In a Perfect World

Feb 09, 2010

Cathy Serpico rated it

I felt on the fence at the end of this book. On the one hand, I loved Kasischke's skill for building incremental dread about the outside world and impending apocalypse -- it starts slowly at first with a few floating white balloons and ends with marauding hoards who will kill you for your car and a few drops of gasoline -- and in that regard it felt a bit like The Road to me, and that was good. I enjoyed the initial tension of Jiselle entering her new husband's family and having to cope with how...more

like 4 likes

· see review

Feb 28, 2010

Jessica rated it

Shelves: apocalypse-no-zombies, faves

I thought this story was incredible. It really kept me interested, and I love the plot within a plot scenario. Although it was careless of Jiselle to marry Captain Dorn in the first place (especially having never met his children until a week before the wedding!), we've all made mistakes and hers is believeable. She does have to face the consequences of her decision, but she forms a strong bond with the children, and she grows tremendously throughout the course of the story. While Jiselle at...more

like 3 likes

· see review

Oct 21, 2009

Amanda rated it

Shelves: dystopia, 2009

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Jiselle, a flight attendant, marries the handsome widower pilot, Captain Dorn. She quits her job to stay home with his three children, two of whom she suspects hate her. Meanwhile, in the background, panic is growing about the Phoenix Flu, which is killing people in increasingly rapid numbers.

I first saw this book Saturday morning when I went to Borders to buy a gift for my son’s birthday. I nearly bought it then. It sounded like a near-future dystopia that focused more on the people t...moreJiselle, a flight attendant, marries the handsome widower pilot, Captain Dorn. She quits her job to stay home with his three children, two of whom she suspects hate her. Meanwhile, in the background, panic is growing about the Phoenix Flu, which is killing people in increasingly rapid numbers.

I first saw this book Saturday morning when I went to Borders to buy a gift for my son’s birthday. I nearly bought it then. It sounded like a near-future dystopia that focused more on the people than on the society, which is something I’m particularly interested in. Plus, one of Kasischke’s other books, Feathered, was already on my TBR list. I only managed to wait until Monday to go back to Borders to buy it. I would have checked it out of the library, except it’s too new for my library to have. Now, after having read it, I wish I’d just waited.

Okay, do you guys remember Jericho? Something bad happens, people are all stuck in this little town trying to figure out what’s going on, and life goes insane? Well, that’s a good way to describe this book. Or, take another description – do you remember all those “Ripped from the headlines” commercials for Law & Order a couple seasons back? How L&O would just take news headlines and make cases out of them within weeks of the event? In a Perfect World was like that, too. The Phoenix Flu was obviously a play on the Swine Flu, even down to them changing its name to “hemorrhagic zoonosis” to make it less incendiary (H1N1, anyone?). Of course, the Phoenix version is much, much worse than the Swine version, leading to an all-out hysterical apocalyptic crash of society.

I suspected as much when I read the book jacket description, but the book ended up being more cobbled together than I expected. As if the author wrote it quickly and wanted to publish it before another book could come out playing off the Swine Flu first. There were copyediting errors all over the book, like periods missing and mispelled words, which of course is mostly the fault of the publisher (Shame on you, Harper! You’re better than that!). But the writing was also cobbled. There were tons of cliches, especially at the beginning (I can’t tell you how much I hate the term “wasp waist”), and even some consistancy errors. For example, the youngest stepchild is a boy named Sam who, in the beginning, is described as throwing up after drinking a large amount of root beer. Next time the incident is referred to, it’s 7 Up instead of root beer. Third mention is back to root beer again. Someone should have caught that!

Also, the timeline of the book is pretty cobbled, especially in the first half. I don’t mind books bouncing between a coherent current timeline and backstory memories, but the first half of this book did it so much that I eventually stopped caring what happened in the past and what was happening now. Thankfully, the second half of the book was pretty straightforward. It was also far better written, too, with less cliches and inconsistancies.

The second half, unfortunately, was not completely free of problems. Most of these were with the characters and storyline itself. I can’t believe Captain Dorn’s character at all. It made no sense for him to just marry someone to have a permanant nanny. It made no sense for the kids not to warn Jiselle earlier, once they realized what was going to happen. They didn’t hate her by then. They should have said something. Also, more characterization problems: I can’t believe a mother trying to protect her kids (even stepkids) would just take in random neighbors whose spouses had died of the Flu. Wouldn’t they be more intent on protecting their family?

The part of In a Perfect World that is not dealing with the apocalypse concentrates on the difficulties of becoming a stepmother and a second wife. While I appreciate the difficulty of such a position, I found Jiselle was completely ridiculous. She didn’t try to understand the childrens’ point of view at all. She treated them like stereotypes – as kids whose feelings are without real worth or value. She made no effort to bond with them or to discipline them. (Their dad refused to discipline them, either, which made me crazy. Someone needed to take care of those kids!!) The kids weren’t much better, either, and really, even at the sad parts throughout, I didn’t care at all. I kept reading – I wanted to know what happened, and the book was fast and easy enough to read – but I don’t feel like I gained anything from it.

