Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Harper Perennial Canada (2010), Paperback
Description
Kate Grenville's Orange-Prize winning novel The Idea of Perfection is the story of the small town of Karakarook, and of Douglas Cheeseman and Harvey Savage - two people who seem the least likely in the world to fall in love. Unlike Felicity Porcelline, a woman dangerously haunted by the idea of perfection, they come to understand that what looks like weakness can be the best kind of strength.
User reviews
LibraryThing member lit_chick
"She was prepared to go through the motions, but she did not really believe in second chances. It was too late." (78)
Harley Savage is a plain woman, a part-time museum curator with a heart condition, and three failed marriages behind her. Painfully perfectionistic, she also has a dangerous streak,
The Idea of Perfection, written in Grenville’s elegant prose which I came to love in The Secret River, explores relationships and the idea of perfection through relatable, flawed characters. Told alongside the story of Harley and Douglas is that of Felicity Porcellini, the banker's wife, and Alfred Chang, the butcher, who are having an affair. Through the inclusion of these foil characters, Grenville seems to imply that perfection is not something which can be attained in the seeking, and certainly not in the attempt of keeping up appearances. Finally, I loved the author’s metaphoric use of the old bridge, which flatly defies Harley in its illustration that there are, indeed, second chances.
Worthy of its 2001 Orange Prize win, this one is highly recommended.
Harley Savage is a plain woman, a part-time museum curator with a heart condition, and three failed marriages behind her. Painfully perfectionistic, she also has a dangerous streak,
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something which has served her well in keeping others at a distance. For Harley, “Where there were relationships there was no avoiding meanness, malice, fear, guilt. Every kind of danger." (302) Douglas Cheeseman, a shy, awkward engineer, also with a failed marriage behind him, wishes “he could find it in himself to be a different and less invisible kind of man." (286) Having grown up in the shadow of his deceased father, a decorated soldier and hero, he never measured up. Consequently, as an adult, he is so socially awkward and bereft of confidence that seeming to be incompetent is something he does to protect himself, just as Harley holds fast to her dangerous streak. "It occurred to her that being a duffer might be something he did to protect himself, the way having a dangerous streak was what she did." (268) When Harley and Douglas collide in the small New Zealand community of Karakarook, where both have travelled for work purposes, something unexpected comes of their meeting of opposites.The Idea of Perfection, written in Grenville’s elegant prose which I came to love in The Secret River, explores relationships and the idea of perfection through relatable, flawed characters. Told alongside the story of Harley and Douglas is that of Felicity Porcellini, the banker's wife, and Alfred Chang, the butcher, who are having an affair. Through the inclusion of these foil characters, Grenville seems to imply that perfection is not something which can be attained in the seeking, and certainly not in the attempt of keeping up appearances. Finally, I loved the author’s metaphoric use of the old bridge, which flatly defies Harley in its illustration that there are, indeed, second chances.
Worthy of its 2001 Orange Prize win, this one is highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member mrstreme
A word of caution to readers who haven't read The Idea of Perfection by Kate Grenville. It's like a wonderful homemade soup. You first add the ingredients, slowly stir and then after hours of simmering, it becomes a tasty delight. The Idea of Perfection took a few chapters to get going, but readers
The book centered on two unforgettable characters - Douglas Cheeseman, an engineer, and Harley Savage, a textile expert. Both characters were visiting a small town in New South Wales on congruent missions. Douglas was dispatched to the town to demolish and rebuild an old timber bridge while Harley was there to help the town create a heritage museum. Eventually, Douglas and Harley crossed paths, and a slow love story began to develop.
Douglas and Harley shared low self-esteem and a lot of romantic baggage. Douglas was divorced, and his first wife called him a "bridge bore." Harley had three husbands - two she divorced and Husband #3 killed himself. Neither felt worthy of love and relationships, and worried obsessively about their social skills. Slowly, Grenville put both characters into story lines together, showing their vulnerabilities and general awkwardness. As the story progressed, they eventually shed - layer by layer - their doubts and insecurities.
