As you
heard in my video, this book took me around two months to read. This was understandable because I was still
in school and had to live through finals, but another aspect was because of the
slow beginning I talked about in my review video. It took a long time for the author to work up
and create a back-up story for the ending.
That is the main reason for the missing star. I've always been a fan of fast reads and this
just wasn't one of them.
Concerning
the ending though; it makes the book the bestseller it is. Even though it takes so long to reach, the
entire book is worth reading because of the epic ending. It wraps the entire message and story in an
impactful way that leaves you breathless through the pages.
Chbosky
writes the story in journal form, which leads to the question: who is Charlie
writing to? Some people believe that he
is actually writing to a person; however, personally, I would connect this to Anne
Frank and who she addressed her journal entries to (If you don’t know it was ‘Kitty’). No, it’s not an actual person that they write
to, but it’s still something! I feel the
same way when I journal, and I’m sure anyone else who journals would
agree. It may not be a real person, but
the satisfaction of writing it down feels the same as a true letter to someone. What do you think? Who do you think Charlie was writing to? Does
it in the long run matter whom, or even if he is, writing to someone? Why or
why not?
One way
that I sympathize with Charlie is in his journey to find himself. He really doesn't, until he’s able to let go
of the destructiveness in his past. Not
only that, he has to realize that other people can’t have a part in his
formation. He has to put himself first! He ultimately realizes this
on page 200 when Sam says, “You can’t just sit there and put everybody’s lives
ahead of yours and think that counts as love.
You just can’t. You have to do
things.” As a person who has struggled
with putting herself first, I completely agree with what Sam has said.
This
book probably deserves more than four stars because of its amazing impact and
thoughtful development, but I honestly can’t give a book that made me take
breaks from reading it a five. I do
recommend this book for anyone and everyone, though. It really doesn't have a target audience, but
I especially endorse this book for anyone who may have struggled or who is
struggling with becoming their own person.
It’s a difficult task, but one that has to be done to live a happy life.
Don’t
forget to let me know in the comments your thoughts on the book! Bring about any thoughtful questions that you
want to arise, because I will always join-in on the discussion.
Very nice book, completely fell in love with Charlie. People of all age groups can read this. I don't think older people would feel a disconnect with the content. It's sure to remind one of the teenage years and for those who are in their twenties, even they would connect with some of the philosophies outlined in the book. Thumbs up!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the awesome comment! I agree with everything you said! It's definitely a book for all ages :D
DeleteThank you :)
xoxo, Lizzy