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Love May Fail
An aspiring feminist and underappreciated housewife embarks on an odyssey to find human decency and goodness—and her high school English teacher—in New York Times bestselling author Matthew Quick’s offbeat masterpiece, a quirky ode to love, fate, and hair metal.
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 to find the goodness in the world she believes still exists, Portia sets off to save herself by saving someone else—a beloved high school English teacher who has retired after a traumatic incident.
Will a sassy nun, an ex-heroin addict, a metal-head little boy, and her hoarder mother help or hurt her chances on this madcap quest to restore a good man’s reputation 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.
419 pages, ebook
First published June 4, 2015
226 people are currently reading
12000 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Quick
10 books5,180 followersMatthew Quick is the New York Times bestselling author of The Silver Linings Playbook—which was made into an Oscar-winning film—and eight other novels, including We Are the Light, a #1 Indie Next Pick and a Book of the Month selection. His work has been translated into more than thirty languages, received a PEN/Hemingway Award Honorable Mention, was an LA Times Book Prize finalist, a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, a #1 bestseller in Brazil, a Deutscher Jugendliteratur Preis 2016 (German Youth Literature Prize) nominee, and selected by Nancy Pearl as one of Summer’s Best Books for NPR. The Hollywood Reporter has named him one of Hollywood’s 25 Most Powerful Authors. Matthew lives with his wife, the novelist Alicia Bessette, in Beaufort, South Carolina.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 976 reviews
June 11, 2015
When you catch your husband screwing a girl half your age, you are permitted to be bitchy, even when talking to adorable nuns on airplanes - nuns who buy you vodka, even.
If a mid-life crisis took book form, I believe it would look something like this. Not surprisingly, it's boring, and it's also about people who hate their lives, get drunk and - eventually - find themselves.
Love May Fail is my least favourite Quick book to date. Usually, I love the whimsical (but surprisingly dark) nature of his novels - the totally weird, sad, but lovable characters and the strange situations they find themselves in. Not one of the characters in this book was worth caring about, in my opinion, and the strangeness of the story was irritating, rather than cute.
The book opens with Portia Kane - a trophy wife to her misogynistic pornographer husband - drunk, whilst watching her husband cheating on her with a young woman and planning to burst in and shoot them both. Realizing that this is perhaps not the best idea, she insults his manhood and storms out, leaving him for good. Due to a pre-nup, she is now almost penniless as well as being drunk off her face and in need of a place to go. So she returns home.
Let me take a moment here to talk about how insufferable Portia Kane is. She's a spoiled brat who, though technically poor now, has rich white person syndrome bleeding from her pores. She actually thinks this:
“She’s lucky.” I hate myself for envying this women in Nigeria whose husband drives a cab halfway around the world, saving money to rescue her from whatever hell Nigeria currently offers. It sounds like a fairy tale. She might as well be in an ivory tower. So romantic - beautiful even. Their struggle.
I feel like Portia's unlikable aspects are supposed to be balanced out by our sympathy for her situation. If that was the case, it didn't work for me.
While home, Portia attempts to restore her faith in humanity and goodness by helping out a depressed ex-high school teacher. Enter Nate Vernon and his perspective. Vernon has been ruminating on the subject of suicide ever since an unfortunate incident forced him into early retirement (and more than a touch of alcoholism). He spends his days talking to his dog - Albert Camus. The events of this novel are so subtle and boring that anything could be a spoiler so I'll tag this bit just in case...
After Vernon's perspective, we get two more. One from Sister Maeve Smith - a nun and Vernon's mother - who writes letters to her son from beyond the grave (that's right, she's dead). And another from Chuck Bass, a guy who has had a crush on Portia for twenty years and sadly isn't the hot guy from Gossip Girl.
In terms of plot, it's simply this: people get very drunk and then "save themselves". Kind of. But really it's just a mishmash of weirdness, quirks, ideas and perspectives. I can't say I enjoyed any of it or really cared about the fate of the characters. It was too bloated and messy, full of many different components that never came together and made a satisfying whole.
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If a mid-life crisis took book form, I believe it would look something like this. Not surprisingly, it's boring, and it's also about people who hate their lives, get drunk and - eventually - find themselves.
Love May Fail is my least favourite Quick book to date. Usually, I love the whimsical (but surprisingly dark) nature of his novels - the totally weird, sad, but lovable characters and the strange situations they find themselves in. Not one of the characters in this book was worth caring about, in my opinion, and the strangeness of the story was irritating, rather than cute.
The book opens with Portia Kane - a trophy wife to her misogynistic pornographer husband - drunk, whilst watching her husband cheating on her with a young woman and planning to burst in and shoot them both. Realizing that this is perhaps not the best idea, she insults his manhood and storms out, leaving him for good. Due to a pre-nup, she is now almost penniless as well as being drunk off her face and in need of a place to go. So she returns home.
Let me take a moment here to talk about how insufferable Portia Kane is. She's a spoiled brat who, though technically poor now, has rich white person syndrome bleeding from her pores. She actually thinks this:
“She’s lucky.” I hate myself for envying this women in Nigeria whose husband drives a cab halfway around the world, saving money to rescue her from whatever hell Nigeria currently offers. It sounds like a fairy tale. She might as well be in an ivory tower. So romantic - beautiful even. Their struggle.
I feel like Portia's unlikable aspects are supposed to be balanced out by our sympathy for her situation. If that was the case, it didn't work for me.
While home, Portia attempts to restore her faith in humanity and goodness by helping out a depressed ex-high school teacher. Enter Nate Vernon and his perspective. Vernon has been ruminating on the subject of suicide ever since an unfortunate incident forced him into early retirement (and more than a touch of alcoholism). He spends his days talking to his dog - Albert Camus. The events of this novel are so subtle and boring that anything could be a spoiler so I'll tag this bit just in case...
After Vernon's perspective, we get two more. One from Sister Maeve Smith - a nun and Vernon's mother - who writes letters to her son from beyond the grave (that's right, she's dead). And another from Chuck Bass, a guy who has had a crush on Portia for twenty years and sadly isn't the hot guy from Gossip Girl.
In terms of plot, it's simply this: people get very drunk and then "save themselves". Kind of. But really it's just a mishmash of weirdness, quirks, ideas and perspectives. I can't say I enjoyed any of it or really cared about the fate of the characters. It was too bloated and messy, full of many different components that never came together and made a satisfying whole.
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June 22, 2023
Matthew Quick deals in damage control, from the very nervous Pat Peoples in Silver Linings Playbook to the probably autistic Bartholomew Neil in The Good Luck of Right Now, to a crate of bruised produce in his latest novel, Love May Fail. Portia Kane made a bad choice when she was younger, going for what glittered instead of substance, in her case her writerly yearnings. After confronting her cheating pornographer hubby, Ken (not a doll) in flagrante with another chicklet half her age, Portia manages not to fire her Colt 45, but, instead, heads back home, leaving her terminally damaged marriage in Florida. This being a Matthew Quick novel, home is his usual literary stomping ground, the Philadelphia area, Oaklyn, NJ specifically, which happens to be the town where Quick grew up. Portia moves in with Mom who lives with some damage of her own. She is an agoraphobic hoarder with, I am sure, a rainbow of maladies identifiable in the DSM. Will taking care of Mom, who, though her belfry is overstuffed, exudes unconditional love for her daughter, help Portia heal herself and get back on her true path?
