The Silver Linings Playbook in Ask Matthew Quick!

Nov 21, 2012 Joy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: library-has-it, good-movie-too, psych, can-t-wait, health, award-winners, favorites

Loved this book! Will write a longer review soon. Do yourself a favor and read this one!!

I liked that it has a positive message - believing in silver linings is to remind you to keep on trying. The old saying that every cloud has a silver lining is what Pat is counting on in his life now that he is back home living with his parents. I don't want to write too much about the story since I don't want to give away any key plot points. But I will just say that there is a happy ending for Pat and Tiff ...more

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Mar 01, 2013 Taughnee Golubović rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This was a fast and mostly entertaining read, I'd recommend it for airplane reading for sure. But, I had many problems with it...

Starting with: the book spoilers! UGH! Gatsby, Scarlet Letter, Catcher in the Rye... the list of spoilers was huge, and I found that to be presumptuous and rude on the author's part. I guess there was some over-arching reason for it having to do with "silver linings" or "happy endings" or whatever, but it could have been handled so much better, e.g., inviting us to dis This was a fast and mostly entertaining read, I'd recommend it for airplane reading for sure. But, I had many problems with it...

Starting with: the book spoilers! UGH! Gatsby, Scarlet Letter, Catcher in the Rye... the list of spoilers was huge, and I found that to be presumptuous and rude on the author's part. I guess there was some over-arching reason for it having to do with "silver linings" or "happy endings" or whatever, but it could have been handled so much better, e.g., inviting us to discover for ourselves what happens in those books rather than hitting us over the head with what happens.

Then on to the narrator, Pat, who is suffering from a mental illness of some kind--the author doesn't make it clear, but somewhere along the way I read or heard he was bipolar so I was stuck for most of the book trying to reconcile his bizarrely infantile reactions and inner dialogue with what I know about bipolar disorder and the people I am close to who have it. I would have enjoyed this book more if that wasn't happening but I'm not sure that's the author's fault.

Later, I felt better once it was revealed why he was sent to the mental health facility-- ooooh, a brain injury, that makes a lot more sense. (That's probably not even what happened lol but it helped me get unstuck.) Then I relaxed into the final pages and was pleasantly surprised that it came back around for me.

There was a LOT of football chanting and even as a football fan, I found it to be TOO.MUCH.ALREADY. These people really need better communication and coping skills all around if the only thing they can share is football, the only thing they can say to each other is E-A-G-L-E-S!

Weird.

Toward the end, I loved learning more about Tiffany, and seeing Pat's transformation and evolution. Life's like that--bad things happen to us and if we're lucky, we turn a corner and accept things, make peace with them, and carry on.

I wish there would have been more TIFFANY and less EAGLES! and either more hints about what he was suffering from early on or a less childlike voice ... but in the end, I enjoyed the book.
...more

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Feb 18, 2013 MaryAnn rated it liked it

The book was not the movie and the movie was not the book. I'm concerned that anyone who seeks out either for enlightenment or education about mental health conditions will come away ill informed. There were flashes of brilliance in both media but those flashes had to light up a lot of "stuff".

Not a satisfying read.

A week or so later:

Sometimes reflection deepens your perception of what a book meant to you. And this is a case in point. The book and the movie are never the same, they are different ...more

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Apr 12, 2009 Evan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: more_than_once

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 just "one more" chapter ...more

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Nov 11, 2012 Karen rated it it was amazing

This is a great read for those who have experienced any kind of emotional break and attempts to come back to gain clarity and closure.
Pat Peoples had such a break and experienced amnesia --just as well he didn't remember til the end of the book. All through the book he sees his life as a movie that has or must have a happy ending. Life doesn't always happen that way. He thinks getting back with his wife Nikki is going to be the answer needed for his happiness and wellness.
Enter Tiffany with her ...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Melyssa rated it really liked it

If a movie is based on a book, I usually read the book first. I was unaware of this novel until I saw the movie version, so it was an atypical experience to read after seeing the movie.

The book has a darker, more serious tone than the movie. There are enough differences between this and the movie version that it was still a good read. The main character's emotional struggles are perhaps more meaningful in the book, since these elements were played for laughs in the movie. I couldn't help but co ...more

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Dec 23, 2012 Jennifer rated it really liked it

I liked how this book was wrote, more of collected thoughts than a story which makes it more real even though the character is living almost 'out of reality' and only sees situations as he would like to see them. The technique is brilliant bringing you right into the mind of the character, you can understand his actions more than if it was wrote from another view. The relationships between everyone in this book is very well put together and I'm sure the reader will be able to relate to maybe one ...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Tammy rated it really liked it

This was an easy read. After seeing the movie I was very surprised to know there was a book. There were quite bit of changes from the book in the movie. I loved the movie so much I was nervous to read the book. It turns out that the book allowed for a different impression of the main character, Pat. I understand it more of how things transpired to the conclusion. It is definitely worth a read. Don't be surprised if you are left with a few questions after wards. :) ...more

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Mar 05, 2013 Kristina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2013, books-turned-into-movies

I don't think I've ever seen a movie and THEN read the book until now. I wish I had read this book before I saw the movie (which I loved, but would have loved even more had I read first). ...more

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Mar 22, 2013 Saira rated it really liked it

Shelves: recommended, movie

I love book movie combinations, and look forward to seeing this movie. I definitely am skeptical though about how they will merge all the nuance of this story into a widescreen sensation. I'd like to have more to say about the writing -- I think the fact that I didn't "notice" the author's style means he did a great job of focusing on the characters and the story... not any eloquent spin of the english language. The story is sad though, no matter how one looks at it. I didn't find any silver lin ...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Drew rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A very well-written book, with great characters and dialogue. I really enjoyed the way the story was told, slowly filling in the missing pieces as the main character recovers his memory.

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