Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock

By: Matthew Quick

Narrated by: Noah Galvin

Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Finalist, Teens, 2014

In addition to the P-38, there are four gifts, one for each of my friends. I want to say good-bye to them properly. I want to give them each something to remember me by. To let them know I really cared about them and I'm sorry I couldn't be more than I was - that I couldn't stick around - and that what's going to happen today isn't their fault.

Today is Leonard Peacock's birthday. It is also the day he hides a gun in his backpack. Because today is the day he will kill his former best friend, and then himself, with his grandfather's P-38 pistol.

But first he must say good-bye to the four people who matter most to him: his Humphrey Bogart-obsessed next-door neighbor, Walt; his classmate Baback, a violin virtuoso; Lauren, the Christian homeschooler he has a crush on; and Herr Silverman, who teaches the high school's class on the Holocaust. Speaking to each in turn, Leonard slowly reveals his secrets as the hours tick by and the moment of truth approaches.

In this riveting audiobook, acclaimed author Matthew Quick unflinchingly examines the impossible choices that must be made - and the light in us all that never goes out.

©2013 Matthew Quick (P)2013 Hachette Audio

Modern day Holden Caulfield with lots of F-bombs

Never having been a fan of The Catcher in the Rye, I found this book mellow dramatic. That being said, I think a lot of angsty teens who are not sure where they fit in will identify with Leonard. The message of it came across as very open-ended, though, so don't expect many answers. But I liked that. It's not neatly wrapped and tied with a bow. My least favorite part (although it was funny) was the cliché description of Christians. I think the author was attempting to describe Baptists or Pentecostals but then he would describe them to sound like Catholic or Presbyterians or Methodists. It was confusing. But one thing is for sure, I have NEVER met Christians such as these. It was utterly ridiculous. However, if it was meant to come off as Leonard's Atheistic view of how they SEEMED after first meeting them, then I can possibly understand that. But I guess that wasn't the point - it was just confusing/funny/annoying so I thought I'd mention it. :)

A Sophisticated, Powerful Listen

I loved Matthew Quick’s Silver Lining’s Playbook so I’ve been eager to read his latest book, Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock. Quick taught high school so is someone who has a lot of experience working with teens, and that comes through in this book. It reads very real, and makes you think about how you could make a difference in someone’s life that needs you.

As you can probably tell, this is not an easy read, though very topical. Leonard is sad and angry, and feels invisible and like there’s nothing to look forward to. The 24-hour style of the book makes the story feel even more intense. I was constantly on edge and worrying over Leonard’s fate throughout the book.

Through flashbacks we get to see the factors that figured into Leonard’s decision to take his life. We meet the four people that Leonard considered goodbye worthy: Walt, Leonard’s elderly neighbor who introduced him to Humphrey Bogart films, Baback, the violinist peer, Lauren, the homeschooled Christian, and Herr Silverman, the Holocaust class instructor. Leonard’s absent parents also figure into his state of mind, as well as the former best friend and murder target Asher, and their stories come to play as well.

The book does a good job of illustrating the portrait of a suicidal teen. Though he exhibits many signs you are supposed to notice in these cases, not many do. It’s heart-breaking to read about Leonard losing hope for the future too, because he sees so many depressed adults commuting in the morning, going to jobs that they hate. So, what does Leonard have to look forward to? He thinks “It gets better” is a joke. His observations about his adult “role models” really made me think.

I listened to the audiobook, read by Noah Galvin. Wow, Galvin does a great job getting into the mind of Leonard- he becomes the character. You can hear the hurt, anger, confusion, and sadness in his words. It’s hard to listen to the audiobook at times, because it does make the story hit home even more. I have a copy of the ARC to refer to, and I noticed after I listened to the book that the print version includes footnotes in the storytelling, around 70 footnotes or so. The audiobook incorporates the footnotes into the story seamlessly so you’d never know they existed stylistically. The narrative shifts between past and present, but it doesn’t get confusing in the audiobook. The only thing that threw me at first was the “letters from the future” though I think maybe that’s purposeful. Leonard is a powerful book made even more powerful in audio form.

