Has anyone read this book

Evening Librarythingers,

Has anyone read Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes? Im thinking of buying it on Amazon tonight but thought id see what others thought of it first as it looks like a book that could go either way, it'll be great or boring! Im a huge Philip K Dick fan and amazon is suggesting im going to like Flowers For Algernon

I liked the book, but for heaven's sake don't go believing everything an algorithm from Amazon tells you.

It's terrific. Well worth reading.

It's great. A classic that you'll be glad to own.

Oh good! Thanks for that all. Haha i did wonder about amazon, it has thrown me some really random suggestions before which i why i thought id ask the oracle! It looks like the sort of book id enjoy

It'll make you cry.

Yes, it's very sad but a classic.

Make sure you read the novel and not the short story though - the short story is probably available from Amazon on its own as well.

AnnieMod how can i tell, this is the one im going to order http://www.amazon.co.uk/Flowers-Algernon-MASTERWORKS-Daniel-Keyes/dp/1857989384/...

Sounds like its going to be a good read, i do tend to have a bit of a cry at sad books if im having a bad day though lol. Really looking forward to reading it now!

That's the novel :)

Basically if it is in paper form and on its own, it should be the novel. I was just worried that if you are going for a kindle version, the story might be there as well. If you look at the copyright - it is 1966 - which is the novel.

Happy reading - I really like that novel :)

Fab thank you :D

Whenever I hear about a book, I always come to LibraryThing's "will you like it" on the book page. It rarely steers me wrong.

>12 emaestra:

It works great if you have a somewhat logical library and if you have all of it entered in LT. :)

I read it when I was 13 or 14 and I remember liking it, but I also remember it being pretty sad.

I see I'm too late to the party. I would have said read the short story and skip the novel. Having read the short story first, I felt the novel had a lot of unnecessary padding.

>15 aulsmith:

Reading it after the short story - maybe. Without the short story in front of it -- it actually works a bit better. Besides, parts of the "padding" are some of the best moments in the novel.

Personal opinion of course :)

You could see the movie. I liked it at the time; I don't know whether I would like it now.

Robert

Speaking of movies, I didn't see it but I felt the premise of the movie Limitless with Bradley Cooper was (at least loosely) based on this book.

I didnt know there was a film, but i never watch the film before reading the book. I will read the book first then watch it. I dont mind reading the longer version either, I'm not really one for short stories :)

PS thank you for all your comments!

We read the novel in high school. Maybe that's why I hated it. Another great book ruined by an English teacher, perhaps.

It seems to have very good reviews so far, maybe you were just unlucky with the teacher you had, maybe re-read it? We read The Outsiders at school when i was young and i absolutly loved it but when i bought my own copy later on and read it at home i didnt enjoy it as much! Needless to say i had a great english teacher and he told stories very well which was probably what made it so enjoyable