belabart71's review against another edition
4.0
It is fun when an author uses places around your hometown to tell a story—- a local high school, supermarkets, bars and the like…. The story was well-thought out and the characters were interesting; but sometimes I get the feeling Matthew Quick is trying too hard to get us to like him— references to stereotypical “Philly” things- Rocky, cheesesteaks, the Phillies… sounds cool but also a bit cliche… I like his writing style, and might take up another of his novels…
momoabdullah's review against another edition
4.0
Not my favourite from Matthew Quick but still amazing
megadallion's review against another edition
2.0
I really enjoyed [b: Silver Linings Playbook|13539044|The Silver Linings Playbook|Matthew Quick|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1358277412l/13539044._SY75_.jpg|2915346], but this Quick novel left me feeling just meh. It wasn’t great but it wasn’t terrible, and I had trouble connecting with any of the characters. It seems like Quick follows a formula for his books: fucked-up person finds other uniquely fucked-up person…eccentric and heart-warming moments ensue. While this worked perfectly for Silver Linings Playbook, I think the heart-warming moments and connections to the characters get muddled when Quick adds in so many other main characters and complications in Love May Fail. The book is divided into four parts, each narrated by a different main character: Portia Kane, Nate Vernon, Sister Maeve Smith, and Chuck Bass. I personally felt like each one of those parts could’ve been heavily condensed, or maybe it would’ve been better told by a single person, I don’t know. There was so much extra information that some parts just dragged along, leaving the plot at a stand-still with characters that I couldn’t care less about, making for some very boring reading. I definitely could’ve done without all the ‘80s hair metal references and descriptions (that alone could’ve saved us at least a couple chapters’ worth of material). There were other things that bothered me too, like how Portia’s whole demeanor and personality is flicked like a light switch from rich stuck-up bitch to sweet loving mother figure over the course of maybe a week. She goes from hardcore childfree-by-choice to totally cool with her main squeeze bringing his nephew on all their dates, which doesn’t make sense. The main story was kind of interesting (my favorite parts were Mr. Vernon discussing the meaning of life with his poodle Albert Camus) but there were too many plot holes within too much extra commentary and an excess of protagonists. I’ll probably still try [b: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock|13477676|Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock|Matthew Quick|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1370282544l/13477676._SY75_.jpg|19008613] since it seems like a different kind of book for Quick and I do enjoy his writing style. Hopefully that one’s better.
sarahbousq's review against another edition
2.0
This book was almost painful to read. I’m serious. I really enjoyed the first chapter. It only went downhill from there.
It was well written- Matthew Quick is a great author, and, just like Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, it deals with heavy topics.
So why only 2 stars?
Mostly, because the characters drove me crazy, and I thought that it was glorifying abusive relationships, and mishandled drug abuse (is that an oxymoron?) which I can’t get behind.
I wanted the book to end after the first chapter. I liked Portia in the first chapter, hiding in the closet with a gun and a scotch, wanting to kill her cheating, manipulative husband. It was an interesting start, to say the least.
This book was about Portia, her high school teacher, her high school teachers mother who is a nun, and an ex-heroin addict that she meets.
Portia, after breaking up with her husband, goes back to her small town and learns that her favorite high school teacher (who encouraged her to write) is no longer teaching, because one of his students tried to kill him with a baseball bat. She decides to seek him out and convince him to go back to teaching.
Meanwhile, she meets Chuck, a sweet bartender/teacher who is dealing with a former heroin addiction. She also decides to write a book, something her former husband discouraged.
None of the characters were particularly fleshed out. Portia was a spoiled brat who thought that the fact that she grew up waitressing negated all of the privilege that she had. She complained all of the time, and was not sympathetic to any of the other characters. She just seemed unnecessary cruel and not understanding at all.
I liked her in the first chapter when she was losing her shit, but after that her characterization just went downhill. She didn’t really consider that her mother needed help, that Nathan Vernon, her former teacher, had PTSD, or that her new boyfriend, Chuck, was dealing with addiction.