About that path. Through a chance encounter with a nun, Portia finds a goal for herself. In high school, she had been one of the fortunates who got what her inspirational English teacher, Mister Vernon, had to offer. He had opened her up to creativity, writing and literature. But after suffering a large personal trauma, Vernon has shut himself away in a remote location. Portia makes it her mission to save Mister Vernon, and return him to his calling.
Matthew Quick - From his blog
Quick has had a bit of exposure to people with trouble. In his 2013 interview with GoodReads, we learn that he had spent a year trying to help teenagers diagnosed with autism. He had other MH involvement too:
Q populates his tales with appropriately quirky characters. The mom does not, IMHO, get enough screen time, but is interesting, in a coot-ish sort of way. Portia reconnects with an old friend from school, someone with a history of drug use. The friend’s five-year-old does Van Halen tribute performances at a local bar. Portia also encounters a saintly nun, a crusty mother superior, a good man who had always had been smitten with her, and a very irascible and troubled former teacher. Saving Mister Vernon will be a challenge. But with the support Portia builds around her, can she break through and get it done?
Clearwater vision - from sofc.org
There are events that might be seen as miraculous in Love May Fail. Q refers to a supposed Virgin Mary sighting on the side of an office building in Clearwater. This was a real event, in which people flocked to the place to see and maybe pray to a manifestation of the Virgin. It probably wouldn’t be the strangest thing to have happened in Florida. Maybe she was looking for a condo. Deitific manipulations are applied to make sure that this or that person shows up in a particular place at a certain time. A weepily sad demise recalls the angel Clarence, from It’s a Wonderful Life. And the five-year-old’s stage performance is probably miraculous as well, although in a different way.
The journey of the story is Portia trying to resurrect her old teacher’s career, but also to let herself be born into a better, truer life. I suppose there is a point being made here about divine intervention bringing people together, with the expected nods to personal responsibility and making the most of the opportunities that come ones way, however those link-ups might have been arranged. But, while allowing for the vagaries of free choice, it does seem that there is a pretty powerful director to the events that take place in Love May Fail. Deus ex machina, sans the ex machina piece. Hey, the guy is allowed. It is his story. But it seemed to me that there was too much very specific divine intervention to sustain a willing suspension of disbelief.
0Love May Fail is an interesting, engaging story with a typical cast of Q-characters. I performed the mandatory eye-rolls when I felt the divine intervention lines had been crossed, but I still enjoyed the book. Love May Fail is not Quick’s best work, and it is not so engaging as his prior effort, The Good Luck of Right Now, but still, it’s a Matthew Quick novel, so you can expect a positive outlook, likeable characters and a huge, warm heart. You could do worse for a beach outing or a flight. And if you are flying, be sure to pay attention to that nun seated next to you.
You should be warned, however. Do not read this in a public place, unless you are ok with the world seeing you go all wet-face. If you do not blubber on reading a particular scene near the very end of this book, I will officially revoke your Member of the Human Race card. I’m just sayin’.
Review first posted – 6/19/15
Publication date – 6/16/15
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Film rights have been optioned by Sony, which does not exactly mean much
Links to the author’s personal, Twitter and FB pages
There is a lot of interesting material about Quick in this interview with Dr Jo Anne White . Q talks about coping with depression, working with autistic teens, the importance of laughter, and there is a nice segment in which he talks about teaching. The interview was done around the time his last novel was released, but is still relevant.
Here is the interview Quick did with Goodreads in May, 2013
This vid shows folks gathering at the Virgin Mary appearance in Clearwater, Florida
About that path. Through a chance encounter with a nun, Portia finds a goal for herself. In high school, she had been one of the fortunates who got what her inspirational English teacher, Mister Vernon, had to offer. He had opened her up to creativity, writing and literature. But after suffering a large personal trauma, Vernon has shut himself away in a remote location. Portia makes it her mission to save Mister Vernon, and return him to his calling.
Matthew Quick - From his blog
Quick has had a bit of exposure to people with trouble. In his 2013 interview with GoodReads, we learn that he had spent a year trying to help teenagers diagnosed with autism. He had other MH involvement too:
…I worked in neuro health lockdown unit as well, primarily with people who had suffered traumatic brain injuries. We always noticed when we’d get new staff, we’d watch ‘em the first day, and if they laughed on the first day, not at the people we were working with, but at the absurdity of the situation of our day-to-day. If they laughed in a good friendly way, we knew they’d be back the next day. And a lot of times if they didn’t laugh, a lot of times they wouldn’t come back again. They would just quit, after one day.He looks a lot at existential issues in Love May Fail. Mister Vernon has a dog named Albert Camus, with whom he discusses the absurdity of life. Crazy things happen. There is an appreciation for the need of humor even, or maybe particularly, in dark times and circumstances. He has also spent some time at the front of a classroom, and this informs the novel as well.
Q populates his tales with appropriately quirky characters. The mom does not, IMHO, get enough screen time, but is interesting, in a coot-ish sort of way. Portia reconnects with an old friend from school, someone with a history of drug use. The friend’s five-year-old does Van Halen tribute performances at a local bar. Portia also encounters a saintly nun, a crusty mother superior, a good man who had always had been smitten with her, and a very irascible and troubled former teacher. Saving Mister Vernon will be a challenge. But with the support Portia builds around her, can she break through and get it done?
Clearwater vision - from sofc.org
There are events that might be seen as miraculous in Love May Fail. Q refers to a supposed Virgin Mary sighting on the side of an office building in Clearwater. This was a real event, in which people flocked to the place to see and maybe pray to a manifestation of the Virgin. It probably wouldn’t be the strangest thing to have happened in Florida. Maybe she was looking for a condo. Deitific manipulations are applied to make sure that this or that person shows up in a particular place at a certain time. A weepily sad demise recalls the angel Clarence, from It’s a Wonderful Life. And the five-year-old’s stage performance is probably miraculous as well, although in a different way.
The journey of the story is Portia trying to resurrect her old teacher’s career, but also to let herself be born into a better, truer life. I suppose there is a point being made here about divine intervention bringing people together, with the expected nods to personal responsibility and making the most of the opportunities that come ones way, however those link-ups might have been arranged. But, while allowing for the vagaries of free choice, it does seem that there is a pretty powerful director to the events that take place in Love May Fail. Deus ex machina, sans the ex machina piece. Hey, the guy is allowed. It is his story. But it seemed to me that there was too much very specific divine intervention to sustain a willing suspension of disbelief.
0Love May Fail is an interesting, engaging story with a typical cast of Q-characters. I performed the mandatory eye-rolls when I felt the divine intervention lines had been crossed, but I still enjoyed the book. Love May Fail is not Quick’s best work, and it is not so engaging as his prior effort, The Good Luck of Right Now, but still, it’s a Matthew Quick novel, so you can expect a positive outlook, likeable characters and a huge, warm heart. You could do worse for a beach outing or a flight. And if you are flying, be sure to pay attention to that nun seated next to you.
You should be warned, however. Do not read this in a public place, unless you are ok with the world seeing you go all wet-face. If you do not blubber on reading a particular scene near the very end of this book, I will officially revoke your Member of the Human Race card. I’m just sayin’.