While Douglas and Harley were sorting out their feelings, lives and inadequacies, Grenville threw in a third character, Felicity Porcelline. Felicity, on the surface, was the opposite of Douglas and Harley. She was attractive - and knew it - and spent hours trying to preserve her appearance. While she looked great on the outside, Grenville showed readers what was inside Felicity - obsessive, compulsive behavior about kitchen floors and buttons; an unnatural conflict about wrinkles, lines and creases, and what causes them; and a constant need for reassurance that she's still attractive to men. Felicity was like porcelain (I wonder if Grenville chose her last name intentionally) - beautiful but fragile. And in that way, all of the characters shared this fragile-like state, though wrapped up externally in different packages.
Through this character-driven story, Grenville showed readers that perfection is nothing more than an idea - a perception held by an individual. The perfect face, perfect marriage and even a perfect bridge are never really perfect. Anyone can find a flaw. However, it's the flaws that make those things so interesting. Fans of Kate Grenville or readers who enjoy intelligent story lines will love The Idea of Perfection. I know I did.
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who stick with this story are in for a wonderful literary experience.The book centered on two unforgettable characters - Douglas Cheeseman, an engineer, and Harley Savage, a textile expert. Both characters were visiting a small town in New South Wales on congruent missions. Douglas was dispatched to the town to demolish and rebuild an old timber bridge while Harley was there to help the town create a heritage museum. Eventually, Douglas and Harley crossed paths, and a slow love story began to develop.
Douglas and Harley shared low self-esteem and a lot of romantic baggage. Douglas was divorced, and his first wife called him a "bridge bore." Harley had three husbands - two she divorced and Husband #3 killed himself. Neither felt worthy of love and relationships, and worried obsessively about their social skills. Slowly, Grenville put both characters into story lines together, showing their vulnerabilities and general awkwardness. As the story progressed, they eventually shed - layer by layer - their doubts and insecurities.
While Douglas and Harley were sorting out their feelings, lives and inadequacies, Grenville threw in a third character, Felicity Porcelline. Felicity, on the surface, was the opposite of Douglas and Harley. She was attractive - and knew it - and spent hours trying to preserve her appearance. While she looked great on the outside, Grenville showed readers what was inside Felicity - obsessive, compulsive behavior about kitchen floors and buttons; an unnatural conflict about wrinkles, lines and creases, and what causes them; and a constant need for reassurance that she's still attractive to men. Felicity was like porcelain (I wonder if Grenville chose her last name intentionally) - beautiful but fragile. And in that way, all of the characters shared this fragile-like state, though wrapped up externally in different packages.
Through this character-driven story, Grenville showed readers that perfection is nothing more than an idea - a perception held by an individual. The perfect face, perfect marriage and even a perfect bridge are never really perfect. Anyone can find a flaw. However, it's the flaws that make those things so interesting. Fans of Kate Grenville or readers who enjoy intelligent story lines will love The Idea of Perfection. I know I did.
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LibraryThing member lauralkeet
The Idea of Perfection takes place in the Australian town of Karakarook, NSW, population 1374. Harley Savage, a middle-aged textile artist, travels from Sydney to create a heritage museum. Douglas Cheeseman, an engineer, is sent to demolish an old bridge. From this initial setup I expected intense
In fact, the entire book moves in a very gradual manner. Grenville oh-so-slowly reveals details that build a complete picture of the main characters and the town's citizens. At the beginning of the book, Douglas is looking out of an upstairs hotel room window. Only later, after learning he suffers from vertigo, does it become clear that just looking out the window was an accomplishment. Details of Harley's childhood and married life are droppped like a trail of breadcrumbs. Slowly the reader sees these two, their physical imperfections, and their inherent inner goodness. In contrast, Grenville introduces local housewife Felicity Porcelline, who is portrayed -- again, gradually -- as someone obsessed with her appearance, the cleanliness of her home, and her son's academic performance. She appears perfect on the outside, but inside she leads a self-centered, deceptive life.
