Title: Imperfect
Bliss
Author: Susan Fales-Hill
Review: I
love the title of this book. Not only
are we all as imperfect as the main character of this book, Bliss, but we
all are looking for our bliss-perfect or at least as close as possible. Imperfection is everywhere and in everyone
and striving to be better and do better every day is how we can improve our
chances of that close as possible to perfect bliss we all crave. I think Bliss will find hers, her sister
Diana not so much
I really didn’t get
into this book until well after page 100.
I found the mother annoying and the father flat. The only time I connected with the father was
when he was with his granddaughter. I
know that he is supposed to be like the father in Pride and Prejudice and maybe
a bit…I have read that book at least a dozen times and yet he seemed flat. The mother was over the top and scary at
times, she acted like the mother from Pride and Prejudice but more so and not
in a good way. The sisters were very one dimensional, the youngest being the
free spirit, the middle being the beauty bent on having money, the next oldest
being the Elizabeth character in Pride and Prejudice going by the nickname
Bliss and the oldest Victoria. Victoria
was the most thought-out character, besides Bliss, in the bunch. She had problems, solutions and a strong head
on her shoulders to combat her bossy mother.
After page 100+ the story
started to finally take shape and I found an interest in what was going on and
who was going to end up happy or not. Most
readers aren’t going to make it that far without something more exciting
happening or something they actually care about happening. I found the story predictable, dull and
lacking in any real interest. When I
finally got past page 150 or so I read the rest in one sitting and enjoyed the
ending. Predictable, but nice at the
same time..I’m a sucker for the happy ending.
Who doesn’t want to end up living
Happily Ever After?
The supporting characters,
Jordan, Darius, Manuel, Wyatt, and a few others added to the plot, but seemed
to also drag it along. Condensing the
first 100 pages may help the reader stay focused on the plot. I really lost the whole reason for the book
until after page 100 and still wondered who is going to enjoy this book. With so much out there to read that is
interesting, thought provoking and fun…why read this? But, looking back I did like the end, making
this book a 3 star book in my opinion. I
was disappointed by the books lack of imagination, there already is a reality
show out there about Virgins and who cares anyway?
Publisher: Published July 3rd 2012 by Atria Books
ISBN: 9781451623826
Copyright: 2012
Pages: 304
Quick Review: 3 stars (out of 5)-
Why I Read It:
Sent by the publisher for review.
Synopsis: Reality TV— Jane Austen Style Meet the
Harcourts of Chevy Chase, Maryland. A respectable middle-class, middle-age,
mixed-race couple, Harold and Forsythia have four eminently marriageable
daughters—or so their mother believes. Forsythia named her girls after Windsor
royals in the hopes that one day each would find her true prince. But princes
are far from the mind of their second-born daughter, Elizabeth (AKA Bliss),
who, in the aftermath of a messy divorce, has moved back home and thrown
herself into earning her PhD. All that changes when a Bachelorette-style
reality television show called The Virgin takes Bliss’s younger sister Diana as
its star. Though she fights it at first, Bliss can’t help but be drawn into the
romantic drama that ensues, forcing her to reconsider everything she thought
she knew about love, her family, and herself. Fresh and engaging, Imperfect
Bliss is a wickedly funny take on the ways that courtship and love have
changed—even as they’ve stayed the same.
Author Biography: SUSAN FALES was born in Rome, Italy in
1962, and raised in New York City. She graduated from the Lycee Francais de New
York in 1980 (Baccalaureat, Academie de Caen). In June of 1985, she graduated
with honors from Harvard College with a degree in History and Literature
(original class affiliation: 1984.) Her thesis, a comparative study of the
poetry of Mallarme and that of Martinican dramatist Aime Cesaire, is in the
Harvard archive.
She began her writing
career as an apprentice on the original "Cosby Show" (starring Bill
Cosby & Phylicia Rashad). After two years on staff, she was transferred to
the show’s spin-off, "A Different World" (starring Jasmine Guy, Kadeem
Hardison, Sinbad) as a Story Editor. Three years later, in 1990, she became
Co-Executive Producer/Head Writer. Under Susan's stewardship, "A Different
World" was nominated for the prestigious Humanitas Award. The episode she
wrote on AIDS, "If I Should Die Before I Wake," received the 1991
Maggie Award from Planned Parenthood, the 13th Annual Media Access Award from
the California Governor's Committee for Employment of Disabled Persons, and the
Nancy Susan Reynolds Award. In November 1995, Susan became Executive Producer
of the CBS sitcom, "Can't Hurry Love" (starring Nancy McKeon &
Mariska Hargitay). The following year, under contract with Warner Brother
Studios, she served first as Executive Producer of the family-oriented
situation comedy, "Kirk" (starring Kirk Cameron), then as a
Consulting Producer on the television series "Suddenly Susan” (starring
Brooke Shields, Nestor Carbonell, Kathy Griffin). In 1998 Susan co-created with
Tim Reid the Showtime original series "Linc's” (starring Pam Grier) and
served for two seasons as its Executive Producer/Head Writer. Susan is the
recipient of the Producer’s Guild of America’s Nova award, a “Special
Recognition Award” from the Friends of the Black Emmys, and the Excellence and
Heritage Award from Dillard University.
Susan has written
several magazine articles that have appeared in Town & Country, Vogue,
Glamour, American Heritage, Ebony, Essence, Avenue, and Travel and Leisure. Her
article for Vogue about growing up bi-racial, entitled “My Life in Black and
White,” was reprinted in Vogue Español, and has been used as a teaching piece
by a number of universities.
Susan is fluent in
French and Italian, and conversational in Spanish. She lives in New York with
her husband and their daughter.
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