Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Flowers for Algernon
Book Review: Do I have to give this any stars?
Summary: 1 Stars
This was required reading for me in high school English class. I had never in my life fallen asleep while reading before. I swear I fell asleep every time I picked up the book to read my assigned chapters. I am really not kidding. As an adult I saw this horrible book at a library book sale and spent a quarter on it just for nights I suffered with insomnia. I hope it will work years later, too. Really detested this book. No real point in reading it, unless you need to for a grade. Then, I guess, I wish you luck and lots of caffeine.Book Review: Don't pull a Charlie Gordon!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Read this book. We are all Algernon's ... the points this book makes about the relative nature of perceived intelligence and the isolation and social interactions that go with it is wonderful. What we all crave is an emotional response, importance from peers and a feeling of belonging. What is intelligence anyway? Its very relative until one goes higher or lower than the norm and the table can turn quickly but to what end? We all walk the maze and this is a great book.Book Review: Easily one of the best books I've read this year.
Summary: 5 Stars
Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon (Bantam, 1966)
There are some people who simply deserve to be beaten with their own severed limbs for being such monumental genetic screwups. No, I'm not talking about Charlie Gordon, the protagonist of Daniel Keyes' wondrous little novel Flowers for Algernon; I'm talking about his mother Rose, a woman for whom getting stoned (in the Biblical sense) is not good enough.
Perhaps, though, I'm getting ahead of myself. The plot, in case you (like me) are one of the handful of people who never got the book assigned to them in school: Charlie Gordon is a mentally retarded adult who is chosen to undergo what is believed to be a breakthrough treatment. After the surgery, the treatment slowly beings to work, but then the changes pick up speed; soon Charlie is a supra-genius, far outstripping those who put him under the knife in the first place. Therefore, it's Charlie, with the help of Algernon, a mouse who has also had the surgery, who finds the devastating monkeywrench about to be thrown into the works. The book is narrated from Charlie's point of view, as well, which adds that little extra twist to the knife.
You get the feeling, though, that so many of the kid's problems (that come through with him to his adult life) could have been avoided had his mother not been a braindead Neanderthal who's so incapable of seeing what's right in front of her face that it causes her more pragmatic husband to flee the household. There is a method to Keyes' madness, and it is named Rose. It is a testament to both Keyes' ability to draw character (even minor characters; aside from in Charlie's memories, Rose only gets a few pages of screen time) and his ability to manipulate through perspective that make Rose the monster she is. That, of course, is secondary to the overall plot here, but it is synecdochic of the brilliance in this novel; I'm not pointing it out because it's the bright spot in an otherwise dull affair, but because it's one of the many highlights in a scintillating character study. Charlie himself is equally convincing as both a mentally challenged individual and a supra-genius. (And imagine the rage if this book, which uses such terms as "bright-moron" and "retardate", were released today; I'm honestly rather surprised I haven't stumbled across reports of its being challenged in schools, and I figure this has more to do with my not coming across the reports, rather than it simply not happening.) Just as important, if not more so, his perceptions of others, as they change, remain faithful.
While I'm spending a great deal of time rhapsodizing over the characterization, I'm neglecting the plot. Which I shouldn't do, because it's amazing. But--and this is a point I try to make repeatedly when I give bad reviews (maybe it'll come across better in a good one)--the plot is only as strong as its supporting acts. You can have the best plot in the world, but if you don't fit it with realistic characters, it's just not going to work. I'm going to start using Flowers for Algernon as a shining example of how the two, packaged together, make for a much stronger book than either piece standing on its own.
Add to this Keyes' eye for detail. He adds just enough extraneous detail to the book to add another thin veneer of plausibility to it; stuff that you might notice in passing and forget about. Charlie notices these things, and since he's (in the latter half of the book, anyway) dictating into a tape recorder, he notices them, talks about them, and then goes on his way. I mean, think about it. As a side note, given a performance worthy of the material, this would make an awe-inspiring audiobook.
Flowers for Algernon is beautiful, it's heartbreaking, it's funny and sweet and sexy and spiteful and nasty and hateful and just plain great. If you managed to avoid it during your school years, I cannot recommend highly enough going back and reading it as an adult. Put simply, it's genius. **** ½
Book Review: Excellent
Summary: 5 Stars
"Dr Strauss says I shoud rite down what I think and remembir and evrey thing that happins to me from now on. I dont no why but he says its importint so they will see if they can use me. I hope they use me becaus Miss Kinnian says maybe they can make me smart. I want to be smart."
And 32-year-old Charlie Gordon is made smart. In Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, Charlie, a mentally retarded adult, undergoes surgery to increase his intelligence. All goes well, and Charlie's I.Q. eventually skyrockets to uncharted levels. However, Algernon, a mouse who the experiment was previously tested on, begins to show signs of mental deterioration soon after he reaches the peak of his intelligence. Charlie, now smarter than even the scientists, realizes that he too will decline back to his old self. Knowing this, Charlie sets out to enjoy his intellect while he still has it. Flowers for Algernon is perfect for anyone searching for a powerfully moving character in an excellent book.
One aspect of the novel I enjoyed is that it is written in Charlie's point of view. This way, you can always see what is going on in his head. Also, by directly reading Charlie's thoughts and feelings, it is much easier to relate to him. Finally, with the first-person viewpoint, Charlie's increase in intelligence and eventual deterioration are clearly shown with changes in his spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
The book's ever-present air of mystery is another feature I found appealing. First, you wonder if the procedure will work at all, and if Charlie's "rabit's foot" and "luky penny" have paid off. As Charlie becomes smarter and smarter, he begins to view people differently than he did before. He realizes how his "friends" used to treat him, and he nearly reaches the limit, while you always question if he might hit the breaking point. Lastly, there is always the suspicion that the surgery wasn't as successful as many think, and Charlie doesn't have much longer.
One more part of Flowers for Algernon that I found interesting is how Charlie matures throughout the book. At first, Charlie is a man with no true friends, shunned to the outskirts of society. Soon, he becomes one of the most intelligent people who has ever lived. However, Charlie grows in other ways too. He learns to not look down upon the people less brilliant than he is, and tries to see things from their point of view. Charlie also discovers the true meaning of intelligence, and how he can use his.
Possibly my favorite part of the novel is Algernon the mouse. Having had the procedure before Charlie, he is the only thing Charlie can relate to. You even feel sorry for Algernon, as he throws himself against the walls of his cage as he declines. And like Charlie, you even feel remorse for the mouse at his death. Flowers for Algernon is an enchanting book, destined all along to become the classic it is today.
Wade H.
Book Review: Exceptionally Absorbing and Emotional Journey
Summary: 4 Stars
Among the elements of life we most often take for granted, the most provocative might the ability to think, reason, and comprehend the life around us. Flowers for Algernon touches upon this idea in the form of Charlie Gordon, a mentally challenged 33 year-old who became the recipient of brain surgery to improve his intelligence. Finding his aptitude eventually surpasses that of even his doctors, Charlie is lead to a state where he contemplates the deep implications of his own operation.
Daniel Keyes has produced an intriguing journey that captures hearts by instilling readers with a sense of intimate compassion and understanding for Charlie. The emotional appeal combined with the intrigue of Charlie's development results in an exceptionally absorbing story that is difficult to put down from start to finish.