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All of Matthew Quick‘s books are so different from each other and yet they are all so good. This one had a lot to about the Vietnam War and its aftermath. I like Quick‘s writing because it feels like he is just sitting beside you and telling you a story - nice and easy like.

"Only the good die young, and I've lived nasty.
Live nasty, live forever.
Sweetheart, you can bet your pretty little ass on that."

"Long term success usually comes from consistently hitting singles and doubles, not from hitting the occasional home run every so many games"

Wow. This book was brilliant. I have a feeling that there are some pretty mixed feeling about it, but I personally loved it. Written with so much raw, unabashed emotion, this book has you laughing, smiling, gasping, scowling and tearing up all in the course of a few pages. The main character David won my heart over early on in the story when he set aside his gruff attitude to have a tea party with his granddaughter. ♥️ #SummersEndReadathon 1hr2m

“Don't you ever feel like everyone is bullshitting you? Just saying what they think you want to hear? Like everyone is constantly lying, and we never really know a single person at all? I don't feel that way when I'm around your father. I might not always agree with his point of view, but I'm always certain I at least know it.”

#SummersEndReadathon

That‘s it! Matthew Quick is an American treasure ❤️. Just read this passage, this perfect snapshot of the American dream. You can feel the warmth of the sun, the grit of sand, the damp of the lake. And you know this is a moment they all worked for so hard - to have a memory like this.

There‘s much more to love about this book - see link to GR review.

Definitely put this one on your List ❤️📚

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32522527

Well, that was a surprise. If you had told me at the start of this book that I would be bawling and giving it 5 stars, I would have called you cray cray. But here we are. I‘m still crying and it‘s got 5 stars.

Currently reading

I loved the book and by the end I absolutely adored David, even with his many flaws. His outspokenness was so comedic yet strangely endearing. Pick this up, you'll be so glad you did!

Despite some controversy, I like Matthew Quick‘s quirky characters. This book is his take on the conservative/liberal divide in the US. The book is written from the perspective of a conservative Vietnam vet. He has a very liberal son who he has problems relating to. As the story unfolds, the vet is not as bigoted as his son believes him to be.

As a liberal, this reminded me not to judge conservatives as first glance. 4.5⭐️

Day 7| #ReadingResolutions #rainbowstack

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I wasn‘t sure if I was going to like this book but I found it very endearing. It made me think a lot about my grandpa who fought in the Vietnam war and helped me see things on a different flight.

Matthew Quick did it again. Wonderful, real, flawed, honest characters, a gorgeous, unvarnished blend of humor and heart and heartbreak and just...this was such a wonderful read. #thereasonyourealive #matthewquick

I'm such a sucker for grandpa/granddaughter adventures. #thereasonyourealive #matthewquick

David Granger is such a modern-day Archie Bunker; the things he says in his narration are so appalling, but there's still something appealing about him. #thereasonyourealive #matthewquick

I loved "The Silver Linings Playbook" - though I still haven't finished the movie ??‍♀️ - so I was super-excited to see this at the library. I'm only a few pages in, but already loving David. Quick's characters are always so wonderful. #thereasonyourealive #matthewquick

Inner machinations of a crass, war-torn,"I swear I'm not a racist", senior white man. I laughed, I cringed.

*The Sellout by Paul Beatty is a necessary precursor to the sort of tongue-in-cheek delivery of the hates-everything/everybody-not-American narrator.

Like any unfamiliar writing style I eventually set it aside to get to the engaging memories written in between the rhetoric. Ultimately I don't think it hit the mark but it's worth a read.

I did the moral math in my head: without a doubt, a narrative had clearly formed. God had given me a chance to atone. And after my time in the jungle I f*cking needed it.

Sometimes you just have to take what comes your way and do the absolute best you can with the opportunity.

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It's hard to talk about war with people who haven't seen real action. You don't understand. You will never understand. And so I can't tell you everything. But if you listen the right way, you might just learn a thing or two anyway.

Raw, hilarious, authentic, emotional...you know... the usual for Matthew Quick. 4.5 🌟's

Excited to start!

The first line 😂😂

🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗 my hold on this just came in!

Listening to this audiobook & it's brutal. The narrator uses abhorrent slurs for every group of people that aren't straight white men. A lot of people seem to bail on this one because of the language, and that is fair, especially if you've been on the receiving end of these words. But I'm going to plug on, cringing all the way, b/c turning these people off & pretending they don't exist is partly how we arrived to our current state of affairs.

This was so good Iike he always does. Hopeful.

This was... something. I don't think I could have made it through if I hadn't seen a couple of Litsy posts warning about the racism. Really pretty cover, though.

Dinner with my babe after a productive trip to the library!
#bookishdinner #summerreads

When it rains, all your holds come in at the library. That's the saying, right? Guess I've got my stack ready for #24in28.

Waiting for Matthew Quick to speak! He's one of my favorites!

Wow! Absolutely cannot recommend this enough. Starts prickly and uncomfortable but with a purpose. This book unwinds bit by bit and is amazingly well constructed. A great book to read especially as an American right now in such a divided time. Challenging and ultimately redeeming.

Oh, I listened on audiobook and the narrator was right on.

Made it to page 25 and decided this is not for me right now. I just can't stand the narrator, and have no patience or desire at the moment to look beyond that dislike. (The flap calls the narrator "controversial, wrenching, and wildly honest" which is apparently code for racist, misogynistic, anti-immigrant, gun-toting, ultra-conservative, liberal-hating... just no, thank you. I'll pass.)

Hmm... I think this narrator is going to be pushing my buttons...

Seems appropriate 😁

Absolutely f***ing outstanding.
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Reading the new Matthew Quick (yay!!) and sipping coffee out of my bookish new mug, courtesy of a book club buddy.

This one is likely to catch people by surprise. Probably the best first person narrator Quick has written (maybe Pat Peoples is "better"?). Also the funniest book he's done. Plus, it challenges some of the comfortable myths we on the left often leave unquestioned. Ultimately this has some uncomfortable moments that makes for a tremendously satisfying read.