Review first posted – 6/19/15
Publication date – 6/16/15
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Film rights have been optioned by Sony, which does not exactly mean much
Links to the author’s personal, Twitter and FB pages
There is a lot of interesting material about Quick in this interview with Dr Jo Anne White . Q talks about coping with depression, working with autistic teens, the importance of laughter, and there is a nice segment in which he talks about teaching. The interview was done around the time his last novel was released, but is still relevant.
Here is the interview Quick did with Goodreads in May, 2013
This vid shows folks gathering at the Virgin Mary appearance in Clearwater, Florida
January 7, 2016
I've deleted my original review of this book. In short, I didn't like it and I didn't finish it.
August 11, 2015
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Dear Matthew Quick:
Portia Kane’s life is falling apart. It’s bad enough she married a disgusting pornographer, but when the scumbag continually cheats on her, she’s left with one choice – hide in the closet and blow his brains out . . . or maybe not. Realizing that spending her life in prison for murdering a philandering P.O.S. would be a waste, Portia instead decides to return to her hometown in an attempt to re-find herself and what her purpose in life is supposed to be. With a little less than six degrees of separation, Portia realizes her mission is to get her favorite high school teacher Mr. Vernon . . .
back to teaching again.
I should have LOOOOOOOVED Love May Fail. The premise made me believe it would combine a couple of my favorite things - hoarding . . . .
and a road trip . . .
Instead, I was introduced to Portia Kane and Chuck (and even little Tommy) and . . .
Never have I wanted to smack a character so much – and my apologies to Mr. Quick, but this is why men get a bad rap when it comes to writing female leads. If you can’t do, DON’T DO IT. Creating this vapid lunatic of a “feminist” . . .
did not make you look great.
Now, before everyone gets all up in arms about my low rating, please note I have given ALL of Matthew Quick’s books 4 or 5 Stars. I luuuuuurv him. He just “gets” how to write about characters battling some mental/emotional issues and each of his books is remarkably different from each other. As he says:
“Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.”
Bottom line is – this book was a fail for me. But I’m not worried. I’m certain Matthew Quick and I can get back to what we once were . . .
Dear Matthew Quick:
Portia Kane’s life is falling apart. It’s bad enough she married a disgusting pornographer, but when the scumbag continually cheats on her, she’s left with one choice – hide in the closet and blow his brains out . . . or maybe not. Realizing that spending her life in prison for murdering a philandering P.O.S. would be a waste, Portia instead decides to return to her hometown in an attempt to re-find herself and what her purpose in life is supposed to be. With a little less than six degrees of separation, Portia realizes her mission is to get her favorite high school teacher Mr. Vernon . . .
back to teaching again.
I should have LOOOOOOOVED Love May Fail. The premise made me believe it would combine a couple of my favorite things - hoarding . . . .
and a road trip . . .
Instead, I was introduced to Portia Kane and Chuck (and even little Tommy) and . . .
Never have I wanted to smack a character so much – and my apologies to Mr. Quick, but this is why men get a bad rap when it comes to writing female leads. If you can’t do, DON’T DO IT. Creating this vapid lunatic of a “feminist” . . .
did not make you look great.
Now, before everyone gets all up in arms about my low rating, please note I have given ALL of Matthew Quick’s books 4 or 5 Stars. I luuuuuurv him. He just “gets” how to write about characters battling some mental/emotional issues and each of his books is remarkably different from each other. As he says:
“Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.”
Bottom line is – this book was a fail for me. But I’m not worried. I’m certain Matthew Quick and I can get back to what we once were . . .
December 16, 2021
There's no failing for those with hope!
Matthew Quick has a remarkable talent building unique characters, worlds and stories that bring humanity to light. Portia Kane had been married to a lying, disrespectful porn producer for years and upon discovering him screwing a teen, escapes to live with her mother who rarely speaks and watches TV all day.
Soon after she finds solace with a high school girlfriend who waits tables at the local dive. Reflecting on the 'good ol' days, she removes a card given to her by Mr. Vernon, "Member of the Human Race" holding inspirational quotes on the back. As they chat, her desire to be an author is reignited due Vernon's support for his students and unique approach to educating. When she learns he'd been hiding in VT for years due to a beating inflicted by a student, she decides to become his savior, and in the process finds love in her backyard. Once again the author uses themes of love, hope and joy to drive the story and as with all his books, characters are quirky, dysfunctional and unique. And while well paced and engaging, the plot is a somewhat predictable, hence a 4 star rating. I've read other books by Quick, and find his skill at immersing the reader in a story world through evocative plots and characters rates with the best, and look forward to reading the others. For those who enjoyed Silver Linings Playbook, you'll find this book equal in many ways.
Matthew Quick has a remarkable talent building unique characters, worlds and stories that bring humanity to light. Portia Kane had been married to a lying, disrespectful porn producer for years and upon discovering him screwing a teen, escapes to live with her mother who rarely speaks and watches TV all day.
Soon after she finds solace with a high school girlfriend who waits tables at the local dive. Reflecting on the 'good ol' days, she removes a card given to her by Mr. Vernon, "Member of the Human Race" holding inspirational quotes on the back. As they chat, her desire to be an author is reignited due Vernon's support for his students and unique approach to educating. When she learns he'd been hiding in VT for years due to a beating inflicted by a student, she decides to become his savior, and in the process finds love in her backyard. Once again the author uses themes of love, hope and joy to drive the story and as with all his books, characters are quirky, dysfunctional and unique. And while well paced and engaging, the plot is a somewhat predictable, hence a 4 star rating. I've read other books by Quick, and find his skill at immersing the reader in a story world through evocative plots and characters rates with the best, and look forward to reading the others. For those who enjoyed Silver Linings Playbook, you'll find this book equal in many ways.
February 15, 2021
At times a bit melodramatic and cheesy . . . but I liked it a lot!
4 to 4.5 stars
It has been a long time since I have read any Matthew Quick. I remember having more success with his books than failures and some of my fondest reading memories come from some of his books. So, when I was going through my list finding something to read, I was surprised to find this one still unread. Boy am I glad that I finally gave it a try!
If you have read some of Quick’s other books, the feel of the story will come as no surprise to you. The characters will likely feel as if they could have been found in any of his books – and I wouldn’t be surprised if they all know each other in the Quick-verse. The thing that makes this book unique is the format: a slightly nonlinear telling of parts of the same story from four different points of view. A couple of times this got me confused and thinking I missed something, but it all came together in the end.
I have not read any other reviews of this yet, but I am a little surprised at the 3.5 stars or so it is coming in at on Goodreads as I write this. If I had to guess what some complain about, my guess would be one of the following:
- Melodrama
- Story coincidences
- Cheesiness
- Confusion caused by the different points of view and their non-linear presentation
- The author’s presentation of feminism
- The author’s presentation of mental illness
- The author’s presentation of suicide
- The author’s presentation of drug use
Note: I am not saying that he presented any of the previous four things right or wrong, they are just sensitive topics that I think can get people fired up when seeing them in a story.
Honestly, none of these things bothered me, but from my experience of seeing other reviews of books like this one, these are the things I imagine brought the rating down a bit. So, you may read this one and be with me in enjoying it. But if any of the above might trigger you to not enjoy the book, you may want to approach with caution.
4 to 4.5 stars
It has been a long time since I have read any Matthew Quick. I remember having more success with his books than failures and some of my fondest reading memories come from some of his books. So, when I was going through my list finding something to read, I was surprised to find this one still unread. Boy am I glad that I finally gave it a try!
