The Silver Linings Playbook

Pat comes home after months (or years?) in a mental health facility and is determined to better himself in an effort to reunite with his estranged wife Nikki. He knows that if he achieves a level of physical and mental fitness that God will give him the happy ending to the movie of his life. He tirelessly works out and runs while also reading classic literature and making an effort to be nicer and help people. But no one is willing to tell Pat much about Nikki, what led to his being committed, or really anything that has transpired in the months (or years?) that he was gone. Enter Tiffany. Tiffany has her own issues. She's depressed over the death of her husband, but she takes a liking to Pat. She starts running with him (well not so show more much with him as following behind him uninvited), and eventually convinces him to enter a competitive dance competition with her in exchange for her being a go-between with Nikki. This might be his last chance to end "apart time".
A book about mental illness, love, family, and football.


My Thoughts:
Ok I'm thinking it might have been a mistake to watch the movie version of this and then read the book. I loved the movie, which is what led me to want to read the book. The movie actually was a lot different from the book... and for the better. Everything that was changed for the movie I can tell was changed to make the story flow better. I just wasn't feeling the same magic that I was feeling when I was watching the movie.... like at all.

Pat clearly has mental issues, and it was sort refreshing to read this book written in that voice. He came off very child-like and had a blunt matter-of-factness to him (sort of like Charlie of Perks of Being a Wallflower and Holden Caulfield of The Catcher in the Rye), which I liked and got annoyed with all at the same time. Pat was 34, but came off like he was 12... which led me to question how he was able to be married and have a job and all that in his previous life. I don't *think* when you are mentally ill that you just wake up one day, have a life changing incident, and your entire personality is completely changed. I'm pretty sure if you have emotional issues, like Pat clearly does, you've been like that for a while. I could be wrong though?? I'm no expert, but if he was so emotionally immature as he seemed to be, I truly question his past ability to have relationships.

What I really didn't like was the lack of information given throughout the book. We followed Pat as he went through his daily routine of fitness and Eagles football stuff, but we weren't given details into his past, especially his mental diagnosis. The movie stated that he was Bipolar... unless I missed it, the book just left it up to the reader to figure out what was up with him. And I had NO idea that Bipolarism could cause years of memory loss. Not too sure about that? Also it was mentioned that he was a crappy husband, but all that was said was that he was an asshole to his wife, it wasn't mentioned how his illness played a role in that.

I know I'm super biased... but it was pretty hard for this Pittsburgh-er to read about Philadelphia Eagles fans. No offense to my peeps out in Philly, but it is common knowledge throughout the football world that Eagles fans are the WORST! I went to college in a sort of central Pennsylvania location, so we had a TON of Philly people there... and I lived through the Eagles Superbowl run of 2005. Ughhh it was rough going! Eagles fans are so loud and *sorry** annoying!! And they hate on their own team half the time!! So yeah it was a little hard for me to get down with all the Eagles fandom going on in the book. At least in the movie Pat tried to avoid Eagles stuff! But that being said, I'm a super NFL football fan, so I did enjoy parts of it (especially when the Eagles were losing *mwahhahahaha).

I found the dance competition not being the ending of the book to be anti-climatic. Same with the end result of the Tiffany/Pat relationship. I wanted more of a connection between them, and I just wasn't feeling it.

OVERALL: An interesting look at a man dealing with mental illness and the loss of his previous life. I loved the movie, but felt like the book didn't hold the same type of magic that I got from Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. It's a book that sucks you in, but doesn't go to places like you'd expect it to.

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Digital audiobook narrated by Ray Porter.

Pat Peoples is at home again, living with his parents, after spending an indeterminate amount of time “in the bad place” – a mental hospital. He knows that if he can just improve himself a bit, his wife Nikki will come back to him. Problem is, no one will talk about Nikki or tell him the truth. His old friends have wives and children that he doesn’t remember. The Philadelphia Eagles keep losing. His father barely speaks to him. And now he’s got a girl, Tiffany, who is following him around. At least his therapist is an Eagles fan…

What a delightfully quirky and touching story. I never saw the movie, but knew it was very popular. I put the book on my tbr knowing basically nothing about show more it and was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it.

