Book Review - The Silver Linings Playbook
BOOK REVIEW
THE SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK - MATTHEW QUICK
BOOK RATING : 5/5!
I have found my new favorite book! I did not know when I began reading this that it would take the place of such an amazing book as The Fault in Our Stars, but I read this book with such active determination to see the main character find himself again and get over Nikki that I found at the end that I had found my new favorite! I will love this story until I am gray and old and it will always be on my dresser right beside me. I am determined to read it when I am feeling down because in my opinion, this is the perfect book to read when you're feeling depressed.
The main character, Pat, is sort of on the mental side throughout the book. It actually all stems from the incident that led to him getting conked over the head by a CD player that Nikki was holding. His memory of the night returns to him when he finally watches their wedding video. Before then, he is absolutely adamant that he and Nikki will get back together after their apart time is over. I felt so bad for him because I knew without a doubt that he and Nikki did not belong together because Nikki didn't visit him once when he was in the mental hospital and somebody that truly cared would have showed up.
The fact that he met Tiffany was basically what saved him from himself. It's kind of ironic how everyone condemned Tiffany after she pretended to be Nikki in the letters and they said that she set him back years in his recovery, but it actually turned out to set his wheels in motion and led to him getting his memories back. I think she shouldn't have used the letters but told him straight outright what had happened but still, I am glad she did something. Otherwise, he wouldn't have seen that she cared so much and that there was someone who actually wanted to be with him.
I found it a little upsetting that the book ended without Pat's dad really talking to him much at all. Like Tiffany said at the end, him and his mom deserve better. I guess there had to be one thing unresolved because in life, nothing is perfect. That's why I like this book so much because even though it has a happy ending, there are elements that give the reader a full perspecitve on what a happy ending really means. That it is good to hope, but you also need to have your feet on the ground at the same time.
I really loved Pat's therapist, Cliff. At times he annoyed me because thereapists usually do but whenever he stepped out of his therapist's chair he was awesome again. The Asian Invasion group totally had me chortling and I wanted whatever Indian dish they kept offering to Pat because I absolutely love Indian Food!
Another entertaining aspect was the devotion of his family with their team The Eagles. It is what sort of brought the family together despite their differences. It happened to be the one thing that actually allowed Pat to bond with his dad. What was even more special to me is how alike Pat was to the player of the jersey that his brother gave him. Baskett was the rookie and people didn't really expect him to do anything special but by the end of the season he actually set a record as the only Eagle to recieve two long touchdowns in the same season. In that same way, people didn't expect Pat to recover as quickly as he did but he surprised everyone with how well he took to life at home away from the mental institution. He even found a new love!
Suffice to say, I am in love with this book. I encourage everyone to read it as well because it really gives you a new perspective on your life and how you see things. I do sometimes feel as Pat does, that my life is like a movie that I need to keep trying to make things workout for the better but I have come to realize that I will never get a happy ending by trying too hard to end it the way I want it. Life is unexpected and the best endings are the ones that come out of nowhere
Book Info --->https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13539044-the-silver-linings-playbook
About the Author -->https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1251730.Matthew_Quick