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    Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock
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    Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock
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    Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock
    Audiobook6 hours

    Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock

    Written by Matthew Quick

    Narrated by Noah Galvin

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    In addition to the P-38, there are four gifts, one for each of my friends. I want to say good-bye to them properly. I want to give them each something to remember me by. To let them know I really cared about them and I'm sorry I couldn't be more than I was – that I couldn't stick around – and that what's going to happen today isn't their fault.

    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.

    A Hachette Audio production.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHachette Audio
    Release dateAug 13, 2013
    ISBN9781478979777
    Unavailable
    Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock
    Author

    Matthew Quick

    Matthew Quick is the author of The Silver Linings Playbook, which was made into an Academy Award-winning film, and the young adult novels Sorta Like a Rock Star, Boy21 and Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock. His work has been translated into more than twenty languages and has received a PEN/Hemingway Award Honorable Mention, among other accolades. He is married to the novelist and pianist Alicia Bessette.

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    Reviews for Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock

    4/5

    495 ratings67 reviews

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    • 3/5
      A suicidal teenager writes letters from his future self and reaches out to his neighbor and teacher for help. Don't read this when you're feeling down.
    • 5/5
      This one came out of left field and hit me right in the gut. Great library book sale find.

      I found this book at the library's used book sale. Honestly, I had put it on the shelf and forgot about it, but when it was time to pick out another book to read, it grabbed my attention. Funny how books will do that. I recognized the author, Matthew Quick, and remembered that was mainly why I picked it up at the book sale.

      So, it became my next read.

      I binged this book (as much as I can with a toddler constantly needing my attention). I had trouble putting it down and there were some really interesting aspects to it.

      One thing I loved was the letters from the future. There are 4 letters from Leonard's future placed throughout the main story of Leonard and his life as a high school student. These added a completely different feeling to it and I was a little confused at first where it was going, but in the end it all fell into place.

      I also became invested in Leonard. I wanted to know what happened to him, where he was going to go, and would he be okay. It was hard not to wonder about Leonard seeing as the entire novel is through his perspective (aside from te letters from the future).

      This hit me in the gut a little more than I expected it to. It made me cry, had me flipping pages to find out what happens next, and then breathing a sigh of relief at the just right amount of closure.

      Now, I've read (like I usually do) other reviews of this one. There are a lot of people who think the ending wasn't good enough or that it wasn't realistic. I agree. Leonard, in real life, would need more help. He would need counseling, at the bare minimum, and constant supervision. One does not simply go from suicidal to perfectly fine overnight. BUT, I don't think this was meant to be realistic like that. I took the ending as being a sign of hope. I sign that while Leonard went through some tough times, has a difficult life at home, and has experienced trauma, with help from those around him that care for his well-being and future, like his teacher and neighbor, he can make it through it all.

      If Quick wanted it to be realistic in the sense of what would happen to a young adult today in Leonard's situation, I think he would have taken it a different route. I also don't think it would have worked out as well, but I'm only speculating.

      I appreciated the ending. It was a sigh of relief and a moment of exhalation, so to speak. I know Leonard is far from okay, but I feel like the story had enough closure to lead me to belief he was heading in the right direction. It couldn't have ended better the more I think about it and it's really why I ended up giving it the coveted 5 stars, because I would read this again and I would probably get more out of it the second time around.

      Another pro of the book, some great quotes to take away! Here are some of my faves:
      You're different. And I'm different too. Different is good. But different is hard. Believe me, I know.

      Not letting the world destroy you. That's a daily battle.

      DO ANYTHING! SOMETHINE! Because you start a revolution one decision at a time, with every breath you take.
      I had more, but I forgot to write them down. :(
    • 3/5
      I was heading towards a 4* rating but I hated the ending. After bringing the reader to the brink of a difficult issue, the author sidesteps to avoid dealing with it in any meaningful way.Noah Galvin does a good job narrating this young adult novel.
    • 1/5
      i read almost 50% of it, but i gave up. it was so boring i was suffering
    • 3/5
      This book has been in my Netgalley que for a long time, and it was one of those books that I really wanted to read but every time I tried to I couldn't get into it. I finally finished it after getting the audiobook version from my local library and so here, finally, is my review.Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock is a book about a teen who is about to commit suicide. It is his birthday and no one remembers or knows and that is really the least of his troubles. Leonard Peacock is an outcast who decides that he is going to do it right - say goodbye to the important people in his life, kill a kid that made him miserable, and then take his own life. So this is his day, the lead up.Overall this was an emotional book, there were a lot of triggers in it and the main character, Leonard, is not ok. I think that the reason that I had so much trouble getting into a groove with this book was because I knew the ending going into it - I read a review that didn't have a spoiler notice and sadly I knew the outcome as I was reading it... I just needed the pieces while reading and I felt like I could predict them the whole time so I found it hard to get invested in the book.The book is very well done, it was an emotional rollercoaster of laughing and crying and surprise. I think that it is a great contemporary read, if not for the tale at the very least so younger audiences learn the signs of someone in this situation. I found it to be a good book and I liked it, but since it was spoiled I was missing some of the elements first readers got. If you are looking for an emotional book, or one about psychology, this book fits that bill.
    • 3/5
      Uberpredictable.
    • 4/5
      4.5 stars

      This book is important for so many reasons. It's definitely not a walk in the park but it has something to say.

