Name: Des fleurs pour algernon
Rating: 4.182750301568154 (829 reviews)
ISBN: 2290032727

Edition augmentée

Des fleurs pour algernon

Aske Dørge

Amalie Elisabeth

Alec Karlen

“I’m going to goose her if she wiggles her fanny at me again.”

Michelle Yang

“I can’t decide for you, Charlie. The answer can’t be found in books—or be solved by bringing it to other people. Not unless you want to remain a child all your life. You’ve got to find the answer inside you—feel the right thing to do. Charlie, you’ve got to learn to trust yourself.”

Although we know the end of the maze holds death…I see now that the path I choose through that maze makes me what I am. I am not only a thing, but also a way of being—one of many ways—and knowing the paths I have followed and the ones left to take will help me understand what I am becoming.

“There are a lot of people who will give money or materials, but very few who will give time and affection. That’s what I mean.”

“I passed your floor on the way up, and now I’m passing it on the way down, and I don’t think I’ll be taking this elevator again.”

Jillian Roberts

I wanted to get up and show everyone what a fool he was, to shout at him: 

I’m a human being, a person—with parents and memories and a history—and I was before you ever wheeled me into that operating  room! 

Daniel Keyes

Charlie Gordon is about to embark upon an unprecedented journey. Born with an unusually low IQ, he has been chosen as the perfect subject for an experimental surgery that researchers hope will increase his intelligence--a procedure that has already been highly successful when tested on a lab mouse named Algernon.

As the treatment takes effect, Charlies intelligence expands until it surpasses that of the doctors who engineered his metamorphosis. The experiment appears to be a scientific breakthrough of paramount importance until Algernon suddenly deteriorates. Will the same happen to Charlie?

--back cover

Flowers for Algernon

Cara Stegemann

** need to add quotes to Notebook. ** <br /><br />(Please note that my reviews are intended to be notes to myself - my memory is failing, and I need reminders about books I want to reread and books I didn’t finish. My reviews are not intended to be particularly useful for other readers.)

Talharim

Eu esperava um dramalhão mas na verdade é um livro bem mais analítico que qualquer coisa. Às vezes a visão sobre pessoas com deficiência é um pouco datada, mas é bem claro que é um livro dotado de extrema empatia, e há um esforço constante para humanizar essas pessoas. No final, admito que senti falta de uma visão um pouco mais romantizada e menos direta, especialmente no fim do livro, que é bem emocionante mas muito seco. Também achei exagerada a quantidade de lembranças do Charlie que são só exposições do quanto ele sofria antes da operação, lógico que é um ponto central do livro mas tem umas 3 ou 4 cenas a mais do que o necessário que ficam batendo na mesma tecla, especialmente antes da metade.

The classic novel about a daring experiment in human intelligence Charlie Gordon, IQ 68, is a floor sweeper and the gentle butt of everyone's jokes - until an experiment in the enhancement of human intelligence turns him into a genius. But then Algernon, the mouse whose triumphal experimental tranformation preceded his, fades and dies, and Charlie has to face the possibility that his salvation was only temporary.

Aniketh Nair

With more than five million copies sold, Flowers for Algernon is the beloved, classic story of a mentally disabled man whose experimental quest for intelligence mirrors that of Algernon, an extraordinary lab mouse. In poignant diary entries, Charlie tells how a brain operation increases his IQ and changes his life. As the experimental procedure takes effect, Charlie's intelligence expands until it surpasses that of the doctors who engineered his metamorphosis. The experiment seems to be a scientific breakthrough of paramount importance--until Algernon begins his sudden, unexpected deterioration. Will the same happen to Charlie? An American classic that inspired the award-winning movie Charly.

Beautifully written and heartbreaking, I wept like a baby. 

Irina

Oscar-winning film Charly starring Cliff Robertson and Claire Bloom-a mentally challenged man receives an operation that turns him into a genius...and introduces him to heartache.

really good solution to the woeful burnout limerence. however i do think i will cry

lily

i didnt love how the women were written in this book, and i think it rlly affected my over-all enjoyment of it. he also did not project onto that rat enough tbh

A sci-fi novel that made me emotional and got me sobbing especially towards the ending. 

The premise is simple enough; a mentally disabled person went through an experimental operation to rapidly increase his IQ. 

The central theme is on how society treats mentally disabled persons. We can also see how rapid acceleration of mental intelligence does not automatically reflect the emotional & sexual maturity in a person. Eventually the main character wanted the people around him to know that whether he is mentally disabled or a genius he wanted them to recognize him as an individual, a human being with feelings and aspirations. 

Fasiha🌺🐧

A sci-fi novel that made me emotional and got me sobbing especially towards the ending. 

The premise is simple enough; a mentally disabled person went through an experimental operation to rapidly increase his IQ. 

The central theme is on how society treats mentally disabled persons. We can also see how rapid acceleration of mental intelligence does not automatically reflect the emotional & sexual maturity in a person. Eventually the main character wanted the people around him to know that whether he is mentally disabled or a genius he wanted them to recognize him as an individual, a human being with feelings and aspirations. 

