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The Silver Linings Playbook
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The Silver Linings Playbook
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Elizabeth
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rated it 1 star
May 03, 2013 05:26AM
This is the Fiction Group Read thread for June 2013.
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I don't think I'll read it now but it was a fantastic film.
My review, but don't read if you haven't read it yet.http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
I didn't enjoy the novel at all. Disappointing. But I think I will give the film a go. It could be one of those stories that make a better film than a novel!
Okay so I may have cheated and started this on 31 May - I have about 70 pages left to go. I watched the film first too - on the day before I started the book!!I loved the film, so good. I love the book as well even though it is very different, I can see the reasons they have made the changes they made. And I do think this is going to be one of the rare cases where I find the film more effective than the book - even though maybe I'm really enjoying the book, if that makes sense?? I think the overall message probably comes across better in the film it's a tough one to achieve in a book.
I think I'll give your review a read once I've finished it Elizabeth. You should watch the film, it is really different and I think you're right about it being a better story for film, especially with the dance - I would love to see the dance in the book not just read it.
This book really speaks to me, I guess because I know a lot of people who find mental health a daily struggle. I don't ever want to put it down!
Nicola wrote: "Okay so I may have cheated and started this on 31 May - I have about 70 pages left to go. I watched the film first too - on the day before I started the book!!I loved the film, so good. I love th..."
Nicola, I found details of this book this morning. I don't know any more about it, but it looks like it might be a better book which deals with mental illness. The author apparently is a registered mental health nurse. So it should be authentic and thoroughly researched. I've added it to my tbr list. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16...
oo that sounds great - there are a lot of good mental health books out there.I finished Silver Linings Playbook last night. Five stars from me ;) I'll wait for others to catch up!
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If it was me, having read both of them, I'd pick The Little Stranger. It's an intriguing read, but lengthy. The Silver Linings Playbook I managed to read in just over a day - less than half the length of The Little Stranger.
I found it was a really quick read Lisa :)
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I've found some discussion questions on The Silver Linings Playbook if anyone needs a few pointers for discussion.http://www.readinggroupguides.com/gui...
I really enjoyed the book but read it in January so have forgotten a few things.I will say until rereading the questions linked above that I'd forgotten he'd been hit on the head, and that there's evidence in the story that he has a traumatic brain injury rather than mental illness. That strengthens the story for me, as it was hard to work out how he'd been so high-functioning before, and unable to comprehend so much 'after' 'apart time'.
It is a light, simple read, but as a natural pessimist I did find some of the engrained optimism rubbing off on me a little bit.
I started this on Wednesday and finished on Saturday. I enjoyed it, it's fairly light and simple but I quite like that, I have to think hard during the working week, so I don't want to have to think too hard when i'm reading for pleasure. Lisa, I'd go for this one if you feel like you're falling behind. Personally, I enjoyed this one more than the little stranger, and if you're struggling for time then it's quicker and you'll be able to finish it and take part in discussions.
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I struggled to connect with any of the main characters in this book. It may not have helped that it was very American centric, and not knowing the culture fully means that some of the detail meant nothing. Pat has obviously had a lot of pain in his life, and with his mother taking him out of the institute added to his personal stress. His mum is very caring, but struggles with his father, not a particularly nice guy, and having another grown man at home who need care and attention. The therapist is slightly odd, but as I have never seen one, this may well be normal! The brother seems ok though.
Although I enjoyed the parts about Pat himself the lengthy paragraphs about football games and the stats about his team were so boring that they ruined the book for me.
I have to confess I skimmed the lengthy paragraphs about the football games and resumed the story afterwards. I couldn't help but wonder whether Pat would have been better off living with his brother and sister-in-law. They seemed the only normal sane ones in the novel!
I guess I didn't really like the football bits, I thought they were much better in the film, the way they linked the dance and the football.I think I'm alone in loving this one!
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I've been thinking about reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower, but wonder whether it's another marmite book that might leave me feeling as disappointed as this this one did! Has anyone else read it? If so, what did you think? Is it any better?
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Perks of a Wallflower looks intriguing too.
I really loved this one!Also liked Perks, which I read just the other week. I suppose it helps if the main character voice resonates with you.
I've borrowed the DVD of The Silver Linings Playbook from the library to watch this weekend. I just want to find out whether it makes a better film than novel. I noticed they have changed a few details, like Pat's surname, and the reason for him being admitted to hospital (8 months in a state institution on a plea bargain). Perhaps that seemed more acceptable to film-goers?
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Yep it's a spoiler. Gatsby in a nutshell. Sorry :(. But it's a great novel.
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I suppose that's a major drawback with novels about novels, especially if there's one you haven't yet read.It spoilt A Farewell To Arms too.
I've got a non-fiction book The End Of Your Life Bookclub waiting to be read too and that talks about a lot of books I haven't yet read The End of Your Life Book Club.