Pat is a wonderful character and narrator. His constant repetition of his mantra, his reminders to himself that he is trying “to be kind, not right” and his unfailing belief that he will be able to succeed just endear him to me. Tiffany is so confused and hurt and hopeful, that she, too, just pulls me in. I loved Pat’s mother and his therapist (and fellow Eagles’ fan) as well. The only character I could never quite figure out – and could have done without – was Pat’s father. But that’s a small quibble, really.

Ray Porter does a marvelous job of performing the audio book. He really brought these characters to life for me. show less

Matthew Quick's The Silver Linings Playbook tells the story of narrator Pat Peoples's return to real life after four years in a "neural health facility." Pat is determined to win back his wife, Nikki, after their "apart time," which Pat, with somewhat pitiable naivete, takes to be a trial separation. But then Pat meets Tiffany, who offers, on one rather arduous condition, to act as a liaison between him and Nikki. Needless to say, things don't go quite as he planned.

I will confess to being a bit dubious at the start of this very black comedy, as the tone seemed a bit uncertain and the plot is a bit predictable -- you'll be able to see where this one is going before you're halfway through (I don't think that's necessarily unintentional, show more however). The book also contains a touch of the surreal that doesn't quite feel as though it fits sometimes -- for example, the subplot with Pat's therapist is a off-kilter on a couple of levels, and I never did figure out whether Quick was clumsily trying a satirical twist. There's also a coincidental reunion near the end of the book that's a bit hard to swallow and comes precariously close to sticky sentimentality.

But I fell in love with the book about halfway through, sort of the way you'd fall in love with the weirdest-looking puppy from a litter of adorable yellow Labs. Pat is one of the most appealing narrators in recent memory, and Quick is such a skillful storyteller that you'll be taken by surprise by how quickly you get caught up in the narrative. There are also several hilarious set pieces, particularly the Rocky-inspired training montage (yep, you read that right). The ending, while certainly not unexpected, is touching and hopeful, and Quick handles it with a light touch, avoiding the temptation to hand the reader a maudlin walk into the sunset.

All in all, an impressive debut. show less

A fun and yet heart touching story of a great guy who is recovering from a severe psychological episode. The writing was witty and believable as Pat tries everything he is capable of to be worthy of his estranged wife and win her back. Sadly the time which he sees as minimal is actually multiple years and many things have transpired in the meantime. A friend's sister-in-law, also dealing with some mental health issues after the accidental death of her husband, befriends him and they become training partners of a sort, running and eventually even dancing together. Pat is also struggling with his father who seems to have shut him out and only interacts with him when the Philadelphia Eagles football team is playing. In spite of everything show more that works against him, Pat continues to look for a silver lining and is sure that God will see his effort and reward him with a reconciliation with his wife.
I found the book to be such a quick but good read with light moments interspersed with the dark. It presents a serious topic, mental illness, in a very real and acceptable way. Although I haven't seen the movie yet, I will definitely see it after having read the book. show less

Literally could not put this bad boy down!! From the first page I was hooked. Nancy Pearl couldn't have endorsed a better novel (I knew she was an awesome librarian for a reason!). I absolutely cannot wait to see the movie adaptation of this. I just know it's going to be fantastic!

Pat Peoples is convinced that if he gets in shape, reads more, and is kind to people then he can leave "the bad place" and end his "apart time" from his wife Nikki. He believes that as long as you work hard enough you will always get your happy ending/silver lining.

