The Silver Linings Playbook

A Novel

By: Matthew Quick

Narrated by: Ray Porter

Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

A New York Times bestseller, The Silver Linings Playbook was adapted into the Oscar-winning movie starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence.

The Silver Linings Playbook is the riotous and poignant story of how one man regains his memory and comes to terms with the magnitude of his wife’s betrayal, an enchanting first novel about love, madness, and Kenny G.

During the years he spends in a neural health facility, Pat Peoples formulates a theory about silver linings: he believes his life is a movie produced by God, his mission is to become physically fit and emotionally supportive, and his happy ending will be the return of his estranged wife, Nikki. The problem is that Pat is now home, living with his parents, and everything seems off; no one will talk to him about Nikki; his old friends are saddled with families; the Philadelphia Eagles keep losing, making his father moody; and his new therapist seems to be recommending adultery as a form of therapy.

When Pat meets the tragically widowed, physically fit, and clinically depressed Tiffany, she offers to act as a liaison between him and his wife, but only if he will give up watching football, agree to perform in this year’s Dance Away Depression competition, and promise not to tell anyone about their “contract.” All the while, Pat keeps searching for his silver lining.

In this brilliantly written debut novel, Matthew Quick takes us inside Pat’s mind, deftly showing us the world from his distorted yet endearing perspective. The result is a touching and funny story that helps us look at both depression and love in a wonderfully refreshing way.

©2008 Matthew Quick (P)2008 Blackstone Audio

Critic reviews

"This offbeat story has all the markings of a crowd-pleaser." ( Publishers Weekly)

Sorta tedious, but loved the ending

STORY - This book is told from the viewpoint of Pat Peeples, and it begins with his release from a mental institution. His plight in the real world is unusual and very touching but, due to the simplicity of his thinking, the story quickly becomes repetitive and somewhat dull. It is a short, sweet, easy listen. It is never heavy or particularly sad, and there is occasional humor. Nonetheless, I found my mind wandering and my eyes glancing at the timer, wishing it would move more quickly.

Some reviewers have commented on the important themes explored in the story and how it illustrates the treatment of mentally ill persons, the importance of therapy, etc. I'm sure those themes and messages are all there, but I'm not one to dissect story lines and find hidden meanings. I just want to be entertained and, from that viewpoint, I think some of the repetition could have been toned down a bit. (For instance, "We chanted E-A-G-L-E-S and spelled the letters with our arms and legs" -- you will hear that probably 15 times.)

I don't want to give too much away, but there is a silver lining in the story. The last few hours were really good and the ending is great.

NARRATION - I don't think the performance was a challenging one, but the narrator did a good job.

OVERALL - I would actually rate this book more like a 3.5. It is entertaining, touching and a story that needs to be heard, but bogs down too much in the middle.

Enjoyed this very much as a therapist.

This book does help you to empathize with those struggling to manage their mental health. I highly suggest it to those in the field and to those freaking with their own personal battles.

Great story!!!

I may be the last person in America who has not seen this movie yet, nor did I know what it was about, so I went in completely fresh with this book. I really enjoyed this story alot and now I'm eager to see Hollywood's on screen interpretation, although I'm positive that the book outshines the movie in the detail it gives and character development. Watching it will purely be for entertainment value...I mean Bradley Cooper...hello?!! Great narration on this audiobook too.

good story, make me cry

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Silver Linings Playbook?

when Pey's mom told him that she will never leave him. i'm so touched.

What about Ray Porter’s performance did you like?

i like.

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

i'm very touched.

Any additional comments?

I'm so touched by his Mom's love.

Great story!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Silver Linings Playbook to be better than the print version?

I cannot answer that question as I have not seen the print edition.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Silver Linings Playbook?

the most memorable moment for me was when the lead character begins to unravel the mystery behind his dislike for Kenny G.

What does Ray Porter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Porter did an array of voices, some with accents, very well. He brought the book to life.

If you could rename The Silver Linings Playbook, what would you call it?

Im not that creative.

Any additional comments?

N/A

Darker clouds makes a brighter lining.

Decided to read this after enjoying the movie. These are two similar yet very different things. This book is darker. The characters more flawed. Which makes them all feel more real in their grittiness.

Well done Mr. Quick.

Pretty good story

Well I've got to admit this story really surprised me because it's not my usual genre. I was surprised that I actually bought it although it was on sale and decided well it's fairly short and I was looking for a short book this week to listen to.

now I'm going to have to rent the movie because I'm curious about how they portray the characters in the film. If I remember right this is the film that got Jennifer Lawrence her academy award. Which is the same genre that gave Angelina Jolie her Oscar as well. But when I think about it is it really that hard to portray a crazy person?

Everything about this story should have turned me off but I was compelled by good writing to continue. I hate sports especially football and so I groaned quite a bit but I was interested in what happens with this character.

and there aren't very many good books about people with bipolar disorder. Let alone films that portray it correctly. I like that this author did his homework it portrayed the character with manic rage that can be triggered.

There were twists and turns and a lot of douchebags and you know very few actually likeable characters but I think it was realistic most people in my opinion are assholes and very little has happened in my life to break that cynical view of the world.

I liked the ending and was a little bit surprised by it so that's a good thing and I would recommend the book especially for someone who's interested in mental illness although I didn't like it enough to ever really want to go through it again. it's like one of those really great movies that I don't really want to see you again because it kind of takes too much emotional energy to watch it.

This is not a good date story although I haven't seen the film so maybe they turned it upside down I mean you never know with Hollywood.

The narration was a bit spotty. the narrator kept getting confused about which character was speaking and would use the wrong accent. That really confused me and required rewinds in order to figure out what I had missed but it was just bad narration.

An engaging story

The book is a little better than the movie. both are four out of five

Interesting

This is the story of a man with mental illness who gets out of a mental institution and befriends the sister of a his best friend's wife. Told from his perspective.

An excellent listen

Everything about this was well done — very well written and beautifully read. I didn’t want to “put it down.”