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krosebooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Medical trauma, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
scifi_rat's review against another edition
3.5
some of the psychology and sociology feels dated in many ways but ultimately it does the job it sets out to do.
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Medical content, Dementia, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Stalking, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
pandemonicbaby's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, and Alcohol
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Excrement, Dementia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pregnancy
Minor: Incest, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Stalking
leona's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
I really enjoyed the themes discussed in this book and I found them so incredibly relatable. It is particularly heartbreaking to see how Charlie is being abused and laughed at when he isn't capable of knowing better. I also picked up on some things that made me wonder if Charlie may have been autistic / on the autism spectrum, especially one scene where he remarks how his old teacher used to tie his hands around his chair to stop him fidgeting (I feel like this may have been a stim.) The moment with him attempting to learn how to make the bread rolls at the bakery was probably one of my favourite scenes, as it is one of the most detailed sections where we see how Charlie's brain used to function, and how he could learn but the impatience and lack of encouragement from others made it almost impossible. This scene really presses the need to be patient with people and recognise that all people learn differently. I also enjoyed the scene where Charlie gets drunk at the conference and argues with Nemur. I hate to use a cliche, but this book is very thought-provoking.
I had a couple of issues with the book though. Firstly, I felt like the pace dropped a bit near the middle of the book and my interest definitely started to wane a bit. This book is kind of plotless and winding, with lots of random flashbacks. This isn't necessarily a downside, but I didn't feel like the great quotes scattered throughout were always enough to completely hold my interest and make me feel inclined to pick it up. This is especially true because of my second point: the blurb and synopsis for this book I always see is way to spoiler-y
My last complaint is the female representation. I understand that a large part of this novel is around Charlie's intelligence developing at a disproportional rate to his emotional / sexual 'intelligence' (if you will). This leads to Charlie often describing women based on how attractive they are. It makes sense, but it didn't mean I was any less annoyed about it. I also kind of felt bad for Alice in this book, she was kind of treated like shit whilst Charlie was trying to banish the fear instilled in him by his mother, but then she came straight back. It just kind of rubbed me up the wrong way to hear about how attractive every woman he met was. Is it so much to ask to have a decent female character in a classic sci-fi novel?
Little rant over, I want to rate this book 4.5 stars. I enjoyed it immensely and would strongly recommend it, however I don't think it will make it in with my very favourite books.
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Death, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, Grief, and Stalking