This book had a surprisingly strong impact on me. I loved the slow reveal of the characters, and their ultimate depth. And while the book moved quickly, Grenville suggests plot in the same way she does her characters. There were many times in this novel where she made a subtle point that connected several other events in a way that literally left me wide-eyed, astonished, and saying "OH ... !!" out loud. The Idea of Perfection is sure to be one of my top reads of 2008.
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conflict and community uprising, but that turned out to be secondary to the story of human foibles and relationships. Both Douglas and Harley are unmarried; he is divorced and she is a widow. Both are lonely, but they resist forming relationships with others. Douglas remains on the fringe of the local work crew. Harley feels awkward with others, and stubbornly resists a stray dog's repeated attentions. Both draw gradually to one another. In fact, the entire book moves in a very gradual manner. Grenville oh-so-slowly reveals details that build a complete picture of the main characters and the town's citizens. At the beginning of the book, Douglas is looking out of an upstairs hotel room window. Only later, after learning he suffers from vertigo, does it become clear that just looking out the window was an accomplishment. Details of Harley's childhood and married life are droppped like a trail of breadcrumbs. Slowly the reader sees these two, their physical imperfections, and their inherent inner goodness. In contrast, Grenville introduces local housewife Felicity Porcelline, who is portrayed -- again, gradually -- as someone obsessed with her appearance, the cleanliness of her home, and her son's academic performance. She appears perfect on the outside, but inside she leads a self-centered, deceptive life.
This book had a surprisingly strong impact on me. I loved the slow reveal of the characters, and their ultimate depth. And while the book moved quickly, Grenville suggests plot in the same way she does her characters. There were many times in this novel where she made a subtle point that connected several other events in a way that literally left me wide-eyed, astonished, and saying "OH ... !!" out loud. The Idea of Perfection is sure to be one of my top reads of 2008.
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LibraryThing member brenzi
Three times married Harley Savage is a master quilter and has a "dangerous streak." Douglas Cheeseman is a gawky engineer who's former wife has described him as a "bridge bore." They both arrive in Kararakook, NSW, she to help set up a pioneer heritage museum and he to direct the tearing down of
The beauty of this book is the detailed development of these two quirky characters, both so unsure of, and reticient to share too much of, themselves. Grenville masterfully, brings them together, and because of her attention to detail, you find yourself cheering them on and hoping that the author doesn't disappoint in the end. She doesn't. Douglas states early on the main theme of the book, "How do people get on?" We find, through these two and other characters, all flawed in their own ways, that most of us struggle with that question in one way or another. Later in the book, Harley states, when talking about the quilt she is making for the town, "Donna's pieces had got her excited, but everything looked good in the beginning. It was only later, putting the pieces together, that it turned into something less than you had hoped. It seemed she would never learn that was the way things always were." Just like life itself.
Grenville uses many metaphors to relate her theme through the quilt and the bridge (the Bent Bridge), because they are both alike in many ways. From a distance, through the window, Douglas watches Harley work on the quilt, fitting pieces together, playing the light and the dark off of each other,allowing them to fit without concern that their seams line up, making it all come together so beautifully. At another point, Douglas explains to her what a beautiful, natural product concrete is, how it has no form of its' own until you determine what it will be, how when you combine the flexibility of steel with the strength of the concrete, you get the best outcome for a bridge that will last forever. And isn't that what relationships are all about? The fitting together, playing off of each other, combining qualities of each to complement the whole? Grenville does this so adroitly that I caught myself holding my breath at the beauty of it.
The book's title explains, through the characters, what we all expect of ourselves and yet have a very difficult time maintaining. And through the secondary character Felicity, we learn that the idea of perfection is, in itself, flawed.
I can't say enough about the beauty of this book. The elegant prose is only part of it. It's also the emotional wallop it provides and its' ability to make the reader sit back and think, "I know exactly what she's/he's feeling. Wonderful read!