I watched the film of The Silver Linings Playbook last night. I liked it a lot better than the novel. Good choice of actors to play Pat and Tiffany. There were so many changes to the story, but it still worked. I'd give the film 3 stars against the 1 star for the novel. It's rare that I prefer the film to the novel and, in fact, I can't think of another instance :D
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I started reading this today -- the day I joined the group -- and am about 3/4 through it already. I have mixed feelings. At first, I really LOVED it. In the first 50 pages, I think I can truly say "I laughed; I cried." But it wears a little thin, and I agree that the dance part doesn't really come alive on paper.I also think there is some promising humor that could have been developed more.
As for the American football parts, I'm American so I "got" them, but geez, they made American football games/fans look pretty bad. I'm not sure if this corresponds to reality -- not with the Seattle Seahawks as far as I know, anyway!
I was a bit shocked by how violent the American football games/fans seemed Betty. I think I did prefer the film to the book Elizabeth, again that's rare for me.
Nicola wrote: "I was a bit shocked by how violent the American football games/fans seemed Betty. I think I did prefer the film to the book Elizabeth, again that's rare for me."
Hey, as an American, I was shocked too! And I've never read anything about that sort of drunken violence at American football games (as opposed to British football games ;)) But as I said, maybe there are things I don't know. I have been living in France since 1990...
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haha I know I relate to him too :P probably doesn't reassure you much! He is so trusting of Tiffany I felt awful for him.
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I just loved this book. I haven't seen the movie yet because I'm worried I will be disappointed after reading the story. Here is my review if you are interested.http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
OK, so I JUST figured out that this book became the film that was released under the title "Happiness Therapy" in France. Duh. I almost went to see the film in February but didn't...glad I read the book first.
yey Laura! The film is so different from the book - I loved both equally.Well Jen, I already knew I was loopy before I read Silver Linings so... ;)
Just a note: please don't read this if you haven't finished the book, it contains info that might spoil the book for you. I loved this book and thought that the plot and character development was fantastic. I thought the author did a great job in conveying Pat and Tiffany's relationship throughout the novel. The part I liked the most was how Tiffany had been writing the letters to Pat instead of his real wife, to potentially allow Pat to rid himself of his past. The dance competition (that wasn't a competition) saw Pat become determined and eager to succeed; thus with intent, to allow him to move on. The end was great when he finally did move on. I'd love to see the film to see how a different interpretation alters my thoughts on this novel.
Laura wrote: "I just loved this book. I haven't seen the movie yet because I'm worried I will be disappointed after reading the story. Here is my review if you are interested.http://www.goodreads.com/review/..."
I feel the same, I loved the book and am worried that the film won't live up to my expectations. Still going to give it a watch though, regardless of the fact it no doubt won't be a as good.
This was a simple read with so much emotion packed into it's pages, that I was somewhat surprised at how much I loved this book. I knew I would like it after I first started reading it, but the more I read it, the more I fell in love with the raw honesty of it.With that said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would, and most likely will, recommend this book.
That's exactly what I loved Amber - how raw it was. I'm just going to keep popping back on here, telling you again I love this book, then going away :P
I didn't see the movie, but I read the Silver Linings Playbook. I really enjoyed the book until the end. I won't give that away, but that is the one way I thought it should not end. Just made the whole book look trite.
Debbie wrote: "I didn't see the movie, but I read the Silver Linings Playbook. I really enjoyed the book until the end. I won't give that away, but that is the one way I thought it should not end. Just made th..."I think you could put spoilers in here now Debbie, as most of us have now read the book :)
Didn't you think Pat and Tiffany deserved to be together? I thought what she did to Pat was horrible, but I suppose if he was able to overlook that then the ending was fitting. They both deserved to find something close to happiness didn't they?
I have just finished this book & I really liked the majority of it. Didn't like all the football stuff or the spoilers for some of the classic books that I have yet to read but liked it. felt sorry for Pat's mum though being married to that man. glad Pat was able to start to move on in the end though.
I was a big fan of the TV series Friday Night Lights (about American high school football on the surface, but really about small town life) - have also read the non-fic book about it - and I wonder if that made it easier for me to bear the football stuff in Silver Linings? Either way it certainly didn't impact my enjoyment of the book, which I think I liked enough that I might even reread it one day (very rare for me).
I felt sorry for Pat's mum too his dad seemed so awful.I think they deserved to be together. But I did see the movie first and I thought that in the movie more than the book they deserved to be together - if that makes sense.
I thought that too, about the movie. Tiffany came across as much more likeable in the movie than she did in the novel. I just didn't warm to either of them in the novel, at all.The dad was horrible, wasn't he - nasty, controlling and bullying in the novel but slightly better in the movie.
yeah, I just... I loved them both in the movie and I think if I had read the book first I would have disliked Tiffany especially and maybe Pat. When I read the book I did really think of the film a lot and yeah, the dad was just an abusive bully.
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Books mentioned in this topic
The Silver Linings Playbook (other topics)The End of Your Life Book Club (other topics)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (other topics)
The Shock of the Fall (other topics)
