Tuesday, November 16, 2010

PERFECTION: REVIEW AND BONUS ENTRIES

GIVEAWAY ENDED
PERFECTION
BY JULIE METZ
MORE ABOUT THE BOOK AND AUTHOR:
PRAISE FOR PERFECTION:
"When I read Julie Metz’s PERFECTION, I inhaled every word! I loved it, not just for the raw facts of Julie’s ordeal but even more for the lyrical, insightful point of view from which it was written. Julie writes close to the bone as she searches for meaning and embraces the beauty of an imperfect life." —Sarah Landis, Editor
"Her honesty about middle-aged sex and her fear of never finding the "new" right someone make this a delectable summer read."
—Carol Memmott, USA TODAY

"Metz gives us Joan Didion's THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING with the reality-check of Nora Ephron's HEARTBURN. An enthralling, heart-pounding, unforgettable read." 
—Jennifer Belle, author of High Maintenance and Little Stalker

"PERFECTION is a nuanced, spellbinding portrait of an extraordinarily complex marriage. Julie Metz has written a literary page-turner that is at once entertaining and moving."
—Hilary Black, wowowow.com
"It is impossible to put PERFECTION down as we follow Julie Metz through her true story of love, lies, loss, and moving forward. Her raw and brave writing makes you want to cheer Metz on as she pieces her life back together, one beautiful sentence at a time."
—Marian Fontana, author of Widow’s Walk and Middle of the Bed
 
"Six months after her husband's funeral, Julie Metz discovered his five mistresses, one of them her presumed friend. She writes, "I couldn’t kill Henry anymore, since he was, conveniently enough, dead.” The seed of PERFECTION was rage, yet Metz’s fury is not ugly, not even vengeful. Instead it provides this book’s beautiful testimony that, instead of killing the subject, the author can do something that diminishes him even more totally. She can forgive him and move on. That accomplishment, via prose, leaves me breathless."
—Sarah Manguso, author of The Two Kinds of Decay
"This aching memoir of love, loss, and deception is candid and compelling. I found myself rooting for Julie Metz in her search for a happy “second life."
—Hilma Wolitzer, author of Summer Reading and Hearts
"Julie Metz’s PERFECTION chronicles with lapidary precision one woman’s arduous climb back to happiness after not just a spouse’s death, but also the shocking recognition that her life before that death was not what she had thought it was. The journey is a painful one, and long, but Ms. Metz is much the stronger for having survived to recount it."
—Julie Powell, author of Julie and Julia
MY REVIEW:
When 44 year old Henry died one morning in his wife’s arms from a pulmonary embolism, little did she, Julie Metz, know what all would follow.  Nor would any other woman, you say, but in Julie Metz’s case, the stages of grief were quite different than the norm as she tells in her memoir, PERFECTION: A Memoir of Betrayal and Renewal”. Married for 12 years, with Liza, their six year old daughter who was the center of their world, Henry and Julie were writers who were living in the same house but were at a point in life where they weren’t living their lives “together” as Julie would soon discover following Henry’s death.

Over the course of the next seven months, Julie finds herself living as a single mother with a daughter to raise and a heart to mend after losing the love of her life so suddenly. But Julie lives in a small town and before long, she is told by a friend that Henry had been seeing someone and of course, Julie’s first thought was one of disbelief.  However, the more Julie learns, the more emails emerge, the more people confess, the more she finds out that her husband was not the man she even thought she knew and loved. Not only did he have affairs with at least five women, but one was even a very good friend of theirs. Julie’s life unwinds in a way one, especially Julie, could never contemplate. With friends’ help, Julie is able to find out the details and actually gets to know most of these other women. She finds herself knowing Henry’s lovers while not even sure she knew Henry, the husband she is grieving over. One of the women in particular helps Julie to understand a little more about the man she was married to and how he felt about their marriage, as well as Julie herself.

With this information slowly sinking in, Julie is able to slowly begin to forgive Henry and build her life all over again for herself as well as her daughter. Their lives are forever changed but they also are able to have a new beginning and move on from there.  PERFECTION is indeed a very brave and honest memoir for Julie Metz to not only write but to have to live through, and then to turn around and share it with the world in this book. She also is eventually able to find promise with a new partner and release herself from the past, and begin to appreciate the present for all that it is.
  
GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO LISA AND THE GOOD
FOLKS AT BOOK SPARKS PR,
I HAVE
ONE COPY OF THIS
FASCINATING
MEMOIR TO GIVE AWAY

--U.S. AND CANADIAN RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO
COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER:
BONUS ENTRIES
Go HERE to see the Author Interview
and more entry chances! 

+1 ENTRY:
COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FOUND INTERESTING ABOUT "PERFECTION" FROM THE VIDEO OR MY REVIEW THAT WOULD MAKE YOU WANT TO WIN AND READ THIS BOOK.

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE OF THE ITEMS OF PRAISE ABOVE THAT YOU FOUND MOST CONVINCING OR INTRIGUING

+1 MORE ENTRY:
BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND LEAVE A LINK I CAN FOLLOW IN THE ENTRY

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ANY OTHER CURRENT GIVEAWAY OF MINE THAT YOU HAVE ENTERED. PLEASE ONLY COMMENT ON ONE OTHER ENTRY THIS TIME.
GIVEAWAY ENDS
6 PM, EST,
NOVEMBER 29!
 
