The Play of Daniel Keyes: Flowers for Algernon (Heinemann Plays)

Flowers for AlgernonBy Daniel KeyesFlowers for Algernon" is a Science-fiction book narrated as a diary by Charlie Gordon. Charlie has a low IQ. He finds himself involved in an experiment; this involves undergoing an operation along with a lab mouse, Algernon. As part of assessments, Charlie and Algernon have to compete in races and mazes. Charlie gets frustrated with Algernon for always beating him, but soon becomes his friend. The operation is to increase his intelligence.Charlie works in a plastic box factory. There, his colleagues are nasty to him and take advantage of his misunderstanding of the world around him. The operation works a success, but as Charlie's intelligence increases, he begins to spot a difference in the way people behave around him.Overall, I enjoyed Flowers for Algernon. One thing that the author could have improved on is the ending. It ended on a cliff-hanger and was also a little too slow-moving for me. I think that the author has achieved his goal of opening the reader's eyes about how we take our everyday abilities for granted.RATING: 7/10AGE RANGE: 10+PUBLISHER: GollanczRRP: £8.99