Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock

On Leonard's 18th birthday, he's got a plan: He's going to kill Asher Beal and then kill himself. Before he does that he's going to say goodbye to 4 important people in his life. He has going away presents for them. As the day goes on Leonard goes to school with his gun in his backpack and we learn what's led up to his final breakdown... and whether he's beyond saving.

This book is the supposed final day in the life of a boy who's been through a lot. Too much even. It's a story told through his thoughts and views on life and society. It's also a story told through footnotes that give more detail to things that are mentioned and "Letters From the Future", letters that give you an insight into the hopeful mind of someone on the edge.

My show more Thoughts:
This book features Leonard on the day of his 18th birthday. The day he will commit a murder-suicide. It's a story of a boy who feels alone. And his aloneness permeated straight through me. Throughout the book there were footnotes that gave background information or little insights into topics that were mentioned and there were letters that were titled "Letters From the Future". (I must admit those letters confused me a little at first... but all was explained eventually). I loved these added little features. I found they made the book more unique and thoughtful.

It's hard for me to even convey what I felt about this book. I haven't felt this messed up over a book since I read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. First of all, I couldn't STOP reading it. I literally stayed up all night reading and reading and stopping to cry on and off. I actually went and sat on my steps by myself for a little while just contemplating human nature. Like why we are the way we are. Why we hurt each other all the time. And how many Leonard Peacock's go unnoticed every single day. Ughh my heart just hurt!! And I kind of hated myself at the same time because I know I probably wouldn't be aware enough of someone like Leonard to help him. I'm too self-absorbed!

Leonard was this sad boy who had something truly terrible happen to him in his past. He also had a really fucked up home life and so didn't really have anyone overseeing how he was doing on a daily basis. What he did have was an AMAZING elderly neighbor and truly SPECTACULAR teacher. Herr Silverman and Walt were two of my favorite characters that I've met all year. I wish there really were teachers like Herr Silverman who care on that level.

I could probably philosophize (is that a word?) about this book all day. It brought up so many issues about the human condition and basically made me question my own character and morals to the point that I can't even describe it. I would be lying if I said this book was perfect. It wasn't perfect. The ending was kind of abrupt and Leonard got irritating at times. He wanted his classmates to open their minds up to other thoughts and ideas, but at times he was very judgmental and stubborn. I just want to say that this is a book that's worth reading. It will get you thinking about why people do certain things, and if you don't cry when reading the convo's between Herr Silverman and Leonard, I'm not sure we can be friends. It was heart-wrenching!

OVERALL: Ughhhh this book tore out my heart and made my head hurt from thinking about life... but I liked it. Leonard Peacock was so real to me, I wanted to reach in an hug him (or at least give him a damn birthday present!). If you want to read something life changing... read this!

My Blog:


http://pinkpolkadotbookblog.blogspot.com show less

I will admit that I didn't immediately like Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick. However, I will also admit that it grew on me. It is Leonard's 18th birthday and no one remembered. His father is theoretically in jail in South America. His mother, a fashion designer shacked up with some Frenchman, lives in New York while Matthew lives on his own in New Jersey. His only true friend is Walt, the old man next door, with whom he watches old black and white Humphrey Bogart movies.

So, Leonard decides to make this birthday worth remembering. First he'll kill his former best friend, Asher Beal, and then he'll off himself using a P-38 WW II Nazi handgun his grandfather took off of a German soldier. But first he has to hand out four show more presents to people he likes, leaving one for his mother in the refrigerator.

It takes more than half the book before Quick finally tells you why Leonard wants to kill Asher. Before that point, you, to some extent, thinks he's an asshole (excuse my French), a spoiled kid who got his way all the time and, while ignored by his mother, still doesn't have much to complain about. However, there is a valid reason Leonard is the way he is.

Quick is a good writer and Leonard's story could have turned out less compelling in another's hands. Leonard has serious issues and while all the 'warning signs' are there, no one seems to take them seriously, except his Holocaust studies teacher, Herr Silverman. There are reasons for abrupt changes in personality, be it Asher's or Leonard's, and they must be taken seriously. Quick points out the amazing good that comes from just one person caring about another, going out of his way to help someone. He also shows what a boy floundering around looks like, one who feels that life has no purpose.

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock is certainly not an uplifting book, but it's well worth the investment. show less

Trigger warning for rape, sexual assault, suicide, depression, and gun violence.

"You're different. And I'm different too. Different is good. But different is hard. Believe me, I know."

I am stunned by how good this is. I don't often read contemporary, but when I do, I try to read books with an important message, not something short and fluffy.

