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19th out of 66 books
—
83 voters
The Perfect Present
by
Karen Swan
Haunted by a past she can’t escape, Laura Cunningham desires nothing more than to keep her world small and precise - her quiet relationship and growing jewellery business are all she needs to get by. Until the December day when Rob Blake walks into her studio and commissions a necklace that will tell his enigmatic wife Cat’s life in charms. As Laura interviews Cat’s family...more
Paperback, 531 pages
Published
November 8th 2012
by Pan
(first published January 1st 2012)
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By Kristen Swan. Grade: A
A heartwarming tale perfect for any season, but most especially Christmas!
Haunted by a past she can’t escape, Laura Cunningham desires nothing more than to keep her world small and precise – her quiet relationship and growing jewellery business are all she needs to get by. Until the December day when Rob Blake walks into her studio and commissions a necklace that will tell his enigmatic wife Cat’s life in charms. As Laura interviews Cat’s family, friends and former lover...more
A heartwarming tale perfect for any season, but most especially Christmas!
Haunted by a past she can’t escape, Laura Cunningham desires nothing more than to keep her world small and precise – her quiet relationship and growing jewellery business are all she needs to get by. Until the December day when Rob Blake walks into her studio and commissions a necklace that will tell his enigmatic wife Cat’s life in charms. As Laura interviews Cat’s family, friends and former lover...more
This is the most enchanting story I have ever read, and I have red a lot of books! Laura’s had a tough past and you never quite fully find out why, which makes the story so intriguing and hard to put down. Now running her commission-only jewellery business, Laura’s content and has a quiet place by the sea with her boyfriend and dog, but when Rob Blake demands she design a necklace with 7 unique charms for his wife for Christmas, she taken aback by his manner. Money is no object for Jack, and Lau...more
Having just read a few reviews I found myself feeling differently about my relationship (as the reader) with Laura. While others found her hard to like, I instantly saw something of myself within her character so perhaps viewed her with a biased opinion. Laura's desperate need for isolation is wrapped up in a grey and bleak landscape that the writer paints for us. It was well written, especially in comparison to other drivel in the same genre, but unfortunately I can't praise it further than tha...more
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A lovely story by a great British author. Set in England Verbier, Switzerland, this is a story about Laura, a Jeweller, who is commissioned to create the perfect gift for Rob Blake's wife Cat. As part of the project, she has to interview Cat's closest friends and family, and so becomes a part of their glamorous world, which is not what it seems. Author Karen Swan has created an novel about personal growth and the power of secrets to hold you back and set you free,
This was one of those stories t...more
This was one of those stories t...more
I loved this book. I read Christmas at Tiffany's last year and thought it was brilliant so I had high hopes for this one.
This was a beautiful love story but also a wonderful story about a young womans journey to find her true self again after an awful tragedy in her life.
I loved the way Karen Swan didn't reveal why Laura was pretending to be something she wasn't all at once and just gave little bits away. Slowly but surely its revealed what this character has gone through and the sadness and lo...more
This was a beautiful love story but also a wonderful story about a young womans journey to find her true self again after an awful tragedy in her life.
I loved the way Karen Swan didn't reveal why Laura was pretending to be something she wasn't all at once and just gave little bits away. Slowly but surely its revealed what this character has gone through and the sadness and lo...more
Title: The Perfect Present
Author: Karen Swan
Publication Date: 8th November 2012
Publisher: Pan
Haunted by a past she can't escape, Laura Cunningham desires nothing more than to keep her world small and precise - her quiet relationship and growing jewellery business are all she needs to get by. Until the December day when Rob Blake walks into her studio and commissions a necklace that will tell his enigmatic wife Cat's life in charms.
As Laura interviews Cat's family,friends and former lovers, she...more
Author: Karen Swan
Publication Date: 8th November 2012
Publisher: Pan
Haunted by a past she can't escape, Laura Cunningham desires nothing more than to keep her world small and precise - her quiet relationship and growing jewellery business are all she needs to get by. Until the December day when Rob Blake walks into her studio and commissions a necklace that will tell his enigmatic wife Cat's life in charms.
