Idea of Perfection, The
Grenville, KateTwo outsiders arrive at the depressed little bush town of Karakarook, New South Wales. Their opposing concerns manifest in the debate over the town's old wooden bridge: heritage versus modern engineering. Funny and touching in its observations of the plain and the flawed. Winner Orange Prize, 2001.
Comments from Groups
We all loved it. For some of us it was a re-read, and we liked it even more the second time. We were especially struck by the subtle way the metaphor of light and shade enhanced the theme throughout. Warkworth 004 Great characters and wonderful prose. The scene seemed to come alive...you could smell the dust, and brush flies off your face. The group as a whole thought it a good read. Matamata 001 Some enjoyed the story - others felt the plot was not very convincing. All agreed that the writing was accomplished, although there was rather too much emphasis on detail. We found the concept of bridge construction and patchwork intriguing. Christchurch 108 This was a cracker...we loved it. We had a great discussion - it went on for ages. We loved all the characters. It reminded us of that great Canadian writer, Mary Lawson, who wrote 'The Other Side of the Bridge', and 'Crow Lake'. Auckland 199 A mixed reception by the group, with more enjoying it than not. Much discussion had on what constituted sentimentality in a book, and how one decided what was art and what wasn't. A cleverly written book that reflected the sleepy, slow life in a small rural Australian town. Putaruru 001 We all found this book very interesting and amusing. Although slow in the beginning, the characters soon developed and we found it interesting to see how they all viewed each other. We loved the dog, and how Haney's attitudes towards him changed. We discussed how small town NZ would compare with the same in Australia, and would the 'goings-on', and the characters each knowing what everyone was doing be the same. Yes, probably. All in all, we loved this book. Hikurangi 001 ...We felt the book was too wordy, repetitious and the italics were very annoying. Motueka 001
Pages
401
401
Year
2001
2001
Reviews
22-05-2023
We really enjoyed 'The Idea of Perfection' although felt that it was too long, resulting in a disappointing ending. However, there was great humour, strong and interesting characters and excellent observation.
10-01-2022
Loved it - the language and the sentiments.
02-10-2018
I loved the book for its style, the depiction of small town life, the self-doubting, self-conscious characters, and its humour. But others in the group felt that it was slow-moving, perhaps over-descriptive, and characters too negative. But we did have an excellent discussion of the motivation of the characters and small town life. Someone recommended Grenville's later novels, especially 'The Secret River' as a better example of her work.