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Always Pouting's Reviews > Flowers for Algernon
Flowers for Algernon
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Wow I'm so glad I finally read it. I had only read passages of it before but it was totally with sitting and reading the whole thing through. I don't even know what to say I can't stop crying because of how things are for Charlie and I guess I just wish that they way he was treated wasnt so close to reality. Also it's kind of painful to have to question things like intimacy vs intelligence and self actualization which are brought up so poignantly in the book. I don't even know if anything I'm saying is making any sense but the book really got to me and now I need to be alone to cry and consolidate myself with it and the new ideas it has made me consider.
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Flowers for Algernon.
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
February 26, 2017
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Started Reading
February 26, 2017
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Finished Reading
August 18, 2023
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Choko
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Feb 27, 2017 05:01AM
I am so glad you liked it!
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it's one of my favorites now honestly did you enjoy it?
Reading this book was almost physically painful. In other words, the book is excellent, it does not let us escape the reality either through exaggerations or through a story of this one person who was at the bottom and managed to raise up. It also does not let us escape responsibility through excessive hopelessness. We have no way out but to deal honestly with our emotional brutality towards these we can afford to be brutal to. For me, I also had to face my fears of loss of intelligence and of memory. I still cannot really. Charlie is much braver than me.
yes I totally agree with you but at the same time I feel like it also made the unhappiness that comes with self awareness much more apparent for me and made me consider how to balance understanding of others short comings with my own ideals about how things should be i think if Charlie had more time he would have had to deal with that as well but I didn't really consider the loss of my intelligence as painful because I guess his lack of awareness for it made it feel like it be ok as long as you didn't know it was gelding to you
I finished the novel on the plane and I was embarrassed people will see or hear me crying. I should not have read it in public. Such a beautiful and sad book.
oh man I do that a lot tho I read a man called ove and kite runner in public and just sat there sobbing and everyone just have me a wide bearth lol
I love this book & my sentiments were exactly like yours.
I don't know why it's taken me so long to read this one. Hopefully soon. Glad you liked it, Nice review :)
you should totally read it it's not too long honestly it's pretty light reading
Janie wrote: "Pouting, if you liked this book, then you may enjoy The Speed of Dark"Thank you so much I love book reccs, I added it to my wishlist!
You're welcome- I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did!
Janie wrote: "You're welcome- I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did!"I probably will you seem to have good taste ;)
Hi Pouting. Great review! If you want to cry, watch the movie "Charlie". I was sobbing in the middle of my 7th grade class. Totally not cool. We had to read the short story in that grade too. Cried while reading that as well. Beautiful and so thought provoking, but SO SAD.
oh man Jen ok i will watch it but what's it about
Hi Pouting I too saw the movie Jen mentions and it had the best performance of Cliff Robertsons life! In fact he won the Oscar for best actor in 1968 for the role in Charly. I was blown away but never read the book which I will do now. I remember feeling so sad when he began to understand how people were treating him when he was of low IQ and how they became threatened as he grew smarter. And how he realized the motivations of the scientists and their petty rivalries.
And how horrible it was to see him regress at the end.... from such a handsome, perceptive, intelligent being to a simpleton. What a brilliant concept for a novel, so powerful and emotional. I, too, was in tears. I look forward to reading the book.
David wrote: "And how horrible it was to see him regress at the end.... from such a handsome, perceptive, intelligent being to a simpleton. What a brilliant concept for a novel, so powerful and emotional. I, too..."I totally will get around to watching the movie then, thanks for letting me know it was just as great as Jen said. I just always have so much to do sigh. I do agree though the premise of the book is one that really gets to you. It personally got to me the most watching people be mean to him, and then seeing him start to realize they were doing that. Oh man I hate when people treat others badly.
yes, this really is a lovely, poignant book.
G.H. wrote: "yes, this really is a lovely, poignant book."Agreed ha ha which I mean clearly from my review
That sounds sad and emotionally provoking.
Brittni wrote: "That sounds sad and emotionally provoking."You should read it!
Emotionally devastating it is. Nice review!
