Rent The Silver Linings Playbook

Synopsis

Recipient of an Honorable Mention for the 2009 Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for a Distinguished First Book of Fiction

Why did NPR's popular librarian Nancy Pearl pick The Silver Linings Playbook as one of summer's best reads for 2009?

''Aawww shucks!'' Pearl said. ''I know that's hardly a usual way to begin a book review, but it was my immediate response to finishing Matthew Quick's heartwarming, humorous and soul-satisfying first novel . . . This book makes me smile.''

Meet Pat Peoples. Pat has a theory: his life is a movie produced by God. And his God-given mission is to become physically fit and emotionally literate, whereupon God will ensure him a happy ending -- the return of his estranged wife, Nikki. (It might not come as a surprise to learn that Pat has spent several years in a mental health facility.)

The problem is, Pat's now home, and everything feels off. No one will talk to him about Nikki, his beloved Philadelphia Eagles keep losing, and his new therapist seems to recommend adultery as a form of therapy. Plus, he's being haunted by Kenny G! Then, Pat meets clinically depressed widow Tiffany, who offers to act as a liaison between him and his wife -- provided he agrees to a secret contract that includes giving up football and performing in the next Dance Away Depression competition.

As the award-winning novelist Justin Cronin put it: ''Tender, soulful, hilarious, and true, The Silver Linings Playbook is a wonderful debut.''

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