If you have read some of Quick’s other books, the feel of the story will come as no surprise to you. The characters will likely feel as if they could have been found in any of his books – and I wouldn’t be surprised if they all know each other in the Quick-verse. The thing that makes this book unique is the format: a slightly nonlinear telling of parts of the same story from four different points of view. A couple of times this got me confused and thinking I missed something, but it all came together in the end.
I have not read any other reviews of this yet, but I am a little surprised at the 3.5 stars or so it is coming in at on Goodreads as I write this. If I had to guess what some complain about, my guess would be one of the following:
- Melodrama
- Story coincidences
- Cheesiness
- Confusion caused by the different points of view and their non-linear presentation
- The author’s presentation of feminism
- The author’s presentation of mental illness
- The author’s presentation of suicide
- The author’s presentation of drug use
Note: I am not saying that he presented any of the previous four things right or wrong, they are just sensitive topics that I think can get people fired up when seeing them in a story.
Honestly, none of these things bothered me, but from my experience of seeing other reviews of books like this one, these are the things I imagine brought the rating down a bit. So, you may read this one and be with me in enjoying it. But if any of the above might trigger you to not enjoy the book, you may want to approach with caution.
September 13, 2017
I liked this book okay plot-wise, but I got very tired of Chuck's fragile masculinity. The amount he obsessed over not being to buy Portia "brand name clothes like her rich shitty ex-husband" was literally the most boring character flaw I could possibly imagine.
I was also very confused every time they mentioned "Portia's feminism" because it was really only referenced as an annoying thing that the men in her life had to deal with, or something she "put aside" in order to enjoy the problematic things she loved.
But I never saw her actually do or think or model any kind of behavior that actually felt feminist? Which is fine, because not all women in books HAVE to be feminists but then why did they keep referencing it like she was one?
I was also very confused every time they mentioned "Portia's feminism" because it was really only referenced as an annoying thing that the men in her life had to deal with, or something she "put aside" in order to enjoy the problematic things she loved.
But I never saw her actually do or think or model any kind of behavior that actually felt feminist? Which is fine, because not all women in books HAVE to be feminists but then why did they keep referencing it like she was one?
February 10, 2017
"Love May Fail" by Matthew Quick is a contemporary novel about some serious mental health issues like: OCD, anxiety, depression, drug abuse, alcoholism, PTSD, and suicidal thoughts. But I like that Quick has some light-hearted and quirky moments as well to balance all the "heavy stuff". I enjoyed the first half much more than the second half though. I thought the Chuck Bass chapters made this novel feel a little too long for me. The story started to drag by this point. I much preferred Portia Kane's and Nate Vernon's chapters. Portia and Nate were more fleshed-out characters than Chuck, probably because they were so troubled and emotionally wounded. I like novels that have a sunny but also cloudy demeanor. Life is not all good. but it's not all bad either. I really enjoyed Quick's writing style. He's a funny dude. I like his spunk! I applaud him for writing about mental illness in a raw and honest way. Enjoy!
November 7, 2014
While Love May Fail begins with Portia Kane leaving her lying, cheating husband, the story actually starts years earlier, in her high school English classroom, where the teacher, Mr. Vernon, sparks something in his students that continues to have great impact for many of them. Quick (Silver Linings Playbook) has an amazing talent for creating characters that have every reason to see the world’s cup as half-empty but manage to see it as half-full instead. A novel about the joy and consequences of redemption and the worthwhileness of trying.
August 10, 2015
Portia Kane is a woman who used to have big dreams of being a published author but is currently experiencing something akin to a mid-life crisis. We’re first introduced to her character as she hides drunk in her bedroom closet with a handgun watching her porn-producer husband cheat on her with a much, much younger woman. As sad as it sounds, Quick made this introduction memorable and hilarious, as unlikely as that seems. Deciding that going to jail for shooting her husband and his lover she dubs “Khaleesi” just isn’t worth it so she hops on a plane to head back home to her simple-minded hoarder of a mother. She has a coincidental run-in with a nun she’s seated next to on the plane at which point Portia, still drunk, spills her guts to her even going so far as to describe just how endowed her soon to be ex-husband isn’t. Coincidentally the nun is actually the mother of her favorite English teacher that changed her whole outlook on life, who just so happens to be going through his own mid-life crisis as well.
Honestly, I could continue on with the various plots and coincidences (there are many of both in this tale). There are also several different POV changes: Portia of course, her English teacher Mr. Vernon, Chuck Bass (another individual left changed by Mr. Vernon and someone who has harbored a crush on Portia for the better part of two decades), and even a brief interlude to Mr. Vernon’s mother who we’re made informed by the letters she sent to her son. Portia, regardless of her protestations that “it wasn’t about the money” doesn’t ever come across as anything but a rich, privileged whiner. The flashbacks to her past and her childhood dreams should have been enough to make her a bit more tolerable, but unfortunately she never did dredge up any sympathy from me. And her showing up at her favorite English teacher’s house was more creepy than gracious. I have a favorite teacher that I recall with absolute adoration, however, I still can’t say I would ever get the urge to show up at his house unannounced declaring that I was there to “save him”. Mr. Vernon’s character was the POV most explored and was the most interesting to read about. His mother’s POV could have been left out entirely, which would have left this book minus the two dozen or so mentions of “my husband, God” which made my eye twitch just about every time. There is also a very strange and intense focus on negative reviews (it specifically mentions a bad review a published book received via Kirkus) and ultimately the impact they have on an author. Not sure what Quick was trying to say with that little tirade but I find it more than a bit funny that Kirkus didn’t actually care for Love May Fail very much.
I’ve heard this is a common trend in Quick’s novels (this is my first Quick novel so I can’t speak for the rest), but faith and the belief that there’s always something to live for is the theme with this one. It’s about finding that spark in life that spurs you up over the next hurdle that life will inevitably throw your way. The idea was there with this one but the execution and the abundant coincidences left me feeling far from inspired.
I received this book free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Honestly, I could continue on with the various plots and coincidences (there are many of both in this tale). There are also several different POV changes: Portia of course, her English teacher Mr. Vernon, Chuck Bass (another individual left changed by Mr. Vernon and someone who has harbored a crush on Portia for the better part of two decades), and even a brief interlude to Mr. Vernon’s mother who we’re made informed by the letters she sent to her son. Portia, regardless of her protestations that “it wasn’t about the money” doesn’t ever come across as anything but a rich, privileged whiner. The flashbacks to her past and her childhood dreams should have been enough to make her a bit more tolerable, but unfortunately she never did dredge up any sympathy from me. And her showing up at her favorite English teacher’s house was more creepy than gracious. I have a favorite teacher that I recall with absolute adoration, however, I still can’t say I would ever get the urge to show up at his house unannounced declaring that I was there to “save him”. Mr. Vernon’s character was the POV most explored and was the most interesting to read about. His mother’s POV could have been left out entirely, which would have left this book minus the two dozen or so mentions of “my husband, God” which made my eye twitch just about every time. There is also a very strange and intense focus on negative reviews (it specifically mentions a bad review a published book received via Kirkus) and ultimately the impact they have on an author. Not sure what Quick was trying to say with that little tirade but I find it more than a bit funny that Kirkus didn’t actually care for Love May Fail very much.
I’ve heard this is a common trend in Quick’s novels (this is my first Quick novel so I can’t speak for the rest), but faith and the belief that there’s always something to live for is the theme with this one. It’s about finding that spark in life that spurs you up over the next hurdle that life will inevitably throw your way. The idea was there with this one but the execution and the abundant coincidences left me feeling far from inspired.
