Matthew Quick strana 2 z 2

After sixty-eight-year-old David Granger crashes his BMW, medical tests reveal a brain tumor that he readily attributes to his wartime Agent Orange exposure. He wakes up from surgery repeating a name no one in his civilian life has ever heard - that of a Native American soldier whom he was once ordered to discipline. David decides to return something precious he long ago stole from the man he now calls Clayton Fire Bear. It might be the only way to find closure in a world increasingly at odds with the one he served to protect. It might also help him finally recover from his wife's untimely demise. As David confronts his past to salvage his present, a poignant portrait emerges: that of an opinionated and goodhearted American patriot fighting like hell to stay true to his red, white, and blue heart, even as the country he loves rapidly changes in ways he doesn't always like or understand. Hanging in the balance are Granger's distant art-dealing son, Hank; his adoring seven-year-old granddaughter, Ella; and his best friend, Sue, a Vietnamese-American who respects David's fearless sincerity. Through the controversial, wrenching, and wildly honest David Granger, Matthew Quick offers a no-nonsense but ultimately hopeful view of America's polarized psyche. By turns irascible and hilarious, insightful and inconvenient, David is a complex, wounded, honorable, and ultimately loving man. The Reason You're Alive examines how the secrets and debts we carry from our past define us; it also challenges us to look beyond our own prejudices and search for the good in our supposed enemies.

When sixty-eight-year-old Vietnam War veteran David Granger wakes up from emergency surgery, he finds himself repeating a name: Clayton Fire Bear, a soldier from whom he stole something long ago. And now, David knows he must make amends. It might be the only way to find happiness in a world increasingly at odds with the one he served to protect, and it might also help him recover from the loss of the wife he grieves for every day. Motivated by his adoring young granddaughter, Ella, David sets out to confront his past in order to salvage his present. Grumpy and argumentative he may be, but ultimately The Reason You're Alive challenges us to look beyond our own prejudices and search for the good in others.

Vajon a derű vagy a fájdalom diadalmaskodik? A 17 éves Amber Appleton egy iskolabuszban lakik anyának alkalmatlan anyjával, mégis javíthatatlan optimista, aki rendszeres látogatója egy idősek otthonának, zene segítségével tanít angolra koreai nőket, és összebarátkozik egy magának való vietnámi veteránnal és annak kutyájával, de aztán olyan csapás éri, amit nem tud feldolgozni. Mély depresszióba süllyed. Matthew Quick, a Napos oldal írója új regényében egy töretlenül pozitív lány elméjébe vezet be minket, ahol jól megfér a humor a sorscsapásokkal és a kisszerűség a nagyvonalúsággal. A könyvből a Netflix készített filmet. Az év leglelkesítőbb, legreménytelibb regénye. Éld meg a csodáját! "Nagyon szerethető." - School Library Journal "Szinte lehetetlen nem a hatása alá kerülni." - Publishers Weekly "Matthew Quick regénye lenyűgöző és lelkesítő. Villámgyorsan végigolvastam a könyvet, mert Amber Appleton különleges és friss stílusa végig lekötötte a figyelmemet." - Arlene Szereted a Vörös pöttyös könyveket? Vidd haza nyugodtan! Tetszeni fog. 16 éves kortól ajánljuk!

** NOW A NETFLIX FILM STARRING AULI'I CRAVALHO AND CAROL BURNETT ** Amber Appleton has a lot to be thankful for. OR Amber Appleton has never had it easy. Both are true. On the one hand, she's got the best friends a seventeen year old could ask for and a loyal dog, Bobby Big Boy. On the other, her mum frequently has too much to drink, Amber's never quite sure where her next meal will come from and ever since her mum's latest boyfriend kicked them out, Amber and her mum have been living in the back of a school bus. Amber has always found it easy to be upbeat, to find the light in the darkest of situations. Until, that is, an unimaginable tragedy occurs. Forced to rethink her way of life, can Amber remain a rock star of hope? This is the story of a very special teenager, whose faith and hope is tested to the limit.

„... kľúčové je urobiť čosi, čo vás v mysliach normálnych ľudí navždy vyčlení z priemeru. Čosi, čo zaváži.“ Dnes má Leonard Peacock narodeniny. Dnes si vloží do školského batoha pištoľ P-38 – zbraň istého nacistického dôstojníka, ktorú zdedil po starom otcovi – a zastrelí svojho bývalého najlepšieho priateľa a potom seba. Už sa nevie dočkať. Ale najprv musí povedať zbohom štyrom priateľom, na ktorých mu záležalo: svojmu susedovi Waltovi posadnutému Humphreym Bogartom; spolužiakovi Babackovi, husľovému virtuózovi; veľkej kresťanke Lauren, do ktorej bol tak trochu zaľúbený; a herr Silvermanovi, ktorý ho na strednej škole učí o holokauste. Leonard sa s každým z nich porozpráva a postupne – ako hodiny tikajú a prichádza okamih pravdy – odhalí svoje tajomstvo.

V živote nevychádza všetko vždy podľa plánu. Pat Peoples stratil všetko – dom, zamestnanie aj manželku. Po dlhom čase strávenom v psychiatrickom ústave teraz žije v rodičovskom dome, ale je pevne rozhodnutý znovu získať naspäť všetko, predovšetkým svoju manželku Nikki, a verí, že sa mu to podarí, hoci má súdne zakázané čo i len sa k nej priblížiť. Pat má zvláštnu teóriu: jeho život je film, ktorý režíruje Boh. A on má zvláštne poslanie – byť fyzicky zdatný a citovo vyspelý. Ak svoje poslanie splní, Boh mu vráti Nikky a postará sa, aby sa film jeho života skončil happyendom. Na večeri u svojho priateľa Ronnieho sa Pat zoznámi so svojou švagrinou Tiffany, ktorá nedávno ovdovela. Vznikne medzi nimi zvláštny vzťah a Tiffany sa po čase ponúkne, že mu sprostredkuje kontakt s Nikki. A tak Pat, v nádeji, že sa čoskoro stretne s manželkou, vytrvalo cvičí v domácej posilňovni, aby sa Nikki páčil, keď sa konečne stretnú. Nevyjde to však celkom podľa jeho predstáv, ale v konečnom dôsledku je dôležité hlavne to, že pochopil, čo je šťastie. Justin Cronin o románe hovorí: „Krehká, citlivá, zábavná a pravdivá – taká je Terapia láskou“. Z anglického originálu Silver Linings Playbook (Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc., New York 2003) preložil Andrej Chovan.