And then there’s just the contrast! The other book I’m reading right now is Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, where a narrator steps in to become the second wife and is living in the former wife’s shadow. There aren’t kids involved, but still, the difference between these two books is massive. Maybe it’s unfair to compare them, but honestly, if modern books don’t hold to classic standards, I usually don’t bother with them. I’m glad I have Rebecca to go back to, because it’s infinitely more interesting and better written.

So sadly, In a Perfect World didn’t work for me (my punishment for breaking the buy ban, no?). Cobbled plot, consistancy errors, not great writing, bad characterization, plus all the other stuff I normally hate in modern adult books: the requisite vomiting scenes; unnecessary sex scenes (including some creepy ones involving teenage boys watching…); etc. Having said this, I’m not going to cross Kasischke off my list. I do want to read Feathered. Maybe her YA stuff is different from her adult stuff? I guess I’ll see.(less)

like 1 like

· see review

Dec 14, 2009

Lindsay rated it

Shelves: fiction

Blech. Another book I had to read for work. Starts out so horribly with one of those lame-o romances for which I usually avoid contemporary women's fiction. Whatever-her-name-is main character marries dashing pilot only to find that everything is not what it seems.
So lame up to that point.
But then it gets slighly better - when everyone starts dying from THE FLU! That's right, a book about a pandemic flu during the swine flu. Kasischke would have been better off leaving out the romanc...more

like 4 likes

· see review

Jul 10, 2011

Michelle rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is the kind of book that's so very difficult to review, mainly due to the fact that I'm still not quite sure what I thought of it. I enjoyed it, and I can say with certainty that I did like it, but there were so many little things that kept it from being great.

First of all, the good-- I loved the way the Phoenix Flu grew from something small in the background to becoming the main plot. The growing desperation among the cast was well done, and I appreciated the little details tha...moreThis is the kind of book that's so very difficult to review, mainly due to the fact that I'm still not quite sure what I thought of it. I enjoyed it, and I can say with certainty that I did like it, but there were so many little things that kept it from being great.

First of all, the good-- I loved the way the Phoenix Flu grew from something small in the background to becoming the main plot. The growing desperation among the cast was well done, and I appreciated the little details that made things more like 'our' world-- the death of Britney Spears, the marriage of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, etc. The slow acceptance of Jiselle by her stepdaughters was handled gracefully as well-- I enjoyed all the scenes between Jiselle and her stepchildren.

Unfortunately, the issues this book has are impossible to ignore. Jiselle is bland, as well as a major pushover. She never stands up for herself, and when she tries to she always ends up backing down. I also had problems with the utter lack of reaction to the deaths, and there are many. No one seems to mourn the many people who die, even those who are supposed to be very close to them. Yes, there's a numbness after the deaths of many, but I wish there had been something. I don't mind that Mark Dorn more or less 'gets away' with his misdeeds-- the novel isn't about him, and in life the 'bad guys' often never have to face consequences. Still, it does feel strange that his plot line just tapers away into nothing.

The ending is abrupt and leaves the reader wanting more, but it's clear that this was intentional. I'm not happy that I don't get to know what happens, if everyone survives, but I understand that the whole point of the novel was to lead us to that 'perfect' moment. Just a hint of the days ahead would have been greatly appreciated, however.

All in all this book isn't a three, but it isn't a four. I'd like to give it a three and a half, but as I cannot I'm giving it a score of three. It's a good book and I'm not sorry I read it, but I can't help but think that there were so many ways it could have been great.(less)

like

· see review

Apr 04, 2011

Elisabeth Niederman added it

The World is Falling Apart

In a Perfect World, by Laura Kasischke, New York, 2009.

Mark is perfect. All the flight attendants say so. He handsome, he’s a pilot; what more could a woman want? The fact that he has three children doesn’t change the fact. If anything, he becomes more desirable for his fatherly devotion. So when he asks, Jiselle agrees to marry him. They will have a perfect life. It will be a perfect world. It doesn’t matter that people all over the world are dy...moreThe World is Falling Apart

In a Perfect World, by Laura Kasischke, New York, 2009.

Mark is perfect. All the flight attendants say so. He handsome, he’s a pilot; what more could a woman want? The fact that he has three children doesn’t change the fact. If anything, he becomes more desirable for his fatherly devotion. So when he asks, Jiselle agrees to marry him. They will have a perfect life. It will be a perfect world. It doesn’t matter that people all over the world are dying from the mysterious Phoenix flu, the rest of the world is blaming America for this new and deadly disease. In Jiselle’s mind, this is happily ever after. She quit her job, and now will be the stepmother to Mark’s children.

Unfortunately, the dream world soon pops like a soapy bubble. With Mark gone more often than he is home, and trouble with the step-kids, Jiselle is doing her best just to survive. And survival slowly becomes more than a metaphor. With the Phoenix flu killing indiscriminately, and without any vaccines or cure, Jiselle finds herself in the middle of a nation-wide culture change. No more electricity, no more gas, the ever-present threat of the flu, and her new responsibilities as caretaker of three children force Jiselle to do and be more than she ever imagined she would be.