Dammit, Charlie. You made me cry, you beautiful man.

Frederik De Bosschere

Jeez this was a brutal read. A really great concept, a considered and clean execution and a just heart breaking end. 

Will Dawson

Charlie Gordon, IQ 68, is a floor sweeper and the gentle butt of everyone’s jokes – until an experiment in the enhancement of human intelligence turns him into a genius.

But then Algernon, the mouse whose triumphal experimental transformation preceded his, fades and dies, and Charlie has to face the possibility that his salvation was only temporary.

Winner of the 1960 Hugo Award for Best Short Story, and subsequently expanded into a Hugo-nominated novel, Flowers for Algernon earned Daniel Keyes the honour of SFWA Author Emeritus in 2000 for his contribution to Science Fiction and Fantasy.

What a deeply moving story that sounds impressively contemporary, in spite of being conceived nearly 70 years ago. I did not expect it to impact me as much as it did but it is incredibly effective in its examination of its themes, such as the treatment of people with mental illnesses and disabilities, personhood and authonomy; how an arbitrary perception of intelligence can affect the relationships of an individual with the world around them - friends, colleagues, lovers; even the battle between IQ and EQ (the term for which would be coined around the time of the publishing of the novel but not popularised until much later).

And in that, the heartbreak is unrelentness as the reader first sees how the people around Charlie treat him, and then sees him realise how he is being treated, and then sees him eventually regress in his mental ability.

On a more personal level, I found that the book spoke to me through one of my biggest fears. When I was a child, one of our neighbours had a son who had been exceptionally intelligent. But he had had an unfortunate accident - I was too little to remember the precise details - that had damaged his brain, regressing him severely. And while he still retained a not insignificant level of independence, this greatly limited his ability to navigate the world on his own. We moved away nearly 20 years ago but I often wonder what happened to him and his mother - I remember hearing from my grandma that she had not been well.

Somewhere between this and the fact that I have, as a child, often been complimented on my intelligence, I gained this deep-seated fear of a diminishing mental capability - be it through injury or just the natural aging process or anything else. And frankly, sometimes I fear that this may have already been set off by the recent pandemic. But I have also been thinking about what this fear says about myself and about the society we live in.

What a deeply moving story that sounds impressively contemporary, in spite of being conceived nearly 70 years ago. I did not expect it to impact me as much as it did but it is incredibly effective in its examination of its themes, such as the treatment of people with mental illnesses and disabilities, personhood and authonomy; how an arbitrary perception of intelligence can affect the relationships of an individual with the world around them - friends, colleagues, lovers; even the battle between IQ and EQ (the term for which would be coined around the time of the publishing of the novel but not popularised until much later).

 

And in that, the heartbreak is unrelentness as the reader first sees how the people around Charlie treat him, and then sees him realise how he is being treated, and then sees him eventually regress in his mental ability.

On a more personal level, I found that the book spoke to me through one of my biggest fears. When I was a child, one of our neighbours had a son who had been exceptionally intelligent. But he had had an unfortunate accident - I was too little to remember the precise details - that had damaged his brain, regressing him severely. And while he still retained a not insignificant level of independence, this greatly limited his ability to navigate the world on his own. We moved away nearly 20 years ago but I often wonder what happened to him and his mother - I remember hearing from my grandma that she had not been well.

Somewhere between this and the fact that I have, as a child, often been complimented on my intelligence, I gained this deep-seated fear of a diminishing mental capability - be it through injury or just the natural aging process or anything else. And frankly, sometimes I fear that this may have already been set off by the recent pandemic. But I have also been thinking about what this fear says about myself and about the society we live in.

Such a sad and heartbreaking story. I had so many insights and thoughts while reading this masterpiece that somehow when I finished, I found myself without words to describe the experience and clinching to the narrative, missing him throughout the day when I didn't had his company anymore. Charlie was one of the most complex and interesting characters I have ever known.

Larissa Campos

This was genius, because i hated it, but i loved how i hated it. 

TommyBoi

I remember disliking this book in high school, and feeling very upset by it in a way that made me afraid to read it again for a very long time.

I'm glad I re-read it, but this book still breaks my heart, and it is once again the kind of book I probably couldn't read again for a long time.

Emma Lechner

I remember disliking this book in high school, and feeling very upset by it in a way that made me afraid to read it again for a very long time.

I'm glad I re-read it, but this book still breaks my heart, and it is once again the kind of book I probably couldn't read again for a long time.

Matheus Villa

★★★★★

Conforme a história avançava para o final meu emocional avançava para a depressão, foi quase assim... É um livro inicialmente muito interessante e que se desenvolve bem, senti muitas coisas em relação ao Charlie e me peguei me colocando no lugar dele várias vezes. Motivo de não ter dado favorito? Nem eu sei.

riss

My husband recommended this book to me ages ago and I hate that it took so long for me to get around to reading. It’s beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. 