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the old bridge that has been deemed unsafe. Their developing relationship is explored in Kate Grenville's 2001 Orange Prize winning novel and within its' 400 pages lies a gem of a story.The beauty of this book is the detailed development of these two quirky characters, both so unsure of, and reticient to share too much of, themselves. Grenville masterfully, brings them together, and because of her attention to detail, you find yourself cheering them on and hoping that the author doesn't disappoint in the end. She doesn't. Douglas states early on the main theme of the book, "How do people get on?" We find, through these two and other characters, all flawed in their own ways, that most of us struggle with that question in one way or another. Later in the book, Harley states, when talking about the quilt she is making for the town, "Donna's pieces had got her excited, but everything looked good in the beginning. It was only later, putting the pieces together, that it turned into something less than you had hoped. It seemed she would never learn that was the way things always were." Just like life itself.
Grenville uses many metaphors to relate her theme through the quilt and the bridge (the Bent Bridge), because they are both alike in many ways. From a distance, through the window, Douglas watches Harley work on the quilt, fitting pieces together, playing the light and the dark off of each other,allowing them to fit without concern that their seams line up, making it all come together so beautifully. At another point, Douglas explains to her what a beautiful, natural product concrete is, how it has no form of its' own until you determine what it will be, how when you combine the flexibility of steel with the strength of the concrete, you get the best outcome for a bridge that will last forever. And isn't that what relationships are all about? The fitting together, playing off of each other, combining qualities of each to complement the whole? Grenville does this so adroitly that I caught myself holding my breath at the beauty of it.
The book's title explains, through the characters, what we all expect of ourselves and yet have a very difficult time maintaining. And through the secondary character Felicity, we learn that the idea of perfection is, in itself, flawed.
I can't say enough about the beauty of this book. The elegant prose is only part of it. It's also the emotional wallop it provides and its' ability to make the reader sit back and think, "I know exactly what she's/he's feeling. Wonderful read!
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LibraryThing member 1morechapter
I had been wanting to read the 2001 Orange Prize winner The Idea of Perfection for a long time since I have a goal of eventually reading all the winners. I have to admit, it took me a few chapters to get into it. At the beginning of the book, I felt that Grenville was way too detailed with her
There’s not much plot, but that’s not something I have to have in my reading, as I like character-driven novels if they’re well written, and this one is, except for the caveat above. The story essentially revolves around two very imperfect people and one that tries to be the ultimate in perfection, at least in her looks if not her character. The setting of the book, the bush town of Karakarook, as well as a dog figure prominently as well.
Douglas Cheeseman is an engineer sent to the town to oversee the demolition of the Bent Bridge. The town is divided over the issue, with some wanting to preserve it as part of their Heritage initiative. Harley Savage is a part time museum curator sent in to oversee the town’s development of a Heritage Museum. Both are somewhat loners and outcasts, and both feel they are basically unlovable. Meanwhile, a woman named Felicity is a bit too taken with her looks and her effect on those around her. She is so obsessed she will only smile about two times a day to avoid getting wrinkles.
If she did not smile between now and when he came home, she could afford to give him two smiles tonight. And after each smile she could just pop into the bathroom for a moment to undo the damage by smoothing a little dab of moisturiser around the corners of the mouth. She would listen very attentively as he told her about his day, and after the second smile there would probably be no need to smile again for the rest of that evening.
The Idea of Perfection explores, not surprisingly, the idea of perfection. How far should one go to achieve it? Is perfection really necessary? Do people in our lives expect perfection from us? I enjoyed some of the philosophical questions raised by the book and even applied them to my personal life. As a “discouraged perfectionist,” do I give up entirely on something because it’s not perfect, or do I accept that nothing is perfect and just be happy making things the best they can be?
Recommended.
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descriptions and it bogged down the flow of the storyline a bit. Eventually, though, I was able to overlook it and got interested in the characters’ lives and foibles.There’s not much plot, but that’s not something I have to have in my reading, as I like character-driven novels if they’re well written, and this one is, except for the caveat above. The story essentially revolves around two very imperfect people and one that tries to be the ultimate in perfection, at least in her looks if not her character. The setting of the book, the bush town of Karakarook, as well as a dog figure prominently as well.
