Love May Fail

A Novel

By: Matthew Quick

Narrated by: Cris Dukehart, Jim Meskimen, Lorna Raver, Timothy Fannon, Tonya Campos

Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

An aspiring feminist and underappreciated housewife embarks on an odyssey to find human decency and goodness - and her high school English teacher - in New York Times best-selling author Matthew Quick's offbeat masterpiece, a quirky ode to love, fate, and hair metal.

Portia Kane is having a meltdown. After escaping her ritzy Florida life and her cheating pornographer husband, she finds herself back in South Jersey, a place that remains largely unchanged from the years of her unhappy youth. Lost and alone, looking to find the goodness she believes still exists in the world, Portia sets off to save herself by saving someone else - a beloved high school English teacher who has retired after a traumatic incident.

Will a sassy nun, an ex-heroin addict, a metalhead little boy, and her hoarder mother help or hurt her chances on this madcap quest to restore a good man's reputation and find renewed hope in the human race? Love May Fail is a story of the great highs and lows of existence: the heartache and daring choices it takes to become the person you know (deep down) you are meant to be.

©2015 Matthew Quick (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Listeners will be exhilarated by this loving tribute to teachers, writers, and literature." ( AudioFile)

What a pleasure

I smiled throughout this listen, sometimes a smile mixed with a few tears. I've listened to hundreds of books and never took the time to rate own. Clever structure with the different voices picking up the timeline, wonderful narration. Some of it was hokey and predictable but that was part of the charm. 5 stars, for sure

Loved it. Funny. Quirky. Sad

If you liked Silver Linings Playbook. You'll love this more. It has me smiling and crying

Invested

I was so invested in this story. The characters, and how they were connected. This is the second book I've listed to from Matthew Quick. I see more in the future.

This is..♡

Loved it. If you are down this will bring light. amazing listen for fiction lovers!

Let the Past Go and Start Again

This is a nice quirky story. It held my attention and I found myself making time to read. It did get a bit draggy around 70% or 80% in, but it was a short stint and forgiven.

The characters are what made this book stand out for me - and what characters they are! The story opens with a scene in which a scorned wife, Portia, is hiding in her own closet in order to catch her husband, a director in the porn industry, cheating on her with the (very likely underage) "talent". Just from that right there, you know this isn't going to be an ordinary story. But wait! There's more. Portia hops on a plane and heads back to her hometown and she tells her tale to her seatmate, providing much too much detail - stuff one might not even share with a best friend - but our protagonist goes right on with her storytelling. The fact that she is discussing it with a nun does not stop her. Yep! A nun. This sassy little nun will pop up again in the book and she is a hoot! But before that happens, Portia arrives home and we meet her mentally ill mother who is an extreme hoarder. I'll never look at a Diet Coke Lime without thinking of Portia's mom (do they even make that stuff anymore?). Next, we meet Mr. Vernon, Portia's high school English teacher, who is now living a reclusive life with his one and only companion, Albert Camus. Not the French writer, no he died long ago. This Albert Camus is Mr. Vernon's dog. There are still at least two more main characters I need to tell you about, but this is getting long.

The story is cute, fun, funny, and thought-provoking - an inspiring story about not being ashamed of your past and being able to make a new beginning at any stage in life.

Love may prevail

You don't come by a book like this often. But I'm happy to say I'm glad I did.

Love succeeds in this wonderful story

This novel served as a reminder to me that "coming of age" can happen at any time of life. It is a well done performance. I couldn't stop listening.

Beautiful

This book is rife with ideas and possibilities of what your life would be like if you followed your heart, lived your dream… And what happens when all of those things fall apart and what happens next. Love May Fail actually allowed me to re-examine my life. This would be a great book club book!

Quick Binging!

I only recently discovered Matthew Quick's work and have now binged on 6 of his books so far. He's my new favorite author. He takes the reader on a journey of compassion and wonder of the human spirit! Love!

Solid contemporary fiction with a light touch

This is a book that will fill your heart. Not in a heavy-handed way. It's a lightweight heart-warmer. A solid 4 star listen, but not epic enough for the 5 star award.

Here's the Google search that would produce this book:
metalheads, nuns, coincidences, Dead Poets Society, addiction, South Jersey diners, hoarding, cheating ex-husband, Vermont, NYC, NJ.

Note on the beginning: I found the main character's narration to be irritating and overly snarky. I almost stopped listening. She takes it down a notch soon enough tho, thankfully. So don't give up too soon.

Enjoyable characters. I did not quite fall in love with any of them, but I liked them very much.

A credit well spent.