Pat starts to learn the hard way that is not always the case. He returns from the mental institution to live with his family and while at home keeps a strict physical routine to get him in shape show more for Nikki. Lifting weights for many hours and jogging upwards of 10 miles everyday make him feel confident that he is on the right path to win Nikki back. He can't fathom why no one in his family will discuss Nikki with him but that doesn't deter him. Nothing does, not even beautiful, Tiffany, who begins to take an interest in him. Tiffany has problems of her own and soon these two form an interesting friendship. Soon he'll discover that he has to rely on his friends, family, Eagles football, his therapist, and Tiffany to get him through. Silver Linings aren't always what we think they are.

Simply stunning, excellent character development. I fell in love with every character. Matthew Quick does a fantastic job getting into Pat's head and making his mental problems understandable. A tour de force in a culture that surrounds mental health with such stigma. I cannot recommend this book enough. show less

I loved every minute I spent reading The Silver Linings Playbook! The story begins with Pat getting rescued from a mental institution by his mom. We see immediately that Pat has some OCD issues (as well as some other issues which brought the psychologist and occupational therapist in my book club to a fascinating argument) and is hell-bent on one thing: winning back the love and respect of his wife. From his parent's basement his life is centered around a schedule he designed which is guaranteed to bring him back together with his true love.

The only thing Pat seems to love as much as his wife is the Philadelphia Eagles. (BOO!) Even though Pat's an Eagles fan I could really relate to the moments he was worshiping the Eagles with his show more family. Whenever he did the special Eagles cheer with fellow fans I thought about shouting "IN-COM-PLETE!!!" with Broncos fans and the immense satisfaction it gives me. Sports fans will appreciate the comradery forged by the love of a team that Pat experiences throughout the tale.

This book is a real joy. Pat's eternal optimism made me smile from beginning to end. If you're feeling like you have a black cloud following you around, read The Silver Linings Playbook to give you some hope. show less

My response to this book can pretty much be summed up in the following words: HOLY SHIT I FUCKING LOVED THIS BOOK!!!

I saw the movie when it first came to video and thought it was charming, but I wasn’t really passionate about it, y’know? It just seemed like a cute rom-com starring Jennifer Lawrence. But the book? The book is AMAZING, and it’s all about hope and silver linings and seeing the beauty in things and wanting to be nice to people, and every time I read this book I’d end up grinning as I turned the pages.

I loved the narration of the book. If you’ve ever read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (you should have, and if you haven’t, go read it RIGHT NOW), it feels similar to that. You know Pat isn’t show more mentally stable. You don’t know what his diagnosis is, if it’s mental illness, brain injury, or what, but his instability is reflected his the prose. It’s simple, often (purposely and effectively) repetitive, and quite honestly, very beautiful. There aren’t big words, but the ideas and happenings are deep, poignant, and come across perfectly, in my opinion.

Most importantly, I think, the book makes you think and it makes you FEEL. We’ve all been that person, at some point in our lives, who’s the butt of the joke. We may laugh along to keep face, but on the inside, in hurts. We’ve probably all been in a situation where the group is doing something you don’t agree with, but you don’t want to speak up. We’ve dealt with the guilt later, because we were scared to go against our friends. We’ve all felt like we didn’t fit in, and that we didn’t understand why – what is wrong with us that so and so doesn’t love us like we love them. We’ve all been rejected. We’ve all made mistakes. We’ve all hurt people we loved.

This book made me laugh. It made me cry, it made me uncomfortable, and it made me very happy. It made me fall in love with Pat and his quest for silver linings. Reading this book was a complete experience, because it touched all my emotions. When I turned the last page, I immediately flipped backwards and reread my favorite parts. Then I placed it on the shelf of books I have informally labeled “BECCA’S BEST AND FAVORITEST BOOKS OF ALL TIME” – the shelf where I only put the best of the best, the books I reach for when I want a comfort read, the book I consider my best friends, the shelf originally inhabited solely by the Harry Potter saga but that’s slowly been added to over time. It’s a prestigious position for a book to be placed in (at least in my household), and no book should take the honor lightly.

I honestly have no bad things to say about this book. 5/5 stars. show less