I think this book will appeal to fans of The Perks of Being a Wallflower- it had a similar vibe to me. It’s a sophisticated read that I think readers of mature YA and literary fiction will appreciate. And with school shootings in the news and the topic of gun laws front and center, this book is very timely and discussion worthy. A worthwhile read that I couldn’t put down.

A Must Read !!!! 👏🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

The book is amazing and unexpectedly reached my expectations and surpass them. I'm not much of a reader, but the book grasped my interest, and I devoured it in one sitting. It's a book that will make you go there and experience the feelings of the characters and made it so you as a the reader experience all of the struggles and misfortunes of the characters

Wonderfully Done

If you could sum up Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock in three words, what would they be?

Raw, unfiltered, heavy

Who was your favorite character and why?

Leonard Peacock. Although annoying at times, his

What about Noah Galvin’s performance did you like?

I loved his pacing and his energy. I truly felt that I was living in Leonard's mind. Noah Galvin managed to evoke every sense of disdain and anger and self-depreciation that Leonard felt throughout the book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book is heavy and addicting. I couldn't stop listening to it, and even months after, I still play certain scenes in my head over and over again, its emotional impact just as fresh and raw and uncomfortable as the first listen. Leonard hates that he feels so much about everything and as the book explored how he became the lonely, angry boy he is, I felt chills tingle up and down my spine as you slowly understand why.

Any additional comments?

I loved Matthew Quick's Silver Linings Playbook. He employs the same amount of raw, unfiltered emotion in Leonard as he did in Pat in Silver Linings. Quick has a very simple, stream of conscious style that at times can be over-the-top but almost always come down-to-earth, tying in some sort of analogy or image that hits you when you least expect it.

Wonderful Story!!

I was hesitant to buy this book since I had mixed feelings about Silver Linings Playbook. But I did buy it, and am very glad I did!!

This is a beautifully written story, and perfectly narrated. It is a young adult story, but still thoroughly enjoyable for adults (and I am old!!). I looked forward to returning each time I left it behind.

Do yourself a favor and don't pass on this book--it is worth every penny (or credit!), and you will not be sorry!!

Yes it's dark, but it's an amazing story!

Would you listen to Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock again? Why?

Yes, I plan on it. There is such good writing and the thoughts expressed by Leonard Peacock are in many parts brilliant, that I want to hear them again.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Every character in the story is memorable. I started listening to the book on a short walk which ended up becoming a long, long walk just so I could continue listening to the story. When I got back home from the walk I kept the audible book on and listened to it until it was finished. It really is one of only a few books I just could not stop listening too / reading.

Have you listened to any of Noah Galvin’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but he couldn't have been more perfect for the performance. He was the 18 year old Leonard Peacock.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Don't screw it up like Silver Linings (yes, the movie received many awards, but if one looked at it objectively, it was absurd).

Any additional comments?

For those who might be put off by the dark drama that it is, don't be. There's enough wit to get through that part and the journey is very, very rewarding.

This is a MUST READ

What made the experience of listening to Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock the most enjoyable?

The experiences in this story seem so real that it seemed like they were taken from real life. I think the narrator did an amazing job.

What about Noah Galvin’s performance did you like?

I don't know if Noah Galvin is a teenager or not. He tells this story like he lived it.

Not bad, but wouldn't listen to again

I was really intrigued by this story because of its current cultural relevance. Although it was decently entertaining and I did enjoy it, it wasn't great. And I probably wouldn't recommend it. I did sympathize with the main character, but the storyline wasn't compelling enough to really draw me in. Echoing other reviewers', I did feel like it was hard to relate to the main character & often made me question the plot. It was definitely a unique story, but unfortunately fell short of my expectations. #broodingteen #dark #quirky #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

Wow.

The story is really incredible. But it wouldn’t be anywhere near as awesome without the emotion and passion of the reader.

Heartbreaking at times...

Where does Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I thought this was really well done, a great story and the narrator really brought the main character to life.