The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Best performance ever!

I can't even imagine reading this book or hearing it read by any other performer. Noah "owns" this book!

I don't write many reviews because I really don't think I'm a very good book reviewer. So many people write so much better than I do, and all I can do is second what they have to say. But I loved this book and the performance of the reader so much that I felt like I needed to write something. I have listened to many audible books and have enjoyed many of them, but this one is special. That's the best description I can give it really. It has a special place in my heart.

I was unsure about this book initially. I wasn't convinced that I would connect with this book or the main character, but the longer I listened, the more I craved it. It reminded me how complicated high school life was for me and that it probably wasn't just me...being a teenager is tough stuff. The narrator was fantastic and in my mind...he was Charlie. Trying to explain this or put this book into words is almost impossible for me, other than to say, it was the best coming of age story that I have read or listened to. I didn't want it to end.

Charlie is a quirky, unsure teen who is befriended by a brother/sister duo. In love with Sam, or the mere idea of her, the novel is told in a series of letters to an unknown addressee about his experiences with the friends and a forced-upon girlfriend. The novel is intelligent, and Charlie opens his soul through the letters in a way he can't in his daily life. Chbosky presents a tale of insecurity and angst in a raw, emotional, and touching way. The end shows a transformed Charlie and ultimately reveals the recipient of the letters. Excellent read for teens and adults.

This story struck a cord in me. No matter what your experience was in high school everyone can relate to this story. Everyone has their own pain and their own joy but these emotions are especially heightened in High School and memories that will literally stay with us for a lifetime. This audio book conveyed those emotions perfectly & was very difficult to turn off. You simply fall in love with Charlie, the lead character. Difficult to listen to the end but well worth it. Bravo for Chbosky for putting it all out there. Amazing story with the perfect narrator in Noah Galvin. You won't regret buying this book. Just don't think it's another 'Breakfast Club' though. It runs much much deeper.

Let me start by saying: This book is an emotional roller coaster. Through letters written to an unknown friend (literally), soon to be High School Freshman, Charlie is able to express, vent, and share his feelings and thoughts.

Why do I think this book has the best narration of any other books that I have listened to before? It's simple, narrator, Noah Galvin, becomes Charlie. He managed to interpret Charlie's feelings with just the right change to his voice, with just the right amount of pause between words. What a talent he has.

The material presented in this novel is sometimes hard to take. And I wouldn't recommend it to every reader. Even though the character's are under 18, they experience some very Adult Situations. Even though I'm an adult, I found myself having a difficult time dealing with emotions presented to me in this book.

As a reader, I took a lot from this book. The music mentioned is phenomenal, the books Charlie's English teacher gives him to read, had me actually buying one or two of them, just to see what I was missing, and there is a poem that is so potent, it will be impossible to forget.
I don't think this could have happened if Noah Galvin wasn't the narrator. I really don't. Hopefully, he will narrate more books in the future.

An extraordinary narration for an extraordinary story.

The obvious answer would have to be Sam, simply because I relate to her. However to answer honestly, I would say Charlie. His character was enthralling and endearing. Very well-developed. He is special and unique, and absolutely *Infinite*.

Charlie, of course. Sheer perfection.

We Are Infinite.

Every once in a while, a story will be told that will be life-changing and incredibly profound. This is one of those stories.Perks of Being a Wallflower is such a deeply affecting novel. It will haunt with you for weeks after reading it, and you will be compelled to reread it over and over again. The characters are well thought out, the story is intensely intimate, engrossing, and wondrous.

Entertaining, coming of age, nostalgia

the end, i wasn't expecting it to end in that way

He played the characters very well, made you feel like you were really listening to someone you knew.

When they were all in the car listening to the song that moved them into silence and happiness...i've had days like that

The reader is great!! Unfortunately the book is very dark and depressing.

My 17 year old daughter and I took a long road trip visiting universities. She chose this book. The description sounded like a fun teen type story. However the book concentrates on suicide, family violence, teen sex, gay sex, assaults, drugs, and depression.Although my daughter loved it, I wanted to jump out of the car to get away!

I kind of expected more, but I still really enjoyed it. The characters are well written and the story is slow, but you don't notice.

The format of this book is pretty original. The main character, Charlie, is writing very personal letters to someone he doesn't know. It starts out during the summer break between grade school and high school, and is set in the early 1990's. He tells the person he's writing to that he's writing to them because he knows they are the kind of person who wouldn't sleep with someone at a party just because they could, and because he knows somehow that they will understand him and not judge. He tells the unknown person the details of his life, starting with a story about his closest friend committing suicide. He talks about starting high school and how he is ok with not having any friends, even though he would like to have some. He also talks about his English teacher taking a special interest in him and giving him extra assignments that the other kids don't have. This leads him into talking about his analysis of the books he reads. I love that part of this book. Then he randomly meets 2 people that change his life. This could be just like some cheesy 80's high school movie, but it's not. Sure there is the normal 'boy pines for girl that is waaay out of his league', but there's more, and you might not even realize it until the end. First, there's a bit of mystery about why Charlie is the way he is, but because we can only see things from his point of view it's hard to get a handle on exactly what it is. Then there is the depth of the character. He is complicated, yet easy to understand. We can all relate to the crazy stuff we all did in high school, and how it felt to be in the in-between phase of life. We can also understand the desire to be liked and have friends, while still trying to figure out who we are. But what makes this all together different from any teen book or movie is the end. It is not all wrapped up for you. That is to say, the boy doesn't get the girl and they don't live happily ever after. Or do they? You'll just have to figure that out for yourself.