Author: Matthew Quick
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Shelves: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction
Recommended For Fans of: John Green, Ellen Hopkins, Jay Asher
Synopsis: Leonard Peacock is a loner, who has spent the majority of his seventeen years tragically trapped in his dismal mind. So on the day of his eighteenth birthday, Leonard decides to murder his former best friend, and commit suicide soon after. Leonard's plan is to distribute "parting gifts" to what few friends he has left and leave his mark forever and always. As Leonard goes through his last day, the reader experiences the constant pain and ache that rules in Leonard's life, but catches the occasional glimpses of joy. From the author of the bestselling novel Silver Linings Playbook, comes a new book about life, death, and the legacy our lives make in this world.
Review: Leonard Peacock is a very disturbed character, that is for sure. But somehow, his character fits perfectly in this story. Leonard's point of view is sad, painful, but utterly brilliant. He is extremely intelligent, but his abstract way of thinking is what separates him from the rest of the high school students. Leonard's childhood is not revealed completely until the very end of the book, but it is horrifying to even try to fathom a way that Leonard might have grown up unscathed. In this way, I feel bad for Leonard. He did not want to be suicidal. It was not his intention to grow up with pent up anger and emotional scars. However, Leonard truly needed professional help, (spoiler: he never got it) and that is why I gave this book only 3 stars. The only character I felt was well developed was Leonard, and I would have liked to see more of Leonard's absentee mother or father, and maybe even a glimpse of Asher's childhood friendship with Leonard.
Conclusion: Although this book had its flaws, it will leave its mark on you, should you choose to read it. It is an emotional book that will leave you questioning everything around you. When I finished this book, I sat there for about 10 minutes, just contemplating something that seems so trivial, but obvious. What Leonard was going through was private, was hidden from his classmates. No one really suspected that Leonard had the intention of ending his life that day. You never know what is going on around you. Always try to look past the surface. Let this book change your life.
Fiction_TheNewReality
I keep seeing this book around the blogosphere. I honestly didn't even think twice about this book when I first saw it. But the more I hear about it, the more interested I become.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the story gives me the creeps, a little, i can't say that it misses the truths of the life and death. I think i will giit a try.
ReplyDeleteI have seen this book everywhere lately, but the synopsis honestly pushed me away instead of drawing me in. I have read several books that have been life-changers, like The Book Thief, but I am always hesitant with them at first. I think it stems from having a very rough childhood, and not wanting to put myself back in that place. But the same would probably be true of this book as it was with the others that ended up special: hesitant to read it but once I give it a chance, I am moved beyond words. So maybe, just maybe, the next time I go to the library, instead of passing this by I will bring it home with me. Thank you for your wonderful, as always, review!
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