A Perfect Arrangement

Rating:
Summary: Suzanne Berne is an author to watch
Review: Beautifully written, A PERFECT ARRANGEMENT is the story of Mirella and Howard Cook-Goldman, two not-so-perfect people, with two not-so-perfect children who are trying to lead the perfect family life.
In search of an au pair for their children, the Cook-Goldmans find Randi Gill, a young woman with excellent references, who is almost too perfect to be true. As Randi insinuates herself into the lives of the Cook-Goldmans, the facade of perfection Mirella and Howard have built begins to crumble around them, as their secrets threaten to ruin their marraige.
A PERFECT ARRANGEMENT examines the struggle that all parents with children face today as they try to balance their professional and personal lives, along with the remorse and repercussions that must be dealt when they are forced to leave the caretaking of their children in the hands of strangers.
Like Alice Hoffman and Jodi Picoult, Suzanne Berne takes ordinary life experiences and writes about them with deep insight and lovely prose that makes A PERFECT ARRANGEMENT more than just an absorbing page turner.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent read for the summer - or any time of year
Review: I buy too many books and lately have tried to borrow more from the library. The borrow can save me a good $20 or so. This time, I wish I'd bought instead of borrowed. There were pages and pages I wanted to highlight. Oh well. I'll just have to buy it and read it again.

This book perfectly captures the mounting and messy pressures we voluntarily assume with marriage, work and family; how these pressures can overwhelm us and lead -- as Berne says -- to a life "guided by hurry, guided by hope, counting on other chances for every chance" we take. This book tells the story of a likable, flawed and very real couple, Mirella and Howard, a married lawyer and architect couple who, by outside appearance, seem to have it all. But "it all" comes with a big price tag -- two very imperfect, difficult children and a juggling act that threatens to fall apart at any moment. And fall apart it does, starting with the hiring of nanny Randy, who -- like Mirella and Howard -- ostensibly looks perfect. Randy has both a dark side and a dark past which Berne tantalizingly reveals bit by bit. And Randy isn't the only one with secrets to hide. But, don't worry, the news isn't all bad.

Many have written about the constant duel of tension and satisfaction inherent in the "have it all" battle, but never so well as here. Berne is a wonderful writer. I was mesmerized for the entire book and went to sleep way too late, unwilling to put it down. Berne's writing is entirely fresh, un-cliche'd and breezy, suspenseful and profound, all at the same time. A rare find; well worth the read and the price.

Rating:
Summary: certain things not explained
Review: I enjoyed A Perfect Arrangement, but there were a couple of issues I felt were not explained enough. For one, how did Mirella find out her husband had an affair? Did she get a letter? Did Randi say something? It was never explained. Did I miss something?
Second, what was the deal with Randi? I know she was getting overly attatched to Jacob, but I thought before the story ended I would get some sort of explanation as to why she acted that way. Seems like there was more to Randi that never was explained.

Rating:
Summary: Terrific Novel
Review: I picked up this novel because of the great reviews everywhere, but was a little concerned that it would turn out to be The Hand that Rocks the Cradle in novel form. It's not. A Perfect Arrangement is an excellent novel, about a family that looks perfect from the outside, but is actually crumbling on the inside. Mirella and Howard, husband and wife, are actually keeping horrible secrets from one another--before the so-called perfect nanny starts watching their children. Randi, the nanny, has her own problems, as do the children. A story like this could easily fall into overdone melodrama, but Berne carries it off very, very successfully. The characters, flaws and all, are completely believable. The plot is surprising without ever being over the top. The dialogue is true and flows naturally and while this is a serious novel, it is not without touches of humor. All in all, A Perfect Arrangement is an excellent, well done novel that I highly recommend.

Rating:
Summary: I Was Highly Disappointed in This Book
Review: I wasnt expecting blood and gore or anything as dramatic as in the movie "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle", but I was expecting something that would keep me interested enough to keep turning the pages: I didnt find it.

The characters in this book are two dimensional at best. the author never really gives us enough "meat" about the characters.. nothing to grip onto.

