book data
226 ratings,
3.80
average rating, 94 reviews
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published
September 1st 2008
by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
details
Kindle Edition, 304 pages
characters
literary awards
asin
B001HBI9IQ
description
<DIV>An enchanting first novel about love, madness, and Kenny G. The Silver Linings Playbook is the riotous and poignant story of how one man re…more
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The Silver Linings Playbook
by Matthew Quick (Goodreads Author)
"Aawww shucks…more
by Matthew Quick (Goodreads Author)
Release date: Apr 27, 2010
Why did NPR’s popular librarian Nancy Pearl pick The Silver Linings Playbook as one of summer’s best reads for 2009?
"Aawww shucks…more
Giveaway dates: Mar 18-May 01, 2010
3 copies available, 149 people requesting
Countries available: US
3 copies available, 149 people requesting
Countries available: US
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 478)
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avg 3.80
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
Read in September, 2008
Matthew Quick's The Silver Linings Playbook tells the story of narrator Pat Peoples's return to real life after four years in a "neural health facility." Pat is determined to win back his wife, Nikki, after their "apart time," which Pat, with somewhat pitiable naivete, takes to be a trial separation. But then Pat meets Tiffany, who offers, on one rather arduous condition, to act as a liaison between him and Nikki. Needless to say, things don't go quite as he planned.
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Read in September, 2008
Philadelphia is not only the home of the quintessentially American Liberty Bell, cheese steak, and Rocky, but now Philadelphia offers us another American original: Pat Peoples, the neurologically-damaged, ex-wife pining, mother-loving, uber Eagles fan protagonist of Matthew Quick's dazzling debut novel The Silver Linings Playbook.
You might think that a book about a guy who has lost so much--his wife, his home, his job, and many years of his life in a mental health facility--would be ...more
You might think that a book about a guy who has lost so much--his wife, his home, his job, and many years of his life in a mental health facility--would be ...more
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Read in February, 2009
Fantastic! Started to read it at 10pm and didn't stop until I finished. It kept me awake thinking about it for a while afterward too.
Pat Peoples is released from a neural heath facility and can't figure out how long he's been there or even why he was there. He has a purpose- to get back together with his estranged wife.
I never understood anything about football fans, but this book gives me a little glimpse into what it would be like to be a devoted one.
Re...more
Pat Peoples is released from a neural heath facility and can't figure out how long he's been there or even why he was there. He has a purpose- to get back together with his estranged wife.
I never understood anything about football fans, but this book gives me a little glimpse into what it would be like to be a devoted one.
Re...more
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Read in September, 2008
recommends it for:
men who aren't afraid of their feelings
Matthew Quick's debut novel is like a literary Lifetime TV-movie for men, and I mean that in a good way, honest! Maybe, sticking to the bookish side of things, a more apt comparison might be Jodi Picoult or Wally Lamb... Like Garth Stein in The Art of Racing in the Rain, Quick isn't afraid to pull at the reader's heartstrings, sometimes in the most blatant ways, but the first-person narration from, Pat, the protagonist, sucks you right into the story... in large part because of the little pe...more
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Read in July, 2009
Remember when you read this that Pat Peoples spent 4 years in a neural health facility, not a mental health facility.
I liked this book for several reasons. I really cared about the characters, especially Pat--I liked seeing the world through his eyes. There is a simpleness about him, yet he has a certain wisdom--sort of an uncarved block quality like Winnie the Pooh or Forrest Gump. He keeps getting into trouble, but somehow things work out for him. I also liked all of Pat's quir...more
I liked this book for several reasons. I really cared about the characters, especially Pat--I liked seeing the world through his eyes. There is a simpleness about him, yet he has a certain wisdom--sort of an uncarved block quality like Winnie the Pooh or Forrest Gump. He keeps getting into trouble, but somehow things work out for him. I also liked all of Pat's quir...more
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Read in January, 2009
I wasn't expecting it to, but this book won me over. I guess my apprehension began with the narrator. He's mentally unstable, and his mom has to take care of him as though he's a child. This sort of protagonist at first reminded me of all those '90's and early 00's movies--Benny and Joon, Rain Man, I am Sam--most of which became cliche caricatures instead of well-developed characters. (Speaking of, this author has to be a movie nut. The book fits the common and successful formula for film.) For ...more
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Read in December, 2008
I have to admit that, for a variety of reasons, I was initially biased against this book, especially since I've got my own book about Eagles fanaticism, Philadelphia, and father-son relationships coming out next year, and so I was maybe predisposed toward disliking this novel regardless of how good it was.
But I did read it, and it was a quick, easy read, a book I did want to finish. It was sometimes funny, and the narrator had his moments where he was pretty interesting.
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But I did read it, and it was a quick, easy read, a book I did want to finish. It was sometimes funny, and the narrator had his moments where he was pretty interesting.
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Read in January, 2009
The premise of this book was so unique and I thought the story was well thought-out. It was disconcerting to me how the main characters were obviously so intelligent, yet at times spoke as if they were children. I thought that it was a little degrading at times of those suffering mental illness. I don't think that the main character should have spoken with such childlike language. When he kept referring to "the bad place" I would forget that this was a former teacher and department...more
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Read in March, 2010
“Pat Peoples has a theory that his life is actually a movie produced by God, and that his God-given mission in life is to become emotionally literate, whereupon God will ensure a happy ending - which, for Pat, means the return of his estranged wife Nikki, from whom he's currently having some 'apart time'. It might not come as any surprise to learn that Pat has spent several years in a mental health facility. When Pat leaves hospital and goes to live with his parents, however, everything seems ...more
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Read in July, 2009
A very charming book recommended as a summer read by Nancy Pearl on NPR. Sweet story about a man who has spent time in a mental institution and is trying to get his wife back and end their "apart" time. The narrator has a distinctive and well-developed voice. This very much reminded me of 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time.' That compelling of a narrator and a story--he's understanding his story at the same pace as the reader.
