Perfect

Paperback Published on: 27/02/2014
Price: £10.99
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Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
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Bookseller Reviews

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Perfect
A moving and beautifully told story
Like many people, I really enjoyed Rachel Joyce's first book, 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry', so was really looking forward to what she would come... READ MORE
Janette Fraser
Perfect
Perfect
I haven't read Rachel Joyce's previous novel which was so well reviewed, and only picked this up because we had been sent a proof copy - I am so glad I did... READ MORE
Lesley at Commercial Street Dundee
Perfect
I loved this book
I found this novel incredibly moving I wanted to hug the character's. The story twists and turns as it builds, I found it unputdownable.
Elaine Waterstones Trowbridge
Perfect
Very moving, I loved it.
Perfect tells a story of the past and the present. Byron is a young boy whose life seems idyllic, he is best friends at a good school with James, his mum d... READ MORE
Natasha Kelly at Peterborough
Perfect
Perfect by name, perfect by nature!!
I am a huge fan of Rachel Joyce's writing; she manages to capture elements of human behaviour and relationships in such a real and relatable way. Perfect t... READ MORE
Becci Cooper at Worcester
Perfect
A fantastic follow up
Rachel Joyce's first book, The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry, was probably my favourite book of 2012 and in this her follow up novel she has maintained... READ MORE
David Cooper
Perfect
Two seconds can change a lifetime
Perfect is a novel of how one incident can change a lifetime. Byron becomes obsessed with the idea of two seconds being added to time in 1972 and is convin... READ MORE
Sarah Hiorns at Ipswich
Perfect
Second novel hit!
Initially I was wary of reading this after 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry' became my favourite read of last year. I didn't want to experience 'seco... READ MORE
Emma Smith at Bedford

Synopsis

'Tense and engrossing... readers who loved The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry will not be disappointed.' - Sunday Times

'An instant classic.' - Daily Express

'You will end up grinning dippily and recommending this wild, searching book to everyone you know.' - The Times

'Brilliantly realized... a powerful study of grief, loss, guilt, depression, mental illness - and ultimately the power of love - which grips the reader on every page.' - Daily Mail

Summer, 1972: Two seconds have been added to the Atomic clock so as to counteract the irregularities in the Earth's rate of rotation. Eleven-year-old Byron has been told this but still struggles to understand. What might it mean? In the claustrophobic heat, he and his friend begin ‘Operation Perfect’, a hapless mission to rescue Byron’s mother from impending crisis.

Winter, present day: As frost creeps across the moor, Jim cleans tables in the local café, a solitary figure struggling with OCD. His job is a relief from the rituals that govern his nights.

Little would seem to connect them except that two seconds can change everything.
If your world can be shattered in an instant, might time also put things right?

RACHEL JOYCE'S MOST RECENT NOVEL - THE HOMEMADE GOD - IS OUT NOW FROM DOUBLEDAY

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd
  • ISBN: 9780552778107
  • Number of pages: 448
  • Dimensions: 196 x 127 x 29 mm
  • Weight: 302g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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Perfect
Perfect Perfect
A total delight for anyone who harks back to those halcyon days when housewives smartened up their A line skirts and pearls in readiness for their husbands... READ MORE
dogspire
Perfect
Practically perfect in every way!
I’ll admit that I approached this novel with some trepidation. Rachel’s debut ‘The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry’ holds such a special place in my hear... READ MORE
Leilah at Doncaster
Perfect
Perfect
I didn't think I would ever finish this book. I couldn't identify with the characters and found the plot twist predictable. I found myself waiting for some... READ MORE
Becky J
Perfect
Perfectly heartbreaking
This is a really engaging read with an unusual plot, told in a very believable way. The characters are very well depicted and their stories told in a very ... READ MORE
KSC
Perfect
A Heart-Warming and Bittersweet Tale
Well written, sad, funny and clever. I have read the author's first book "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry' and I enjoyed it very much. I was not dis... READ MORE
Brenda
Perfect
A fairly average read
‘Perfect’ is an ok and enjoyable book, but I found it to be fairly average. It’s nicely written and easy to read, but the story is a bit depressing and not... READ MORE
Becky Walsh
Perfect
such a good book
I won this book on waterstones web site. I am so thankful to of had the pleasure to read this time ticking mystery story. I highly recommend this to waters... READ MORE
Bookread2day
Perfect
Loved it!
A great book, cleverly told from the past and the present... parts to make you laugh, others to make you sad and some very good twists - although I could s... READ MORE
kimbob26
Perfect
Sad yet captivating
Rachel Joyce is fast becoming one of my favourite writers. In this book she tackles the subject of death and cancer with such tenderness, you can tell this... READ MORE
curlygirl
Perfect
Utterly Perfect
This book was amazing, I couldn’t put it down. I have since started reading another book and I keep comparing it back to this one and feeling disappointed,... READ MORE
Kirsty Maclean
Perfect
Disappointed
I had expected a story leaning towards science fiction having read the introduction. It was quite a depressing read and, whilst I generally keep the books ... READ MORE
Debbie
Perfect
Perfect
I nearly gave up on this book. However after the first 50 pages or so I was drawn into it despite my reservations. Two boys attend private school in an att... READ MORE
Jayceen
Perfect
A successor to Harold Fry
"Perfect" consists of two separate narratives, with a common character, one set in 1972, one in the present. The 1972 story is told from the viewpoint of B... READ MORE
Kate Barr
Perfect
good mystery
I loved this book it is the perfect mystery.In 1972 two seconds were added to to time. Were they to blame for happened next?. Diana is doing the morning sc... READ MORE
Bookread2day
Perfect
An all round good read!
From the minute I turned the first page, this book had me hooked. The opening chapters perfectly set the scene in the 1970's and had me reliving my own 70'... READ MORE
funmummy
Perfect
A pleasure to read
A book by Rachel Joyce is a pleasure to read. Her beautifully crafted prose is almost poetic in nature, full of imagery, the natural world and colour. The ... READ MORE
Male reader
Perfect
Obsession leads to tragedy
In 1972 the leap second system was adopted internationally and for an eleven year old boy this meant that time would stop. His fanciful imaginings, spurred... READ MORE
Mykh
Perfect
well worth it
This was a first Rachel Joyce book for me, she had me hooked from the Prologue. The story has you thinking, Did we land on the moon? If 2 seconds were adde... READ MORE
Debra Willison
Perfect
Fantastic
Although it took a while for the book to get going as soon as it did I couldn't put it down. Just as you thought you had worked out what was happening ther... READ MORE
CJH
Perfect
An Emotional Read That Had Me Gripped By The End
This was a touching and quite emotional read, which had me close to tears (something that honestly doesn't happen often). I found myself surprised by a plo... READ MORE
Isla Scott
Perfect
Perfect
I really couldn't put this book down! "Perfect" tells the story of two school friends, James Lowe and Byron Hemmings. Highly intelligent boys, they attend ... READ MORE
Threllyp
Perfect
Practically perfect in every way!
I’ll admit that I approached this novel with some trepidation. Rachel’s debut ‘The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry’ holds such a special place in my hear... READ MORE
Leilah at Doncaster
Perfect
Well written but sad
I have to admit, this story was outside my usual reading comfort zone but I have to hand it to Rachel Joyce, she kept me guessing to the end. Perfect is we... READ MORE
Sam01