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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I read “The Silver Linings Playbook” a number of years ago and liked it, which is why this ended up on my tbr. There are things about this story that I think are done well—Quick’s characterization of Leonard is great: depressed and a little weird and unlikable and just, ultimately, trying to figure the world out. I’m glad such sensitive topics are addressed in a book meant for young adults.
That being said, I feel like this book needed 50 more pages on the end of it. Virtually nothing is wrapped up, nobody faces any consequences, and it’s entirely unsatisfying. It would’ve been easy to cut down what was already there in order to make this happen, so I don’t know what Quick’s thinking was.
This was fine, but I don’t know that I’d recommend it to others.
That being said, I feel like this book needed 50 more pages on the end of it. Virtually nothing is wrapped up, nobody faces any consequences, and it’s entirely unsatisfying. It would’ve been easy to cut down what was already there in order to make this happen, so I don’t know what Quick’s thinking was.
This was fine, but I don’t know that I’d recommend it to others.
While the book is well written, I can't think of a single student to whom I would recommend it. It's pretty much a downer.
Overall story felt unfinished until I realized the footnotes were meant to be read concurrently. Printed version probably would've been better over ebook.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this book. Definitely not a 'feel good' book, but I enjoyed it. My only complaint...the ending was very unsatisfying! Will Leonard be okay?
I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did, maybe because I could connect with some points in Leonard's personality, but, nevertheless, Matthew's writing is something to die for!
There are no words that can fully describe my feelings for this book. I can definitely say that I will be reading much more of Matthew Quick (Silver Linings Playbook will most likely be one of my next reads). Though I was left wanting a little bit more (I think Linda should just go die in a hole) and there were some very odd moments in this book (cutting your hair, wrapping it up like a present, and leaving it in the refrigerator isn't exactly normal), I found Leonard to be a beautiful person. The character development is tremendous and you can see that Leonard goes from being homicidal/suicidal to wanting to get help in only 24 hours. Over all, it's a quick, wonderful, exciting read that will leave you thinking.
Ending could've been better, but all in all, I thought it was a good book
3.75 stars.
I wish I could give this book five stars. I wish I could put it on my favorites shelf. Some parts of it, largely the parts where Leonard was being comforted by his teacher, really hit home with me. However, other parts of it fell flat. I can't truly believe that the author wanted us to walk away with the feeling that Leonard was right, that he was better than everyone else, that all of his other classmates were just sheeple, but at the same time he didn't give us any other message to hold on to. There was not enough of a redemption for Leonard's character to convince me 100% that the author didn't want us to buy in to Leonard's special snowflake worldview. The fact that Leonard never even considered that any of his classmates might also be depressed, might also have problems, might also be intelligent and different and human utterly disgusted me, largely because I've met people like Leonard. True, they're broken. True, terrible things have happened to them. But they are so pretentious and self-righteous and sickeningly certain that their worldview is the ""reality of life"" that they are just impossible to like or even to help.
Herr Silverman was the redeeming character of this novel. As someone who's been in a dark place (not as dark as the place Leonard was in, but still dark), I really saw a lot of the people who had helped me in him. He was kind and patient and loving and willing to give Leonard help even when Leonard refused it. He braved being under a bridge with a boy who might have killed him. And there were moments in that almost exactly mirrored things that people said to me when trying to help me. In that way, I really wanted to give this book five stars, because some of it felt so deeply personal that I had to put the book down and cry because it sort of brought me back to how I'd felt then.
There is no question that this book is deeply disturbing, and its hopeful (I think?) ending was great, but I can't help but wonder what the author was trying to do with Leonard's character and his resolution (or lack of it). I didn't like Leonard. I understood his motivations, but I didn't feel that they excused his actions. He was a total douche who thought that he understood everything about everyone, namely that nearly everyone else were undereducated, try-hard conformists. I liked the message that sometimes people have beacons that they're sending out, and they need people to see them. But a crucial thing that the book didn't stress enough is that it's not only people as broken as Leonard who are special like that. Pain and depression do not necessarily make one person better than anyone else. And that's why I've given this book 3.75 stars instead of the 5 I really wanted to give it.
