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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
I loved the Bookshop of Yesterdays so I couldn't wait to read Amy Meyerson's new book, The Imperfects. It's the story of the Miller family, a mother, Deborah, and her children who are somewhat fractured, who come together after the death of Deborah's mother Helen. When Helen dies, she leaves her house to her daughter and a mysterious brooch to her youngest grandchild, Beck, with whom she'd been closest. The brooch isn't one that anyone remembers and it has a very large diamond in it.
As the Millers begin to research, they discover that Helen has, for years, been harboring the missing Florentine Diamond -- one of the Crown Jewels from the fallen empire of Austria. But how did she get it?
The book sees the Millers, all dealing with some kind of personal conflict, come together as they work to prove that the diamond belongs to them. Once they can prove that it does, they hope to sell it. Ashley needs the money to save her house. Jake needs the money to live off of after he loses his job, especially with his first child due in a few months. Beck wants to finally be able to live independently and free of debt after Deborah used her identity to open credit cards and rack up debt when Beck was a teenager. In the process, they learn about Helen's past (and therefore their own) and their family history. Their ties to the Holocaust. Their real father and grandfather. They learn that their family is much more complex than even they knew.
I liked that the book took something real (the missing Florentine Diamond) and dropped it into a fictional world to suppose what could have happened to it (there is still mystery with the diamond in the end of the book, too). I also liked that it took place in and around Philadelphia because I could picture the locations and atmosphere of the towns (and am confident in my pronunciation of Bala Cynwyd, haha).
From a writing perspective, I thought it was well done and drew me in and made me care about the characters. It gave me This is Where I Leave You vibes, and I really loved that book too. You were rooting for them all in different ways even though they were definitely not always likable. They were real in that sense.
From an editing perspective, I did notice a weird amount of typos in the book. It didn't change my understanding or enjoyment of the story at all. Just something I noticed.
Would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys family dramas and mysteries, as well as anyone who liked Meyerson's Bookshop of Yesterdays.
As the Millers begin to research, they discover that Helen has, for years, been harboring the missing Florentine Diamond -- one of the Crown Jewels from the fallen empire of Austria. But how did she get it?
The book sees the Millers, all dealing with some kind of personal conflict, come together as they work to prove that the diamond belongs to them. Once they can prove that it does, they hope to sell it. Ashley needs the money to save her house. Jake needs the money to live off of after he loses his job, especially with his first child due in a few months. Beck wants to finally be able to live independently and free of debt after Deborah used her identity to open credit cards and rack up debt when Beck was a teenager. In the process, they learn about Helen's past (and therefore their own) and their family history. Their ties to the Holocaust. Their real father and grandfather. They learn that their family is much more complex than even they knew.
I liked that the book took something real (the missing Florentine Diamond) and dropped it into a fictional world to suppose what could have happened to it (there is still mystery with the diamond in the end of the book, too). I also liked that it took place in and around Philadelphia because I could picture the locations and atmosphere of the towns (and am confident in my pronunciation of Bala Cynwyd, haha).
From a writing perspective, I thought it was well done and drew me in and made me care about the characters. It gave me This is Where I Leave You vibes, and I really loved that book too. You were rooting for them all in different ways even though they were definitely not always likable. They were real in that sense.
From an editing perspective, I did notice a weird amount of typos in the book. It didn't change my understanding or enjoyment of the story at all. Just something I noticed.
Would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys family dramas and mysteries, as well as anyone who liked Meyerson's Bookshop of Yesterdays.
emotional
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
"It’s funny how the qualities that made Deborah a terrible mother make her an equally special grandmother."
The Millers may be imperfect (ya think?) but this book is perfect! I'd absolutely loved Meyerson's The Bookshop of Yesterdays and this one makes her a writer I'll read from here on.
The Millers may be imperfect (ya think?) but this book is perfect! I'd absolutely loved Meyerson's The Bookshop of Yesterdays and this one makes her a writer I'll read from here on.
A really nice contemporary family drama mixed with bits of historical fiction. While I enjoyed the premise and the story a lot, I wasn’t a fan of how the plot was organized.
The Imperfects by Amy Meyerson is about the Miller family. Helen is the family’s matriarch and grandmother to estranged adult siblings, Beck, Ashley, and Jake. Their mother, Deborah, hasn’t always been a parent worthy of recognition and accolades. But then the family is brought together when Helen suddenly passes away. Of course, the last time the family was together didn’t go so well. At the reading of the will, an invaluable inheritance is brought to light. This sets off a journey of discovery for the Millers to uncover truths about their family’s heritage. At the center of this journey is the Florentine diamond, a 37-carat yellow gemstone. And this diamond went missing from the Austrian Empire a century ago.
⠀⠀ This story is all about relationships. Meyerson demonstrates the complexity of sibling relationships extremely well. As well, there are many different romantic relationships interwoven into the story. The notion that sometimes we don’t know what questions to ask of others until it is too late is a recurring theme in the novel for all characters. I love how Meyerson started with a nugget of truth and creatively wrote an entire fictional novel around that truth. And personally, some of my favourite fiction novels are written that way.
⠀⠀ This story is all about relationships. Meyerson demonstrates the complexity of sibling relationships extremely well. As well, there are many different romantic relationships interwoven into the story. The notion that sometimes we don’t know what questions to ask of others until it is too late is a recurring theme in the novel for all characters. I love how Meyerson started with a nugget of truth and creatively wrote an entire fictional novel around that truth. And personally, some of my favourite fiction novels are written that way.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a dysfunctional family story, historical fiction, and a mystery all rolled into one. The audiobook definitely held my attention.
Wow, this was a whirlwind! I loved the book, was a little disappointed with the ending though, that we never found out where Victor went or what the seed parcels meant. However have not been able to put this down for the last 48 hours so I would say this was a great read nonetheless :)
Very well written too!
Very well written too!
I thought this was just going to be another family drama, and let's be honest, there are SO many of those lately. I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this book.
While it was a family drama, and a good one at that, it was so much more. I really enjoyed the mystery story revolving around the Florentine diamond. I had never heard of this diamond, and I know that this isn't a true story by any means, it was fun to learn the history of it and speculate about what may have happened to it. I wish the ending was a little more resolved in terms of the diamond, but the ending for the family was so satisfying.
I ended up flying through this book in just a couple of days. I would recommend it to those who want a family drama with an added layer.
While it was a family drama, and a good one at that, it was so much more. I really enjoyed the mystery story revolving around the Florentine diamond. I had never heard of this diamond, and I know that this isn't a true story by any means, it was fun to learn the history of it and speculate about what may have happened to it. I wish the ending was a little more resolved in terms of the diamond, but the ending for the family was so satisfying.
I ended up flying through this book in just a couple of days. I would recommend it to those who want a family drama with an added layer.
Like my reaction to Meyerson's The Bookshop of Yesterdays, I was engaged through most of the book. However, the ending was unsatisfying to me—too sudden and pat. Too, her main characters (at least based on these two works) tend to be self-centered and immature. I just felt let down by the end of the book.