Douglas Cheeseman is an engineer sent to the town to oversee the demolition of the Bent Bridge. The town is divided over the issue, with some wanting to preserve it as part of their Heritage initiative. Harley Savage is a part time museum curator sent in to oversee the town’s development of a Heritage Museum. Both are somewhat loners and outcasts, and both feel they are basically unlovable. Meanwhile, a woman named Felicity is a bit too taken with her looks and her effect on those around her. She is so obsessed she will only smile about two times a day to avoid getting wrinkles.
If she did not smile between now and when he came home, she could afford to give him two smiles tonight. And after each smile she could just pop into the bathroom for a moment to undo the damage by smoothing a little dab of moisturiser around the corners of the mouth. She would listen very attentively as he told her about his day, and after the second smile there would probably be no need to smile again for the rest of that evening.
The Idea of Perfection explores, not surprisingly, the idea of perfection. How far should one go to achieve it? Is perfection really necessary? Do people in our lives expect perfection from us? I enjoyed some of the philosophical questions raised by the book and even applied them to my personal life. As a “discouraged perfectionist,” do I give up entirely on something because it’s not perfect, or do I accept that nothing is perfect and just be happy making things the best they can be?
Recommended.
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LibraryThing member SylviaC
There were no quotation marks! I had high hopes because the book contains some of my favourite elements—small town, romance between socially awkward characters, very low-key action. But as soon as I realised there were no quotation marks, I hit a wall. I skimmed ahead to see if I could get caught
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up in it later, but I just couldn't get past that punctuation. Show Less
LibraryThing member gwendolyndawson
Two misfits (a civil engineer and a quilting fanatic) find love in unlikely circumstances. I found myself not liking these characters too much, and I didn't enjoy the book as much as I thought I would given all the hype.
LibraryThing member LaBibliophille
The Idea of Perfection is another book I’ve read for the Book Awards Reading Challenge. Sadly, it’s another award winning book that I just couldn’t like. This novel by Kate Grenville, an Australian writer, won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2001. The truly curious thing is that same year,
This book hosts the most unlikely cast of characters one could imagine. The principle characters are supposed to be Harley Savage and Douglas Cheeseman. They are strangers on temporary work assignments in the fictional town of Karakarook, New South Wales. Harley is in town to help build a “heritage museum”. She is a textiles expert from a museum in Sydney. Douglas is an engineer, who has been sent to supervise the destruction of an old, worn-out bridge, and the construction of its replacement. They are both incredibly self-involved. They question every move and conversation-who has time for that?
A portion of the book is devoted to the story of Felicity Porcelline, the prim wife of the bank manager. In fact, she seems to be more of a main character than Harley or Douglas. Far too much of the book is focused on Felicity fantasizing about the town’s Chinese butcher/photographer, Alfred Chang. Talk about an unlikely character.
I really had to force myself to read this book all the way through. Is it too much to ask that a book be well-written and have interesting characters that I could enjoy reading about?
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Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin was shortlisted for the same prize. I had read that long before I started this blog, and it is a far superior novel.This book hosts the most unlikely cast of characters one could imagine. The principle characters are supposed to be Harley Savage and Douglas Cheeseman. They are strangers on temporary work assignments in the fictional town of Karakarook, New South Wales. Harley is in town to help build a “heritage museum”. She is a textiles expert from a museum in Sydney. Douglas is an engineer, who has been sent to supervise the destruction of an old, worn-out bridge, and the construction of its replacement. They are both incredibly self-involved. They question every move and conversation-who has time for that?
A portion of the book is devoted to the story of Felicity Porcelline, the prim wife of the bank manager. In fact, she seems to be more of a main character than Harley or Douglas. Far too much of the book is focused on Felicity fantasizing about the town’s Chinese butcher/photographer, Alfred Chang. Talk about an unlikely character.
I really had to force myself to read this book all the way through. Is it too much to ask that a book be well-written and have interesting characters that I could enjoy reading about?
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LibraryThing member rsladden
Shows that everyone has a unique idea of what perfection is
LibraryThing member JudithProctor
So slow-paced to start with, that I almost lost interest, but as the story developed I found it more involving. The skill of the writer lies in evoking small details and a sense of landscape. A faster pace probably wouldn't have worked for a romance between these particular characters.
