Flowers for Algernon

Sehr berührend, traurig und interessant

Wow. Dieses Buch reißt einen von der ersten Seite an mit (auch wenn man erst mal in die "Schreibweise" am Anfang reinkommen muss) und dieses Gefühl hält bis zur letzten Seite vor. Eine wirklich tolle und einzigartige Geschichte über einen geistig zurückgeblieben Mann, dem durch eine OP eine immense Intelligenz ermöglicht wird, und über seinen Weg zur Selbstfindung (nennen wir es mal so), die später in einer Art Psychose oder gespaltene Persönlichkeit ausartet. Ich möchte jetzt nicht spoilern, aber ich habe gelacht sowie geweint.

An absolutely great book that deals with the advantages and disadvantages of intelligence in a utopian scenario. It makes you think about your own life and, among other things, about ethical questions in science. Charlie Gordon, a man with an extremely low intelligence quotient, develops even above-average intelligence through an operation in the course of a scientific experiment, becoming a genius in all areas within a very short time. But what he loses in the process, namely warmth of heart, kindness, friendliness, openness, guilelessness and his very special charisma, makes the price for his cleverness seem too high. How is it that some books are still captivating and relevant even after decades? Is it because of the quality of the book itself, or because of the fact that human beings with their behaviours and neuroses hardly change at all? This is one such book, and anyone who takes the trouble and also the time to immerse themselves in the story will be fascinated by the description of the main protagonist as well as the reaction of his environment to his change. It is not an easy read, not something to be read in passing. But it is a grandiose story and absolutely worth reading.

I'm still crying...

What an amazing story, not just about intelligence and scientific experiments, but also about human nature, about belonging, about the search for connection and identity. I loved Charlie from the first page on. I hoped with him, was happy for him and sad, I felt his joy and anger and frustration and just like everybody else in the story, I have to admit, that it got harder to sympathize with him at some points the smarter he got. His memories of his childhood, especially his mother, were hard to stomach! When I realised what the title might mean, I refused to think about it. It broke my heart that I've been right. But then came that very last sentence and the floodgates opened... 😭 (Spoilers ahead) I feared from the beginning that it wouldn't last, that the experiment woulf fail in the end. And it was just as heartbreaking as I thought it would be. Just the thought of rapidly losing your knowledge and mental abilities is utterly horrible.

This will stay with you!

I still think about this book all the time! It’s so memorable and so good! This, from my book club member, perfectly describes this book: A classic and a must-read. This book can be read from many different angles as it deals with very complex themes such as society’s treatment of mentally disabled people, the risks of human medical trials, the alienation of people who are outside the norm, and many more. Though published in the sixties, this book is still immensely relevant today and feels like it was written in the past decade.

Very gripping story with an interesting approach and linguistically carried out well. The last third is truly amazing, very emotional. Definitely one of my favorites.

bis ich eine Rezension gelesen habe, die erwähnte, dass das Buch aus den 60ern ist, ist mir das nicht aufgefallen. So gut ist das Buch

Dieses Buch war gar nicht wie ich es erwartet hatte. Ich muss zugeben, ich bin ohne viel Wissen über die Geschichte ins Buch eingetaucht und war zunächst sehr überrascht von der absichtlich schlechten Grammatik, die Charlie hat bevor er "Opfer" eines wissenschaftlichen Versuchs wird, der ihn intelligent macht. So intelligent sogar, dass soziale Kontakte schwer für ihn werden, da er mit Menschen unter seinem IQ nicht mehr klar kommt. Ich find die Entwicklung von Charlie sehr interessant mit anzuschauen, vor Allen wie sie sich in seiner Grammatik und Wortwahl niedergeschlagen hat. Ich will nicht zu viel verraten, aber ich muss sagen, dass ich im Laufe des Buches das ein oder andere Tränchen verdrücken musste, weil ich so mit ihm mitgefühlt habe und obwohl man das Ende voraussehen konnte sehr mitgelitten habe. Auf jeden Fall eine Empfehlung für Menschen, deren Charakterentwicklung in Büchern sehr wichtig ist und bei denen die Handlung dann auch gerne mal zweitrangig sein kann.

First book that was close to making me cry

Very gripping story with an interesting approach and linguistically carried out well. The last third is truly amazing, very emotional. Definitely one of my favorites.