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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I must admit I did not like the Miller family at all when I started this but the chase to uncover the history of the Florentine diamond kept me reading. It all came together and I loved this page turner.
Another great read from Amy Meyerson! She really has a way of drawing you into the story quickly. It feels like you know these people in real life. Looking forward to seeing more work from her.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This one was a bit of a disappointment. The blurb promised a mix of family drama and historical mystery, two things I love, but didn’t really deliver on either. The Millers were certainly a dramatic family, with lots of conflict, decades of misunderstandings and hurt feelings, and complicated motives, but none of that really went anywhere. I wouldn’t say any of them grew as characters or that their relationships deepened; in fact, by the end I’d say the point is that none of them changed, and they came to realize none of them ever would, so they had to learn to deal with each other as they were. Which is, I guess, more realistic than what usually happens in these types of stories, but not very satisfying. Definitely do not recommend this book for anyone looking for the escapism of someone else’s family sorting out their issues.
As for the mystery element, the premise of it - a seemingly normal grandmother, a single mother and Holocaust survivor, dies, and her daughter and grandchildren discover that she was in possession of one of the most famous lost jewels of all time - is really fascinating, and the actual conclusion to the mystery was satisfying. But the way the story was spooled out, while, again, probably more realistic than the continent-spanning adventure I expected, was dull. Huge amounts of time went on the family waiting for court hearings, waiting to get responses to emails, waiting to translate documents, and there was almost no drama when they finally figured out how the jewel had landed in their grandmother’s possession because half the plot was suddenly resolved in a single info-dump. A second mystery about the grandmother, which I won’t spoil since it isn’t mentioned in the blurb, was introduced halfway through the book, and that, too, was resolved in a very mundane sort of way.
The book wasn’t all bad - for all their lack of growth, the characters were very complex, flawed and fully realized, and despite some dull prose, the emotions around Helen’s family finally learning the truth of their heritage mostly landed - but it ended up just feeling very average.
As for the mystery element, the premise of it - a seemingly normal grandmother, a single mother and Holocaust survivor, dies, and her daughter and grandchildren discover that she was in possession of one of the most famous lost jewels of all time - is really fascinating, and the actual conclusion to the mystery was satisfying. But the way the story was spooled out, while, again, probably more realistic than the continent-spanning adventure I expected, was dull. Huge amounts of time went on the family waiting for court hearings, waiting to get responses to emails, waiting to translate documents, and there was almost no drama when they finally figured out how the jewel had landed in their grandmother’s possession because half the plot was suddenly resolved in a single info-dump. A second mystery about the grandmother, which I won’t spoil since it isn’t mentioned in the blurb, was introduced halfway through the book, and that, too, was resolved in a very mundane sort of way.
The book wasn’t all bad - for all their lack of growth, the characters were very complex, flawed and fully realized, and despite some dull prose, the emotions around Helen’s family finally learning the truth of their heritage mostly landed - but it ended up just feeling very average.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Antisemitism, War
Themes of family conflict including parental abandonment, Holocaust-themes presented as backstory/family history, minor sexual content
DNF'ing for now... Not feeling it. Too many people introduced already. Might come back to it some day.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
While the premise of The Imperfects is fantastic, it left me wanting in the ultimate resolution. Could just be I am a little too cookie-cutter. As other reviews have mentioned I found the main characters hard to relate with and the flaws/imperfections could have been more developed. I found Helen's origin story riveting and would have liked to see that lead more of the narrative. I think this could drive a lot of readers towards historical fiction which is great but it missed the mark for me. Still, the depth of the story and the sheer number of shifts in perspective combined with the legal language makes it well crafted if for structure.
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A story of family turn apart. Mended, turn and mended, and the tug and pull off money, relationships, and society judging.. and a sprinkle of piranha Journalism religion, and war
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes