A gratifying romp….Fans of The Silver Linings Playbook know Quick’s penchant for emotionally troubled, big-hearted characters, and Good Luck will satisfy those readers and new ones alike.” — People (Three Stars)
“It’s impossible not to love each of these deeply flawed characters….As funny as it is touching, Quick’s latest effort is on par with Silver Linings .” — USA Today , Four Stars
“A page turner...Easy to read but difficult to characterize. Part fairy tale and part vision quest…[it] could more aptly be called an adult-onset bildungsroman….Quick, a master scene-setter, details Neil’s personal tragedy in prose that is simultaneously funny and devastating.” — Boston Globe
“Original, compelling, uplifting. Quick celebrates the power of ordinary, flawed human beings to rescue themselves and each other. His writing is shot through with wit and humanity and an ultimately optimistic view of people, without ever becoming sentimental.” — Graeme Simsion, author of The Rosie Project
“Mr. Quick ventures to the edges of society,...He rewards us with an irresistible urge to think the best of humanity, to understand not only the need to walk in someone else’s shoes but also the altruistic power attained from doing so.” — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“Funny, touching, wise, and ultimately life-affirming, THE GOOD LUCK OF RIGHT NOW is quite possibly the greatest feel-good misfit-road story I’ve had the good luck to read. If you loved THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, this book is for you.” — Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain
“Winningly madcap.” — Entertainment Weekly
“Everything I relish in a story: a flawed but sympathetic protagonist, a page-turning plot, and a cast of emotionally scarred characters for whom I rooted wholeheartedly. I loved this novel from its quirky and unconventional opening to its poignant, tear-inducing conclusion.” — Wally Lamb, author of We are Water and Wishin' and Hopin '
“A knockout of a book that has something for everyone: humor, wisdom, plot twists, wholly original characters and Richard Gere.” — BookPage
“Life-affirming….Begins as a character study and morphs into a road novel, blending humorous set pieces-pack a Canadian hotel with UFO abductees and there’s bound to be fun-with poignant revelations about the novel’s main characters. It’s an unabashed tear-jerker.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune
“[Quick] has a rare skill in portraying characters with mental illness, which, when coupled with his deft hand at humor, produces compelling and important prose….fans of Wally Lamb, Mark Haddon, or Winston Groom will appreciate.” — Library Journal
“Quick returns to his offbeat, optimistic view of the world as only he can….an endearing celebration of the human spirit….Fans of bestselling author Matthew Quick’s The Silver Linings Playbook and its Academy Award-winning film adaptation will not be disappointed.” — Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“Quick, the author of The Silver Linings Playbook , provides another offbeat gem populated with eccentric, fallible, intensely human characters….Humor, pathos, and quirky bends in the road define they odyssey, making it increasingly clear that it is all about the journey, not the destination.” — Booklist
“Often funny, with humor that arises naturally from Bartholomew’s deadpan, literal view of the world….It’s easy to wish the best for Bartholomew.” — Columbus Dispatch
“A gentle, wise, poignant and funny story about the nature of reality and the daily strength required of the brokenhearted to live in it. Quick makes no misstep; each scene, each character, each storyline is perfectly realized and seamlessly woven into the narrative….A delight from beginning to end.” — Nashville Scene
“Quirky, compelling….Reads rather like A Confederacy of Dunces removed 1,200 miles northeast. As with that novel, it’s impossible to come away unamused by The Good Luck of Rights Now ’s kindhearted presentation of the misadventures of a damaged soul.” — Philadelphia Inquirer
“This book channels the same screwball sad sweetness we loved so much in Silver Linings .” — GQ.com, "The 8 Books You Need to Know This Month"
“Quirky, feel-good fiction….A whimsical, clever narrative.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“A deeply nuanced portrait of an unconventional family unit, friendships of necessity, and life’s give and take.” — Nylon Magazine
“Often marked as ‘crazy’ by those around them, [Quick’s] oddball protagonists…say out loud-and act upon-thoughts many of us have had, if perhaps kept inside….[With] The Good Luck of Right Now , Quick has done it again.” — Nashville Tennessean
“A quirky coming-of-age story….Quick writes with an engaging intimacy, capturing his narrator’s innocence and off-kilter philosophy, and the damaged souls in orbit around him.” — Publishers Weekly
“The Good Luck of Right Now will inspire and entertain with the power of kindness, love and even the universe….a very enjoyable read for me, so much so that I delayed reading the final chapters not wanting it to end.” — Burlington Times-News
“A plucky debut novel…Quick fills the pages with so much absurd wit and true feeling that it’s impossible not to cheer for his unlikely hero.” — People on The Silver Linings Playbook
“Matthew Quick has created quite the heartbreaker of a novel in The Silver Linings Playbook .” — Kirkus Reviews on The Silver Linings Playbook