Charlie Gordon was born with some mental disability. Doesn’t specify what but he was abandoned by his family and left with his Uncle Herman. His Uncle gets him a job at a bakery and all Charlie wants is to be able to have in depth conversation with his friends at the bakery. To feel like a normal human being. 

He becomes a test subject on an experiment that promises to make him smart. While this works in the beginning his knowledge expands so much that everyone he knew becomes scared or feels inferior around him and he still doesn’t have friends. Charlie is destined to be lonely forever. 

There’s no review I could write that would do justice so I’m just going to encourage anyone who stumbles upon this to make time to read Flowers For Algernon.

Christa Bell

My husband recommended this book to me ages ago and I hate that it took so long for me to get around to reading. It’s beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. 

Charlie Gordon was born with some mental disability. Doesn’t specify what but he was abandoned by his family and left with his Uncle Herman. His Uncle gets him a job at a bakery and all Charlie wants is to be able to have in depth conversation with his friends at the bakery. To feel like a normal human being. 

He becomes a test subject on an experiment that promises to make him smart. While this works in the beginning his knowledge expands so much that everyone he knew becomes scared or feels inferior around him and he still doesn’t have friends. Charlie is destined to be lonely forever. 

There’s no review I could write that would do justice so I’m just going to encourage anyone who stumbles upon this to make time to read Flowers For Algernon.

tori 👻

This was absolutely heartbreaking and beautiful.

Fantastic. Probably unforgettable (we ´ll see!) .

Barbara

Ankit Panchal

It's such a beautifully written book. Keyes' choice of first person narrative through progress reports allows the reader to see his progression/regression in the most personal and touching way. It's so difficult not to get choked up reading that book.

Recommended to everyone!!

Lovro Oreskovic

I am really wondering how I did not come across this book earlier. It has a really interesting concept. 
The main protagonist is Charlie who is not really that intelligent. There is a new experimental operation which aims at increasing a persons IQ. 
Charlie is the first human being on whom the operation is tried on. To save you from the spoilers I will not continue telling the story, but the book is a really interesting look into what makes us who we are and the part of society we take. 
What is really interesting are the way the book is written. It is Charlies diary, where he writes what he sees and understands about the world. Daniel Keyes uses some non standard ways to convey the transformation Charlie is going through. During the course of the book we can see Charlies grammar, spelling and vocabulary change and it is fascinating how much can that metadata convey about a person. 

All in all, it is a interesting book, go and read it!

my heart is demolished and i will never be the same

Maya

my heart is demolished and i will never be the same



Charlie Gordon, un chico con discapacidad mental, cuenta en su diario, con palabras similares a las de un niño que empieza a escribir, las dificultades con las que se encuentra en el día a día. De pronto, unos científicos ven la posibilidad de operarle para lograr que sea un persona como las demás. También lo hicieron con Algernon, un ratoncillo de laboratorio, y la cosa funcionó. Pero, tiempo después, el ratoncillo empieza a experimentar cambios de conducta, hasta caer en un claro retroceso y morir. Charlie, que lo observa cada día, sabe lo que eso significa.

Flores para Algernon

Ana Luiza

** spoiler alert **
           Meu coração está quebrado. Essa leitura me deu uma dor que não sentia há muito tempo. Acompanhar a jornada de Charlie machuca, não só pela tristeza que é vê-lo decaindo depois do experimento, mas ver como as pessoas ao redor dele o tratam, tanto antes como depois. Saber que esse é o cotidiano de milhões de pessoas no mundo é dolorido. Ainda não se fala muito de como o capacitismo é perigoso e doloso. Muitos acreditam que estão no direito de tratar deficientes dessa maneira por achar que eles não entenderão. Sei que algum dia devo ter feito algo semelhante também. O que mostra o quanto essa leitura é importante e deve ser obrigatória, deve ser usada como um caminho para a desconstrução. Muitas são as causas e as bandeiras que se levantam hoje em dia para as mais diversas minorias, mas devemos nos lembrar de lutar por aqueles que não conseguem também.

"Ripensandoci, ora, posso capire perchè mi è stato insegnato a tenermi lontano dalle donne. Ho fatto male ad esprimere i miei sentimenti per Alice. Non ho alcun diritto di pensare ad una donna in questo modo... non ancora.

Ma nel momento stesso in cui scrivo queste parole, qualcosa dentro di me grida che c'è di più. Sono una creatura umana. Ero una creatura umana prima di essere sottoposto al bisturi del chirurgo. E devo amare qualcuno."

gabriele

"Ripensandoci, ora, posso capire perchè mi è stato insegnato a tenermi lontano dalle donne. Ho fatto male ad esprimere i miei sentimenti per Alice. Non ho alcun diritto di pensare ad una donna in questo modo... non ancora.

Ma nel momento stesso in cui scrivo queste parole, qualcosa dentro di me grida che c'è di più. Sono una creatura umana. Ero una creatura umana prima di essere sottoposto al bisturi del chirurgo. E devo amare qualcuno."

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