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| Read on June 18, 2013 |
Expected Publication Date: August 13, 2013
Publisher: Little, Brown BFYR
Format: ARC
Page Count: 288 pages
Source: RAK
Today is Leonard Peacock's birthday. It is also the day he hides a gun in his backpack. Because today is the day he will kill his former best friend, and then himself, with his grandfather's P-38 pistol.
But first he must say good-bye to the four people who matter most to him: his Humphrey Bogart-obsessed next-door neighbor, Walt; his classmate Baback, a violin virtuoso; Lauren, the Christian homeschooler he has a crush on; and Herr Silverman, who teaches the high school's class on the Holocaust. Speaking to each in turn, Leonard slowly reveals his secrets as the hours tick by and the moment of truth approaches.
In this riveting book, acclaimed author Matthew Quick unflinchingly examines the impossible choices that must be made—and the light in us all that never goes out.
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock is a surprising and... different read. I think I set my expectations too high for this one, since I had heard nothing but amazing things about this one, but I was ultimately let down by it.
I'll start off by what I did like about Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock: the premise was so unique! I was sucked into the story immediately, and I loved getting to see what's made Leonard's life so troubled. Matthew Quick did a superb job at crafting together Leonard's life together and telling his story. Very interesting!
Now. What didn't I like about this book? Simple: the writing. Like I said earlier, I was enjoying this book in the beginning, but after awhile, I found it to grow repetitive, and I was getting disconnected to the story. While the footnotes at the bottom of the page were interesting, I wasn't always interested in it. And there were quite a lot of curse words in the book! I'm not a fan of curse words, but I'm not affected by them (they don't determine whether I like or don't like a book), but I don't think that they fit the overall aurora of the book. I was just very disappointed by this read, especially with all the hype and praise surrounding it.
But Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock was a good book - just not as good as I had hoped. While the beginning and ending were very interesting, the middle lacked substance for me. Who knows? Maybe this'll be the book for you. Unfortunately, it wasn't for me.
Overall, Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock was a let down, but not completely. However, it's one of the most original books I've read in a long time!
M Y R A T I N G
Hmm, I've been curious about this one for a while now, but I'm definitely not a fan of repetitive writing... Sorry you didn't enjoy this one as much as you would have liked, Brad! I think it'll be one I check out of the library instead of purchase.
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