LibraryThing member rachelj
Beautifully written, you can feel the heat, really imagine that you're there in the Australian bush with the dust, heat, birds, sky.
LibraryThing member EscapeBookClub
Read in April 2001. Everyone agreed that this was a beautiful written book. We loved the characters and their journey..... The Title of the book sums everything up for the reader. Highly recommended!!
LibraryThing member michdubb
Witty, dry humour. A housewife goes through the day trying to be perfect but only seems to succeed in her own mind.
LibraryThing member CateK
Set in the Australian outback, the plot concerns the unlikely romance between two socially awkward people.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and ended up liking the main characters as well as cheering them on. It does remind me of Proulx's "The Shipping News." It also has me thinking quite a lot about
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and ended up liking the main characters as well as cheering them on. It does remind me of Proulx's "The Shipping News." It also has me thinking quite a lot about
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the whole idea of what perfection is, and how peoples' conception of it affects their lives. The symbolism was obvious (which was good - meant I could actually pick up on it), for example, part of the artistic quality of Harley Savage's quilts is that the seams do not quite line up. It also slowed down the read, as practically every sentence needed to be mulled over to see how it furthered the theme of the book. An enjoyable book, one to be savored rather than gulped. Show Less
LibraryThing member porch_reader
The Idea of Perfection tells the story of Harley Savage and Douglas Cheeseman. They have both come to the small Australian town of Karakarook on business. Harley is helping to set up the town's heritage museum, and Douglas is helping to demolish and rebuild the old Bent Bridge, a safety hazard that
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is also a piece of the town's heritage. Harley and Douglas are both rather socially awkward, and when their paths cross, their interactions are uncomfortable. But Harley and Douglas are both endearing, and the small town setting jolts them out of their typical big-city behaviors. Grenville observes life in a small town and the interactions between Harley and Douglas with a practiced eye. Her descriptions are spot on and at times almost lyrical. Show Less
LibraryThing member SharonStewart
The most beautiful golden book I have ever read. Left me with a feeling of warmth and the posiblities of life.
LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
Odd little book, australian author and setting. Interesting insights on suicide - what it does to those left behind. Maybe that is the key to the book, seeing things from outside self.
LibraryThing member vplprl
This lovely story is about two fish-out-of-water characters - Harley Savage and Douglas Cheeseman - overcoming their differences and (possibly) living happily ever after. Richly deserving its Commonwealth and Orange Prize win, the book offers the small Outback community of Karakarook as a stand-in
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for every small town in the world suddenly discovering pride of place and self-respect for its culture and heritage. The title refers to an Amish quilting tradition where one panel is deliberately left imperfect, because only God can create perfection. Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member LARA335
This was deliberately slow-moving, so took me a time to be drawn in to this isolated Australian backwater. But Grenville is brilliant at evoking the lonely, socially awkward, and self-conscious. Her characters are beautifully drawn, and I admired the way that their pasts were only very gradually
Wry, original and heart-warming.
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revealed. She also understands dogs too!Wry, original and heart-warming.
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LibraryThing member AlisonY
This was a great book in very quiet, unassuming way, and was all about the journey rather than the destination. Essentially it is a story about life, about how mundaneness, honesty and simplicity can all collide when least expected to put everything in it's place again.
I thought the prose was
This is definitely a slow burn book that is all about the writing. The plot is nothing more than a snapshot of life itself, but then what more interesting or believable plot is there?
I thought the prose was
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terrific, capturing so eloquently the little things which often go unsaid, like how we tend to walk awkwardly when we feel we're being watched, or allow a constant stream of negative narrative in our heads to close the door to opportunity. The characters were terrific - very believable, very visual, all people we've come across in our lives at one time or another - and I enjoyed the unfamiliar setting of a backwater town in the Australian outback.This is definitely a slow burn book that is all about the writing. The plot is nothing more than a snapshot of life itself, but then what more interesting or believable plot is there?