“Pat is a fearless narrator; even his most outlandish delusions are so candidly expressed that the reader teeters between fear of heartbreak and the hope that Pat might actually yearn his way into happiness. It’s a charmingly nerve-wracking combination…The book is cinematic, but the writing still shimmers.” — Barry Hardymon, NPR on The Silver Linings Playbook
“I found him [Pat Peoples] compelling and fascinating, and I found myself not only caring about him but rooting for him unashamedly, which, for an author is, I believe, what they mean by scoring a tour de force.” — Philadelphia Inquirer on The Silver Linings Playbook
“Tender, appealing…funny and satisfying.” — Cleveland Plain Dealer on The Silver Linings Playbook
“Friendship, family, connection and discovery intertwine in a marvelous way in this appealing novel. … In refusing to be defeated by pessimism, Pat learns about true silver linings, not pretty happy endings.” — Marilyn Dahl, Shelf Awareness on The Silver Linings Playbook , a Picks of the Year Selection
“Endearing…touching and funny.… Pat [Peoples] is as sweet as a puppy, and his offbeat story has all the markings of a crowd-pleaser.” — Publishers Weekly on The Silver Linings Playbook
“Not just a postbag of whimsical letters; it’s also a bildungsroman ….A tender tale that manages to be both light-hearted and philosophical.” — Financial Times
“Grade: A. Picking up a Matthew Quick novel is a lot like going to your favorite restaurant. You just know it is going to be good.” — Boston Herald
A page turner...Easy to read but difficult to characterize. Part fairy tale and part vision quest…[it] could more aptly be called an adult-onset bildungsroman….Quick, a master scene-setter, details Neil’s personal tragedy in prose that is simultaneously funny and devastating.
A knockout of a book that has something for everyone: humor, wisdom, plot twists, wholly original characters and Richard Gere.
Life-affirming….Begins as a character study and morphs into a road novel, blending humorous set pieces-pack a Canadian hotel with UFO abductees and there’s bound to be fun-with poignant revelations about the novel’s main characters. It’s an unabashed tear-jerker.
Original, compelling, uplifting. Quick celebrates the power of ordinary, flawed human beings to rescue themselves and each other. His writing is shot through with wit and humanity and an ultimately optimistic view of people, without ever becoming sentimental.
Funny, touching, wise, and ultimately life-affirming, THE GOOD LUCK OF RIGHT NOW is quite possibly the greatest feel-good misfit-road story I’ve had the good luck to read. If you loved THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, this book is for you.
Everything I relish in a story: a flawed but sympathetic protagonist, a page-turning plot, and a cast of emotionally scarred characters for whom I rooted wholeheartedly. I loved this novel from its quirky and unconventional opening to its poignant, tear-inducing conclusion.
A gratifying romp….Fans of The Silver Linings Playbook know Quick’s penchant for emotionally troubled, big-hearted characters, and Good Luck will satisfy those readers and new ones alike.
Winningly madcap.
It’s impossible not to love each of these deeply flawed characters….As funny as it is touching, Quick’s latest effort is on par with Silver Linings .
Mr. Quick ventures to the edges of society,...He rewards us with an irresistible urge to think the best of humanity, to understand not only the need to walk in someone else’s shoes but also the altruistic power attained from doing so.
Quick, the author of The Silver Linings Playbook , provides another offbeat gem populated with eccentric, fallible, intensely human characters….Humor, pathos, and quirky bends in the road define they odyssey, making it increasingly clear that it is all about the journey, not the destination.
The Good Luck of Right Now will inspire and entertain with the power of kindness, love and even the universe….a very enjoyable read for me, so much so that I delayed reading the final chapters not wanting it to end.
Often funny, with humor that arises naturally from Bartholomew’s deadpan, literal view of the world….It’s easy to wish the best for Bartholomew.
Grade: A. Picking up a Matthew Quick novel is a lot like going to your favorite restaurant. You just know it is going to be good.
Pat is a fearless narrator; even his most outlandish delusions are so candidly expressed that the reader teeters between fear of heartbreak and the hope that Pat might actually yearn his way into happiness. It’s a charmingly nerve-wracking combination…The book is cinematic, but the writing still shimmers.
I found him [Pat Peoples] compelling and fascinating, and I found myself not only caring about him but rooting for him unashamedly, which, for an author is, I believe, what they mean by scoring a tour de force.
Philadelphia Inquirer on The Silver Linings Playbook
Friendship, family, connection and discovery intertwine in a marvelous way in this appealing novel. … In refusing to be defeated by pessimism, Pat learns about true silver linings, not pretty happy endings.
Not just a postbag of whimsical letters; it’s also a bildungsroman ….A tender tale that manages to be both light-hearted and philosophical.
A deeply nuanced portrait of an unconventional family unit, friendships of necessity, and life’s give and take.
Quick returns to his offbeat, optimistic view of the world as only he can….an endearing celebration of the human spirit….Fans of bestselling author Matthew Quick’s The Silver Linings Playbook and its Academy Award-winning film adaptation will not be disappointed.