Kasischke’s tone of nostalgia stems from her use of constant flashbacks. She tells things twice, but in a way that readers don’t mind hearing things over again. This tone adds an intimate dimension to a story about the end of the world as we know it. Despite her nonlinear storytelling style, readers never lose where they are within the scheme of the story. It is a fascinating story of a simple life, when the conveniences of the modern world no longer work they way they should and even life itself cannot be taken for granted.

This story tells of Jiselle forming a strong bond with her stepchildren, Camilla, Sara, and Sam. At first, Camilla, the oldest, hides her real thoughts about the new situation, simply stating the obvious. Sara openly expresses her dissatisfaction with her father’s new wife. Sam is the only one who seems willing to give Jiselle a chance at being “stepmother.” However, as things start going out of control, Mark being detained in Germany, the power becoming unreliable, and gas prices rising to eleven dollars a gallon, this new family must hold together in order to live through the chaos.

Kasischke uses lots of flashbacks. She tell the whole bit of story in one sentence and then break down the details. This gives the whole story the sense of being remembered, the sense that this really happened some time ago. It isn’t filled with raging points of action, but is intensely drawing in its home-spun simplicity. It is very easy to read and understand; a midnight novel which resides on your bedside table until the last page is turned. It is enchanting, drawing you into this perfect world.
(less)

like

· see review

Apr 01, 2011

Katie O'sullivan rated it

Jiselle McKnight is a flight attendant, and lands what everyone says is the catch of the year - Mark Dorn, the handsome, charming pilot whom everyone swoons over has chosen her to be his new wife. And stepmother to his three children. Who have gone through five or so nannies in the last two years since his wife died.

The book begins a month after Jiselle has quit her job and moved to the perfect little suburban town outside of Chicago where Mark's family lives. A bedroom community whe...moreJiselle McKnight is a flight attendant, and lands what everyone says is the catch of the year - Mark Dorn, the handsome, charming pilot whom everyone swoons over has chosen her to be his new wife. And stepmother to his three children. Who have gone through five or so nannies in the last two years since his wife died.

The book begins a month after Jiselle has quit her job and moved to the perfect little suburban town outside of Chicago where Mark's family lives. A bedroom community where no one really "lives" - except Jiselle, who spends those early days pining for Mark's return, his down-time in between flights. We see flashbacks fo their courtship, her decision to marry him, her mother's bitterness...

There are apparently at least two foreign wars going on and a flu epidemic brewing, but Jiselle is caught up in her own life, like so many of us. The book is told in fits and starts, flashbacks and forwards, but doesn't feel disjointed as much as a stream of consciousness kind of tale, where you hang on every word and wait for the author to loop back around to close a certain storyline. By the end of the book, the "Phoenix flu" epidemic has spread to epic proportions.

It's an end-of-the-world fairy tale told matter-of-factly with present day references and cynicism, as well as a wonderfully lyric and romantic tone. It's the story of a woman who finally finds love and happiness - but it's not what she'd always imagined.

I don't want to give too much away - I really do recommend this book for so many reasons, despite the fact that I didn't like the ending. But that's me - I like the HEA. That's why I write romantic suspense instead of plain suspense or apocalyptic contemporary fiction. The author describes herself in the end notes as "a poet. I'm a lot more interested in the things around a character - her time, her place, her physical experiences - than I am in thinking about whether she's a noble person or an evil person, or even a believable person."

The characters are all too believable, as are the situations and scenarios. A book I would definitely recommend... with that caveat that there's no Happily Ever After to be found.
(less)

like

· see review

Mar 28, 2011

Heather rated it

Shelves: home-library

I think when Erica recommends a book to me, I should listen to her. She brought me a copy of this book...more than a year ago, certainly, and I finally got around to reading it. It was interesting and quick. The language is gorgeous -- it's clear the author is a poet -- and I loved how slowly the calamity unfolded. It's believable that citizens wouldn't quite realize what kind of a pickle they were in until it was too late. Interestingly, reading this made me want to read actual historical accou...moreI think when Erica recommends a book to me, I should listen to her. She brought me a copy of this book...more than a year ago, certainly, and I finally got around to reading it. It was interesting and quick. The language is gorgeous -- it's clear the author is a poet -- and I loved how slowly the calamity unfolded. It's believable that citizens wouldn't quite realize what kind of a pickle they were in until it was too late. Interestingly, reading this made me want to read actual historical accounts of plagues. I kept wanting to know exactly how much of certain foods/medicines/toiletries they had stocked up, at what point it occurred to them they should stock up, why the water was still running, where they got all their batteries, etc. It also made me think about what I'd do, a Manhattanite living in an enormous apartment building, if a similar circumstance overtook the world. When I brought this up with my husband, he put the kibosh on further discussion ("We'd die. This is terrible to think about. Stop it.") but I can't help wondering how larger cities dealt with the Phoenix Flu in the book. It's all well and good if you have a house and cars and woods and a fireplace, but what about citydwellers?

