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stargirlmolly's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Abandonment, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Dementia, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Ableism, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Animal death
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, and Grief
tungstenmouse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexism, Dementia, Racism, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Ableism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Excrement, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Incest, Homophobia, Medical content, and Misogyny
It’s an older book so expect language and character attitudes that are not okay now.kather_doc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Excrement, Abandonment, Ableism, and Bullying
Moderate: Classism, Alcohol, Sexual content, Confinement, Child abuse, Dementia, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content
luckyone's review
- 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? It's complicated
2.5
Moderate: Excrement, Abandonment, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Bullying, Classism, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Physical abuse, and Animal death
Minor: Alcohol, Classism, Confinement, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Bullying, Child abuse, Dementia, Excrement, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Terminal illness
adamjeffson's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Ableism, Abandonment, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Excrement
Moderate: Dementia
thogek's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Mental illness
Moderate: Alcohol, Dementia, Medical content, Child abuse, Grief, and Bullying
Minor: Animal death, Blood, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Excrement
wildestdreams's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Physical abuse, and Child abuse
Moderate: Medical content and Medical trauma
Minor: Excrement and Alcohol
purplehulk713'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
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Child abuse, Dementia, Alcohol, Excrement, and Sexual content
Minor: Incest and Suicidal thoughts
sophietoes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content
Moderate: Excrement
Minor: Animal death
pandemonicbaby'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
3.5
First of all, I do really like the concept. The story is intriguing: what if an intelectually disabled person had their intelligence enhanced by science? How would they turn out? How would the change their behaviour? Their interaction with the world around them? And most importantly, what would they find out about themselves in the process?
There are many questions this book brings about. I do think it did its job in answering them. It shows us the changes in the life of Charlie, after he goes through a scientific procedure to artifically augmentate his intellect, and how he reacted to them as he started to notice things that he hadn't before. My favourite part of the book is exactly that: the fact that - even though it was published in 1959 - it focuses on Charlie's trauma and him realizing the mistreatment that he used to suffer from people whom he thought were his friends; actions that, before the procedure, he didn't notice were ill-intentioned. It was a really innovative book that brought to light the struggles of the disabled community, - especially the *intelectually* disabled community - that often go overlooked. I feel like this could've been touched upon even more, but considering the time period, it was still enormously groundbreaking.
Anyhow, as Charlie notices during the development of the story, many people who seem to be good, intelligent and sophisticated do not hesitate in making fun of or using a disabled man for their own personal satisfactions. This is very important as it shows how anyone can contribute to ableism, even if they consider themselves to be a person of high moral standards.
However. I do feel that the writing itself lacked a bit of nuance - sometimes, it relied to much in tell, not show instead of the opposite. Some passages were very good at showing what Charlie was going through without outright saying it, but some lacked on that department and seemed to repeat an idea over and over, throwing it at the reader's face so that they'd get it.
Some of the conflict also seemed to be solved very quickly when it seemed like it would need a longer time to be processed, but even though it was rushed it didn't present itself as much of a detriment to the overall enjoyment of the book.
My biggest issue with the book, however, is that many times it seems obviously written by a man (you know what I mean), and sometimes the author seemed to write some things just to make the main character seem "cooler" as his intelligence progressed which kind of broke the immersion a bit. This as in, sometimes it seemed like Charlie was written to be an ideal "Cool Smart Guy" that didn't really fit the overall character.
It really makes you think that the best we can do, as humans, is cherish the love that we have while we still have it.
TL;DR: Although for me, personally, it could've been executed better, the concept of the story itself *is* intriguing and I believe this was a step forward regarding the understanding of disability and ableism by the general population.
Graphic: Bullying, Ableism, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Dementia, Excrement, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Violence, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Incest, Stalking, Blood, Medical trauma, and Medical content