As Laura interviews Cat's family,friends and former lovers, she...more
Last year I really enjoyed Karen Swan's Christmas at Tiffany's so when I saw this book I had to have it! Insanely easy reading and a real page turner.
Throughout the book you know there is more to the characters than you are being told. Why is Laura the way she is? Is Cat as perfect as everyone illustrates her as? You end up reading on just to get to the bottom of all these different characters.
Write up until the last few pages I really wasn't sure how the book was going to turn out. But the endi...more
Throughout the book you know there is more to the characters than you are being told. Why is Laura the way she is? Is Cat as perfect as everyone illustrates her as? You end up reading on just to get to the bottom of all these different characters.
Write up until the last few pages I really wasn't sure how the book was going to turn out. But the endi...more
This was a great Christmas read. Set in England the story is about Laura, a jeweller who lives and works in a town by the sea. She is commissioned to make a special charm necklace by a husband seeking the perfect present for his wife. Laura gets wrapped up in the glamorous lives of Cat and Rob and their friends. This was a light and enjoyable read - a little escapism in a busy time of year!
Initially thought this book was a usual chic lit but once I got into it, it's much more than that. It seems the most of the characters have a secret and you don't find out what they are until near the end! It's definitely a page turner after the half way point, and I really wanted to know what was going to happen next. You initially feel sorry for the main character, then you wonder what in earth she's doing! And by the end you like her again. All in all, a good read and a great page turner.
This is the story of Laura Cunningham - a jewellery maker who is not quite what she seems, but we only find out hints of her story as the book progresses. She is engaged by Rob Blake to make a charm bracelet for his wife, and this leads her into a whole new world, not all of which is unfamiliar to her as you find out. Different characters in the book are also not how they first appear. This really kept my interest and I enjoyed this book.
Not as fun as Christmas at Tiffanys..this book its self destructed..well...i dont know but it is good and yet its sad...its about someone cant move on with her life after her sister died...even though its happy ending im still crying..happy+sad at the same time..ugh~..well..its still good..haha
This is one of my fave books and i have read hundreds. Beautiful story and beautifully written. It was a joy to read it from beginning till the end. The letter at the beginning of the book made me cry. Kudos to Karen Swan!
Takes quite a while to get into the story, you know the main character is 'damaged' in some way because of her past but it doesn't tell you till near the end, which keeps you gripped, but once you know it goes downhill slightly.
I struggled getting into this book, but after a few chapters I was hooked and finished it in a couple of days.
I'm only giving this 3 stars as I felt the first 1/2 of the book deserved 1 star, but the last part deserved 4 stars. It took WAY too long to get going, so that even when it did get good, I was a bit over it!
Absolutely loved this! Got sucked into the story straight away, and just wanted to keep reading. Gorgeous story
Described by the Chapters staff as the perfect beach book and it was.
This book took awhile to read, but it was ok because it was good! The one thing about this book is that it keeps you wondering what is going on with Laura? Literally the whole book until the last bit, you are really confused and frustrated. But you also intrigued and the need to figure it all out keeps you reading!
Excellent read. Lots of great characters and twists.
Great book , really enjoyed it
easy to read, engaging story, good for a holiday / flight.
Only one complaint: there are periods of time when nothing happens and then all of sudden some many different things are happening and it can be confusing.
lovely book
A perfect story, enjoyed every page of this book.
Yum
Loved this book, a magical love story
Not my usual read but very enjoyable. I was moved to tears.
It was ok, but never what I expected after I read the summary and the first paragraphs... too bad. :(
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I'm on page 343 of 531 of The Perfect Present: It is getting a bit better, but come on - after over 300 pages?! I don't know, maybe I tho...more
Dec 10, 2012 12:13pm