      Needed more closure on that ending though. :c

      Side note: To me, a book that leaves you thinking and reflecting after you finish it is a book that is worth reading. Forgive Me Leonard Peacock definitely did that.
    • 4/5
      The book is dark, and I didn't care so much for the ending and the way it left everything so unsatisfied, but still, this is one I couldn't stop listening to. The way Leonard Peacock's story slowly unfolds, as he gradually drops hints to both the reader and the people around him, is inescapably compelling. There are certain elements that began to feel a little tired, such as lines that repeated themselves many times, but still, I couldn't help but relate to the character as more and more info was revealed about why he was so angry and so ready to die. The only real downside is that I was hoping for some real closure to the story, and there really wasn't any to be found here.
    • 5/5
      Today is Leonard Peacock's birthday. He is going to kill his former best friend and himself. This is a hard-hitting, first-person account of a desperate young man in a desperate situation. How he works it out and survives (yes, he lives another day) is compelling reading. Mature.
    • 5/5
      I don't read much young adult literature except for the occasional reread of a book I loved as a teen, but the blurb made me pick up an advance copy of this at ALA Midwinter. This was easily one of the top three books that I brought back. The narrator's anger and bitterness is intense and genuine, but so is his imagination and his curiousity. In spite of the fact that he'd surely be at least a difficult and at most a dangerous person to know, he also comes across as somebody you would like to have as a friend (or for a somewhat older reader, perhaps a psuedo-little brother). To me this read like the book I thought The Catcher in the Rye was supposed to be before I read it, and which I wished I was reading instead when I did.
    • 5/5
      (disclaimer: Matthew Quick and I are good friends. But that's not why I love this book.)

      Put simply, this is an intense, gripping portrayal of a teenage boy who decides to kill his former best friend. Fans of Quick's previous work will sense, immediately, that this is something of a tonal shift, though all of Quick's narrators find themselves in emotionally challenging, often dark, places. In this case, though, we're introduced to Leonard Peacock -- a boy who's in a darker place than we've ever seen in prior books by the author. Amber, of SORTA LIKE A ROCK STAR, certainly has her depression midway through her novel. But Leonard is an all encompassing, authentically sad and angry character.

      He has reason to be.

      I can't review the bulk of this book without spoiling plot elements. If the setup doesn't grip you, then know that the other hallmark's of Quick's work -- a unique, engaging voice; earned emotional moments; visual descriptions that linger long after the story's done -- are present. This is not a departure, a change, a reinvention of Quick's path as an author. This is the best exploration of a teenager's angry despair that you may ever read.
    • 4/5
      I really liked the book and the voice of Leonard really spoke to me. He was a seriously depressed kid with selfish parents. The end I did not care much for. I felt like the main issue of Leonard's problems were left up in the air.
    • 5/5
      Not going to lie only started listening bc it was one of the scribd select books and I used my monthly credit already but wow this book is indescribable. it's a must read for teens , parents of teens and teachers of teens. I usually only listen to audio books on my way to and from work but this one I couldn't stop listening to. I wanted to find Leonard and tell him that yeah like can be pretty shitty sometimes but that's why it's life. just amazing.
    • 3/5
      This book made me speechless. I do not really know what to say.
    • 4/5
      it threw me at first with the narration but he really grew on me and had me actually laughing out loud. I might even miss him a little lol
    • 5/5
      One of the best audiobooks I have listened to. it can drag you deep down in sadness but can also raise you high with hopes. and wonders.
    • 4/5
      this book somehow made me feel both uncomfortable yet touched. i wanted to hate leonard, but i couldnt help but wish for his recovery, too. definitely cried
    • 5/5
      Wow this was a tearjerker that I wanted to put down just to stop crying from time to time but somehow I couldn't do it. I wanted to know what he was going to do next. I was kept on the edge of my seat and wanting/needing to turn the page. Love how unpredictable this book truly was.
    • 5/5
      It was very good book. All throught I wish there was a better end it to.
    • 5/5
      This left me gasping for air over and over again.
    • 5/5
      Wow! At first I had trouble with a whiney teenager, but what a book!
    • 3/5
      I found this book ifficult to get through because it is a gloomy personal narrative of a teenage boy with severe undiagnosed depression. Don't start reading it if you're looking for something happy, but if you start reading it, don't stop.
    • 4/5
      The book is dark, and I didn't care so much for the ending and the way it left everything so unsatisfied, but still, this is one I couldn't stop listening to. The way Leonard Peacock's story slowly unfolds, as he gradually drops hints to both the reader and the people around him, is inescapably compelling. There are certain elements that began to feel a little tired, such as lines that repeated themselves many times, but still, I couldn't help but relate to the character as more and more info was revealed about why he was so angry and so ready to die. The only real downside is that I was hoping for some real closure to the story, and there really wasn't any to be found here.
    • 4/5
      Leonard Peacock is a smart, angry, articulate teenager. He has ideas few of his contemporaries grasp, and his parents have never taken the time to try. He longs for meaningful connections, but finds so few that he thinks of ending his life. He wants to give something to those few people who cared about him, and this slender chain of relationships may be all that keeps this brilliant, troubled boy from committing two tragic acts.