While short, there's definitely nothing fluffy about this.

I was basically sobbing the entire time. I've seriously never cried so much reading a book in my entire life, except for maybe They Cage The Animals At Night, which I read in the 7th grade and still cry about whenever I think of it. Honestly, I think this book should replace The Catcher in the Rye as a school required read, because it is so show more much deeper, more succinct, and far more emotional with a more profound message. Also, since I'm comparing, it reminded me a lot of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, though I have to admit I enjoyed this more.

Leonard Peacock is a startlingly complex and flawed person, suffering deeply and seemingly totally alone in his life. The few good people and things he has, or had, have either proven false or go unappreciated because of the thick cloud of misery under which he lives. Of those good people, I was particularly fond of Walt, his elderly neighbor, and Herr Silverman, his teacher. Unfortunately, the bad people—his mother, his old best friend Asher, and the countless blank faces who think more of themselves than of others—make him blind to the necessary love he already has.

This is a story of fear and sadness, of the conclusions scared kids make when they think they're out of options, but it's also a story of the hope of humanity, the beauty and potential of human decency. It's a story that hits close to home.

I particularly loved the complex view of people in this; of the bigoted views Walt has, of the unchanging narcissism of his mother, of Leonard himself, and the horrible act he plans to commit. Nothing is black or white. Nothing is wholly good or wholly bad. And I really appreciated that.

The "letters from the future" chapters were extremely well done, placed exactly where they needed to be, and added a great deal of hope for the future, as well as a melancholy view into Leonard's psyche at the time when he wrote them. I remember doing similar exercizes in my high school classes, not really seeing the point of them then. I think I see the point of them now.

I found the writing style to be quite unique, and paired with the excellent audiobook I listened to, Leonard's stream of consciousness voice was fantastically told, giving a very personal story a very personal feel.

There's nothing else I can really say other than wow. I cannot recommend enough. show less

“DO ANYTHING! SOMETHING! Because you start a revolution one decision at a time, with every breath you take.”

I did this as an audio book. I think this made this book affect me about 1,000 times more than it would have if I'd read the physical book. The reader, Noah Gavin, did such an amazing job. I can't count the number of times I cried.

Leonard Peacock is not a typical main character I like. He's made some decisions and choices I normally don't like to read about. But [a:Matthew Quick|1251730|Matthew Quick|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1384874930p2/1251730.jpg] wrote him in a world and in a way that I couldn't help but love him

He's just so human. And so much a kid. And so very very very....alone. This broke my heart and left me show more wondering. But it's a moving story and well worth bumbling through his life and his world to see his side of it all. Amazing.

And if I ever met Herr Silverman, I would hug him. He deserves a hug, he really does. show less

This is a quite intelligent investigation into the troubled mind of a would-be school shooter and suicide. And I felt his pain. But Leonard really annoyed me, with his self-absorption, introspection and complete contempt for most of the people who populate this novel. Which is kinda the point, I suppose. If it hadn't been for the hook of finding out what he actually did, I don't think I would have made it to the end - too unremittingly depressing.

Matthew Quick is an excellent story teller that gives an authentic voice to his characters. We meet Leonard Peacock on the morning of his birthday, the day he is planning on killing his former best friend turned nemesis and then himself with his grandfather's old WWII gun. The book chronicles the entire day including his goodbyes to the people he cares about and preparing to commit a terrible crime. This book is dark and intense but amazing. I listened to the audio book of this and forgot at one point that I wasn't actually following Leonard through his last day. This book is powerful to say the least. 4P, 4Q.

For those unfamiliar with Matthew (Silver Linings Playbook/All Together Now), he's a master of unusual plots with dysfunctional/quirky characters. In this story we meet Leonard Peacock, a 17 year old boy who's dark side can be attributed to affluent, self absorbed parents clueless about child rearing. An only child, he finds a hero in a compassionate high school teacher and Walt, an elderly neighbor who's fixated on Bogart films. When his best friend Asher turns on him, he decides life isn't worth living and plots to end his and Asher's lives with an antique Nazi pistol inherited from his grandfather.

One of the more unique elements surfaces when the teacher suggests he write letters to himself from the future as a means to replace show more despair with hope. These letters add an unusual yet immersive quality along with a fantasy relationship with a Bible toting girl, which is a contradiction in terms since he's atheist. This is the type of story Quick excels, though unlike the others, Leonard's character arc is less ebullient or hopeful . That said, there ARE sparks of brightness brought by the teacher, Walt and little Miss Jesus who inspire him at his darkest moment. Unique, evocative and engaging, its classic Matthew Quick from start to finish and highly recommended as well. show less