Nathan Vernon also really bugged me. He just didn’t feel like a real character, and we got to see 0% of his character growth. He clearly had PTSD and depression, but it was never addressed by any of the other characters, and by the end of the book it was magically cured? Yeah, that’s not how it works.
Chuck was a sweet character, if a little one dimensional. His storyline felt rushed, and as a former addict, he was not that sympathetic or understanding to his sisters’ situation. He is also in love with Portia after .2 seconds of meeting her again? His interactions with the kid was probably the best part of the book, but that’s not saying much.
The plot was so rushed in some sections, and then so slow in others, that it was impossible to get invested in the story. The characters were dislikeable at best, and I couldn’t really get any of the motivations behind the actions of the characters. The nun part of the story felt really unnecessary, so I didn’t even mention it.
I also really didn’t like how the author dealt with drug addiction, abuse, or mental illness in this book. It really took me out of the story, and using suicide attempts as plot devices and then not addressing them later in the story is not okay. I know everyone deals with things in different ways, but I felt like it wasn't dealt with at all.
Clearly, this is not a book I would recommend reading.
It was well written- Matthew Quick is a great author, and, just like Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, it deals with heavy topics.
So why only 2 stars?
Mostly, because the characters drove me crazy, and I thought that it was glorifying abusive relationships, and mishandled drug abuse (is that an oxymoron?) which I can’t get behind.
I wanted the book to end after the first chapter. I liked Portia in the first chapter, hiding in the closet with a gun and a scotch, wanting to kill her cheating, manipulative husband. It was an interesting start, to say the least.
This book was about Portia, her high school teacher, her high school teachers mother who is a nun, and an ex-heroin addict that she meets.
Portia, after breaking up with her husband, goes back to her small town and learns that her favorite high school teacher (who encouraged her to write) is no longer teaching, because one of his students tried to kill him with a baseball bat. She decides to seek him out and convince him to go back to teaching.
Meanwhile, she meets Chuck, a sweet bartender/teacher who is dealing with a former heroin addiction. She also decides to write a book, something her former husband discouraged.
None of the characters were particularly fleshed out. Portia was a spoiled brat who thought that the fact that she grew up waitressing negated all of the privilege that she had. She complained all of the time, and was not sympathetic to any of the other characters. She just seemed unnecessary cruel and not understanding at all.
I liked her in the first chapter when she was losing her shit, but after that her characterization just went downhill. She didn’t really consider that her mother needed help, that Nathan Vernon, her former teacher, had PTSD, or that her new boyfriend, Chuck, was dealing with addiction.
Nathan Vernon also really bugged me. He just didn’t feel like a real character, and we got to see 0% of his character growth. He clearly had PTSD and depression, but it was never addressed by any of the other characters, and by the end of the book it was magically cured? Yeah, that’s not how it works.
Chuck was a sweet character, if a little one dimensional. His storyline felt rushed, and as a former addict, he was not that sympathetic or understanding to his sisters’ situation. He is also in love with Portia after .2 seconds of meeting her again? His interactions with the kid was probably the best part of the book, but that’s not saying much.
The plot was so rushed in some sections, and then so slow in others, that it was impossible to get invested in the story. The characters were dislikeable at best, and I couldn’t really get any of the motivations behind the actions of the characters. The nun part of the story felt really unnecessary, so I didn’t even mention it.
I also really didn’t like how the author dealt with drug addiction, abuse, or mental illness in this book. It really took me out of the story, and using suicide attempts as plot devices and then not addressing them later in the story is not okay. I know everyone deals with things in different ways, but I felt like it wasn't dealt with at all.
