Wednesday 12 November 2014

The Silver Linings Playbook – the Novel by Matthew Quick


The Silver Linings Playbook is a book that I'm glad I read even though I found it a bit wrenching at times.  Thank you, Michelle from Jarrah Jungle for linking this one in to Books You Loved.

Some people say that the movie was better than the book.  I haven't seen the movie so can't comment.  If it is, it'll be an exception to the general rule that the original book is usually better.

The main character in the book is certainly complex and quirky.  The whole book speaks from his point of view – which is an adult suffering quite severe bi-polar – to pull that one off is a tour de force in its own right.

There is also quite a lot of humour in the book.  I wasn't sure what to make of all the football fan references – maybe not so accessible to someone like me who has never watched a single game of American football – which we call gridiron.  I come from a rugby nation, after all.

There are some really quirky chapter titles like:

Break Free of a Nimbostratus
Weathering the Relative Squalor
I Can Share Raisin  Bran

There is some bad language in the book but no sex to speak of.

This book had some similarities with The World's Strongest Librarian – a book I have posted about before here.

3 comments:

  1. I loved the movie but haven't read the book. Perhaps I should add it to my TBR list.

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  2. I thought this was a heart-breaking but beautiful book. I've also watched the film. I think it was equal to the book but not necessarily better.

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  3. Interesting - I've seen the movie but haven't read the book. Funny that you call football "gridiron," too, haven't heard that before!

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