Book & Movie Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of  Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky 

Publisher: MTV Books
Publication Date: February 1st 1999
Pages: 231
Source: Bought 
Genre: Contemporary
Goodreads 
Movie Info

Standing on the fringes of life... offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

This haunting novel about the dilemma of passivity vs. passion marks the stunning debut of a provocative new voice in contemporary fiction: The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

This is the story of what it's like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite.

The Book

When I saw the movie trailer for The Perks of Being a Wallflower I knew that I had to see it. I was planning on reading the book first, unfortunately I was half way through the book when I saw the movie. That wasn't how I wanted it to go but that's how it ended up. I absolutely adored this book.

As a book this story was beautifully done. The writing was very unique and fit the book perfectly. The story is told in letters that the writes to an unnamed person as he tells them about his life as he starts high school. The book goes though many of the tough topics that teens go though in high school as well as the unique difficulties that Charlie has in life with family and friendship troubles.

The thing that made me so excited about this book was the characters. Other than the main character, Charlie, other main characters include step brother and sister Sam and Patrick. Both Same and Patrick are seniors and the befriend freshman, Charlie. The two characters are both outcasts that don't care what anyone else thinks and that's what makes them so special. None of them are perfect and they are completely okay with that.

The Movie

I was really worried that the movie would be nothing like the book or leave out major pieces, but I was surprisingly happy about this movie. The movie was directed by Stephen Chbosky, the same man who wrote the book so it followed almost the same path. Because the book was also very short very few things were cut out. 

There were really only a few things that I noticed were very different at all. I thought the actor that played Charlie was a little bit to old to be a high school freshman, he seemed to fit in with the seniors better. In the book Charlie also had a very over the top awkwardness to him that really wasn't there in the movie. There were some very subtle changes that I barely noticed, and a few scenes that were cut that were less important. The only major thing that I didn't like, is that there is a major piece that is revealed at the end of the story, and I didn't catch it in the movie, but I did in the book. I really can't get any more specific without ruining things. 

Likes! There were a lot of likes. I really like how Patrick was funny in the movie. He really wasn't all that funny in the book, but oh my yes he was in the movie. 

My Favorite Quote: 

Patrick: C- everyone, I am below average!

Sam: Below average!

I also really liked Emma Watson as Sam, I wasn't sure I could ever think of her as someone other than Hermione, but it worked. She was great!