Teen Pick: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
~Reviewed by Chantal
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock was not only a mesmerizing book, but it was also unforgettable in the way that is uncommon in most of the books that I've read lately. Although at first, I admit it seemed to be extremely creepy and overly graphic, but as I read on, I realized that this effect was only to emphasize the hardships that Leonard Peacock, the main character, had to endure. The characters and the atmosphere were built so the reader could relate to them, even in the most subtle way.
The plot was extremely well-written, creative, and humourous, but mostly in a dark way. Matthew Quick not only writes in a hilariously formal way that is hard to recreate, but also with a style that makes it seem as if he was a teenager himself and that this book was his own diary, because some of Leonard’s thoughts were so relatable and simply put. Also, every part that was meant to be suspenseful put me on edge every time, and from past experiences reading other books, it is extremely hard to recreate a suspenseful atmosphere through words.
Overall, this book made me laugh, cry and smile, and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone, as long as they are at least in high school because some of the material may be too graphic.
6 thoughts on “Teen Pick: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock”
This looks highly interesting. I’ll probably read this.
How dark is dark and how graphic is graphic? Are we talking about serious violence? Sex? Twisted thoughs and fantasies? I can handle a lot, but I just finished One Day, by David Nicholls, which had a beautiful and tragic ending. I think I need a bunch of light and noncommittal books to take my mind of it. Maybe I’ll look into this at the end of the summer.
Oh. I looked into it, and this book is about a school shooting. I reserved it, full well knowing that Nineteen Mintutes (Jodi Picoult, also about a school shooting) made me feel numb, depressed, and scared for a week. It was worth it and hopefully this will be too.
Sounds quite interesting.
Sounds interesting…will add to my list.
Sad books are really fun to read, just as long as they’re realistic. I should take a look at this