idea of perfection reviews

The Idea of Perfection: Reviews

"The Idea of Perfection warms both heart and head, for the bliss it affords is not so much visceral as aesthetic, even architectural."

(Don Anderson, Australian Review of Books)

“It’s an outrageously entertaining book – witty, tender and full of no-nonsense lyricism.”

(Hepzibah Anderson, The Daily Mail)

“Grenville manufactures an extraordinary comedy of manners, made all the more powerful by her own reticence as a writer.”

(Alice Cartwright, The Guardian)

“Piquant and memorable.”

(Boyd Tonkin, The Independent)

“The Idea of Perfection is a very fine novel… Grenville’s paean to the heroism of imperfection could so easily slide into sentimentality. That it doesn’t is a testament to her skill. There’s nothing trite about the violent, sensual colour in her descriptions of the Australian bush, or her compassion for her eccentric characters.”

(James Eve, The Times)

"...the way the narrative coaxes these two awkward characters together is perfect in both its restraint and its careful observation of human frailty... as usual, Grenville's prose is fluid and evocative, distinguished by precise, often haunting imagery... a beautifully crafted piece of work. This is wonderful writing made even more perfect by its deliberate and artful risks."

Mandy Sayer, The Bulletin

"What remains unambiguous... is the magnitude of the talent at work and the depths of satisfaction is it capable of yielding. ..this is a novel that will have the kind of breadth of appeal that one associates with a writer like Annie Proulx."

Peter Craven, the Age