Perfect

A Novel

De: Rachel Joyce

Narrado por: Paul Rhys

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry comes “a poignant, searing tale” (O: The Oprah Magazine) about a young boy who is thrown into the murky, difficult realities of the adult world.
 
“A powerful book, rich with empathy and charged with beautiful, atmospheric writing.”—Tana French

A nice house in a tony neighborhood. A hardworking husband. A private school for the children. From the outside, Diana has a perfect life. But her sensitive and observant young son notices that the other kids’ mothers are not like his own. They dress differently. Byron’s father prefers that his wife dress formally, in slim skirts and pointy heels. He gives Diana a Jaguar so neighbors will sit up and take notice. And they do.
 
Then, one morning, during a shortcut to school through a poor neighborhood, something happens that Byron cannot shake and his mother refuses to acknowledge. Until she has no choice. In the weeks that follow, the façade of a happy family shows signs of distress. Diana makes a questionable friend, and an increasingly tense dance begins—between guilt and resentment, envy and regret—all leading to a tragedy and a shattering revelation.

Soothing narrator

Bittersweet coming of age story with a twist that is sorrowful . It’s so sad the way mental health was treated back then

Not Harold Fry

Rachel Joyce proves herself a word master and creative writer in this novel. She continues exploring the obsessions people harbor, yet this is very different from Harold Fry. That is what makes it so intriguing. There are two parallel stories which can be a little confusing if you aren't paying attention. The stories meld together at the end in a surprising way. The narrator is spot on with his different voices enlivening the story.

Outstanding!

The narration of this audiobook deserves a standing ovation! Characters come alive through accents, modulations, and drama. I felt as though I was watching a play. Excellent!!

Not Rachel Joyce’s best

I adored The Music Shop and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Frye and was sure after those two that I couldn’t go wrong choosing anything by Rachel Joyce. I was wrong.

While she does continue to provide very developed, realistic and lovably flawed characters, these just didn’t have a story compelling enough to draw me in. I must have started listened to the first half hour 4 times before finally engaging and getting on with the rest of the book. Unfortunately, it never got better. Entire chapters could have been left out, things were revisited over and over and over again with no new information coming to light. Storylines that could have gone somewhere and had some real resolution never did.

The saving grace of this book and the reason I was able to finish it was the perfect narration. Paul Rhys brought each individual personality to life, even the women and the little girl, and I laughed out loud several times. Standing ovation to him.

Heartbreakingly Beautiful

This is the story of two best friends and the events of one summer that shaped the rest of their lives. The character development is so well done that i find myaelf missing these people now I've finished the book. The story is woven through with gentle humor as well as painful realities that are made bearable only through relationships with others who care. I loved this read and Paul Rhys's narration was superb.