Clearly, this is not a book I would recommend reading.
emily_miller's review against another edition
4.0
I am a Matthew Quick fan. I love his writing style. This is a good one, definitely a book to read and an author to read more of.
mamaorgana80's review against another edition
3.0
Loved parts of this. Some of it felt like disparate parts of different books despite the intention for all of it to come together. Slightly too tidy.
cheryl1213's review against another edition
3.0
In many ways, Love May Fail (supplied to me by HarperColiins) is a story in four parts. Like many in recent years, it is told by a series of narrators (and, thankfully, they are distinct enough to avoid confusion....though, it also helps that they each take one turn rather than alternating frequently). We open on Portia and find her hiding in a closet and watching her very wealthy porn-director husband sleep with a much younger woman. Portia eventually flees to her hometown in New Jersey where we meet her mother, a compulsive hoarder, and watch her reunite with her former hair-metal loving self.
Over time we meet several other players, among them are the three whose voices we later hear (one via letters): Mr. Vernon, the beloved teacher who has had pretty much everything in his life go wrong; Mom Vernon, now a nun who has been shunned by her son for many years; and Chuck, brother to troubled Danielle, uncle to young Tommy (a hair-metal fan....seriously, there's a lot of hair-metal in this book!), and a recovered drug addict who is telegraphed fairly quickly as a love interest for Portia. Portia tries to rescue Mr. Vernon, who is very clear about not wanting to be rescued, and becomes enmeshed in the lives of Chuck et al.
I have such mixed feelings on this one. I love Quick's writing and that alone could have motivated me to eagerly pick this one up each night. I also fell too hard for young Tommy, despite feeling like he was made far too perfectly-adorable and adorably-vulnerable. And, despite mixed feelings about most of them (adult Portia's interaction with Mr. Vernon was beyond aggravating and I didn't buy her relationship with her finances), I cheered for a good ending. BUT, there are also a LOT of...well, the phrase I can come up with is "convenient moments" in this book and that's a pet-peeve. We meet Mr. Vernon on a particularly awful day (one early moment in his section was far too tragic and far too unnecessary) and Portia and Chuck are far too perfectly-paired. I had trouble with several plot-lines and there's just far too "much" here; it felt like Quirk threw it all in at once for fear of never getting another chance. There are a lot of "too"s in this paragraph and that little word tells a lot...
Three and a half stars...easy to read popcorn-lit with some really dark themes but the writing saves it from being just another book you'd pick up in the airport...
Over time we meet several other players, among them are the three whose voices we later hear (one via letters): Mr. Vernon, the beloved teacher who has had pretty much everything in his life go wrong; Mom Vernon, now a nun who has been shunned by her son for many years; and Chuck, brother to troubled Danielle, uncle to young Tommy (a hair-metal fan....seriously, there's a lot of hair-metal in this book!), and a recovered drug addict who is telegraphed fairly quickly as a love interest for Portia. Portia tries to rescue Mr. Vernon, who is very clear about not wanting to be rescued, and becomes enmeshed in the lives of Chuck et al.
I have such mixed feelings on this one. I love Quick's writing and that alone could have motivated me to eagerly pick this one up each night. I also fell too hard for young Tommy, despite feeling like he was made far too perfectly-adorable and adorably-vulnerable. And, despite mixed feelings about most of them (adult Portia's interaction with Mr. Vernon was beyond aggravating and I didn't buy her relationship with her finances), I cheered for a good ending. BUT, there are also a LOT of...well, the phrase I can come up with is "convenient moments" in this book and that's a pet-peeve. We meet Mr. Vernon on a particularly awful day (one early moment in his section was far too tragic and far too unnecessary) and Portia and Chuck are far too perfectly-paired. I had trouble with several plot-lines and there's just far too "much" here; it felt like Quirk threw it all in at once for fear of never getting another chance. There are a lot of "too"s in this paragraph and that little word tells a lot...
Three and a half stars...easy to read popcorn-lit with some really dark themes but the writing saves it from being just another book you'd pick up in the airport...
ciska's review against another edition
4.0
*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review*
First of all this book is rocking!! All the best (or worst depending on your lifestyle) 80's rock songs are thrown around the pages. It was like a trip down musical memory lane.
