Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

52 reviews

isd's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• 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

I'm not up to speed with the current-day terms on what in this 1966 novel uses, so I'll attempt to avoid using either the ones in the book nor the ones I think we ought to use.

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.

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Content Warnings

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

tilde_c_s's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Dementia, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal death, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content

kirstikka's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

(note: i might have a soft spot for depictions of people with mental disabilities)
what a great fucking ride this book is. it doesn't feel like its best before date is due at all, many aspects of the book are quite timeless. i feel like there's always a big risk of sounding pretentious when writing about an extremely dumb/intelligent person, but Keyes mostly avoids this. plus, being insufferable becomes a part of Charlie's personality, which is why some cringe is inevitable. what a way of writing about someone who undergoes massive psychological changes! 

to me, there were two messages conveyed: firstly, all people should be treated as people, no matter what. secondly, scientifical progress isn't all there is to life. those are interesting lessons to learn from a sci-fi book, which made me enjoy it much more than i anticipated. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Medical content, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Abandonment

magimiel's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

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

_fallinglight_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical content

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Dementia, and Abandonment

jovanh's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a much better book than I expected. Despite making me angry and uneasy, the writing is very thoughtful. Charly is a deep and complex character and I marvel at the emotional honesty he displays.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Excrement

Moderate: Animal death, Sexual content, and Dementia

Minor: Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Alcohol

thirdtimesacharm's review against another edition

dark reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Violence, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Grief, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal death

taleofabibliophile's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

2.75

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Content Warnings

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

benegesserwitch's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Dementia

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Excrement, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

ellaticonstellation's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

I actually liked this a lot. Charlie's journey is inspiring! Damn, what happened was mad. I mean, he started as mentally challenged and ended the same way. Amazing! I mean, his dream of becoming smart happened, but it's not as glittery as he thought.

Remembering a lot of painful memories sucked. There's a reason why the unconscious is there to help us cope with life's greatest challenges. Being knowledgeable has its perks and curses. 

Experiments may be magical, but not an assurance of permanence. It's like being sharp, but we need to maintain it in our own way. 

Algernon! You're a great metaphor! 

I will never forget this story. 

Thank you, Daniel✨

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Medical content, Dementia, Medical trauma, and Gaslighting