The Imperfectionists (2010)

Marvelous and horribly depressing. Perfectly captures a spectrum of human foibles and uncomfortable situations, while spinning out an iconic version of the death of newsprint. ( )

Both a series of connected short stories and a novel, it reminded me of Kissing in Manhattan but was more successful. The stories were fleshed out,the people real (though some really unlikeable) and I really became invested in the paper and the people. Extremely enjoyable.

A must for anyone who's been on the front lines of the implosion of the newspaper business over the past 20-40 years. I began my journalism career in my mid-90s, when things had already begun to decline, but I knew enough (and heard/learned enough from my mentors and old-timers) to realize what a sad and horrible thing was happening.

The plot isn't as elegant or seamless as one would hope, leaving this a novel that may be less appealing for those without a current or nostalgic connection to the newspaper business. And some of the characters are less developed than they could be – but that's kind of how it is in the newsroom, too. We never really know the full story of any of our colleagues, beyond their persona behind the desk, and that's part of what made it all so exciting: it always was all about the work and the stories, not the money or the personalities, and it's a real tragedy that investors and stockholders took all the fun out of what was surely the most interesting and life-affirming work I've ever had the pleasure of doing. Even when I was just a farm reporter in Western Illinois and had to burn my clothes after interviewing a factory pig farmer… it was real work, being out in the world and producing something original and new every day. I miss it, and this book reminded me not only how much but why. ( )

Having spent some time at English-language news outlets in Europe, I'd say The Imperfectionists gets it right. The cast of characters are a pretty pathetic bunch of expatriates, but they're also pretty entertaining.

I read a review that criticized Rachman's portrayal of women as being emotionally unbalanced and needy. Well, at least Kathleen and Abbey are good at their jobs! Most of the men in the book are fairly incompetent in their professional and personal lives. I was especially fond of the chapter about the hapless stringer in Cairo.

Good fun, although not particularly uplifting about the state of journalism. ( )

The story of an English newspaper in Rome told through the lives of its staff. A trifle predictable but overall an interesting account of isolated editors each struggling in their own way. ( )