A number of my friends read this book and complained about the relationship between the protagonist and her stepdaughters. I didn't find it so unbelievable, and while Jiselle was a serious pushover, I found her strength more interesting (she stood beside children who hated her, protecting them, learning to care for them in increasingly dire circumstances, etc.) I think it also says a lot about me that I didn't care as much about personal relationships as I did about the building threat of the plague, or the practicalities of the life her family was living.

Also, seriously, wtf happened to Mark Dorn. Surely he was screwing around with a German lady, right? It KILLS me that this is never resolved. In fact, it kills me that the whole story isn't really resolved. The novel feels...endingless. That's my major complaint, all told.(less)

like

· see review

Feb 07, 2011

Paul Pessolano rated it

Let me see if I got this right.

Jiselle is thirty-eight years old and is a flight attendent. Her mother kicked her father out of the house because he was having an affair with Jiselle's teenage friend. Jiselle throughout her life has had several romantic relationships, all of which turned out bad.

Not so good so far!!!!

Jiselle falls in love with an airline pilot, Captain Mark Dorn. The Captain has steel green eyes and the body of Adonis. His marriage to Joy ...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Apr 25, 2010

Ben rated it

Kasischke was recommended to me for the beautiful way she writes landscapes, but I had no idea she was so capable with the terrifying fears that live just beneath our pleasant suburban fantasies. Jiselle (our placid, doe-eyed heroine) finds herself newly married and stepmother to three children when an outbreak of flu all but shuts down the country. Her husband is quarantined in Germany and life in Jiselle's small Wisconsin town slowly ratchets down as trade routes close and the power grid makes...more

like

· see review

Feb 26, 2010

Jennifer rated it

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, dystopia

While some dystopian books take place in an imagined future where things are very different from our own world (like The Hunger Games series), In A Perfect World takes place right in our here and now. There are no fantasy elements to this book at all—everything seems utterly believable and possible, which made it a more effective and scarier book for me.

Our glimpse into a world that encompasses nothing less than a complete breakdown of our society is Jiselle, a flight attendant who has...moreWhile some dystopian books take place in an imagined future where things are very different from our own world (like The Hunger Games series), In A Perfect World takes place right in our here and now. There are no fantasy elements to this book at all—everything seems utterly believable and possible, which made it a more effective and scarier book for me.

Our glimpse into a world that encompasses nothing less than a complete breakdown of our society is Jiselle, a flight attendant who has "landed" the handsome and charismatic pilot Mark Dorn. In her 30s and tired of always being the bridesmaid and never the bride, Jiselle is ready to settle down and imagines a perfect little world with her ready-made family. (Mark has three children whose mother died a few years before.) Jiselle leaves her job and moves into the idyllic little town where Mark has a picture-perfect home. Anxious and excited to be the stepmother, Jiselle is eager to meet her new family. What she finds is three children who are less than thrilled—with the exception of the young boy (gotta love those boys!)—with their new stepmother. With Mark away for a good portion of time, Jiselle struggles to make the transition into her new life.

In the background of Jiselle's life, there are rumblings of another kind—a mysterious Phoenix Flu is causing troubles through the country. Even celebrities seems to be getting it and dying. (OK...a little editorial note here: I just loved that Kasischke killed off Britney Spears with the flu! Take that, Ms. I'm A Terrible Singer Yet Have Achieved Huge Success!)

As the story progresses, Mark is away more and more often, and Jiselle finds out some disturbing information about her new husband. And as the Phoenix Flu begins to become more and more of a problem, Jiselle's focus begins to shift from getting adjusted to family life to surviving—a skill she finds herself to be more adept at than she ever imagined.

As conditions worsen and society begins to fall apart, Jiselle is thrust into a nightmarish world where isolation, survival, sickness and death become a part of everyday life. Yet the worse things get, the more Jiselle's world actually becomes "a perfect world." With an ending that will leave readers who need things tied up at loose ends, this book surprised me in how it shifted and turned and twisted and changed into something that I can't quite describe. Consider it an uplifting story about the end of society as we know it.

Reading this right after The Hunger Games, I think this book came out on top for me. Where The Hunger Games is flashy and showy with its tantalizing premise, this book is more subtle and slow and deep. Written in an almost distant, chilly type of prose, Kasischke has created a dystopian book that truly scared and disturbed me yet also made me feel good about the world at the same time. As I said, this isn't a book that ties things up in a nice little package for you, but I thought it suited the story well. If you're looking for an adult book on the opposite side of the dystopian spectrum, then this book is for you.

