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)

Wonderful story

The story is outstanding. It is a story of rebuilding a life after a tragedy. The narrator was rough at first. He read Pat as kind of a mentally slow person, but Pat had a mental breakdown. He was delusional, but not intellectually challenging.

Surprisingly Excellent Book

I enjoyed the movie so much that I purchased the audio book to gain more insight on the characters. Listening to the first chapter, it became apparently clear that the movie wasn’t identical to the book. It rarely is but it didn’t matter.

The book is written very well about a difficult subject matter. The narrator- Ray Porter - Did a superb job. I really enjoyed his style that I will be seeking his other narrated books.

Excellent book.

I also hate Hemingway and Plath.

I saw the movie with Bradley Cooper when it first came outings 2012 and I got the audiobook in 2018 for free from Audible.

As I was listening I remembered all the similarities with the adaptation. Then I saw the trailer, because I forgot a lot from a movie I saw once in 2012, and I saw all the differences. But of course a 2 hour movie is going to develop Pat and Tiffany's relationship faster and they're going to give Robert DeNiro lines. But in the book both Tiffany and Pat Sr, don't say much. And there's more football than there is Tiffany.

The book has a slow reveal about Pat's past and deals with his amnesia really well. He was so childlike and I think that was a result of the mental trauma. Also, I see where Pat got his anger issues because the whole family was crazy.

A really big drawback was there was WAY TOO MUCH football. They are a family of football obsessed freaks and I did not care for it.

What I did love were Pat's book reviews. Especially for Hemingway and Plath. I also hated those books.

3 out of 5 Eagles.

You Will Laugh Out Loud

Would you listen to The Silver Linings Playbook again? Why?

I listened to The Silver Linings Playbook twice - once on my own and a second time with my husband. Our lives have both been touched by mental illness, and we like to read books that address this strange and complicated subject. Normally we listen to non-fiction, but we made an exception for The Silver Linings Playbook. Written in funny first-person perspective, this book takes you into the mind of Pat, who is trying to rebuild his life after a stay in a mental institution. Pat will make you laugh out loud.

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

Ray Porter brings the character of Pat to life. If I had just read the book, I probably would have imagined Pat to be sullen and morose. Porter's version of Pat is delightfully optimistic, honest and funny.

Any additional comments?

I highly recommend this book. The only reason I gave it four stars instead of five is because the plot is a bit over-simplified. Don't get me wrong - the plot is great - but it isn't going to win any prestigious literary awards. It reads like a book that was written to be made into a movie. And what a wonderful coincidence! It HAS been made into a movie starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. So buy this book today, enjoy the listen, and plan to see the movie in November.

Better than the movie by far, reader was excellent

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

Absolutely. Loved the print version but thought Ray Porter's narration was just fantastic. He brought the book alive in ways that reading it just couldn't. It also brought the story alive in ways that the movie wasn't able to do as well.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Pat Peoples. His general attitude as he progresses through the story is just great. Matthew Quick did a great job crafting such an interesting main character.

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

The tones and emotions he conveyed brought the story alive for me. And, honestly, brought the story alive more than the movie adaption (which was great in its own right) I would tell anyone to read/listen to the book before seeing the movie, or, if you loved the movie, I think you'll like Ray Porter's narration of the book that much more.

If you could take any character from The Silver Linings Playbook out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Pat Peoples because I think you'd end up having a fascinating discussion and as a Packer fan, I'm happy he doesn't remember the 4th and 26 disaster.

Any additional comments?

I agree with several reviews that say that this story just makes you smile at the end. And, in today's world, smiling at the end of a story is always a good thing. You owe it to yourself to read or listen to this book.

Is the movie better than the book???

The narration was great and the story moved right along, but there was nothing earth shattering or surprising. I kept hoping for a twist, but alas - nothing abnormal. I will watch the movie and see what all the fuss was about.

Fascinating story from a psychological standpoint.

Where does The Silver Linings Playbook rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is a book that I would recommend to others.

What other book might you compare The Silver Linings Playbook to and why?

I would compare it to other books whose narrator and main character is one who is afflicted with a psychological disease. It was fascinating! It was a completely different story than the movie, by the way. But, Jennifer Lawrence was perfect for the movie. I thought the book was fantastic.

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

No, I have not. I LOVED Ray Porter's performance. I have not heard him read before, but will search him out again. He portrayed the character perfectly, in my opinion.

Any additional comments?

Interesting book to read. I love books that get into the human psyche and why people act, think and feel they way they do.

story of recovering from depression

Any additional comments?

The narrator mispronounces the name of the game Kubb. He calls it "cub", the name of the game rhymes with tube. This distracted me from an otherwise interesting story.

So different from the movie!

Any additional comments?

The plot points were so entirely reworked for the movie. I admit I was a bit distracted by it, but I still enjoyed the book. I thought I'd get more insight into bipolar disorder but instead just enjoyed this for the story.

Good insight into the mind of a character like Pat

What did you love best about The Silver Linings Playbook?

I found interesting the perspective that the author gave of Pat Peoples. The story allowed me to understand Pat and gave detailed description of the characters involved in Pat's life.

Any additional comments?

Overall, I enjoyed listening to the book. I did not see the movie and would be interested in seeing how close it is to the book.