Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - Flowers for Algernon

Laid my face on the book and just started sobbing. I feel empty and sick and upset in the best way possible. I am disabled and found Charlie to be very relatable at certain points, and the book offered an interesting perspective on parts I couldn't relate to. The story is truly heartbreaking :( Can't wait to read this book again

Content Warnings

purplehulk713's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

So clever and tender, both in format and in content and so heartbreaking. It was not satisfying for me at the end, but that was probably Daniel Keyes's intention. However, the relevant themes of disability, family issues, physical intimacy, and research ethics made Flowers for Algernon so tantalizing. Perhaps the most poignant scene for me was Charlie's reunion with his sister: he is finally able to understand

Spoiler

what happened in their family, even if he might not remember later.

Be aware, this is a book that will force you to recognize your own implicit biases, but I urge you to read it all the more for that very reason. To me, Fay was the most interesting character, as

Spoiler

she was the only person who saw Charlie as a person after his operation and regarded him with care and respect likewise.

But how much do we treat people like things in our society? As if they aren't worth enough that they can simply be discarded? Algernon deserves the most magnificent garden of flowers, blooming every year with the most glorious blossoms. But for now,

Spoiler

will you lay some flowers on his grave?

Content Warnings

plume_de_renarde's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

petergooley's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

leahb88's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

Spoiler

things have been left out of the reports. As Charlie became less trustful of the researchers, what did he keep to himself?

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.

Content Warnings

More...