I received this book free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
February 26, 2021
I enjoy Matthew Quick's books. This one started off well so I thought to myself I'm so going to enjoy this. I did, for the most part, but, eventually, my realistic/cynical self came out to play. More than likely, all the overt and subtle Catholicism as a means for redemption, moving forward, getting a job and so on eventually got on my nerves. If Quick had dialled down this aspect, I would have stayed under this novel's positive glow, I mean, even I love second-chance stories and I have a soft spot for unexpected encounters with people who change us in some ways.
So this was not my favourite Quick novel. I continue reading his books.
So this was not my favourite Quick novel. I continue reading his books.
May 31, 2024
4.5 stars
I LIKE THIS BOOK.
Listened to the audiobook via BorrowBox
Published by Bolinda audio
Read by Cris Dukehart, Jim Meskiman, Tim Fannon,
Lorna Raver, Tonya Campos
Duration: 12 hrs, 2 min. 1.25x Speed
I LIKE THIS BOOK.
Listened to the audiobook via BorrowBox
Published by Bolinda audio
Read by Cris Dukehart, Jim Meskiman, Tim Fannon,
Lorna Raver, Tonya Campos
Duration: 12 hrs, 2 min. 1.25x Speed
Read
September 9, 2016Gotta say the characters in this book did absolutely nothing for me, zero connection.
Portia was a poor example of a feminist. In fact the whole feminist rant was out of place and all wrong in this narrative. It was all bark and no bite. What was portrayed as feminism was poorly executed. Don't get sucked in by the pro feminist hype this book claims to deliver, all wrong.
To be blunt the narrative was a mess. Stays on course and suddenly veers off track in a big way. Messy would be kind. The ending was bland and nonsensical, felt out of place.
Very strange overall, leaving you scratching your head asking (not in a good way) What the heck did I just read? It felt very fragmented, poorly stitched to weave a story never coming together. Must say I was disappointed and I didn't expect much going in. Not Quick's best work, hope to see a marked improvement next time.
For this and other reviews visit http://ravenhairedgirl.com
Portia was a poor example of a feminist. In fact the whole feminist rant was out of place and all wrong in this narrative. It was all bark and no bite. What was portrayed as feminism was poorly executed. Don't get sucked in by the pro feminist hype this book claims to deliver, all wrong.
To be blunt the narrative was a mess. Stays on course and suddenly veers off track in a big way. Messy would be kind. The ending was bland and nonsensical, felt out of place.
Very strange overall, leaving you scratching your head asking (not in a good way) What the heck did I just read? It felt very fragmented, poorly stitched to weave a story never coming together. Must say I was disappointed and I didn't expect much going in. Not Quick's best work, hope to see a marked improvement next time.
For this and other reviews visit http://ravenhairedgirl.com
July 3, 2015
Love May Fail is the story of four people, all connected, and each with their life in a certain state of instability.
We have Portia Kane, who just caught her porn king husband sleeping with a girl barely half her age. She’s going home to try and figure out the next step.
Nate Vernon, Portia’s high-school English teacher, who had some pretty… forceful feedback from a student a few years back, and has given up teaching.
Sister Maeve Smith, Nate’s estranged mother, who took her vows after he was grown, and who is now dying of cancer.
And Chuck Bass, who was a couple of years above Portia in school, and is now clean after spending most of his twenties addicted to heroin, but no one wants to hire him because of that big blank on his resume.
The rest of this review can be found here!
We have Portia Kane, who just caught her porn king husband sleeping with a girl barely half her age. She’s going home to try and figure out the next step.
I say the word wang several times and describe Ken’s tiny penis at great length before I think better of using such vivid sexual imagery while conversing with a nun, but she seems fascinated – riveted.
She squints and smiles when I say the word, maybe in spite of herself and her religious convictions.
Wang.
Hilarious!
Like I’m tickling the old woman with dirty words.
Nate Vernon, Portia’s high-school English teacher, who had some pretty… forceful feedback from a student a few years back, and has given up teaching.
This is the absurd, I say to Albert Camus in my mind as I sip my stronger-than-I-like coffee. My suicide attempt results in being stuck in my own home with a former student who wants me to teach again. This is any retired teacher’s hell. It’s like that Stephen King novel. My own personal version of Misery.
Sister Maeve Smith, Nate’s estranged mother, who took her vows after he was grown, and who is now dying of cancer.
I love you. I am not mad at you for failing to answer these letters. Maybe you didn’t even receive any of them? Maybe the PO box address I have is no longer current, no one is forwarding you mail, and this last letter will never even be read by your eyes, and yet I will send it anyway, because a mother’s hope is undending.
And Chuck Bass, who was a couple of years above Portia in school, and is now clean after spending most of his twenties addicted to heroin, but no one wants to hire him because of that big blank on his resume.
He pushes the button on his phone, and mine starts ringing.
“I wonder who that could be?” I say in an overly dramatic voice that Tommy Loves. It’s so easy to entertain the little guy.
“Hello,” I say into my phone.
“Uncle Chuck?” Tommy says into his.
“Speaking. Who is this?”
“Tommy!”
“Tommy Who?”
“Tommy your nephew.”
“That’s an incredibly weird last name, Mr. Your-Nephew. Is it Greek?”
The rest of this review can be found here!
May 25, 2015
I’m just a little over halfway through this book and I’m afraid I just can’t finish it.
The book is in four parts; each concerns a different character. The first is Portia Kane. Portia is such a ridiculous, badly-drawn and tedious character. I struggled through her story (the high school flashback is particularly slow, drawn-out and tiresome) and began skimming when Portia’s old school friend, her nauseatingly cutesy and precocious child and gauche brother Chuck entered the tale and the cloying sweetness and sticky sentimentality made me gag. The story then moves on to Nate Vernon, Portia’s old high school English teacher. This was a pleasing change of pace at first, but quickly became boring and then the dog… Well. It all hit a tree for me at that point. I battled on through Sister Maeve Smith which was almost as dreary as Nate’s bit. I skimmed through the start of Chuck Bass but couldn’t see anything that inspired me to carry on wading through to the end so I gave it up. I rarely review a book I haven’t finished, I always do try to finish, but I honestly haven’t the fortitude for a whole 400 pages of stuff like this.
It’s such a disappointment. I absolutely adored Matthew Quick’s first novel The Silver Lining’s Playbook (hated the film, but that’s another story). I was excited when I was offered a review copy of The Good Luck of Right Now, but that was dreadfully dull. Now I’m disappointed again. I think I’m going to have to give up reading Matthew Quick.
I normally give any book I found impossible to finish one star. I’ll give this two – it’s not entirely without merit, it’s not totally egregious, it’s just too sentimental, too slow, too contrived and too boring for me.
The book is in four parts; each concerns a different character. The first is Portia Kane. Portia is such a ridiculous, badly-drawn and tedious character. I struggled through her story (the high school flashback is particularly slow, drawn-out and tiresome) and began skimming when Portia’s old school friend, her nauseatingly cutesy and precocious child and gauche brother Chuck entered the tale and the cloying sweetness and sticky sentimentality made me gag. The story then moves on to Nate Vernon, Portia’s old high school English teacher. This was a pleasing change of pace at first, but quickly became boring and then the dog… Well. It all hit a tree for me at that point. I battled on through Sister Maeve Smith which was almost as dreary as Nate’s bit. I skimmed through the start of Chuck Bass but couldn’t see anything that inspired me to carry on wading through to the end so I gave it up. I rarely review a book I haven’t finished, I always do try to finish, but I honestly haven’t the fortitude for a whole 400 pages of stuff like this.