The Bottom Line: I'm giving the book 4 stars. I was drawn into Jiselle's world in an almost hypnotic way. Each page brought me closer to horror but also to goodness. This is a book that I could envision happening in our lifetime, and I think Kasischke did a wonderful job of keeping it from falling into a run-of-the-mill "Oh No...There's An Epidemic" type thriller. This book has a vibrant beating heart if you take the time to look for it.
(less)

like 1 like

· see review

Feb 23, 2010

Karen rated it

Hands down, my favorite Laura Kasischke book and I have loved everything I have ever read by her! This, I think, is her best work to date although I have not yet read The Life Before Her Eyes, of which I have heard many good things. Laura Kasiscke is an incredible writer. She does magical, lyrical things with words accompanied with some of the strongest character development I've ever read. This novel is less lyrical than her other novels and the plot does not hinge on a twist as many of he...moreHands down, my favorite Laura Kasischke book and I have loved everything I have ever read by her! This, I think, is her best work to date although I have not yet read The Life Before Her Eyes, of which I have heard many good things. Laura Kasiscke is an incredible writer. She does magical, lyrical things with words accompanied with some of the strongest character development I've ever read. This novel is less lyrical than her other novels and the plot does not hinge on a twist as many of her others do. I liked that it was more straightforward while still beautifully written, and I loved the plot--a thirty-something airline stewardress marries a dashing pilot and becomes his wife very quickly, which also means becoming the step-mother to three children, two of whom are teenage girls who can't stand her. Thrust into a new life, Jiselle tries to keep the peace while her hubsand jets about the country (Jiselle quits her job soon after marrying.) As it turns out the pilot is hardly ever home and Jiselle begins to question why her married her--was it to provide live-in care for his children in the wake of their mother's death? In the meantime, America is suffering a virulent outbreak of a disease known as the Phoenix Flu. Life as we know it begins to fall apart as the economy breaks down, paranoia isolates the U.S. and the death toll rises. Then Jiselle's husband is "detained" in Germany, quarantined for fear of the spread of flu, and Jiselle is truly alone in forging a life for herself and three dependents in a world that slowly breaks down into a former, hardscrabble manner reminiscient of pre-industrial revolution times.

This is one of my favorite and most "buyable" visions of a world ravaged by a seemingly unstoppable illness. As I read I thought, "Yes, this could be exactly what would happen in such a situation." I loved Jiselle. I loved the writing. The end is subtle, suggesting that Jiselle's whole world is about to change yet again, and I loved that too. Laura Kasischke might be one of my favorite writers. Highly recommend this one.(less)

like

· see review

Oct 11, 2009

Gaby rated it

Shelves: contemporary-romance, fantasy, thriller

Synopsis:
Set sometime in the near future but in a world ravaged by an epidemic of the deadly Phoenix flu, In A Perfect World is a close look at the demands and sacrifices of love.

Thirty-two-year-old Jiselle is ready to be swept off her feet by the dashing Captain Mark Dorn and shrugs off her mother's warnings. It didn't matter to Jiselle that she'd only known Mark for a few months and that she would be inheriting a ready-built family. Captain Dorn is universally regarded as a c...more

like 1 like

· see review

Oct 11, 2009

Carmaletta Hilton rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I couldn't get into this book. It's not my normal read, for one. I read it for work, so I would know what I was selling people. I felt like I was reading a first draft, where the author just put all her thoughts on the paper, trying to get a feel for the way it would be told. There were continuity errors, and I really hate continuity errors. For example, when they come home after the first blackout on Valentine's Day, it says that they turned on the radio and listened. A few pages later, t...moreI couldn't get into this book. It's not my normal read, for one. I read it for work, so I would know what I was selling people. I felt like I was reading a first draft, where the author just put all her thoughts on the paper, trying to get a feel for the way it would be told. There were continuity errors, and I really hate continuity errors. For example, when they come home after the first blackout on Valentine's Day, it says that they turned on the radio and listened. A few pages later, the next morning, it says that they couldn't find a radio that didn't need to be plugged in, so they couldn't listen in the morning. Then, they didn't get one until they found an old transistor radio next door. Another was calling Mark in Germany. She goes from not being able to reach him at all to calling him every day. At the end of the chapter, she says how she kept calling the number he called from and got no answer. Then the next chapter has her calling him every day. That kind of thing bugs me.

I didn't really like the characters, either. Out of everyone, I only liked Sam until the last 50 pages or so. Jiselle was pretty pathetic. Mark was a jerk. Anna was bitter and negative. Camilla and Sara were annoying. I figured out pretty quickly that Mark was only in it to get a permanent nanny, and I got the idea that he probably planned to just stay in Germany where it was "safe", right up until they said that the flu was everywhere. It took Jiselle way too long to see through him, and even then, she only denounced him in a passive-aggressive manner by giving his gifts away at Christmas and trading that watch.

When I don't like the characters, I can't really care for the story. I am character driven. The author is not. Kasischke flat out says in the Q&A part at the end of the book that she's never been character driven, more plot driven. That leaves me to believe that she didn't really put much thought into the characters, at least how they began. She just needed people to act this way to further the story. If she doesn't care about her characters, then why should I? None of these people felt real, so it was hard to feel for them. I had more emotion for the death of Britney Spears than I did for most of the characters in the book. I at least know her.

