Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock

Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

29 reviews

wuthrinheights's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I read this book once, over 9 years ago and it made me cry and I loved it. I picked it up today, read it in one sitting for about 3 hours, and cried and cried past midnight.

Leonard Peacock reminds me of Holden Caulfield. The kind of kid who questions things that people his age don't think about, who ponders and ponders, which make people so angry with him for challenging their beliefs. That he went through something awful when he was younger and it hindered his growth, and he is trying so hard to pin down what happened and why did it happen to him, and how can people live so blindly?

I've always loved Quick's writings. It's never a black and white with him, he makes grey areas feel more comfortable and real. And I loved that he referenced Hamlet a lot, with so many interesting information peppered in the chapters. And I wish I could tell Leonard that he's so brave for dealing with all that. I want him to have better birthdays.

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sglaser's review against another edition

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emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

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multimindz's review against another edition

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dark sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Meh at best. Standard White suburban whinging, if you will. Leonard is a unreliable narrator who lives in a depressive world of being caught up in himself because of a trauma that struck him at the hands of a former friend and born into an unloving family. It felt like "Harris/Kebloid Day Out", esp with all the casual racism (no Black ppl in the work but two instances of the n-word, one Iranian kid who is just trying to survive the WASP-y world & school he's been plunked in) and casual sexism. I was hoping for Walt to die, and for the kid to off himself at least sooner so that the story could end faster.

I suppose it's a good glimpse inside the head & life of the average mass shooter and how they're so caught up and stuck on themselves. It is a good (though overly White) perspective of how trauma can really disrupt a person, how depression can deeply warp your perspective, and how it takes a villiage to fail a child but it isn't one I would recommend.

Herr Silvermann seemed ok, at least he tried to do his job, which does show a great example of how the actions of one person going on a limb and giving a care can mean the world to someone else, even if they're on the brink. And the ending isn't neat but shows the problems are still ongoing, which makes sense, real life doesn't always have a happy ending, esp if nothing changes where it counts.

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oliviatriplett's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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little_ravioli's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Justifiably in my top 5 favorite books of all time.

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock is a fiction novel written by Matthew Quick about a 17-year-old high school senior named Leonard Peacock who plans to shoot Asher Beal, his former best friend, and then subsequently kill himself, on his birthday.

Hands down one of the very best books I've ever read. Everything, from the concept of humanity down to the nitty gritty of grammatical choices, was incredible and impressive. I feel as though a piece of my heart has been stolen by this book and the author has no remorse; a truly heartbreakingly beautiful perception and retelling of ones inner dialogue.

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missgrangerr's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

STUNNING! This book is so beautiful, its truly moving, hands down one of the best books I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Finished it in a day, I had to know if he went through with the plan and I loved spending every second of this day with Leonard.

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