โ Scribed by Matthew Quick
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
A heartwarming debut novel, soon to be a major movie by David O. Russell
Aawww shucks! NPR'sNancy Pearl said. I know thats hardly a usual way to begin a book review, but it was my immediate response to finishing Matthew Quicks heartwarming, humorous and soul-satisfying first novel . . . This book makes me smile.
Meet Pat Peoples. Pat has a theory: his life is a movie produced by God. And his God-given mission is to become physically fit and emotionally literate, whereupon God will ensure him a happy endingthe return of his estranged wife, Nikki. (It might not come as a surprise to learn that Pat has spent several years in a mental health facility.) The problem is, Pats now home, and everything feels off. No one will talk to him about Nikki; his beloved Philadelphia Eagles keep losing; hes being pursued by the deeply odd Tiffany; his new therapist seems to recommend adultery as a form of therapy. Plus, hes being haunted by Kenny G!
David O. Russell, the Oscar-nominated director of The Fighter, is helming his own adaptation of The Silver Linings Playbook. Due in theaters this Thanksgiving, the movie features Bradley Cooper (People magazines Sexiest Man Alive) in the role of Pat, alongside Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Julia Stiles, Chris Tucker, and Jacki Weaver. As the award-winning novelist Justin Cronin put it: Tender, soulful, hilarious, and true, The Silver Linings Playbook is a wonderful debut.
Pat Peoples, the endearing narrator of this touching and funny debut, is down on his luck. The former high school history teacher has just been released from a mental institution and placed in the care of his mother. Not one to be discouraged, Pat believes he has only been on the inside for a few monthsrather than four yearsand plans on reconciling with his estranged wife. Refusing to accept that their apart time is actually a permanent separation, Pat spends his days and nights feverishly trying to become the man she had always desired. Our hapless hero makes a friend in Tiffany, the mentally unstable, widowed sister-in-law of his best friend, Ronnie. Each day as Pat heads out for his 10-mile run, Tiffany silently trails him, refusing to be shaken off by the object of her affection. The odd pair try to navigate a timid friendship, but as Pat is unable to discern friend from foe and reality from deranged optimism, every day proves to be a cringe-worthy adventure. Pat is as sweet as a puppy, and his offbeat story has all the markings of a crowd-pleaser. (Sept.)
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"It's a charmingly nerve-wracking combination...The book is cinematic, but the writing still shimmers. This nimble, funny read is spiked with enough perception to allow the reader to enjoy Pat's blindly hopeful philosophy without irony." Barrie Hardymon, National Public Radio
"Quick fills the pages with so much absurd wit and true feeling that it's impossible not to cheer for his unlikely hero." Allison Lynn, People Magazine
"...compelling and fascinating ... a tour de force. ... From the beer-soaked Bacchanalian tailgating to the black holes of despair into which Iggles fans plunge themselves after a defeat, Quick is dead-on." Bill Lyon, The Philadelphia Inquirer
"...charming debut novel...it is hard not to be moved by the fate of a man who, despite many ordeals, tries to believe in hope and fidelity, not to mention getting through another day with his sanity intact." Stephen Barbara, The Wall Street Journal
"...endearing...touching and funny debut...Pat [Peoples] is as sweet as a puppy, and his offbeat story has all the markings of a crowd-pleaser." Publishers Weekly
Matthew Quick has created quite the heartbreaker of a novel in The Silver Linings Playbook. Kirkus First Fiction Issue
heart-warming, humorous, and soul-satisfying thought of starting off the review with a photo of me hugging the book and grinning like an idiotI liked it that much. Nancy Pearl, Pearls Picks + NPRs Summers Best Books (2009)
You dont have to be a Philadelphia Eagles fan (or even from Philadelphia) to appreciate talented newcomer Matthew Quicks page-turning paean to the power of hope over experiencethe belief that this will all work out somehow, despite the long odds that life deals us. Justin Cronin, PEN/Hemingway Award-winning author of The Passage
More than a promising debut or an inspiring love story, this novel offers us the gift of healing. Roland Merullo, author of Breakfast With Buddha
This is a funny, touching performance on the part of Mr. Quickand the beginning, I hope, of a big career. Dave King, author of The Ha-Ha
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