The ONLY reason I gave this 2 stars instead of one is because the gradual shift in Sara and Camilla was done pretty well, for the most part. They didn't suddenly change into nice little girls. When Sara finally blabbed about her dad saying that the way to go was to marry one, I didn't feel as though she was saying it to be mean, she was just stating a fact that had some heat to it since she was so frustrated. Also, I gave it 2 because she had a at least the decency to finally kill off some people that Jiselle knew, though it took her the majority of the book to do that. I would feel more comfortable with this 2 instead of wishing I could give 1.5 if she'd actually had one of the kids die instead of miraculously finding a way to save Sam.

This author has written 7 other novels and I wouldn't read any of them. She admits that she's more of a poet, and that, as well as her poor characterizations, pushes me away from her writing. This was depressing and I was annoyed with the main character for most of the book. If this is how her writing goes, then I'll just stay away from it unless I absolutely have to read it. The new program at work has caused me to read a lot of books that I wouldn't ordinarily read. I wound up enjoying the vast majority of these books. In a Perfect World is not one of those books.(less)

like 2 likes

· see review

Oct 01, 2009

Corinne rated it

At 32, stewardess Jiselle was beginning to think that she'd never be a wife - until the amazingly attractive airline captain Mark Dorn proposes. But it's not just Mark she'll be getting, she'll also be receiving in marriage his three older children. Her dreams of motherhood and marriage are made more complicated by the bizarre flu that's been circulating and really, she had no way of knowing how much life was going to change.

In a Perfect World is tightly written with maybe a bit more...more

like

· see review

Mar 21, 2010

Dora rated it

This was lent to me by a friend in an emergency "I just finished the book I brought on my trip out here and I need a good airplane read". And a good airplane read it was- riveting, light, devour-able.

I also love a good dystopian novel, particularly one that felt very apropos of our current world economic & environmental & health climate.

At first I wasn't sure if I liked it, because the characters were very flat and I didn't feel the writing revealed anything re...more

like 1 like

· see review

Dec 03, 2009

Ti rated it

Shelves: books-sent-to-me

The Short of It:

This is not a feel-good book. It’s a bit dark, and often times depressing, yet there is beauty between its pages and I found its simplicity oddly comforting.

The Rest of It:

The first third of this book is spent setting up the characters. Jiselle starts off as sort of one-dimensional. She falls in love with Mark Dorn and eventually quits her job to care for his three children. As a pilot, he is rarely home and as an ex-flight attendant, Jiselle i...moreThe Short of It:

This is not a feel-good book. It’s a bit dark, and often times depressing, yet there is beauty between its pages and I found its simplicity oddly comforting.

The Rest of It:

The first third of this book is spent setting up the characters. Jiselle starts off as sort of one-dimensional. She falls in love with Mark Dorn and eventually quits her job to care for his three children. As a pilot, he is rarely home and as an ex-flight attendant, Jiselle is well aware of how such a career works. However, she becomes frustrated by his long absences and spend a lot of her time remembering how it used to be. In the mean time, the Phoenix Flu has hit. Celebrities are dropping like flies and panic has set in. To top it all off, Mark is detained and unable to return home so Jiselle is suddenly a single-parent.

The end of the world as we know it, is a scary thing to ponder. If you’ve ever experienced a natural disaster first-hand, you can sort of appreciate, on a smaller scale, the kind of chaos that is possible. For example, when I was in the big Northridge Quake…it did not occur to me that gasoline would be scarce. I mean, there are pumps everywhere, right? True, but when there is no electricity those pumps don’t work. Nor do ATMs or credit card machines, so if you’re without cash when the big one hits, then you’re up the creek without a paddle.

This book is sort of like that. Kasischke reminds you that food is scarce, that gasoline is at a premium and that medication is a luxury. As you follow along, you realize just how precious that torn scrap of paper is, or that empty plastic bag. As the characters are slowly stripped of their possessions, what remains is a simplicity…a quietness that is somehow comforting. A simple meal, a game of charades, conversation by candlelight…these are things we typically do not appreciate in the fast-paced world we live in today.

What I found particularly shocking was the author’s use of actual celebrities within the storyline. This put a 2009 “stamp” on it and made it all the more real. Additionally, the pandemic storyline strikes a little too close to home. In the book, the Phoenix flu loosely resembles the Avian flu but with H1N1 raging all around us, its hard not consider the similarities.

Reading about the end of the world is not pleasant and Kasischke does not paint a pretty picture but the novel is very thought-provoking and there are moments of quiet beauty. I found it to be very visual in the telling. A book club would have a lot to discuss.

Source: This review copy was provided by HarperCollins in conjunction with Book Club Girl.