The story is told trough 4 main characters. Portia Kane. Nate Vernon, the teacher. His mother and Chuck Bass another former student of Mr. Vernon and a friend of Portia.
Every voice brings the story further but also tells pieces from the past making it a story about whole lives complete with deception, loss, love, hope. Each voice has its own sound giving the me the feeling I really was with the other character. What I did feel and actually enjoyed was even though Chuck feels less than Portia, despite the fact that she did not finish college either, their voices came close. She is not much different than he is and I really felt like telling him all the time.
This story is about finding yourself when you are lost and though there are parts of the story to ridiculous there are other parts that are vulnerable and hopeful and sweet. It is a book full of emotions.
First of all this book is rocking!! All the best (or worst depending on your lifestyle) 80's rock songs are thrown around the pages. It was like a trip down musical memory lane.
The story is told trough 4 main characters. Portia Kane. Nate Vernon, the teacher. His mother and Chuck Bass another former student of Mr. Vernon and a friend of Portia.
Every voice brings the story further but also tells pieces from the past making it a story about whole lives complete with deception, loss, love, hope. Each voice has its own sound giving the me the feeling I really was with the other character. What I did feel and actually enjoyed was even though Chuck feels less than Portia, despite the fact that she did not finish college either, their voices came close. She is not much different than he is and I really felt like telling him all the time.
This story is about finding yourself when you are lost and though there are parts of the story to ridiculous there are other parts that are vulnerable and hopeful and sweet. It is a book full of emotions.
kba76's review against another edition
3.0
'Love May Fail' is an unusual book. The title suggests a book about taking a chance, having the courage to take a risk and hope that it all works out. The main characters are all, in some way, flawed but their lives intertwine and allow us to catch glimpses of the way we can influence those we come into contact with.
There are a number of stories within this novel, some of which are more interesting than others.
The main character is Portia Kane, a rather irritating woman with a good heart who tends to let life pass her by. She has, for years, lived with the fact that her mother is a hoarder and social recluse. Portia finds her husband cheating on her at the start of the novel, so she takes off on some crazy mission to save the one man who inspired her-Mr Vernon, her high school teacher. Things don't go quite to plan, but Portia does find a new relationship and becomes a writer (albeit one whose novel bombs).
Mr Vernon is a broken man when we meet him. He's lost that spark his students recall with fondness-but I think that's inevitable if you're attacked by a student! He is quite pretentious in many ways, but as we learn more about him he feels a more genuine character.
This is a novel of coincidences. It felt quite manipulative, and I really didn't feel emotionally connected enough to the characters to be drawn into their worlds. Perhaps the most genuine characters were Portia's old friend, Danielle, and her brother, Chuck. Unfortunately, even these characters were toyed with in such a way that I lost interest in them.
I can't help but feel this is one of those novels that on a different day, or under a different set of circumstances, I might have felt a lot more positively about. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC though.
There are a number of stories within this novel, some of which are more interesting than others.
The main character is Portia Kane, a rather irritating woman with a good heart who tends to let life pass her by. She has, for years, lived with the fact that her mother is a hoarder and social recluse. Portia finds her husband cheating on her at the start of the novel, so she takes off on some crazy mission to save the one man who inspired her-Mr Vernon, her high school teacher. Things don't go quite to plan, but Portia does find a new relationship and becomes a writer (albeit one whose novel bombs).
Mr Vernon is a broken man when we meet him. He's lost that spark his students recall with fondness-but I think that's inevitable if you're attacked by a student! He is quite pretentious in many ways, but as we learn more about him he feels a more genuine character.
This is a novel of coincidences. It felt quite manipulative, and I really didn't feel emotionally connected enough to the characters to be drawn into their worlds. Perhaps the most genuine characters were Portia's old friend, Danielle, and her brother, Chuck. Unfortunately, even these characters were toyed with in such a way that I lost interest in them.
I can't help but feel this is one of those novels that on a different day, or under a different set of circumstances, I might have felt a lot more positively about. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC though.