It’s such a disappointment. I absolutely adored Matthew Quick’s first novel The Silver Lining’s Playbook (hated the film, but that’s another story). I was excited when I was offered a review copy of The Good Luck of Right Now, but that was dreadfully dull. Now I’m disappointed again. I think I’m going to have to give up reading Matthew Quick.
I normally give any book I found impossible to finish one star. I’ll give this two – it’s not entirely without merit, it’s not totally egregious, it’s just too sentimental, too slow, too contrived and too boring for me.
August 29, 2021
İnişleriyle çıkışlarıyla insan olmayı anlatan ve normalliği sorgulatan bir kitap. Denersin başaramazsın ve tekrar denersin. Ama yine olmaz yine de denemeye devam edersin ve bazen bir yerde sıkıştığın, ilerleyemediğin zaman gelir. İşte o zaman başkalarının yardımı gerekir. Matthew Quick tam bu kısma odaklanarak hayata tutunma çabasını farklı hayatları birleştirerek anlatıyor. Bir kişinin küçücük bir davranışının başkasının hayatını değiştirebileceği unutulmamalı. Eşinden boşanmak isteyen bir kadın, geçmişi bırakmış bir rahibe, eski bir uyuşturucu bağımlısı, korkunç bir olay sonucu kendini yalnızlığa itmiş bir öğretmen ve nicesi. Ortalarında biraz durgunlaşmıştı ama sonu harikaydı. Bu arada depresyon, intihar gibi konuların bu kitapta ağır şekilde işlendiğini belirteyim. Sonu beni çok duygulandırdı.
August 29, 2015
A quick and enjoyable read, but something feels a little forced when I read Matthew Quick. I like his characters, particularly the neurotic Portia Kane, but the plot feels manipulative. I prefer more subtlty or nuance in my books.
August 4, 2017
This was never getting more than 3 stars after the Albert Camus business near the beginning, but I was interested enough in the story to continue, even after that plot decision. I saw what the author was doing with it, but I do not forgive.
Matthew Quick, in my short experience with him, strikes me as a fan of the redemptive tale, and since I too am a fan, I enjoy what I've experienced so far. I really liked the ending of this book. It made me cry, and I do love a good book cry.
The audio book was well-performed by multiple actors. I picked up the book when there were about 60 pages left, and found myself getting sucked back into the story and blowing through it. I had been at a point where I just wanted it to be over. I thought he was juggling too many plots, and I didn't like Danielle's fate any more than I liked that of Albert Camus. And I didn't think either was necessary.
A lot of people have a problem with Portia, and I agree, she's not very likeable. But I don't see her as some representation of Quick's view of women, as some have. I think she's just a flawed character with a lot of baggage. I didn't love her, but I still wanted a happy ending for her.
I liked the nuns, except for the constant references to Jesus as "my husband". I wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a character quirk or if nuns actually talk that way. I suspect it's the former.
The constant references to heavy metal became tiresome, mainly because I couldn't relate to that level of devotion to it after high school (OK, and maybe a bit in college).
I plan to check out more of Quick's work. I liked The Good Luck of Right Now more than this, and Silver Linings Playbook too (even though I haven't read the book yet). I wouldn't recommend picking this up first if you've never tried any of his other books.
Matthew Quick, in my short experience with him, strikes me as a fan of the redemptive tale, and since I too am a fan, I enjoy what I've experienced so far. I really liked the ending of this book. It made me cry, and I do love a good book cry.
The audio book was well-performed by multiple actors. I picked up the book when there were about 60 pages left, and found myself getting sucked back into the story and blowing through it. I had been at a point where I just wanted it to be over. I thought he was juggling too many plots, and I didn't like Danielle's fate any more than I liked that of Albert Camus. And I didn't think either was necessary.
A lot of people have a problem with Portia, and I agree, she's not very likeable. But I don't see her as some representation of Quick's view of women, as some have. I think she's just a flawed character with a lot of baggage. I didn't love her, but I still wanted a happy ending for her.
I liked the nuns, except for the constant references to Jesus as "my husband". I wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a character quirk or if nuns actually talk that way. I suspect it's the former.
The constant references to heavy metal became tiresome, mainly because I couldn't relate to that level of devotion to it after high school (OK, and maybe a bit in college).
I plan to check out more of Quick's work. I liked The Good Luck of Right Now more than this, and Silver Linings Playbook too (even though I haven't read the book yet). I wouldn't recommend picking this up first if you've never tried any of his other books.
April 17, 2016
I loved Love May Fail. It felt a little manipulative and easy which is why I gave it three stars (although 3.5 would have been more accurate) but on the other hand, it worked. I choked up and was moved all the places I was supposed to.
Portia Kane has been betrayed by her pornographer husband and has returned home to her hoarder mother. She needs to rethink her life. Taking her mother out to dinner (in a funny and sad scene), Portia runs into a woman she knew in high school and finds out that the teacher she adored and who helped her survive her painful home life was assaulted by a student and has disappeared. Portia decides that saving this teacher will also save her.
I could not stop reading this book. Even though I had many criticisms about the depth of the characters and their relationships, I was completely hooked. And that's worth something. Maybe a lot. Because I don't often read books where my critical response is so separate from my emotional response.
Maybe this book is a fulfillment of so many wishes that I (and probably many others) have. Whatever the reason, I found it an emotionally satisfying read. If it's a guilty pleasure, I plan on enjoying it without the guilt.
Portia Kane has been betrayed by her pornographer husband and has returned home to her hoarder mother. She needs to rethink her life. Taking her mother out to dinner (in a funny and sad scene), Portia runs into a woman she knew in high school and finds out that the teacher she adored and who helped her survive her painful home life was assaulted by a student and has disappeared. Portia decides that saving this teacher will also save her.
I could not stop reading this book. Even though I had many criticisms about the depth of the characters and their relationships, I was completely hooked. And that's worth something. Maybe a lot. Because I don't often read books where my critical response is so separate from my emotional response.
Maybe this book is a fulfillment of so many wishes that I (and probably many others) have. Whatever the reason, I found it an emotionally satisfying read. If it's a guilty pleasure, I plan on enjoying it without the guilt.
August 3, 2015
Straight up, Love May Fail did not fail to captivate me. It’s a beautiful book about the impact we have on the lives of others. Read the rest of my review here
April 20, 2015
I've enjoyed all of Matthew Quick's other books in the past - on the surface, they look like fairly light reads, but every time, there's always a darker heart and a strong message about personal responsibility, of taking control of your life, that makes his name one to watch.
Love May Fail reads a lot like several stories in one. Various characters come to the fore to narrate chunks of the story, leaving others in the background for a while, but the flow does bring the plot together for the end in a quite moving and realistic way.