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LibraryThing member ChristineEllei
Karakarook is a hot, dusty, sun-baked small town in New South Wales. Three outsiders with very different backgrounds and outlooks come to town for various reasons. Each has skeletons from the past to deal with and do so over the course their stay in Karakarook.
I wanted to really like this book, but
every once in a while I found myself getting excited because it sounded like things could really be going somewhere. These are the few moments that kept me reading. Then everything fizzled out. No, didn’t even fizzle out, just died off. I found everything about this book depressing; the characters, the town, the landscape, the children at school and the dog. Even the attempt at redemption at the end of the book left me feeling that it probably was not going to work out well, so why bother.
I wanted to really like this book, but
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sadly, I didn’t. The story was generally flat, thenevery once in a while I found myself getting excited because it sounded like things could really be going somewhere. These are the few moments that kept me reading. Then everything fizzled out. No, didn’t even fizzle out, just died off. I found everything about this book depressing; the characters, the town, the landscape, the children at school and the dog. Even the attempt at redemption at the end of the book left me feeling that it probably was not going to work out well, so why bother.
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LibraryThing member mirrani
I liked this book, but I found myself not picking it up for long periods of time. It is actually the reason I am so behind in all of my other work, because I just couldn't stay with it long enough to get through for any extended time. I wanted to really get excited about it. I wanted to be able to
I think the speed of the book matched the speed of the town that it was set in. When you read The Idea of Perfection, you definitely get to experience the slower, small town country lifestyle and it does immerse you in the experience in that regard. On the other hand there were some things that were too much, like the main character repeating her failings over and over and over. You understand her guilt at the end, when her situation is completely revealed, but I remember thinking, "If she says that ONE MORE TIME...!" That thought came to my mind repeatedly, even after I knew what had happened to her to make her think that way. Yes, some people are insecure about themselves, but I felt like you could tell that without wallowing in it so much that it becomes uncomfortable for the reader for all the wrong reasons. I think your personality type has a lot to do with what you will take out of this book.
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pick it up and not put it down. It had the potential for me, but it didn't quite reach the mark, so I just wandered through it for a while, wandered away and then found myself back again the next day, wondering why I hadn't read as far as I usually do with books of this type. I can see why it was the winner for the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2001, but I can't see why it didn't hit me harder than it did.I think the speed of the book matched the speed of the town that it was set in. When you read The Idea of Perfection, you definitely get to experience the slower, small town country lifestyle and it does immerse you in the experience in that regard. On the other hand there were some things that were too much, like the main character repeating her failings over and over and over. You understand her guilt at the end, when her situation is completely revealed, but I remember thinking, "If she says that ONE MORE TIME...!" That thought came to my mind repeatedly, even after I knew what had happened to her to make her think that way. Yes, some people are insecure about themselves, but I felt like you could tell that without wallowing in it so much that it becomes uncomfortable for the reader for all the wrong reasons. I think your personality type has a lot to do with what you will take out of this book.
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LibraryThing member buttsy1
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
Grenville takes three people, and to a lesser extent a handful of others, and acknowledges their personal doubts and fears. Not only are these characters presented with all their faults, they are honoured that way. Harley, Douglas and Felicity are all, one way
That the three of them are "fish out of water" in a tiny New South Wales town makes them even more interesting. And Grenville's depiction of the town, Karakarook, is deeply insightful. If you have ever visited a small Australian town you will recognise it here.
Grenville takes three people, and to a lesser extent a handful of others, and acknowledges their personal doubts and fears. Not only are these characters presented with all their faults, they are honoured that way. Harley, Douglas and Felicity are all, one way
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or another, relatable people - and that is the beauty of this novel, which is more character than plot driven.That the three of them are "fish out of water" in a tiny New South Wales town makes them even more interesting. And Grenville's depiction of the town, Karakarook, is deeply insightful. If you have ever visited a small Australian town you will recognise it here.
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Subjects
Awards
Women's Prize for Fiction (Longlist — 2001)
Nita B Kibble Literary Award for Women Writers (Shortlist — 2000)
Language
Original publication date
2000
Physical description
5.75 inches
ISBN
1554685192 / 9781554685196