GOOD LUCK

37 comments:

Reading said...

I watched the video and the thing that really struck me was her honesty. I have a hunch this will come through in her writing and would love to read this.

lizzi0915 at aol dot com

Reading said...

I found Julie Powell's praise most convincing.

lizzi0915 at aol dot com

traveler said...

Your wonderful review made this book come alive. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

The praise by Hilma Wolitzer was beautiful. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

I entered Don't Sing At The Table. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

petite said...

I was impressed with the quote from HIlary Black. Lovely and true. rojosho(at)hotmail(dot)com

petite said...

Because of the depth of emotions and the truth of this book it reaches out to me. The review was excellent. rojosho(at)hotmail(dot)com

petite said...

I entered Imperial Cruise. rojosho(at)hotmail(dot)com

Margie said...

I would like to see how she eventually forgives her husband, and begins to remake her life.
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com

Margie said...

I liked Marian Fontana's review. She found the book intriguing for both the writing style and the story.
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com

Margie said...

I entered the giveaway for Grisham's Confession.
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com

holdenj said...

I enjoyed your review and just can't imagine how she got through this brutal time. The book must be amazing.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

holdenj said...

I really liked Sarah Manguso's comments.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

holdenj said...

I entered The Neighbors are Watching.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

Linda Kish said...

I find it remarkable how she was able to get through this time. It must have been so hard, especially when things started coming out.

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Linda Kish said...

Entered mini shopoholic giveaway

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Linda Kish said...

The first comment was very intriguing..about the lyrical, insightful point of view and raw facts.

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

"She also is eventually able to find promise with a new partner and release herself from the past, and begin to appreciate the present for all that it is."

I love to read a book fiction or nonfiction that has a happy ending

alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com

Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

"Her honesty about middle-aged sex and her fear of never finding the "new" right someone make this a delectable summer read."
—Carol Memmott, USA TODAY

As a middle aged woman, this is an aspect of life that I have always secretly feared should I ever be in this position

alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com

Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

http://twitter.com/#!/alterlisa/status/4738028736094208

alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

I am a follower and email subscriber. Sounds like a really good read. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com

Unknown said...

I was watching her video and was struck by her honesty in such a personal matter. I think it shows true power to be able to forgive and heal after such pain.

christauf4(at)gmail.com

Unknown said...

I loved the quote by Sarah Manguso about Perfection. Her husband cheated on her...and with a friend, and yet she was able to forgive which lead to him not being able to have that hold on her life anymore.

christauf4(at)gmail.com

Unknown said...

I entered the giveaway for the Sarah Dessen book set!

christauf4(at)gmail.com

Pamela Keener said...

In the video I love how she has discovered that the only way to make things better is if she makes them better.
Love & Hugs,
Pam
pk4290(at)comcast(dot)net

Pamela Keener said...

I like Hilary Black's review.
Love & Hugs,
Pam
pk4290(at)comcast(dot)net

Pamela Keener said...

I entered Sarah Dessen 3 book giveaway set
Love & Hugs,
Pam
pk4290(at)comcast(dot)net

Pamela Keener said...

I tweeted this giveaway.
http://twitter.com/pam4290/status/5056816174071808
Love & Hugs,
Pam
pk4290(at)comcast(dot)net

Charleydog said...

This story about a woman having to raise a child alone makes me realize how strong some people are when faced with a situation like this. Being a parent is a formidable task - when there are two of you - but alone is daunting.

Please enter my name in the giveaway for the book. Thanks!

pboylecharley AT hotmail DOT com

Unknown said...

I wasn't sure what Julie would discover after her husband's death until I read your review. OMG! I don't know how you deal with the fact that he was cheating on you when he died. I want to read this book to find out how Julie coped with it all.

Aimala127@gmail.com

Unknown said...

I liked Hilary Black's comment because she calls Perfection Moving and entertaining which tells me that despite what Julie goes through she's able to keep her sense of humor and to recover from it all and move on. I also like that Hilary Black calls the memoir literary which to me says it's very well written.

Perfection sounds like a more than worthwhile read!

Aimala127@gmail.com

Unknown said...

I entered the giveaway for The Neighbors are Watching.


Aimala127@gmail.com

bison61 said...

the affairs and help from one of the woman-this does sound like a good read

tiramisu392 (at) yahoo.com

Laura H. said...

After watching the video, I found it interesting that her husband was involved with at least 5 women (that they are aware of) and that she managed to have some kind of relationship with these women after all is said and done.

BornajhawkATaolDOTcom

Laura H. said...

I found the praise by Sarah Manguso most intriguing. It appears that author has a sense of humor because she writes, "I couldn’t kill Henry anymore, since he was, conveniently enough, dead.” Crack me up!

BornajhawkATaolDOTcom

Laura H. said...

Tweeted giveaway: http://twitter.com/#!/MamaHendo3/status/9373214438334464

BornajhawkATaolDOTcom

Laura H. said...

Entered "The Neighbors Are Watching" giveaway.

BornajhawkATaolDOTcom

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