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teabrewer's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Rape, Excrement, and Alcohol
plume_de_renarde's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, and Child abuse
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual content, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Rape and Suicidal thoughts
spookily's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, and Excrement
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual content, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Alcohol
Minor: Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Dementia
nmoji's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Ableism and Child abuse
Minor: Rape
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