A Perfect Day

Rating:
Summary: You'll Need Tissues!
Review: 'A Perfect Day' is a brilliant piece of fiction. It holds its own with 'The Wedding', 'My Fractured Life,' and 'The Time Traveler's Wife.' I absolutely loved it. It's the kind of book you need a box of tissues to get through, but it's that good kind of crying that makes you feel fulfilled and not drained.

Rating:
Summary: An Enjoyable Departure
Review: A Perfect Day is a bit of a departure for Richard Paul Evans. It reminds me more of My Fractured Life then of Evan's previous work. Although a departure, it is still very enjoyable.

Rating:
Summary: A Nice Story About Life's Priorities
Review: At the urging of my spouse, along with promises that this was a quick read, I delved into this book. She was right, it did read fast and it was an excellent story. The main character, who I believe probably represents the author, writes a book about his wife's relationship with her father, culminating with his death. His book finds immediate success and revolves around the blessings and curses found with such popularity. Think: It's a Wonderful Life in book form. It is definitely worth the time.

Rating:
Summary: Touching
Review: Beautiful story of discovering what is really important in life. Simply written, but still a touching story. Am going to read some of his other books.

Rating:
Summary: Salty and Engaging
Review: Corrupted by Hollywood, a hotshot author gets sent on a 'It's A Wonderful Life' introspection when a hipster angel confides that the man has only 40 days left to live. The writing is salty, witty, engaging, with enough situational bizarity to make it a tremendously fun and entertaining book. The corruption of Hollywood aspect will remind you of 'My Fractured Life', while the 'It's A Wonderful Life' tones will make you think of blockbuster 'The Five People You Meet in Heaven' (although Richard Paul Evans does a more entertaining job in my opinion). I loved it.

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Summary: A tale of love and loss and finding love again.
Review: Do you know how much your family means to you? After reading A Perfect Day you will! This delightful story of Robert Harlan's success as a writer and his role as a husband and father weave a captivating tapestry of struggle and triumph. As Robert faces his demise through an unexpected twist of fate he finds that suddenly all of his buried thoughts and emotions are brought to the surface leading him to discover his greatest treasure of all.

Rating:
Summary: A SPORTS JUNKIE FALLS IN LOVE WITH THIS MASTERPIECE
Review: Don't ask me why I read this book because I have no answers. Perhaps being in my mid 40's led me so undiscover some of my deepest feelings. After reading The Five People You Meet In Heaven, I stumbled onto the literary works of Richard Paul Evans. Let me cut the chase. I read this book in one day. I can't explain why I couldn't put it down. Mr. Evans does an outstanding job of character development. Most fiction books one tends to get lost in too many characters, A Perfect Day is very easy to read. The book is about his writing of A Perfect Day. Superb execution of the thought process and quite easy to relate to if one is put in that position. I'll admit the ending is somewhat disappointing. Quite frankly, I thought Mr. Evans could have expanded on it a bit more. But this book still deserves an unprecedented 5 Stars because its story fulfilled me in every sense. A Perfect Day is a love story, a mystery, imaginative and passion all confined into 288 pages. A Perfect Day is reading A Perfect Day.

Rating:
Summary: Another Fine Effort from a Remarkable Man
Review: Don't you wish you were Richard Paul Evans? He's boyishly handsome, a loving husband and father of five, and someone who can write about his first book --- a huge bestseller --- like this, "The material achievements of THE CHRISTMAS BOX never will convey its true success, the lives it has changed, the families brought closer together, the mothers and fathers who suddenly understand the pricelessness of their children's fleeting childhood." (And before you start thinking cynically, Evans used that book's mega-success to launch a foundation that subsidizes halfway homes for abused and neglected children.)

In his latest book, his eighth, Evans takes a different view of what it is like to be a successful, famous author. The protagonist of A PERFECT DAY, Robert Mason Harlan, has written a book of the same title based on a true, heartbreaking story from his wife's life. Harlan, once a successful radio advertising executive, had a series of bad breaks and spent eight years installing lawn sprinklers before his novel was published. His wife, daughter and agent stand behind him faithfully as his book becomes a sensation.

Success, however, finds Harlan making some bad choices. While his wife Allison had a loving family, Robert grew up the son of a rigid, frigid military officer. Between his unhappy childhood and career troubles, Robert has come to believe that he is entitled to more. First, it's a way too lengthy book tour; then a speaking event that Robert allows to take precedence over a family emergency; finally, he fires Camille, his caring and nurturing literary agent in order to sign with a big macher who promises movie deals and much more money. He flies home and whisks Allison off to a real estate appointment to see a six-bedroom mansion "complete with home theater." When she balks at leaving their modest home, he leaves her --- and Carson, their six-year-old daughter.

Robert's new whirl of celebrity suits him, and he's settling in to rounds of talk shows and restaurant lunches when a mysterious and curious man insists on sharing his table at Starbucks. The stranger, who calls himself Michael, knows nearly everything about Robert's life that Robert himself does --- but also knows a couple of things Robert doesn't. Bowled over by the information Michael gives him, Robert sets out doing what he has become accustomed to doing with information: to use it to his advantage.

Robert has become very good at this, and before long he is back in Salt Lake City, wooing his wife and daughter with gifts of goods and time. Allison is properly suspicious, Carson is properly thrilled, and Robert believes he's doing just the right thing.

Except he's not.

Revealing any more would be unfair, though I will share that Evans throws an interesting curve ball towards the end that serves to remind readers (maybe the author, too) not to take anything too seriously. I will also share that, as usual, Evans's writing is deft.

Evans knows how effective it can be to tug at heartstrings, and he does this with a higher purpose in mind. The charities he has founded have benefitted from his fiction writing as people look for a way to make a difference after reading his books. He empowers his readers to take a fresh look at their lives. And that is the point he again makes in A PERFECT DAY.

--- Reviewed by Bethanne Kelly Patrick

Rating:
Summary: Angels Among US
Review: Evans has written another book that touches the heartstrings. I am not a real fan of Evans as I feel he often down plays or minimizes the women in his books. I feel he is way too full of himself! Now, having said that, I admit this book was easy to read and took an interesting turn of events and made me want to say, "Ha! The women got even with you!" I won't give away the ending and recommend the book as interesting and has a message for all busy people these days.

Robert Harlan is laid off from his job as a radio station salesman and his wife encourages him to take this time and follow his dream to write the book he has always wanted to finish. She takes a job to cover finances and he stays home and writes A Perfect Day. A Perfect Day is a book about the wife, Allyson, and her last few months with her father as he suffers with cancer. The book jumps to the top of the bestseller list and becomes a big hit. Robert gets a big head and wants more and more of the fame and less of his wife and child, Carson.

Michael, an angel, enters into the picture and tells Robert he has X amount of days to live and that makes Robert take another look at what he is doing and what he wants from life. To tell more would take away the mystery of the book and I highly recommend you read it to find out for yourself.

An interesting aspect of the book is the reader gets a glimpse of what the publishing world is all about. Always nice to learn something new when we read a book.

Rating:
Summary: The greatest book I've ever read!
Review: Hi there!

I have to say, that I haven't heard from the author Richard Paul Evans before. At my favourite bookstore I saw one of his books "A perfect Day" and I bought it. I didn't know what would happen to me as I read it!
It's one of my first books in the english language and I'm very surprised! I have to say, that's one of the best books I've read before!
It's very emotional and written in a great stile. You'll think about it. You'll be glad with the characters and also sad. Richard Paul Evans is one of the best authors in the american bookword and I'm very glad about reading this book!!!