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In a Perfect World
In a Perfect World
Author: Laura Kasischke
Poet and novelist Kasischke finds beauty amid the apocalypse in her timely seventh novel. The Phoenix flu is sweeping the world, causing mass hysteria, arousing profound paranoia and inciting anti-American hatred worldwide. Jiselle, 32, is a jaded flight attendant and perpetual bridesmaid who says, I do, when handsome pilot Capt. Mark Dorn, a wi...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780061766114
ISBN-10: 0061766119
Publication Date: 10/1/2009
Pages: 336
Rating:
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
 69

3.4 stars, based on 69 ratings
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

paigu avatar reviewed In a Perfect World on + 120 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7
Oddly, the book is set in an "end of the world" apocalyptic (minus the rioting, plundering, violence...like a Lifetime movie adaptation) scenario that fits quite well with the media hype of the H1N1 outbreak. But otherwise this book was nothing more than a list of the usual "step mom vs kids" stereotypes: man marries woman after whirlwind romance, man's kids hate stepmom, stepmom is lonely and contemplates having an affair with the too-good-to-be-true divorced neighbor, everybody BONDS!!! over the course of the book). Guess I will pass on this author's other novels.
reviewed In a Perfect World on + 13 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Slow paced and extremely well-written, not your typical fare at all. I thought that the scenario that Kasischke presents was very believable. It's just different from the usual end of days story with zombies, alien invasion, and mysterious forces moving the universe type of thing that is very popular now. This book focus on the ordinary life of people as the world slowly crumbles about them and the heroine is not a gun- toting ,supernaturally gifted scion of some long-lost race of supernatural beings . She's just a regular joe trying to make sense of it all.I was never bored with this book. Loved it actually.
reviewed In a Perfect World on + 15 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I loved everything about this book EXCEPT the ending. I felt like the author weaved an incredibly thorough and detailed story only to just drop it at the end. The story itself is one of the better ones that I have read lately, and I am very glad I picked up this book. However, I felt empty at the end of the story. While it had an overall hopeful ending, there was a lot left to the reader's imagination. In a way, it is a refreshing change, and its uncertainty made me feel more a part of Jiselle's story rather than just an outsider looking in, but I'm not used to books that just end like that. Despite the quasi-unfinished ending, I devoured the book and was drawn into the story, all marks of a well-written plot, well-developed characters, and an overall gifted storyteller. Even with my disappointment in the ending, I highly recommend this book.
reviewed In a Perfect World on
Helpful Score: 1
I really enjoyed this book. It has a soft, dreamy quality about it, an improbable plot, yet draws the reader in.
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reviewed In a Perfect World on + 22 more book reviews
I read this book in one day. It is not a romance novel. It is however a love story. About a woman learning about her own strength.
reviewed In a Perfect World on + 4 more book reviews
I wasn't prepared for an apocolyptic story which in the end was a bit contrived in some of the plot lines. Things worked out too nicely without any real conversation between characters. Though the writing was full of great imagery I think I'll probably pass on any other Kasischke novels for now.


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