The Silver Linings Playbook

By: Matthew Quick

Narrated by: Ray Porter

Pat Peoples knows that life doesn’t always go according to plan, but he’s determined to get his back on track. After a stint in a psychiatric hospital, Pat is staying with his parents and trying to live according to his new philosophy: get fit, be nice and always look for the silver lining. Most importantly, Pat is determined to be reconciled with his wife Nikki.

Pat’s parents just want to protect him so he can get back on his feet, but when Pat befriends the mysterious Tiffany, the secrets they’ve been keeping from him threaten to come out . . .

Pat Peoples is my all time favorite character!

Oh my God, I never thought I could fall in love so much for a character and for a story. Pat Peoples is my all time favorite character in the whole world.

He's such a good, incredibly nice guy. He's trying so hard to be nice, (instead of right), and to do all the things he believes are going to lead him to his happy ending, always trying to see the silver linings...

Being mentally ill made him a lot better. One can wonder if all our concepts of being 'normal' and 'stable' are all that correct after reading The Silver Linings Playbook.

Pat Peoples, I've learned so much from you... I'm sure going to miss you, my friend!

The Audible edition is absolutely perfect. Ray Porter delivers it incredibly well, and even though I loved, absolutely loved the ending, I'm really sad it ended!

This is without a doubt one of the best portrayals of a neurodivergent person and one of my favorite books

I initially came to this book after watching the movie about 10 years ago, since then I've probably read it 5-10 times but I've lost count. I very recently found out I am probably autistic(I'm 34, around the age of the protagonist), at least have an attention deficit and a social disorder, and I finally understand why I empathized so much with Pat and Tiffany(the main characters) over the years, it's because they are wonderful renditions of traits from a neurodivergent spectrum.

I would put it up there with the classics of north American literature along Hemingway and Fitzgerald, it is no small thing managing to create a great portrayal of a person's brain when they don't fit in the "normal" spectrum, and it is much more impressive that it does so with through a wonderful story full of life-like characters that you get to love throughout the story, with all the grey tones a real person would have.

Highly recommended!

One of the most beautiful books about people, I felt so connected with Pat for being so real. I liked the movie but actually think they missed an opportunity to tell a new kind of love story.

Feel good indie listening

This is a feel good story, but with an indie not-everything-is-perfect touch to it which gives it more depth. It is as much a story on healing and dealing with life as it is about loneliness, friendship and all kinds of love (family, friendship and romantic). Two people more or less dented by life meet and become quite original friends. It's a lot like what Dr Seuss says:
"We are all a little weird and
Life’s a little weird,
And when we find someone whose
Weirdness is compatible with ours,
We join up with them and fall in
Mutual weirdness and call it love."

A nice gallery of characters, all humanly flawed in their own personal way. I love the quirk. The first person perspective of a main character who's quite messed up himself could have become disastrous in the hands of the wrong narrator, but it is spot on.

You get a big chunk of story, without unneccessary and flat plot, for the feel good genre and such a quick listen. If you're in the mood for an indie feel good, go for it!

The perfect read for a rainy day

The Silver Linings Playbook was an adorable and enjoyable surprise. Pat Peoples has just been let out of a mental institution and has one goal in life: to get back together with his wife Nikki. The only problem is that he’s got a restraining order. And he doesn’t remember why. All he knows is that he has to change in order to get her back. So he moves back in with his parents, reads all the books she loves, gets in shape, sees a therapist, and is totally oblivious to being a basket case. And then he meets a woman who is just as fucked up as he is.

Pat has absolutely no grasp of reality. But he’s got faith. Faith that there’s a silver lining, that if he works hard enough, he’ll get his happy ending. He’s charmingly naïve and utterly insane. Mix in some medication and a jazz phobia and you have a delicious cocktail of a book to be devoured sip by sip.

I’ve heard the novel described as one of those books that people who don’t usually read will also enjoy. I believe that’s true. The novel is entertaining, amusing and touching without being too light or clichéd. It’s the perfect easy read for a rainy day with no silver linings in sight. I listened to the audio narrated by Ray Porter, who did an excellent job. He read with emotion without overdoing it. And he has a nice, pleasant voice.