Flowers for Algernon

· Sold by HarperCollins
4.7
923 reviews
Ebook
336
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

 Winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, the powerful, classic story about a man who receives an operation that turns him into a genius...and introduces him to heartache.
 
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, Charlie's 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?

 

Ratings and reviews

4.7
923 reviews
Kristen Bingel
July 6, 2023
absolutely loved this book. it's sad, don't get me wrong. but there's a beauty to it. the elation felt when one begins to transform into something greater. the confidence built with self-improvement. the realization that they were just fine the way they were because sometimes, ignorance is bliss. with more knowledge comes more burden. wonderfully written as well. just a bittersweet story all around
Did you find this helpful?
Mace Taylor
June 23, 2017
FFA does it like all the academy award winning works. For someone suffering with severe depression and in a life crisis of poverty (like me) I would not recommend at all. Read something else like Star Wars, Sonic, or something with color. Make yourself feel good and stay away from this toxic waste (unless you're teaching English class and you have to read it; which I wouldn't recommend either). Still, a great work; monumentally depressing. Do not underestimate this warning. Please, it was that depressing.
2 people found this review helpful
Did you find this helpful?
Finn Mertens
March 13, 2014
When I was a junior at high school, my teacher made my class read this book. At first, I thought the book was just like any other ordinary book. I soon found out that I was 100% wrong This book had everything that every author could only dream of writing. It was emotional, knowledgeable, and even had it parts of romance. Basically, if you haven't read the book, then you are missing out on a book that is as good other popular books like "Of Mice and Men, Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth", etc.
16 people found this review helpful
Did you find this helpful?

About the author

Daniel Keyes (1927 - 2014) was born in Brooklyn, New York, and received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Brooklyn College. He was the author of eight books, including the classic Flowers for Algernon, first published in 1966, which would go on to sell more than five million copies and inspire the Oscar-winning film Charly. He also worked as a merchant seaman, a fiction editor, a high school teacher, and as a university professor at Ohio University, where he was honored at Professor Emeritus in 2000. He won the Hugo and Nebula awards for his work and was chosen as an Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2000.

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.