(less)

like 1 like

· see review

Jan 02, 2010

Paula rated it

I should probably start out by saying I had very low expectations of this book. I received it as part of my book club Xmas exchange and thus far every book received as part of this yearly tradition has sucked. With that said, this one was not bad. I might have even stretched it to 3 1/2 stars had that been possible. It starts out really slow...dashing, sought-after, widowed pilot meets and marries woman who believes her prince will never come, blah, blah, blah...blech! I might even have put it d...more

like

· see review

Dec 19, 2009

Maria rated it

This is the book Mom brought to Italy. I read it before mine in just over a night (thank you jet-lag). It's set in a similar world to our, or ours in the near future, that gets overcome with an avian flu but is mostly about being a stepmother. Nothing remarkable about it, I don't think I would say I hated it. But the ending was completely worthless. It left key things up in the air which was infuriating as getting resolution to these things was the only reason I kept reading. The author is...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Dec 22, 2009

Marcia rated it

The books main character is Jiselle. She is a flight attendant and marries the handsome pilot. She agrees to stay home and take care of his three children. Does it sound like a romance? Well, it isn't at all. There is flu being called the Phoenix flu spreading around the nation and the world. It is affecting everything around Jiselle. The handsome husband pilot leaves her stranded (detained and quarantined in Germany with the crew and passengers) with the three children as the flu hyster...more

like

· see review

Oct 26, 2009

Michelle rated it

In a story built around an illness reminiscent of the avian or swine flu Kasischke portrays the United States as a country abandoned and isolated by the global community. Viewed as the root of all evil as it relates to global warming and economic crisis American’s are left to fend for themselves in their greatest hour of need. The picture of depression both physical and emotional the United States has descended into anarchy as the population begins to contaminate to the point of decimation.
...more

like

· see review

Sep 12, 2011

Gina rated it

This book wasn't terrible... but it wasn't the best ever. It's ok. The kind of book you leaf through in the doctor's office (or maybe not the doctor, since it's about a pandemic flu that kills off most of the world.) The strange thing about this book is that, while the the main character is dealing with society breaking down around her and the constant fear of contracting this mysterious and fatal flu, that almost seems to be besides the point. What she's REALLY concerned with is her whirlwind m...more

like

· see review

Jan 14, 2010

Paigu rated it

This book is a lifetime movie/apocalypse story...woman "snags" handsome flighty pilot (pun intended) and ends up at home with his three moody children while he flies all over the globe. Woman befriends too-good-to-be-true stepson, has fights with rebellious goth daughter, flirts with the neighbor who she "should have" married, etc. The unexpected twist that keeps this from descending into Lifetime channel snooze is the background story about a modern-day global plague. Of ...more

like

· see review

Jun 11, 2010

Jennifer rated it

I had trouble giving this a 'star' rating.......
In a word, this book is captivating. It flows so well that there is literally no point at which to put the book down. However, that flow doesn't stop at the end- I needed closure! This would make a great title for book clubs because the ending can be debated and each person will have their own interpretations. Personally, I am not a fan of the open last pages.......
Also, it was a bit on the sci-fi side......having said that, it is also ...more

like

· see review

Oct 27, 2009

Maicie rated it

In a Perfect World A Novel by Laura Kasischke was recommended to me by a cleck at Borders Bookstore. The book had a couple of interesting themes - relationships and survival. Jiselle marries a handsome widower with three children. He turns out to be less prince and more frog. And of course, the children aren't crazy about new mommy dearest. Then the U.S. is hit with a virulent flu that turns the world upside down.

The flu virus was especially interesting because that's a reality we d...more

like

· see review

Jun 22, 2010

Julie rated it

Recommends it for: just about anyone

Recommended to Julie by: Borders, I guess.

Shelves: 2010, fiction

I had my eye on this book for a long time before I found it at a book sale, but let me tell you, I really had NO idea what it was about. This became very clear to me the moment they reported the death of _____________ somewhere around page 2. (Trying to avoid spoilers here.) Honestly, finding out this was a crumbling-world, global-epidemic type of story made it a LOT more interesting to me. I mean, I knew about the illness from the book's back blurb, but I didn't think the book would focus on it...more

like

· see review

Dec 18, 2009

Nicole rated it

Recommended to Nicole by: Book Club Girl

At 32, Jiselle McKnight has been a bridesmaid no less than six times, so when her co-worker, a sexy airline pilot, starts to woo her and wants to marry her, she is more than happy to overlook a few things to become the next Mrs. Mark Dorn. Doubts plague her relationship before she even gets married- after all he could just be marrying her to to gain some reliable childcare- and although her mother tries to save her from the similar problematic issues that destroyed her own marriage, Jiselle is u...moreAt 32, Jiselle McKnight has been a bridesmaid no less than six times, so when her co-worker, a sexy airline pilot, starts to woo her and wants to marry her, she is more than happy to overlook a few things to become the next Mrs. Mark Dorn. Doubts plague her relationship before she even gets married- after all he could just be marrying her to to gain some reliable childcare- and although her mother tries to save her from the similar problematic issues that destroyed her own marriage, Jiselle is unwilling to listen.

The mysterious Phoenix flu, whose origins and causes are widely speculated yet never pinned down surround the inauspicious beginnings of Jiselle’s marriage, and the hysteria about the the outbreak does little to ease her into wedded bliss to a perpetually traveling and highly attractive husband or into the instant family that she is attempting to create with two teenage daughters who hate her, and a meek young stepson. Jiselle has to find a way to either sink or swim within her new role as wife and stepmother but also find her footing in a country caught in the throes of a nationwide epidemic.