It all begins with one however - Portia Kane. We meet her as she is contemplating the pros and cons of murdering her cheating porn-director husband. Choosing instead to confront him and leave, she instinctively does she thing she loathes - returns home. Neither the small town nor her hoarder mother seem to have changed at all since her metal-head teenage days. Meeting up with an old friend, she learns her beloved English teacher has suffered a horrendous ordeal, and, setting off the second path of the story, she determines to find him and see if she can turn his life around. Flashbacks of her high school English and teacher Mr Vernon, who then takes over the narrative gave me both reminders of my own teenage years and the hope I had for my adult life, and, like The Silver Linings Playbook, showed how a person can break down when things don't go to plan.
Portia takes more of a back seat as Mr Vernon narrates, and her quest to improve his life felt a bit 'quirky' at times and she lost some of her appeal for me by losing her voice. Other new characters add some dimensions - brother of her friend, Chuck Bass, obviously to become a love interest, and Danielle and Tommy - his sister and nephew bring stories of pathos and cuteness combined (and the best Bon Jovi tribute band name I've ever heard of). Their stories all intermingle and take centre stage at times, which both added to the story but also felt like there were too many strands dangling and split my sympathies and concentration.
It's hard to pinpoint if the split narrative worked for me or didn't. I missed Portia when she wasn't telling her story, but then really wanted to hear how Mr Vernon was when he also left the scene. And then I wanted to know more about Portia's mother.
It's a very full book - drug addiction, book writing, prophetic nuns, bar scenes, is it TOO full? I'm giving it four stars, so I think I made it through and found it came together, but in the hands of a lesser writer I might not have thought so.
Heavy-handed on the morals, every character gets a chance at redemption - how will each fare? Matthew Quick never makes his stories feel like summer beach reads, there is always something meaty there to consider. There may be a little too much squeezed in here, but every character does have verve and a human failing that makes them human.
There are emotional scenes, some funny ones, and it's a read that you will likely feel nostalgic reading, for your own dreams from your youth.
Review of an Edelweiss advance copy, with thanks to the publisher.
Love May Fail reads a lot like several stories in one. Various characters come to the fore to narrate chunks of the story, leaving others in the background for a while, but the flow does bring the plot together for the end in a quite moving and realistic way.
It all begins with one however - Portia Kane. We meet her as she is contemplating the pros and cons of murdering her cheating porn-director husband. Choosing instead to confront him and leave, she instinctively does she thing she loathes - returns home. Neither the small town nor her hoarder mother seem to have changed at all since her metal-head teenage days. Meeting up with an old friend, she learns her beloved English teacher has suffered a horrendous ordeal, and, setting off the second path of the story, she determines to find him and see if she can turn his life around. Flashbacks of her high school English and teacher Mr Vernon, who then takes over the narrative gave me both reminders of my own teenage years and the hope I had for my adult life, and, like The Silver Linings Playbook, showed how a person can break down when things don't go to plan.
Portia takes more of a back seat as Mr Vernon narrates, and her quest to improve his life felt a bit 'quirky' at times and she lost some of her appeal for me by losing her voice. Other new characters add some dimensions - brother of her friend, Chuck Bass, obviously to become a love interest, and Danielle and Tommy - his sister and nephew bring stories of pathos and cuteness combined (and the best Bon Jovi tribute band name I've ever heard of). Their stories all intermingle and take centre stage at times, which both added to the story but also felt like there were too many strands dangling and split my sympathies and concentration.
It's hard to pinpoint if the split narrative worked for me or didn't. I missed Portia when she wasn't telling her story, but then really wanted to hear how Mr Vernon was when he also left the scene. And then I wanted to know more about Portia's mother.
It's a very full book - drug addiction, book writing, prophetic nuns, bar scenes, is it TOO full? I'm giving it four stars, so I think I made it through and found it came together, but in the hands of a lesser writer I might not have thought so.
Heavy-handed on the morals, every character gets a chance at redemption - how will each fare? Matthew Quick never makes his stories feel like summer beach reads, there is always something meaty there to consider. There may be a little too much squeezed in here, but every character does have verve and a human failing that makes them human.
There are emotional scenes, some funny ones, and it's a read that you will likely feel nostalgic reading, for your own dreams from your youth.
Review of an Edelweiss advance copy, with thanks to the publisher.
July 25, 2016
Review to come when I feel like it. ;)
7/25/16
I finally feel like it so here you are:
Love May Fail
...and it does. Like how I felt while reading this book. Initially I thought I was falling in love but about halfway through I realized that my new feelings were more akin to annoyance that was quickly followed by a disappointment filled dislike. It reminded me of a younger boy I chased after in my later years of high school. I flirted, he flirted and it was all sweet and fun until I realized his youth equaled a level of immaturity I had zero patience for. Our relationship quickly deteriorated after the first kiss induced fat lip and was completely finished off when his every Friday at school delivery of a single red rose was halted by my prickly cactus return gift.
The beginning of the end for my relationship with this book was when I stepped into a big pile of multiple point of views. They are the death of any good story in the land of Amanda, especially when they play the every other chapter game and/or the voice behind the characters doesn’t change. I will say with this read that three of the voices were for the most part distinguishable, but the fourth was a joke. Once that turd rolled into the picture my love at first blush turned to annoyance.
The story itself was also a major source of bitterness for me. It started out great but when the fourth guy added his bit and I saw the direction things were going, my nails on a chalkboard annoyance turned into definite dislike. The characters that had potential fell into a big stinkin’ hole of predictability along with those that were only there for decoration or to obtain an “I can see that coming a mile away” plot goal. When I have no one to care about or root for I am instantly considering other reading options such as the back of a box of cereal or the directions listed on a shampoo bottle.
So this review would be my prickly cactus return gift on a very disappointing read. After turning the last page and marking this read complete, I immediately removed all of this author’s other books from my to-read list.
I like you but I am not in like with you anymore.
7/25/16
I finally feel like it so here you are:
Love May Fail
...and it does. Like how I felt while reading this book. Initially I thought I was falling in love but about halfway through I realized that my new feelings were more akin to annoyance that was quickly followed by a disappointment filled dislike. It reminded me of a younger boy I chased after in my later years of high school. I flirted, he flirted and it was all sweet and fun until I realized his youth equaled a level of immaturity I had zero patience for. Our relationship quickly deteriorated after the first kiss induced fat lip and was completely finished off when his every Friday at school delivery of a single red rose was halted by my prickly cactus return gift.
The beginning of the end for my relationship with this book was when I stepped into a big pile of multiple point of views. They are the death of any good story in the land of Amanda, especially when they play the every other chapter game and/or the voice behind the characters doesn’t change. I will say with this read that three of the voices were for the most part distinguishable, but the fourth was a joke. Once that turd rolled into the picture my love at first blush turned to annoyance.
The story itself was also a major source of bitterness for me. It started out great but when the fourth guy added his bit and I saw the direction things were going, my nails on a chalkboard annoyance turned into definite dislike. The characters that had potential fell into a big stinkin’ hole of predictability along with those that were only there for decoration or to obtain an “I can see that coming a mile away” plot goal. When I have no one to care about or root for I am instantly considering other reading options such as the back of a box of cereal or the directions listed on a shampoo bottle.
So this review would be my prickly cactus return gift on a very disappointing read. After turning the last page and marking this read complete, I immediately removed all of this author’s other books from my to-read list.
I like you but I am not in like with you anymore.
December 2, 2015
"What was the old saying? The truth will set you free. But first it will piss you off."
