Picture Perfect
by Jodi Picoult
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jodi PicoultEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-07-02
ISBN: 0425185508
Number of pages: 384
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780425185506
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Book Reviews of Picture Perfect
Book Review: The psychology just isn't really there
Summary: 2 Stars
If you've read the synopsis of this book on the main page, I'm giving nothing away by saying that is it a book about an abusive marriage. After having read several of Picoult's novels, I've found that she sometimes has a real talent for delving into the psychology of characters in unusual circumstances. I can't say the same about this book.
Overall, the book is quite predictable--but, then, abusive relationships in general are predictable. Cassie is abused by her husband, Alex, who then apologizes and promises never to do it again. Everything is wonderful until he loses control and beats her again. Anyone who has ever had the trauma of being in this type or relationship or anyone who has studied them knows that domestic abuse is a cycle. The abuser usually apologizes later, there are usually promises never to abuse again, but, eventually, the abuse reoccurs and the cycle begins again. I think Picoult felt she could spice it up by making the husband a celebrity but studies have shown that affluent couples aren't any less likely to have abusive relationships than less affluent couples, so this plot device really doesn't lend any spice.
Cassie, overall, was pretty well done but she was also frustrating. Abused women usually do make excuses for their abusers and usually do justify the abuse but I found her ultimate reaction a bit strange. As is typical with abusive relationships, there is a great deal of co-dependency between Cassie and Alex and she holds onto the belief that he is simply broken and that she'll be able to fix him. Initially she does love him but the question that Picoult never fully addresses here is if she ultimately continues to love him as the years go by and the abuse continues. The line between love and resignation becomes rather blurred after a while in such a relationship and it seemed to me that Cassie's reluctance to leave had less to do with love and more to do with other factors.
As for Alex, I felt Picoult tried a little too hard to make him a sympathetic character. His past is pretty horrible but this is neither a reason nor an excuse for him to beat his wife. Abusive relationships are about control and the bottom line is that Alex's real objective was to control his wife. Picoult sometimes portrays this inclination as love but it isn't really love at all. If Alex did really love his wife, he would have gotten himself some serious therapy and overcome his past in order to ensure that his own marriage would be a healthy one. The bottom line is that I really don't find an abusive husband to be a sympathetic character in any way, shape, or form, no matter how traumatic his past.
I also felt that the addition of Will was more of a distraction than anything. He's a sort of means to an end for Cassie rather than a character in his own right. His only real purpose in the novel is to swoop in and rescue her and to indirectly help her to find a new spin on the career about which she is passionate. If the novel was really meant to focus on an abusive marriage and its repercussions, Will's addition does nothing to further this plot.
Summary of Picture Perfect
Make this your next book club selection and everyone saves.
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To the outside world, they seem 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 return to California, something alters the picture of their perfect marriage. A frightening pattern is taking shape?a cycle of hurt, denial, and promises, thinly veiled by glamour. Torn between fear and something that resembles love, Cassie wrestles with questions she never dreamed she would face: How can she leave? Then again, how can she stay?
Get 15% off when you order 5 or more of this title for your book club.
Simply enter the coupon code PICOULTPICTURE at checkout.
This offer does not apply to eBook purchases. This offer applies to only one downloadable audio per purchase.
To the outside world, they seem 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 return to California, something alters the picture of their perfect marriage. A frightening pattern is taking shape?a cycle of hurt, denial, and promises, thinly veiled by glamour. Torn between fear and something that resembles love, Cassie wrestles with questions she never dreamed she would face: How can she leave? Then again, how can she stay?
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