      The writing is powerful, funny, poignant and honest. There were many themes touched on, especially about the lack of meaning in the lives of so many people, and also about ways that people accept and adapt to being mistreated.

      I strongly recommend this book.
    • 5/5
      Wow! That's the one word I'd use to describe this book. It was intensely emotional. I think I cried for half the book and not because it was sad and bad things were happening but because Quick was tugging at every single heartstring I have. I felt for Leonard and was dying to know what it was that drove him to make the decisions that he had made. Noah Galvin's narration was spot on. I absolutely loved this book.
    • 3/5
      A suicidal teenager writes letters from his future self and reaches out to his neighbor and teacher for help. Don't read this when you're feeling down.
    • 3/5
      Ending feels rushed and unsatisfying; it would have been a four star book if there was a more considered conclusion because it was very well done otherwise.
    • 5/5
      Trigger warning for rape, sexual assault, suicide, depression, and gun violence.

      "You're different. And I'm different too. Different is good. But different is hard. Believe me, I know."
      I am stunned by how good this is. I don't often read contemporary, but when I do, I try to read books with an important message, not something short and fluffy.

      While short, there's definitely nothing fluffy about this.

      I was basically sobbing the entire time. I've seriously never cried so much reading a book in my entire life, except for maybe They Cage The Animals At Night, which I read in the 7th grade and still cry about whenever I think of it. Honestly, I think this book should replace The Catcher in the Rye as a school required read, because it is so much deeper, more succinct, and far more emotional with a more profound message. Also, since I'm comparing, it reminded me a lot of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, though I have to admit I enjoyed this more.

      Leonard Peacock is a startlingly complex and flawed person, suffering deeply and seemingly totally alone in his life. The few good people and things he has, or had, have either proven false or go unappreciated because of the thick cloud of misery under which he lives. Of those good people, I was particularly fond of Walt, his elderly neighbor, and Herr Silverman, his teacher. Unfortunately, the bad people—his mother, his old best friend Asher, and the countless blank faces who think more of themselves than of others—make him blind to the necessary love he already has.

      This is a story of fear and sadness, of the conclusions scared kids make when they think they're out of options, but it's also a story of the hope of humanity, the beauty and potential of human decency. It's a story that hits close to home.

      I particularly loved the complex view of people in this; of the bigoted views Walt has, of the unchanging narcissism of his mother, of Leonard himself, and the horrible act he plans to commit. Nothing is black or white. Nothing is wholly good or wholly bad. And I really appreciated that.

      The "letters from the future" chapters were extremely well done, placed exactly where they needed to be, and added a great deal of hope for the future, as well as a melancholy view into Leonard's psyche at the time when he wrote them. I remember doing similar exercizes in my high school classes, not really seeing the point of them then. I think I see the point of them now.

      I found the writing style to be quite unique, and paired with the excellent audiobook I listened to, Leonard's stream of consciousness voice was fantastically told, giving a very personal story a very personal feel.

      There's nothing else I can really say other than wow. I cannot recommend enough.
    • 5/5
      This was so good- in a heartbreaking, truthful, gut wrenching, beautiful kind of way. It is an important book.
    • 4/5
      Says a review at the back of my copy: “This is an important book.”

      It really is. Read it.

      I've read a lot of books about depressed, suicidal protagonists, because at first I was intrigued. Then it became some sort of initiative so I could better understand them. What would I do if I had a depressed, suicidal friend? I don't know for sure. I might say the wrong things. "It's going to be okay" and all that is never going to be enough.

      Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock is another insight. I actually like Leo, because he has this sick sense of humor and sarcasm that I get. And the Letters from the Future were something. I might give it a try for fun.

      The ending was kind of dry, though. I don't know if Leo's ever going to be okay, but at least he's okay for that day. Though now that I think about it, I guess that's how everyone else deals with life, don't they? One day at a time? So maybe he's going to be all right, after all.

      I hope he will be.
      And everyone else who is going through what Leo went through on his birthday.

      If FMLP taught me anything, it's this: talk, and be sincere about it. If you know or meet some person who has this sad look in his/her eyes, prefers people watching and one day gives out gifts and asks dangerous yet seemingly rhetorical questions but hints some truth in them, talk to them. Get them out of their shells. Try to know their stories. Because maybe, just maybe, that's what they need to go on. Someone who listens and understands will be their savior.

      (You can see that I'm really emotionally invested in this book. It just got me.)

      Happy holidays! :-)