Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock

By: Matthew Quick

Narrated by: Noah Galvin

Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Finalist, Teens, 2014

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 audiobook, acclaimed author Matthew Quick unflinchingly examines the impossible choices that must be made - and the light in us all that never goes out.

©2013 Matthew Quick (P)2013 Hachette Audio

You're Forgiven, Leonard Peacock

What can I say about this novel? Completely moving. It was everything I had hoped for in a book. Detailing the psyche of a tormented young man, Matthew Quick addresses what few people in this country do. It truly sheds light on a lot of systems in this country - like the mental health system, school systems, familial relationships, etc. This needs to be a book that every young adult reads - so that they know that they are not alone in their feelings and emotions; and also to shed light on the consequences of our interactions with one another, especially during the critical developing years of our lives. Kudos to Matthew Quick! And to all of you Leonard Peacock's out there - we have heard you!

wish the ending was better

hood book the ending is just not the best wish it told you what happens to leo

Bleak

Grade: B-

One Word: sobering

Today, on Leonard Peacock's 18th birthday, he's going to kill his former best friend and then himself. First he wants to deliver four gifts to important people in his life.

Leonard is an enigmatic character, often rude and unkind despite his strong moral inner voice. Bright, thoughtful and evocative, he lets few people into his world. Walt, his elderly next door neighbor trades Bogart quotes with the teen, Lauren, a prosthelytizing would be love interest, his teacher Herr Silverman, and a violin playing classmate, Baback. Matthew Quick did the story a disservice by creating such a one dimensional, neglectful mother character. This is the second YA story I read with parents who leave their teens home alone for weeks on end as a plot device.

FORGIVE ME LEONARD PEACOCK held my interest. I'm not sure why I had a hard time connecting with Leonard and feeling his despair. I don't think I ever bought into the idea he was murderous, or even suicidal. He said the words, but they didn't translate into feelings for me.

THEMES: depression, suicide, parents, neglect, school, sexual abuse, friendship

Angsty

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I'd recommend it to select friends. It was a good and quick listen but the story line was deep and sad and even disturbing at points.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, it was hard to find a place to stop because I wanted to know Leo's whole story and what his next moves would be.

Never underestimate the power of a teacher

Thought provoking story into the mind of a teenager dealing with depression and trauma. But don’t let that scare you! Wonderful characters woven into his richly written novel. The power of kindness and the power of a teacher will impact the way you think about and treat the different kinds of people to meet every day

Entertaining, heart-wrenching, gripping

I've never read Matthew Quick before, and this is not the sort of book I would normally pick up. I've no idea what made me buy it, but I am very glad I did. It's one of the best books I've read in a long time. It's not an easy or comfortable book, but it is a compelling one.

The main character is very much alive. My heart ached for his pain at the same time I smiled at my own remembered teen melodrama and anomie. That's not to say that Leonard is your average teen with only an average teen's problems. He's not. However the more mundane teenagian tangents in the book are what makes him come alive.

I cannot say enough good things about the narration of this book. Noah Galvin does an amazing job, so much so that I can't imagine this book being read by anyone else. Just the right amount of bite, pain, anger, and passion in every phrase.

Get this and read it. It's a wonderful book.

Great Read!

When I listened to the first 15 minutes of this book, I thought, “this isn’t going to be the book for me.” But from 16 minutes on I didn’t want to turn it off! I just had to find out how Leonard Peacock’s life turned out.

So good, I hope there's never a movie version

Where does Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best

What was one of the most memorable moments of Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock?

The big reveal of the character's main motivation

What does Noah Galvin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Noah Galvin gave Leonard just the right amount of naivete and depth. It was enchanting

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I actually pulled the car over so I could listen to the ending.

Any additional comments?

This book was thoughtful and enchanting. Leonard was so sweet and wounded I wanted to go out and hug every lost teenager I see. But that would be creepy.

Cpruss

I really enjoyed the narrator. The story was good. Very believable. I would read another book by the same author.

Unashamed and Gripping

Quick doesn’t shy away from taboo or uncomfortable topics. It was one of my favorite things about “Silver Linings Playbook” and I’m happy to see it in this, my second book of his.