My biggest pet peeve is au...more
My biggest pet peeve is au...more
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Read in April, 2009
Matthew Quick's penetrating story about a man itching to reclaim a fading past is hopeful and endearing. The narrator's failing grip on his own reality becomes shocking to the reader as the story slowly unravels. Despite his recent past spent in a mental institution and the gaps in his memory, his strength, discipline and personal transformation are indeed inspiring. His character begs the reader to consider exactly how someone's identity is rehabilitated and renewed after experiencing real t...more
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Read in May, 2009
Matthew Quick's debut novel has a wonderful narrative voice that shares the almost unbelievably positive energy of the protagonist. Pat, our hero, has just been released from a mental hospital though he is not exactly sure how long he's been away. Pining for his wife, Niki, Pat aims to win her back by losing weight and being a better person (specifically, he tries to "be kind instead of right").
The most amazing thing about Quick's novel is the pace. I found myself reading j...more
The most amazing thing about Quick's novel is the pace. I found myself reading j...more
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Read in December, 2009
What an odd book. Odd and completely FABULOUS!
I had no expectations when I picked up 'The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick but soon became utterly dissolved in the storyline. Like Pat Peoples' obsession with lifting weights and ending 'apart' time with his ex-wife Nikki, I became obsessed with how his life unfolded when he left 'the bad place' and to be honest, am in a 'bad place' now the story has ended!
Simply, I loved it. Unlike other stories which touch on men...more
I had no expectations when I picked up 'The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick but soon became utterly dissolved in the storyline. Like Pat Peoples' obsession with lifting weights and ending 'apart' time with his ex-wife Nikki, I became obsessed with how his life unfolded when he left 'the bad place' and to be honest, am in a 'bad place' now the story has ended!
Simply, I loved it. Unlike other stories which touch on men...more
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Read in November, 2008
The more time that elapses since I finished this book, the more I like it. I think I made a mistake in reading it immediately after finishing Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, namely because I love the latter so much that any book that followed it would inevitably fall short. I think I could have avoided that issue if I had just read something entirely different--like a graphic novel or a biography or something. The problem with this particular book was that there was something about Pat People...more
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Read in October, 2008
Pat Peoples is just out of ‘the Bad Place’ – an institution where he’s been for the past four years after a massive breakdown. He believes his life is a movie written and directed by God. He has a terror of Kenny G who haunts him in the night. He’s lost his life and his home, and only lives to build the perfect body so he can win back his beloved wife, Nikki.
Pat is so angsty and damaged and utterly adorable. He knows he screwed up before the breakdown, with his rages and se...more
Pat is so angsty and damaged and utterly adorable. He knows he screwed up before the breakdown, with his rages and se...more
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Read in September, 2008
recommended to Joe by:
Dave Kingrecommends it for: Eagles Fans
Our protagonist is coping with mental illness and a traumatic brain injury. He has huge, multi-year gaps in his memory.
Meanwhile, the story is set against the Philadelphia Eagles 2006 season (the season appeared over when quarterback Donovan McNabb was injured, but backup QB Jeff Garcia stepped up to take the Eagles to the playoffs.) I remembered quite a bit of the details.
It dawned on me that this book had an unreliable narrator, and yet I was an omniscient reader, kno...more
Meanwhile, the story is set against the Philadelphia Eagles 2006 season (the season appeared over when quarterback Donovan McNabb was injured, but backup QB Jeff Garcia stepped up to take the Eagles to the playoffs.) I remembered quite a bit of the details.
It dawned on me that this book had an unreliable narrator, and yet I was an omniscient reader, kno...more
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Read in June, 2009
I loved this book as a summer read. It is a story about really serious stuff -- institutionalization, failing/failed marriages, families straining to communicate. Yet, it managed to be hopeful without being hokey and was laugh out loud funny at points. There is a psychologist who does not make me cringe (unusual for fiction). And who knew of the inspirational powers of the Philadelphia Eagles? I've recommended it to my sweetie, my mom, and my volleyball team.
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Read in July, 2009
Interesting story told from the perspective of someone who has been in a mental institution for years and is not trying to negotiate a reunion with his former spouse. His family and therapist are all unbalanced, so at times he appears to be the most normal of the group.
Similar to "Atmospheric Disturbances" in that you get inside the head of a person who is disturbed. Poignant at times, especially when he is trying to create his own happy ending.
Similar to "Atmospheric Disturbances" in that you get inside the head of a person who is disturbed. Poignant at times, especially when he is trying to create his own happy ending.
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Read in January, 2009
recommended to Anne by:
SFPL
Pearl's Pick recommended this one, and it was GREAT. In a funny kind of way the main character reminded me of Junie B. Jones, except he's a guy, and he's 35, and he's mentally ill. The exact type of mental illness is left pretty vague, but at the beginning of the book, the main character had just been released from an extended trip to a "neural health facility," and his only wish is to get back together with his wife Nikki. His adventures in being kind rather than right is touching ...more
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Read in July, 2009
Yay for Pat Peoples!!! This book was a really good read and many I know would enjoy it. Since I have always lived in the Philadelphia area and am surrounded by crazy Eagles fans, I realy got the the feel of the story. I like how the story was told by Pat and he only knew part of what happened to him. Good characters like Pat and his family and friends and therapist made the book move along. Can't wait to passd this one along.
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