Product Description

A woman is found in a Los Angeles graveyard, unable to remember anything about herself or her life.  No one is more surprised than she when, days later, her husband comes to the police station to take her home - and turns out to be Hollywood's leading superstar, Alex Rivers.

Cassie Barrett begins to remember bits about her life: her passion for her career as an anthropologist, the whirlwind romance on location in Africa, her childhood.  But she senses there is something troubling in this perfect life that she can't remember; and then, when she sees a pregnancy test, it all comes flooding back - and once again, Cassie feels there is no alternative but escape...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #188 in Books
• Published on: 2009-10-29
• Released on: 2009-10-29
• Binding: Hardcover
• 448 pages

Review

'A riveting, unfailingly intelligent, and undeniably literary psychological drama.'

'Picoult writes with an all-knowing and piercing eye.'

'Picoult has an uncanny knack of dreaming up moral dilemmas that you cannot ignore: you must know the resolution'

'Jodi Picoult's novels often focus on lives turned upside down by some terrible event, and it's her way with the small emotional detail that makes them so rewarding'

About the Author
Jodi Picoult grew up in Nesconset, New York. She received an A.B. in creative writing from Princeton and a master`s degree in education from Harvard. Her previous novels include Keeping Faith, The Pact, and Mercy. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three children.

Customer Reviews

Good, but not as good as Picoult's others...
Keeping Faith, The Pact, and Harvesting the Heart are prime examples of Picoult's remarkable talent. I was enthralled by all three of those books. While Picture Perfect was a good read, it lacked the depth and beauty of the others. Still, it was enjoyable.

THIS BOOK IS LESS THAN PICTURE PERFECT...
This book recounts the almost fairytale like romance and marriage of anthropologist, Cassie Barrett, and silver screen star, Alex Rivers. All that glitters, however, is not gold, as Cassie will soon discover. It seems that her handsome husband has a dark side to his personality.

When Cassie undergoes some form of temporary amnesia, she makes the acquaintance of William Flying Horse, a rookie police officer with the Los Angeles Police Department. He is immediately attracted to this lovely, though mysterious, woman. He treats her tenderly and, ultimately, falls in love with her. He does not reveal his feelings, however, as she is eventually claimed by her husband, who has been looking for her.

As her memory returns, Cassie recalls what was it that drove her away from Alex. Unfortunately, Alex is the product of an abusive childhood, and the psychological trauma that he sustained growing up rears its ugly head in a way that is not conducive to a happy marriage. Cassie, however, is the great enabler, as she has allowed Alex to continue with this pattern of behavior, rationalizing it to herself.

This is a formulaic story that the author tries to augment with some Native American Indian lore that is somewhat interesting but, ultimately, fails to carry the day, as it spirals into the ridiculous. All of the characters, including the Native American ones, are one dimensional and, consequently, the reader ends up caring very little about what happens to any one of them. This is a mediocre work of fiction not worth reading, unless you are an avid fan of the author.

OK book
"To the outside world, they seemed to have it all. Cassie Barrett, a renowned anthropologist, and Alex Rivers, one of Hollywood's hottest actors, met on the set of a motion picture in Africa. They shared childhood tales, toasted the future, and declared their love in a fairy-tale wedding. But when they returned to California, something altered the picture or their perfect marriage. A frightening pattern took shape - a cycle of hurt, denial and promises, thinly veiled by glamour. Torn between fear and something that resembled love, Cassie wrestled with questions she never dreamed she would face: How could she leave? Then again, how could she stay?"

The sypnosis doesn't really give you a clue about the book.

It opens with Cassie, injured and found in a graveyard. She doesn't remeber who she is. The book to start with is about how she rediscovers herself. Then rediscovers the secrets of her homelife.

I have only read 2 Picoult books now, and while this book was ok, I did think of shutting it and moving on about half way through. I'm glad i stuck with it though. There were many times i wanted to scream at the main character of cassie, tell her not to do this, or do do that. But the good thing about this book, it is not predictable, so she ended up doing the things I didn't want her to.

It took a frustratingly long time for Cassie to see the light, but I can appreciate that in situations like this, it's not as simple as walking away.

The characters were well detailed, and you got under the skin of them all, understanding the reasoning behind what happens in this story.

I would give this book a 7 out of 10.