Tender, appealing…funny and satisfying.
Cleveland Plain Dealer on The Silver Linings Playbook
Quirky, compelling….Reads rather like A Confederacy of Dunces removed 1,200 miles northeast. As with that novel, it’s impossible to come away unamused by The Good Luck of Rights Now ’s kindhearted presentation of the misadventures of a damaged soul.
This book channels the same screwball sad sweetness we loved so much in Silver Linings .
"The 8 Books You Need to Know This Month" GQ.com
A gentle, wise, poignant and funny story about the nature of reality and the daily strength required of the brokenhearted to live in it. Quick makes no misstep; each scene, each character, each storyline is perfectly realized and seamlessly woven into the narrative….A delight from beginning to end.
Often marked as ‘crazy’ by those around them, [Quick’s] oddball protagonists…say out loud-and act upon-thoughts many of us have had, if perhaps kept inside….[With] The Good Luck of Right Now , Quick has done it again.
A plucky debut novel…Quick fills the pages with so much absurd wit and true feeling that it’s impossible not to cheer for his unlikely hero.
People on The Silver Linings Playbook
Quick, the author of The Silver Linings Playbook , provides another offbeat gem populated with eccentric, fallible, intensely human characters….Humor, pathos, and quirky bends in the road define they odyssey, making it increasingly clear that it is all about the journey, not the destination.
Not just a postbag of whimsical letters; it’s also a bildungsroman ….A tender tale that manages to be both light-hearted and philosophical.
It’s impossible not to love each of these deeply flawed characters….As funny as it is touching, Quick’s latest effort is on par with Silver Linings .
12/23/2013 The newest from The Silver Linings Playbook author Quick is a quirky coming-of-age story about an earnest, guileless 38-year-old man with a dyspeptic stomach. After caring for his mother until her death, Bartholomew Neil begins adding to his writing repertoire—he already keeps an "Interesting Things I Have Learned" notebook—penning letters to Richard Gere when he discovers a "free Tibet" letter from Gere, his mom's favorite actor, among her things. Told by his grief counselor that Bartholomew should find his flock, he believes coincidence is at play and begins recounting stories from his life to the actor, and soliciting advice as well. Bartholomew's plan starts small: he wants to have a drink in a bar with a buddy and go on a date with a girl—hopefully the "girlbrarian" at the library where he spends most days reading books about Jung or the Dalai Lama. His motley flock slowly takes form, including the bipolar priest he's known his whole life, a foulmouthed paranoid grieving for his dead cat, and the paranoid's depressed sister, who just so happens to be the girlbrarian. Quick writes with an engaging intimacy, capturing his narrator's innocence and off-kilter philosophy, and the damaged souls in orbit around him. (Feb.)
Endearing…touching and funny.… Pat [Peoples] is as sweet as a puppy, and his offbeat story has all the markings of a crowd-pleaser.
Publishers Weekly on The Silver Linings Playbook
Matthew Quick has created quite the heartbreaker of a novel in The Silver Linings Playbook .
Kirkus Reviews on The Silver Linings Playbook
Quirky, feel-good fiction….A whimsical, clever narrative.
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Tender, appealing…funny and satisfying.
[Quick] has a rare skill in portraying characters with mental illness, which, when coupled with his deft hand at humor, produces compelling and important prose….fans of Wally Lamb, Mark Haddon, or Winston Groom will appreciate.
A plucky debut novel…Quick fills the pages with so much absurd wit and true feeling that it’s impossible not to cheer for his unlikely hero.
★ 2013-12-09 Quirky, feel-good fiction from the author of The Silver Linings Playbook (2008). Bartholomew Neil describes himself as having above-average intelligence, though it's clear his intelligence is unconventional and idiosyncratic. Neil tells his story in a series of letters he writes to Richard Gere, a figure much admired by Neil's mother. The novel opens with her death, a great loss for Bartholomew, who has lived with her for 38 years. Now he's bereft and alone, relying on the ministrations of Wendy, his grief counselor, and Father McNamee, a priest at the church Bartholomew has faithfully attended for his entire life. Although at first it's not quite clear what his motivation is, McNamee abruptly "defrocks himself" to help take care of Bartholomew. In addition to caring for Bartholomew, he spends much time praying but also drinking a daily bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey, and by the end of the novel, it becomes clear that McNamee has much to atone for. Bartholomew is something of a holy innocent. He becomes enamored with the "Girlbrarian," a woman he falls platonically in love with at the library he haunts. Through synchronicity (a key concept in the novel), it turns out the Girlbrarian, Elizabeth, has a brother, Max, going through grief counseling for his cat, Alice. Max, who can't get through a single sentence without using the f-word, links up with Bartholomew through Wendy, and the novel switches to a road trip to Canada, where Bartholomew can supposedly discover a father he has long thought dead and Max can visit the "Cat Parliament" in Ottawa. A whimsical, clever narrative.