Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Review: Love May Fail by Matthew Quick

Publisher: Harper
Pages: 401
Received: Received a copy from Harper Collins Canada in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: June 16, 2015
Buy From Chapters.ca / Buy From BookDepository.com

Goodreads Synopsis:

Portia Kane is having a meltdown. After escaping her ritzy Florida life and her cheating pornographer husband, she finds herself back in South Jersey, a place that remains largely unchanged from the years of her unhappy youth. Lost and alone, looking for the goodness she believes still exists in the world, Portia sets off on a quest to save the one man who always believed in her—and in all of his students: her beloved high school English teacher, Mr. Vernon, who has retired broken and alone after a traumatic classroom incident.

Will a sassy nun, an ex-heroin addict, a metal-head little boy, and her hoarder mother help or hurt Portia's chances on this quest to resurrect a good man and find renewed hope in the human race? Love May Fail is a story of the great highs and lows of existence: the heartache and daring choices it takes to become the person you know (deep down) you are meant to be.

My Review:

Another Matthew Quick story, these are always hard to not love, Quick definitely has a way of drawing readers in, even when his characters are the most annoying people you could meet. Truly, Matthew Quick writes stories that will leave you wanting more from the characters, wondering what happened with them after the book has ended.

The book opens with Portia Kane going through tough times, she is having a meltdown and ends up back home with her mother, who herself is not easy to deal with. Portia decides that she needs to find herself after being put down all these years with her husband and she begins a journey of self-discovery. The people that she meets (or reconnects with) along the way, are an eccentric group of people, all with their own journeys and problems to fix. Portia not only finds herself but along the way helps some unfortunate souls, but these people also help Portia learn about herself and teach her to do things for herself.

I always find it difficult to describe a Matthew Quick book because they are all so unique, what I loved is that Portia has been put down and she stopped believing in herself, now that she is on her own she needs to learn to trust herself. In her own way, Portia believes that she needs the help of the one person whose memory has kept her going but who has lost his own self. A lot of the story revolves around Portia but at the same time we get glimpses into some of the other characters' lives as well. There is a section that focuses on each of the characters, all who have their own problems they need to get past to be able to love themselves and these people connect in each of their quests to find hope in mankind.

Matthew Quick has so much humour, but it is amidst so much drama, his stories have everything that a reader could ask for in a story... there is romance, but there is trials and tribulations, but among all this is the strength a person has to restart their life. Matthew Quick truly brings real life situations to the forefront, Portia has a lot to come to terms with, is it possible to really restart when you have given up so early in life? Quick's stories always has me strive to be a better person and work hard for the things I truly want because the other option is regret and sadness.

This story is inspiring (like many of his others) and I can see Matthew's name being talked about for years to come because of how great his stories are. Definitely an author that needs to be read!

1 comment:

  1. I love his books and I totally forgot that this one is coming out!

    Kate @ Ex Libris

    ReplyDelete

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