Jiselle was a hard character for me to cotton to in the initial chapters of this book. Naive and more than a little detached she seemed to float through the world without any urgency or a sense of the consequences of her actions. Marrying a man with three kids whom she had yet to meet, a week before her wedding as people are dropping like flies from a flu whose source is yet unidentified, seemed to be the height of crazy. The novel unfolds with a curious vague and dreamy quality that matches Jiselle’s personality but seems a little odd at times when compared to descriptions of the epidemic.

I warmed up to Jiselle as she started to wake up a bit and take responsibility for herself and got a better handle on her role within the family, and was surprised to find that I really enjoyed this novel. While none of the specifics of the epidemic were ever discussed there was enough information about the changes in the environment and the functioning of the society to keep me grounded in the novel and the gravity of their situation.

I enjoyed that the narrative could focus on the personal aspects of how the epidemic affected the family and the changes that it made in their lives, the ways that it would bring them together and tear them apart. Kasischke strikes a fine balance between the dream-like and the horrific, and though most of the book is is limned in the weight of serious matters the book manages to escape being overwhelmingly bleak. I read with great curiosity to find out what would become of Jiselle and her family.(less)

like

· see review

Dec 01, 2011

Desi rated it

Shelves: the-end-of-the-world, fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I feel like I have a lot to say about this book for some reason. I read it in one day straight - it moved pretty fast, but then it also got to a point when I couldn't put it down. The story started kind of slow in my opinion, and the main "action" in the first part of the book that sets up the second part - i.e., how Jiselle finds herself in the situation she's in - seemed contrived to me, which affected how I felt about the book overall.

There is something really, really c...moreI feel like I have a lot to say about this book for some reason. I read it in one day straight - it moved pretty fast, but then it also got to a point when I couldn't put it down. The story started kind of slow in my opinion, and the main "action" in the first part of the book that sets up the second part - i.e., how Jiselle finds herself in the situation she's in - seemed contrived to me, which affected how I felt about the book overall.

There is something really, really compelling, and also really, really frightening about dystopian stories that chronicle the gradual decay and collapse of our (very recognizable) world, that is so different from those that invoke the zombie apocalypse or simply take place in a world that is not particularly recognizable. See Into the Forest for another example like this one.

Because what is happening seems so plausible, books like this really get to me (evidence: last night's nightmares), but then I'm also incredibly frustrated when they end because they seem to end in the same way: We watch the gradual collapse of modern life as we know it, such as infrastructure, food supply, etc., but our band of characters manages to persevere through hardship. At some point in time they start to run out of their food stocks from the grocery store, like canned soup and powdered milk, and other sensible things that they've managed to hoard. But then!! They discover/realize other tools and resources that can help them survive - like a gun! and seeds! We will be okay! And they gaze bravely off into the future of their self-sufficiency and the book closes. AGH. That's great but it also aggravates me because I want to know what happens next. Do they make it? Do they all learn how to shoot squirrel and ground flour from nuts? Or does some roving band of violent, starving men arrive at their door the next day and rape and murder them? (Because women are always the main characters in this type of narrative.) The false optimism at the end of these stories sometimes strikes me as a vast betrayal of the genre and of reality, and although it would probably send me into deeper depths of despair to read it, I think it would almost refreshing for someone to end a book like this with them all dying in the end.

/deep breath. I think I need to take a break from end-of-the-world books for awhile, especially in my current state. It's a good book, and I recommend it - it just got to me.(less)

like

· see review

Dec 26, 2009

J rated it

3.5 stars

This book started slow, but ended well. Basically, the "Phoenix flu" strikes the US and starts killing people left and right. Scientists can't figure out what the cause is, and there is no cure. Since we're currently living through swine flu, it's interesting to compare what the author predicted would happen with what has happened with our own flu.

The main character is an ex-flight attendant who ends up alone with her step-children. The beginning ...more

like 1 like

· see review

Oct 18, 2009

Jennifer rated it

Shelves: best-of-2009

What is it with me reading books about the end of the world? This is the adult version of Life as We Knew It. It's timely in that the event that starts the end of the world is the Phoenix flu, so it might give you nightmares. Jiselle is a stewardess and when she falls in love with a dashing pilot she thinks life will be perfect. She quits her job to be a stay at home stepmother to his 3 children (including 2 teenage daughters). Then the Phoenix flu hits big time, and her pilot husband is qu...more

like

· see review

title link	preview: In a Perfect World
avg rating	preview: In a Perfect World Goodreads rating: 3.14 (947 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6482399-in-a-perfect-world?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1256072252m/6482399.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6482399-in-a-perfect-world?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]In a Perfect World by Laura Kasischke[/url]

In a Perfect World

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (6)

Genres

Readers Also Enjoyed

About Laura Kasischke

Books by Laura Kasischke

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About In a Perfect World

In a Perfect World

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combine Other Editions (6)

Genres

Readers Also Enjoyed

About Laura Kasischke

Books by Laura Kasischke

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About In a Perfect World

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (6)