Official Review: Perfect by Linda Heavner Gerald

[Chipochashe]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Perfect" by Linda Heavner Gerald.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Benjy was gifted with an African woman, Arjana, who was their household maid, on his thirteenth birthday. This ‘perfect’ gift was given to him by his father to transform him from boy to man. Benjy grows up obsessed with the beauty of Arjana even after she was taken out of his life. To him, Arjana was perfect and could not be compared to any other woman. As a result, the women who come into his life later are ill-fated. They will never measure up to his standard. While Miriam appeals to his intellect, it is Lila who appeals to his physical desires. Benjy comes up with a plan to get his perfect woman. What does this mean for the women in his life? Is there any sense to Benjy’s plan or is he simply a psychopath?

This is the story contained in the book Perfect written by Linda Heavner Gerald. Benjy is a selfish person; his only redeeming factors are intelligence and beauty. Miriam and Lila are beautiful and intelligent but seem to lack emotional intelligence. These are the three main characters. The author narrates the story in the third person, but we are let into the thoughts of Miriam more often. It is thus from Miriam’s point of view that we see the story unfolding. The three characters are from Jewish backgrounds, although much of their conduct is in contrast to their faith.

I had a somewhat morbid fascination with this book. The girls made decisions that enraged me, but I still needed to know how the story proceeded. I liked that the author tried as much as possible to be realistic about the consequences of different choices without necessarily being judgmental. She brought in topics such as A.I.D.S and infidelity. She also brought in the fact that people always think that they know better than God and their predecessors. One of the vital lessons from her work is that only God is perfect, we can only try to attain perfection.

As mentioned earlier, my fascination was rather morbid. I was angry at the young people for making stupid decisions, thinking they can teach the adults something new. I loathed the character of Benjy. These feelings simply mean that the author did her job well. One aspect that I found disturbing was Arjana’s answer to whether she felt used by Benjy and his father. Her answer points to African culture, whereas I know that in African culture a woman who allows herself to be used in that way is termed loose. The author may need to revisit that answer. I also found the events surrounding a certain character’s death to have been somewhat melodramatic.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Perfect; I could hardly put the book down once I started reading. The story still lingers in my mind. The ending was fitting, but not entirely satisfying. I would have wanted Benjy to fully appreciate the consequences of his actions, but even in life, some people just do not care. The errors were few and minor. Some of the errors are subjective, as they were found within conversations. There are some erotic scenes, but the author left a lot for the readers to fill from their imagination. I recommend the book to adults who enjoy fictional stories. Although the book deals with romantic issues, it is not particularly a romance book, even though I think fans of this genre would enjoy it. I would say Perfect is a book about choices. Although it has some religious elements to it, anyone should be able to read without taking offence. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars.

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Perfect
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[spencermack]

Interesting how you can never be sure about character's motives. Solid review. Thanks!

[Dannyphery]

Wow...
I'm so adding this to my bookshelf...
Really interesting.
Thanks for your review

[hasincla]

Thank you for being so honest about the characters in your review! I like a book with some likeable characters, and it sounds like Benjy, well, he's not that kind of character. That's enough of a turn-off for me to pass on this one.

[Ngozi Onyibor]

Your review has certainly piqued my interest. First of all, I don't know what to make of the idea of giving a human being as a gift in this century. Secondly, Benjy's obsession with finding an Arjana incarnate sounds psychopathic to me. I guess I have to read the book to make sense of the plot. Thanks for an intriguing review, though.

[booksandmagicshop]

I'm not really interested in this Benjy character. It doesn't sound like the book for me, but glad you enjoyed it!

[Nzube Chizoba Okeke]

I really do find this book interesting. I think I love the plot and I'm not pleased with the character of Benjy but I would love to see where this whole quest for the perfect woman ends. Thanks!

[Miraphery]

Hmm, I'm already curious to find out the answer that Arjana gave. Thanks for the nice review.

[Chipochashe]

Interesting how you can never be sure about character's motives. Solid review. Thanks!

You are welcome! Thanks for commenting Spencer Mack.

[Chipochashe]

Wow...
I'm so adding this to my bookshelf...
Really interesting.
Thanks for your review

Enjoy the reading Dannyphery. Thank you for commenting.

[Chipochashe]

Thank you for being so honest about the characters in your review! I like a book with some likeable characters, and it sounds like Benjy, well, he's not that kind of character. That's enough of a turn-off for me to pass on this one.

You are welcome. Yes, he is not a likable character. Thank you for commenting Hasincla.

[Chipochashe]

Your review has certainly piqued my interest. First of all, I don't know what to make of the idea of giving a human being as a gift in this century. Secondly, Benjy's obsession with finding an Arjana incarnate sounds psychopathic to me. I guess I have to read the book to make sense of the plot. Thanks for an intriguing review, though.

Surprising gift to give a teenager I'd say. Thank you for your comment Michelle Fred.

[Chipochashe]

I'm not really interested in this Benjy character. It doesn't sound like the book for me, but glad you enjoyed it!

Thank you for commenting.

[Chipochashe]

I really do find this book interesting. I think I love the plot and I'm not pleased with the character of Benjy but I would love to see where this whole quest for the perfect woman ends. Thanks!

Enjoy the reading Zee Zee. Thank you for commenting.

[Chipochashe]

Hmm, I'm already curious to find out the answer that Arjana gave. Thanks for the nice review.

You are welcome Miraphery. Thank you for your comment. Enjoy the reading!