Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

11 reviews

wuthrinheights's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I read this book once, over 9 years ago and it made me cry and I loved it. I picked it up today, read it in one sitting for about 3 hours, and cried and cried past midnight. 

Leonard Peacock reminds me of Holden Caulfield. The kind of kid who questions things that people his age don't think about, who ponders and ponders, which make people so angry with him for challenging their beliefs. That he went through something awful when he was younger and it hindered his growth, and he is trying so hard to pin down what happened and why did it happen to him, and how can people live so blindly? 

I've always loved Quick's writings. It's never a black and white with him, he makes grey areas feel more comfortable and real. And I loved that he referenced Hamlet a lot, with so many interesting information peppered in the chapters. And I wish I could tell Leonard that he's so brave for dealing with all that. I want him to have better birthdays. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug abuse, Genocide, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

multimindz's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Meh at best. Standard White suburban whinging, if you will. Leonard is a unreliable narrator who lives in a depressive world of being caught up in himself because of a trauma that struck him at the hands of a former friend and born into an unloving family. It felt like "Harris/Kebloid Day Out", esp with all the casual racism (no Black ppl in the work but two instances of the n-word, one Iranian kid who is just trying to survive the WASP-y world & school he's been plunked in) and casual sexism. I was hoping for Walt to die, and for the kid to off himself at least sooner so that the story could end faster. 

I suppose it's a good glimpse inside the head & life of the average mass shooter and how they're so caught up and stuck on themselves. It is a good (though overly White) perspective of how trauma can really disrupt a person, how depression can deeply warp your perspective, and how it takes a villiage to fail a child but it isn't one I would recommend. 

Herr Silvermann seemed ok, at least he tried to do his job, which does show a great example of how the actions of one person going on a limb and giving a care can mean the world to someone else, even if they're on the brink. And the ending isn't neat but shows the problems are still ongoing, which makes sense, real life doesn't always have a happy ending, esp if nothing changes where it counts. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Stalking, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Alcoholism, Antisemitism, and Alcohol

missgrangerr's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

STUNNING! This book is so beautiful, its truly moving, hands down one of the best books I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Finished it in a day, I had to know if he went through with the plan and I loved spending every second of this day with Leonard.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Gun violence, Homophobia, and Rape

terezi's review against another edition

challenging dark funny fast-paced

• Loveable characters? No

3.0

kind of like this book  but i also kind of don’t i kind of really don’t

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Stalking, and Abandonment

shinel's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Antisemitism

ina_pages's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I read this book back in 2016 and 7 years later I'm still thinking about it. I gave my copy away to a friend who I thought needed to read it and it's definitely on my list of books to reread.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Gun violence and Toxic relationship

jeansisabook's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The premise was great and the first half of the book was executed really well, particularly in crafting a character who both actually struggled socially to the detriment of himself and others, but still was worth rooting for. The latter half felt rushed in pace and almost undid the work of the first in terms of investment, but the premise and character of Leonard was enough for me to stick it out. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexual harassment, and War

evakarolina's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This book is a history of helplessness of a young, broken person in a brutal world. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone with suicidal thoughts or with because it’s really tense and the problem of suicide is explicit. I remember crying for a long time after I read the last sentences; for sure it’s a book that will stay with me forever. 
The world should say „forgive me” to ALL Leonard Peacocks out there: people with terryfying past being a produkt of long-time neglect.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Homophobia

teddybears's review against another edition

emotional

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Murder

Minor: Homophobia and Racial slurs

racblac99's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Antisemitism, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Gun violence