Perfect Audiobook By Rachel Joyce cover art

Perfect

A Novel

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Perfect

By: Rachel Joyce
Narrated by: Paul Rhys
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Buy for $18.00

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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry comes “a poignant, searing tale” (O: The Oprah Magazine) about a young boy who is thrown into the murky, difficult realities of the adult world.

“A powerful book, rich with empathy and charged with beautiful, atmospheric writing.”—Tana French

A nice house in a tony neighborhood. A hardworking husband. A private school for the children. From the outside, Diana has a perfect life. But her sensitive and observant young son notices that the other kids’ mothers are not like his own. They dress differently. Byron’s father prefers that his wife dress formally, in slim skirts and pointy heels. He gives Diana a Jaguar so neighbors will sit up and take notice. And they do.

Then, one morning, during a shortcut to school through a poor neighborhood, something happens that Byron cannot shake and his mother refuses to acknowledge. Until she has no choice. In the weeks that follow, the façade of a happy family shows signs of distress. Diana makes a questionable friend, and an increasingly tense dance begins—between guilt and resentment, envy and regret—all leading to a tragedy and a shattering revelation.
Family Life Emotionally Gripping Literary Fiction Heartfelt Fiction Tearjerking Genre Fiction Women's Fiction
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Rachel Joyce proves herself a word master and creative writer in this novel. She continues exploring the obsessions people harbor, yet this is very different from Harold Fry. That is what makes it so intriguing. There are two parallel stories which can be a little confusing if you aren't paying attention. The stories meld together at the end in a surprising way. The narrator is spot on with his different voices enlivening the story.

Not Harold Fry

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The narration of this audiobook deserves a standing ovation! Characters come alive through accents, modulations, and drama. I felt as though I was watching a play. Excellent!!

Outstanding!

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Bittersweet coming of age story with a twist that is sorrowful . It’s so sad the way mental health was treated back then

Soothing narrator

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I had read Joyce's debut novel and wanted to explore more of her work with Perfect. Reading it was an evocative and emotional journey. The characters and story were rich with detail. Paul Rhys had just the right tone for this piece. I was so impressed with everything about this book and it will stick with me for a long time.

A beautifully crafted and written story

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Ms. Joyce is able to bring you through her writing to the people and places of a small country village in 1972. The narration is clear and voicing of the different characters very varied, making it easy to identify who is talking, especially in the differing accents of the various women characters I love how Ms. Joyce is able to paint with words! She is truly an expert of her craft!

Masterful writing

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