longer time to be processed, but even though it was rushed it didn't present itself as much of a detriment to the overall enjoyment of the book.
My biggest issue with the book, however, is that many times it seems obviously written by a man (you know what I mean), and sometimes the author seemed to write some things just to make the main character seem "cooler" as his intelligence progressed which kind of broke the immersion a bit. This as in, sometimes it seemed like Charlie was written to be an ideal "Cool Smart Guy" that didn't really fit the overall character.
Spoiler
Also, I was surprised to notice how long it took Charlie to realize he had been treating people with intelligence lower than his own as inferior, just like people had done to him before. I got irritated as I noticed he was being unreasonable with everyone else, even those who tried to help him, because he started to see that they couldn't get on their level. But it does make sense for him to act that way: first of all, his emotional growth didn't follow the same rhythm as his intellectional growth; and second, it seems only normal for someone who started to feel distanced once more from the people around him to have a hard time understanding others. It is a lonely journey diverging from the norm, either way. I don't blame Charlie for acting that way, he was confused with all the sudden changes in perception that were coming to him. One moment, you think the people around you are put upon untouchable pedestals, and in the next, they can't even catch uo to what you're saying.Spoiler
The ending really hooked me, I should say. The feeling of him slowly losing his memory and his abilities every day, bringing him closer to despair, really resonated with me. It reminds me of my experiences with lost loved ones who would struggle with their memory and grow more irritable and apathetic bevause of their condition. The ending is very sad, but real. It hurts, but it is inevitable.It really makes you think that the best we can do, as humans, is cherish the love that we have while we still have it.
TL;DR: Although for me, personally, it could've been executed better, the concept of the story itself *is* intriguing and I believe this was a step forward regarding the understanding of disability and ableism by the general population.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Ableism, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Dementia, Excrement, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Violence, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Incest, Stalking, Blood, Medical trauma, and Medical content
krystalgaia's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Very reflective, introspective, and I very much enjoyed it. I have filled this book with a lot of paper flags -- that's my own way of knowing that I enjoyed a book.
I loved the writing style: how, regardless of where Charlie was on the intellectual spectrum, it remained true to itself, always straightforward and undecorated, which provokes thought in a way that words packaged in an excess of metaphors can never do. I also loved how everything looped back to how things were in the beginning — but somehow, simultaneously, worse.
It reminds me of a passage in A Little Life, which goes, "x will always be equal to x, no matter what he does." It's just amazing that these two novels, written more than fifty years apart, were able to reflect on the human experience in almost the same way, as if proving that the only other thing constant in the world aside from change is our humanity.
I couldn't give this a full five stars, because some parts were slow and repetitive that I was tempted to put this down for another book. But after the midpoint mark, things were well-paced again and the tension was handled with great care, but it was also after the midpoint mark that I saw how poorly portrayed Alice and Fay were. It was either a goddess or a manic pixie dream girl. Rose and Norma are debatable, though; their strengths and flaws are beyond the confines of gender.
I would've given this 4.9 stars, so I'll just leave the highest rating I can give on this site.
I loved the writing style: how, regardless of where Charlie was on the intellectual spectrum, it remained true to itself, always straightforward and undecorated, which provokes thought in a way that words packaged in an excess of metaphors can never do. I also loved how everything looped back to how things were in the beginning — but somehow, simultaneously, worse.
It reminds me of a passage in A Little Life, which goes, "x will always be equal to x, no matter what he does." It's just amazing that these two novels, written more than fifty years apart, were able to reflect on the human experience in almost the same way, as if proving that the only other thing constant in the world aside from change is our humanity.
I couldn't give this a full five stars, because some parts were slow and repetitive that I was tempted to put this down for another book. But after the midpoint mark, things were well-paced again and the tension was handled with great care, but it was also after the midpoint mark that I saw how poorly portrayed Alice and Fay were. It was either a goddess or a manic pixie dream girl. Rose and Norma are debatable, though; their strengths and flaws are beyond the confines of gender.
I would've given this 4.9 stars, so I'll just leave the highest rating I can give on this site.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Mental illness
Moderate: Forced institutionalization
Minor: Homophobia and Suicidal thoughts
dilara2912w's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Mental illness, Animal cruelty, Medical content, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
lsmith36's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I was expecting to be more emotional after reading this book. I think if I had read it when I was younger it would have been more impactful to me, but generally I think this story raises interesting questions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Ableism, and Child abuse
Minor: Medical content and Medical trauma