Silver Lining Playbook

The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After all the buzz about the movie during the award circuit this year, I didn't even know this originally started out as a book. I always love a book more then a movie, so I decided to read it before I get to see the movie version.

Its always funny though because you have the characters already with faces before you know who they are. Jennifer Lawrence as Tiffany... Bradley Cooper as Pat Peoples... Robert DeNiro as Pat's dad. It was ok with me though... I actually thought those actors fit the parts very well.

The story is of Pat Peoples & his life after coming out of a mental institution - or 'the bad place' - & how his life is all about working out, making himself better, so he could have 'apart time' over & get back with his wife Nikki.

We're not sure what has happened between the two of them, with memories being suppressed & years lost ... but all Pat knows is he wants his wife back & will do whatever it takes. Even changing his body by extreme workouts & reading all the books Nikki taught in school.

Along the way, we have his family - his mother who is Pat's biggest protector, his brother Jake who is an ideal big brother... & his father, whose mood depends on the Eagle games.
Pat also gets surrounded by his friends & even his counselor, Cliff & is also introduced to Tiffany... another person who has had issues & has had a difficult life herself.

Its an interesting story - watching Pat remember what happened in his past to have him get to his breaking point. To see how differently everyone in his family reacts to Pat when he's home. To see the fallbacks he goes through. To learn more about what really happened with Pat & Nikki.

I was also so intrigued by Tiffany & her story. What was it that made her who she was. How she would just follow Pat running, never saying a word... how they would spend time together just doing nothing, no talking involved. And to know why she took the chance of doing something drastic in which she thought would help Pat.

I did enjoy the book - almost made me feel the mental struggles myself when Pat would repeat the same things over .... "being kind, not right" ... the Eagle's chants... the words he would use "bad place" "apart time"

I did also appreciate the heart of Pat though - the need to find miracles in life - the need to find those silver linings in every things that happen. To have that optimistic attitude. There is something to be said about that.

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