The Silver Linings Playbook in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

Nov 30, 2015 Krissy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: book2film, pgs-200-299, buddy-read, audiobook, 5-motherfucking-stars, title-color

I'm rating this 5 stars for the single reason that I was so engrossed in the story I couldn't stop listening to the audiobook until I was completely done. I told myself that I was going to be a little more generous with my ratings this year and less nitpicky. ...more

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Jun 20, 2013 Sara rated it liked it

Shelves: 2013-reads

I'm torn between giving this book 3 stars or 4 stars. I went in with no expectations for this book and I was pleasantly surprised. It was a fast read (started it at the pool and finished the same evening), partially because the narrator/main character, Pat, is very childlike in many ways and therefore the narrative is as well. I often had to remind myself that he was an adult and not a child. You'd think this would turn me off to the book, but I found that it was very honest. Here's this guy who ...more

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Apr 11, 2013 Jeff Scott rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobooks, fiction

This book reminded me of both The Art of Racing in the Rain and The Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. Both books use the same technique, the protagonist has a trait that makes them different from other people. It allows them to have a different perspective on life, thus, giving the reader a new way of looking at things. It’s refreshing, honest, and touching in both books, Silver Linings is the poor version of the technique.

Pat Peeples has just returned home from the Neural Institute, the “ba This book reminded me of both The Art of Racing in the Rain and The Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. Both books use the same technique, the protagonist has a trait that makes them different from other people. It allows them to have a different perspective on life, thus, giving the reader a new way of looking at things. It’s refreshing, honest, and touching in both books, Silver Linings is the poor version of the technique.

Pat Peeples has just returned home from the Neural Institute, the “bad place” as he puts it. The circumstances are not clear until the end of the book. In his time there Pat has decided that his life is a screenplay directed by God and that he will have a happy ending if he is a fit healthy person. Underneath that, he wants to make himself a better person so that his “apart time” will end with his wife Nikki. Pat and his family are also HUGE Philadelphia Eagles fans.

These three major plot points are probably the weakest and most irritating part of the book. Pat has some sort of mental condition, but it is never clear what that is. It’s an obvious device to tell a story from a different perspective. Furthermore, his mental issue apparently gives him the mentality of a child at times. I can understand the delusion of the Silver Linings Playbook concept, but the terminology of “apart time” and the “bad place” seem ridiculous. Lastly, there was way too many football and Eagles fandom. I thought maybe the author was using the obsessed fan as a metaphor. Who is really crazy if this behavior is normal? However, the author is just an obsessed Eagles fan. I think they cut this out of the movie (I could only hope).

The parts I liked were his development and the use of classic fiction to emphasize aspects of his own story. There often isn’t a Silver Lining happy ending, but sometimes something bad has to end before something good can begin. I liked Cliff, Pat’s therapist, and his scenes are some of the most compelling and funny in the book. However, most of the book seemed cliché and obviously formulaic. I guess it makes it a good candidate to be made into a movie. I did enjoy the book, but there were too many irritating parts.

Favorite Part:

"The novel teaches kids to be pessimistic. No hope at the end, no silver lining. Teenagers should be taught..."
"Life is hard Pat and children have to be told how hard life can be."
"Why?"
"So they will be sympathetic to others. So they understand that some people have it harder than they do. That a trip through this world can be a wildly different experience depending on what chemicals are raging through one's mind." p. 123
...more

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Mar 28, 2013 Meredith rated it liked it

eh. After I read the book I noticed on the back jacket that the author wrote two young adult novels and that explained a lot. While reading I kept wondering why the main characters inner monologue sounded retarded. I was actually offended that it might be a ....crazy people must be retarded undercurrent. Now I just think that's the authors style and perhaps he should stick to writing for readers not old enough to know they're being written down to. ...more

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Oct 18, 2016 Sonia rated it really liked it

I saw the movie first and really liked it - I would have been disappointed if I had read the book first, so much was left out or changed in the movie.

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May 12, 2014 Megan rated it liked it

Shelves: bookclub-ish, manly-stories, finished-2014

I can't decide if Pat Peoples is the craziest person I know... or the sanest person I know. ...more

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Aug 17, 2014 Jen Ifer's Inklings rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audio-books, read-in-2014, 5-star-reads

This book was very captivating. The story unfolded well and the characters were like able and believable. I love the way it wrapped up at the end. I can't wait to watch this movie now. ...more

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