December 27, 2016
I loathed the first fourth of this book. We’re told repeatedly that Portia is a feminist despite the fact she married a pornographer, and not women-friendly porn, but the kind where he lures young college women into signing dubious contracts and then denigrates them on film. Portia has been married to this guy for a decade and has had no problem whatsoever spending his ill-begotten wealth. She’s known for a long time that he’s a sex addict who likes teenagers, but it’s in the opening scene where she is drunk and invoking Gloria Steinem’s name while holding a gun to catch her husband and his latest teenage conquest where she finally decides to leave him.
Let me assure you, at no point in the book does Portia do a single thing that could be called feminist. Repeatedly using the words “feminist,” “sexist,” “misogynistic,” and “Gloria Steinem” does not a feminist make. Also, the term is often used as in, “I know it’s not feminist of me to like going to see heavy metal bands where women are objectified, but . . .” Also, Portia goes out of her way to continue to spend as much of her husband’s money as she can well after she’s left him when she returns home to New Jersey to her mentally unbalanced, OCD, hoarder mother.
The hoarder mother is interesting and makes Portia a slightly less nausea-inducing character.
Portia is obsessed with finding her high school English teacher that made a difference in her life—although she’s forty years old and only now decides she needs to get around to writing the novel he inspired so many years ago. Mr. Vernon was brutally beaten by a student and left teaching to become a hermit, so she goes off to find him and inspire him to return to teaching.
The second section of the book is told from Mr. Vernon’s point of view. He’s suicidal and his only reason for living is his dog, Albert Camus.
The one redeeming character in the book is Chuck Bass, who also had Mr. Vernon as an English teacher and also remembers Mr. Vernon as having a big impact on his life, except for the part of his life where he was shooting heroin in alleys and stealing to obtain the money to enable him to shoot heroin in alleys. He’s been clean for years and takes care of his sister and her five-year-old son.
I will gladly accept a few coincidences for a novel to work, but this entire book is predicated on one coincidence after another. We have to accept fate for this to work, but there are so many coincidences as to be seriously aggravating. There are some touching scenes, but getting through this book was a struggle.
For more of my reviews, please see: http://theresaalan.net/blog/
Let me assure you, at no point in the book does Portia do a single thing that could be called feminist. Repeatedly using the words “feminist,” “sexist,” “misogynistic,” and “Gloria Steinem” does not a feminist make. Also, the term is often used as in, “I know it’s not feminist of me to like going to see heavy metal bands where women are objectified, but . . .” Also, Portia goes out of her way to continue to spend as much of her husband’s money as she can well after she’s left him when she returns home to New Jersey to her mentally unbalanced, OCD, hoarder mother.
The hoarder mother is interesting and makes Portia a slightly less nausea-inducing character.
Portia is obsessed with finding her high school English teacher that made a difference in her life—although she’s forty years old and only now decides she needs to get around to writing the novel he inspired so many years ago. Mr. Vernon was brutally beaten by a student and left teaching to become a hermit, so she goes off to find him and inspire him to return to teaching.
The second section of the book is told from Mr. Vernon’s point of view. He’s suicidal and his only reason for living is his dog, Albert Camus.
The one redeeming character in the book is Chuck Bass, who also had Mr. Vernon as an English teacher and also remembers Mr. Vernon as having a big impact on his life, except for the part of his life where he was shooting heroin in alleys and stealing to obtain the money to enable him to shoot heroin in alleys. He’s been clean for years and takes care of his sister and her five-year-old son.
I will gladly accept a few coincidences for a novel to work, but this entire book is predicated on one coincidence after another. We have to accept fate for this to work, but there are so many coincidences as to be seriously aggravating. There are some touching scenes, but getting through this book was a struggle.
For more of my reviews, please see: http://theresaalan.net/blog/
March 31, 2016
This book started out promising but then it just went south for me. I enjoy Matthew Quick's writing style. His writes his characters as ordinary people facing life's challenges, but something was missing with the characters in this story.
This book was told in a multiple character perspective which for me didn't work that well. His characters were not very likable and somewhat depressing. The first 2/3rds of the book look like it was going to lead us somewhere but the last third was just went off the tracks and got lost. I can't really give it a strong recommendation.
This book was told in a multiple character perspective which for me didn't work that well. His characters were not very likable and somewhat depressing. The first 2/3rds of the book look like it was going to lead us somewhere but the last third was just went off the tracks and got lost. I can't really give it a strong recommendation.
February 3, 2016
I love you Matthew Quick.
I don't care what other people say. Your quirky, crazy, damaged people give me hope.
From winning a dance contest to writing a novel to visiting the Cat Parliament, their crazy adventures make me smile. They persevere. They find their own kind. And they find happiness.
And all the craziness that makes the magic... Well I just love it.
Thank you.
I don't care what other people say. Your quirky, crazy, damaged people give me hope.
From winning a dance contest to writing a novel to visiting the Cat Parliament, their crazy adventures make me smile. They persevere. They find their own kind. And they find happiness.
And all the craziness that makes the magic... Well I just love it.
Thank you.
November 20, 2014
Quirky novel about second chances. I liked how each section was narrated by four main characters and explored the story further. The ending totally made me cry. Read it to have your faith restored in humanity.
September 27, 2022
Matthew Quick is an excellent author, and this book is no exception. Yet, I found it exhausting. Completely exhausting. Told in a unique way in 4 different parts, each in first person from a different character, while all are directly related. Each has some serious mental illness and personal issues, and the move from each of those throughout the story gets to be a lot by the end. Maybe that's the point, but it's also missing some of the resolution magic I associate with Quick's plots. This would be an excellent book for a book club discussion, but I don't think I generally enjoyed it.
June 4, 2016
'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.
May 29, 2015
Portia Kane leaves her cheating mega-wealthy husband in Florida and goes home to Philadelphia. She meets Sister Maeve Smith on the plane, where she confesses her drunken mess of a life to the bemused nun. Portia, in the depths of misery, thinks about the one man she knows was good, Mr Vernon, her English teacher. When she arrives, she finds her crazy mother - an agoraphobic hoarder who barely leaves the house – has not changed.
Portia meets and falls in love with the lovely Chuck Bass. Chuck, a former drug addict, has cleaned up his life and who lives with his sister, who is an old friend of Portia’s, and his nephew, Tommy. Chuck has gone back to school and is looking for a job as a teacher.
The book is told in four pieces, narrated in turn by Portia, Mr Vernon, Sister Maeve and Chuck. Quick is an expert in telling the stories of damaged people with a good deal of humour and hope. In Love May Fail, he tells the stories of the people who look after the crazy people in their lives. Portia looks after her mother, Chuck looks after his sister, Maeve looks after her son, and Mr Vernon looks after his dog, Albert Camus.
I enjoyed this book. It is rich with characters who have less than perfect lives, but somehow manage to find their way in the end.
Portia meets and falls in love with the lovely Chuck Bass. Chuck, a former drug addict, has cleaned up his life and who lives with his sister, who is an old friend of Portia’s, and his nephew, Tommy. Chuck has gone back to school and is looking for a job as a teacher.
The book is told in four pieces, narrated in turn by Portia, Mr Vernon, Sister Maeve and Chuck. Quick is an expert in telling the stories of damaged people with a good deal of humour and hope. In Love May Fail, he tells the stories of the people who look after the crazy people in their lives. Portia looks after her mother, Chuck looks after his sister, Maeve looks after her son, and Mr Vernon looks after his dog, Albert Camus.
I enjoyed this book. It is rich with characters who have less than perfect lives, but somehow manage to find their way in the end.
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