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isd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
When I started with the book I had no idea what to expect, and it took me a moment to get used to Charlie's writing style. Following his journey and the changes in both his capabilities and traits was pretty interesting. In some ways he changed a lot and fast, and in some ways he had to learn - or should have learned - to behave accordingly, at a more or less equal pace but failed.
Charlie's story was quite sad, especially the very end, but in a way I guess I should call it bittersweet as I had expected much worse as the events unfolded. Your kilometerage may vary.
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexism, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Dementia, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
magimiel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Dementia, and Abandonment
Moderate: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content and Pregnancy
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
taleofabibliophile's review against another edition
2.75
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Medical content, Dementia, Medical trauma, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Excrement
lizdon'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
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content
Moderate: Sexual content, Excrement, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
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
mayr3adsab00k's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Grief, and Alcohol
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Violence, and Dysphoria
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Dementia, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, and Sexual harassment