You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-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
This book had a lot going on, but I really enjoyed it. I was surprised by how much I liked the combination of a modern, dysfunctional family with historical fiction.
"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.
What I read: The Imperfects by Amy Meyerson
Why I picked it up: I liked the cover and downloaded it on Hoopla.
How I read it: On audio at 1.5x while planting bushes on my hill and working around the house over 4 days.
What it’s about: Their grandmother dies, and the email Bec sends to announce it to her family begins a reunion fraught with turmoil. Helen’s daughter and grandchildren have struggled with how to love each other, and now there’s a very large diamond coming between them. The story also includes a World War II story line as well, but there’s not a lot of confirmed knowledge about what happened to Helen and her mother, Flora.
What I liked: There’s a lot going on in this book, and I appreciated the varied storylines.
What I disliked: There’s a lot of distance between the family members throughout, and even when apologies are made, almost none of it is resolved. More like real life than a HAE story – which this one is not.
Genre: Family saga, dysfunctional family, World War II, grief.
Rating & Recommendation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and yes.
Why I picked it up: I liked the cover and downloaded it on Hoopla.
How I read it: On audio at 1.5x while planting bushes on my hill and working around the house over 4 days.
What it’s about: Their grandmother dies, and the email Bec sends to announce it to her family begins a reunion fraught with turmoil. Helen’s daughter and grandchildren have struggled with how to love each other, and now there’s a very large diamond coming between them. The story also includes a World War II story line as well, but there’s not a lot of confirmed knowledge about what happened to Helen and her mother, Flora.
What I liked: There’s a lot going on in this book, and I appreciated the varied storylines.
What I disliked: There’s a lot of distance between the family members throughout, and even when apologies are made, almost none of it is resolved. More like real life than a HAE story – which this one is not.
Genre: Family saga, dysfunctional family, World War II, grief.
Rating & Recommendation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and yes.
I read this book because it was given to me by someone close to the author. I had previously read "The Bookshop of Yesterdays" and not liked it; however, this second book by Amy Meyerson began well, so I read on. The story was interesting enough to keep me engaged, but several times I was annoyed and disheartened by unrealistic characterizations, dialogues, or behaviors; and grammatical errors.
Oh, the errors! I didn't start keeping track until the middle of the book, but I started making a list beginning on page 202. In the next 170 pages I found at least 7 grammatical or typographical errors. Now granted, an editor should have caught these, but so should the author! C'mon, Amy. Learn the difference between the verbs "to lie" and "to lay." Learn how to use past participles correctly. Sorry, I guess I'm one of those cranky grammarians.
There is no beauty in the prose, but it is written clearly, i.e. I didn't need to re-read sentences to make sense of them. This is an okay beach read for someone who likes simple mysteries with upper middle class white American characters. Would I recommend it to a friend? No.
Oh, the errors! I didn't start keeping track until the middle of the book, but I started making a list beginning on page 202. In the next 170 pages I found at least 7 grammatical or typographical errors. Now granted, an editor should have caught these, but so should the author! C'mon, Amy. Learn the difference between the verbs "to lie" and "to lay." Learn how to use past participles correctly. Sorry, I guess I'm one of those cranky grammarians.
There is no beauty in the prose, but it is written clearly, i.e. I didn't need to re-read sentences to make sense of them. This is an okay beach read for someone who likes simple mysteries with upper middle class white American characters. Would I recommend it to a friend? No.
This was an interesting story of a very dysfunctional family and the fallout of the death of the secretive grandmother. One of the granddaughters inherits a 137 carat diamond -- something unheard of. There is mystery involved: How did their grandmother get the diamond? Did she steal it? Who does it really belong to?
All the while, there are family squabbles of an authentic sort. The 3 grandchildren are all very different. They could each use some money. They each have their secrets. Then there is their mother who has not been a model parent.
I like the play on the title, The Imperfects. The diamond is imperfect, which is how they can authenticate it. Also, the people in the family are imperfect.
This is a well conceived family drama that looks back to the war, trying to piece together the grandmother's life. The characters feel well rounded. There is also a certain almost thriller like tension around who the diamond actually belongs to and who will claim it in the end.
That being said, the ending is clever (and that's all I'll say so as not to give anything away).
Thank you to Netgalley and Park Row for the review copy.
All the while, there are family squabbles of an authentic sort. The 3 grandchildren are all very different. They could each use some money. They each have their secrets. Then there is their mother who has not been a model parent.
I like the play on the title, The Imperfects. The diamond is imperfect, which is how they can authenticate it. Also, the people in the family are imperfect.
This is a well conceived family drama that looks back to the war, trying to piece together the grandmother's life. The characters feel well rounded. There is also a certain almost thriller like tension around who the diamond actually belongs to and who will claim it in the end.
That being said, the ending is clever (and that's all I'll say so as not to give anything away).
Thank you to Netgalley and Park Row for the review copy.
“The sparkle depends on the flaws in the diamond.”
Upon her grandmother’s death, Beck discovers a potentially rare jewel in her grandmother’s belongings. To properly celebrate the life of their grandmother, the Miller family finds themselves under the same roof for the first time in years. Unsettled grudges flare, animosity rises, and a mystery quickly takes over. How did their grandmother come into possession of such a rare find? And why? As they learn more about their grandmother, they start to learn more about themselves and the imperfections that pique angry feels but also make them family.
Upon her grandmother’s death, Beck discovers a potentially rare jewel in her grandmother’s belongings. To properly celebrate the life of their grandmother, the Miller family finds themselves under the same roof for the first time in years. Unsettled grudges flare, animosity rises, and a mystery quickly takes over. How did their grandmother come into possession of such a rare find? And why? As they learn more about their grandmother, they start to learn more about themselves and the imperfections that pique angry feels but also make them family.
Good book, not something I would have found to read, my library is doing mystery bags, and this was one of the books in my bag. I didn’t care for the ending, I wanted more resolution,
The ending of this book was a way for the author to not make a decision about whether or not the family was going to sell the diamond or preserve their family heirloom.
Also, I don't like when books push the idea that you have to forgive and accept every family member even if they might be toxic/abusive. I don't think the kids really had a reason to be mad at each other. However, the mom neglected her kids and was selfish. She also didn't prove that she had changed at all.
Overall, I loved the mystery/historical fiction plot, and I didn't love the characters in the modern plot.
Also, I don't like when books push the idea that you have to forgive and accept every family member even if they might be toxic/abusive. I don't think the kids really had a reason to be mad at each other. However, the mom neglected her kids and was selfish. She also didn't prove that she had changed at all.
Overall, I loved the mystery/historical fiction plot, and I didn't love the characters in the modern plot.