What the author does manage to do is waste time giving us details about things that really have no relevance to the story or to the main characters in the book; I really dont care what the details are of Mirellas latest legal case.. after all, the book is not about courtroom drama. the authors time would have been better spent enriching the characters and creating a better plot with a little more depth to it.

Partway through the book, there are hints that lead you to beleive that you know where the story is going; of course, most books have the same types of hints, and usually what happens is that rather than being predictable, you begin to relish where you think the story is going to go, and more often than not, you are wrong, because the plot often takes an unexpected twist that makes the stoy even better than you thought it was going to be...

This book does just the opposite. the story does not end up going where you think it will.. it ends up leading down a dull, flat road where the scenery is about as interesting as a stretch of barren interstate.

You can pick up your local newspaper and read real-life stories that are ten times more interesting than this book. I kept hanging on, turning the pages, hoping that maybe the next chapter would finally contain the heart of the story, that maybe the main players would finally come to life, but I was left frustrated by characters and a story that were as lifeless as old paper dolls.

The only positive thing that I can say about my experience with this book is that I am grateful that I didnt spend one thin dime on it.. I borrowed it from the library. still, reading it was a pitiful waste of time.

Rating:
Summary: certain things not explained
Review: I wasnt expecting blood and gore or anything as dramatic as in the movie "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle", but I was expecting something that would keep me interested enough to keep turning the pages: I didnt find it.

The characters in this book are two dimensional at best. the author never really gives us enough "meat" about the characters.. nothing to grip onto.

What the author does manage to do is waste time giving us details about things that really have no relevance to the story or to the main characters in the book; I really dont care what the details are of Mirellas latest legal case.. after all, the book is not about courtroom drama. the authors time would have been better spent enriching the characters and creating a better plot with a little more depth to it.

Partway through the book, there are hints that lead you to beleive that you know where the story is going; of course, most books have the same types of hints, and usually what happens is that rather than being predictable, you begin to relish where you think the story is going to go, and more often than not, you are wrong, because the plot often takes an unexpected twist that makes the stoy even better than you thought it was going to be...

This book does just the opposite. the story does not end up going where you think it will.. it ends up leading down a dull, flat road where the scenery is about as interesting as a stretch of barren interstate.

You can pick up your local newspaper and read real-life stories that are ten times more interesting than this book. I kept hanging on, turning the pages, hoping that maybe the next chapter would finally contain the heart of the story, that maybe the main players would finally come to life, but I was left frustrated by characters and a story that were as lifeless as old paper dolls.

The only positive thing that I can say about my experience with this book is that I am grateful that I didnt spend one thin dime on it.. I borrowed it from the library. still, reading it was a pitiful waste of time.

Rating:
Summary: diluted story line
Review: This wasn't what I expected. I was still hungry after reading it.
I just wasn't satisfied. The nanny really didn't do anything wrong with the exception of the creepy part with the child. (I won't give it away). I hate to criticize any writer but after reading it I was wondering how a publisher thought it was even good enough to publish. If you have to read it-don't buy it-borrow it-go to the library but don't waste your money.

Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: When I picked up "A Perfect Arrangement" in my local library, I (like many other readers) expected to read a cautionary tale about inviting strangers into one's home. After seeing movies like "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle", reading about that British au pair accused of shaking a baby to death in Massachusetts, and watching tv programs that promoted installing "nanny cams" to spy on caregivers, it seemed natural to find the same story in book form.

Instead, this story is about a family's struggle to live what they believe is the "perfect" life. What I found interesting in this story was that there were no "good" or "bad" characters. Although all of the characters are flawed, none of these flaws are especially bad. They simply cannot maintain their perfect, polished images that they've been trying so desperately to show the world.

The most interesting part of the story is Mirella's conflicted desires. She wants to be the perfect lawyer and seen as successful at work, but she also wants all the attention and love that a primary caregiver receives from her children. What she can't or won't accept is that no one can be perfect in every part of his or her life. We all have to pick and choose our priorities. This story is about what happens when we find ourselves unable to do that.