I wish I could give this book five stars. I wish I could put it on my favorites shelf. Some parts of it, largely the parts where Leonard was being comforted by his teacher, really hit home with me. However, other parts of it fell flat. I can't truly believe that the author wanted us to walk away with the feeling that Leonard was right, that he was better than everyone else, that all of his other classmates were just sheeple, but at the same time he didn't give us any other message to hold on to. There was not enough of a redemption for Leonard's character to convince me 100% that the author didn't want us to buy in to Leonard's special snowflake worldview. The fact that Leonard never even considered that any of his classmates might also be depressed, might also have problems, might also be intelligent and different and human utterly disgusted me, largely because I've met people like Leonard. True, they're broken. True, terrible things have happened to them. But they are so pretentious and self-righteous and sickeningly certain that their worldview is the ""reality of life"" that they are just impossible to like or even to help.
Herr Silverman was the redeeming character of this novel. As someone who's been in a dark place (not as dark as the place Leonard was in, but still dark), I really saw a lot of the people who had helped me in him. He was kind and patient and loving and willing to give Leonard help even when Leonard refused it. He braved being under a bridge with a boy who might have killed him. And there were moments in
Spoiler
his time spent talking Leonard down that nightThere is no question that this book is deeply disturbing, and its hopeful (I think?) ending was great, but I can't help but wonder what the author was trying to do with Leonard's character and his resolution (or lack of it). I didn't like Leonard. I understood his motivations, but I didn't feel that they excused his actions. He was a total douche who thought that he understood everything about everyone, namely that nearly everyone else were undereducated, try-hard conformists. I liked the message that sometimes people have beacons that they're sending out, and they need people to see them. But a crucial thing that the book didn't stress enough is that it's not only people as broken as Leonard who are special like that. Pain and depression do not necessarily make one person better than anyone else. And that's why I've given this book 3.75 stars instead of the 5 I really wanted to give it.
Es difícil describir todos los sentimientos que provocó en mi este libro, y es que todos hemos pasado por momentos así, o al menos eso pienso, en que no importa que todo mundo te diga que estarás bien, uno simplemente está cansado y quiere acabar con esa sensación de cansancio, hastío y hartazgo. El protagonista bajo una evidente depresión, pero una de las peores, cuándo uno está consciente de la misma, cuándo uno se pregunta cuánto tardará su mente en hacer "snap" es terrible. Cuándo uno empieza a leer las cartas del futuro, no puedes menos que conmoverte, es la redención que todos buscan, saber que por más jodido que esté tu mundo, hay algo a que aferrarse porque las cosas pueden mejorar. Me jode un poco no saber que pasa bien con Leonard, lo que pasa al final, creo que es de esas ocasiones en que uno quiere que suceda lo mejor.
Este es un libro que muchos adolescentes deberían leer, no para armarse e intentar una travesía como la de Leonard, sino para saber que no están solos y hay algo a lo que aferrarse aún en situaciones muy jodidas, también todos los padres, para que dimensionen que el solucionar la urgencia económica es solo una pequeña (pero importante parte) de la responsabilidad con un hijo, y que el estar presente es incluso más importante.
Definitivamente es un libro que recomiendo, es corto pero con mucha sustancia y es seguro que no deja a nadie indiferente, y pocos no pueden dejar de sentir la necesidad de proteger al protagonista, los libros tienen que hacerte sentir algo, y este lo logra definitivamente.
Este es un libro que muchos adolescentes deberían leer, no para armarse e intentar una travesía como la de Leonard, sino para saber que no están solos y hay algo a lo que aferrarse aún en situaciones muy jodidas, también todos los padres, para que dimensionen que el solucionar la urgencia económica es solo una pequeña (pero importante parte) de la responsabilidad con un hijo, y que el estar presente es incluso más importante.
Definitivamente es un libro que recomiendo, es corto pero con mucha sustancia y es seguro que no deja a nadie indiferente, y pocos no pueden dejar de sentir la necesidad de proteger al protagonista, los libros tienen que hacerte sentir algo, y este lo logra definitivamente.