Pam Lewis (1)

Whenever the title of a book contains the word “perfect” you can be sure that the author intends it ironically. Thus, the Carterets, the Perfect Family of the title in Pam Lewis’s literary thriller, are, not surprisingly, far from perfect. The widowed patriarch of the well-off New England clan, Jasper Carteret, has not been forthcoming with his children, and before the action wraps up all the secrets he’s harbored for many years on behalf of his late wife Olivia lay revealed. The show more complex plot pivots around a single tragic event: the family’s youngest daughter, Pony, drowns at the family's summer home on Lake Aral, Vermont. However, her siblings (sisters Tinker and Mira and brother William) are not convinced that Pony, known for her strong swimming skills, died accidentally in the water due to carelessness or as the result of a drunken misadventure, especially not with her baby Andrew in a playpen on the front lawn of the house. But if it was not an accident, then what happened? Pam Lewis provides the answer to this question through a skilful layering process, revealing small but telling clues one after another, allowing the reader to assemble an intricate puzzle one troubling piece at a time. Lewis is a patient writer who knows how to set a scene. Her descriptions of the natural world are often startlingly vivid and evocative. She lavishes much attention on her characters, especially the Carteret sisters, describing their clothes and hair, angsts and mannerisms in close detail. By contrast, the male characters remain shadowy. The ending is somewhat predictable, but the chapters leading up to it are a joy to read. Perfect Family comes across as a character-based novel that, with variable degrees of success, incorporates elements of genre fiction to generate suspense. It is also an ambitious and sophisticated piece of writing. show less

Not nearly as thrilling as the summary and back cover blurbs made it out to be. Yes, the author manages to create some good moments of excitement and emotional connection; but, these moments are separated by lengthy sections that speak little to the main plot resulting in a tedious, frustrating read. The climax of the novel almost made up for the drawn out nature of prior sections, but the failings of the book are made so apparent in the denouement that I couldn't help feeling ultimately show more disappointed and a little annoyed about the whole thing. All in all, not a horrible book but also not one I'd like to read again. show less

"He envied them over there, the Nicelys, the Garners, the Wrights, and their neighbors, for the long slow afternoons filled with late light and the lazy wane of day".

Perfect Family by Pam Lewis

"and everything-the house, the lawn, the shore, and half the lake-was in shadow. A stiff wind was kicking up whitecaps on the water. a handful of sailboats scudded quickly, their small white sails crowded together as they headed for the last race buoy".

Perfect Family by Pam Lewis

When William's sister show more Pony, mysteriously dies in a drowning accident, her family is left reeling. And William himself has many questions.

Pony's always been an amazing swimmer. So how could she have drowned? What happened that night?

As William tries to adjust, he begins to suspect there is more to Pony's death then meets the eye. But as much as William wants to find out what happened, he is discovering that Pony may have had some secrets. And he also must deal with his family who is unraveling around him.

This was a really fun read. So much so that I suggested it to a former book group and we chose it as one of our monthly selections.

I really enjoyed the moodiness throughout this book. It takes place mostly in New England where I am from. One really feels the atmosphere all through the book and that just adds the allure of Family Secrets.

Daniel is an interesting and complex man. I liked him as well as feeling for him.

It was tough for me to warm to all the characters however....Tinker especially.I found her strident and annoying. I have known to many "Tinkers" in my life not to think of them as I read about her.

If there was one thing I did not love it was how easy it was to figure out some..not all..but some..of the details.

Also..Pony dies so early..she was such an interesting character she could have had her own book. I wanted to know her more. I'd still rate this a four though because it is an interesting and moody book

SPOILERS:

I really love the trip to Idaho. Love the unexpected humor. ("This is Idaho".) It is like saying "Your not in Kansas anymore!"

However I will never ever go white water rafting after reading this book!

A very good mystery. Had much fun reading it. show less

I’ve heard that truth is stranger than fiction, and after reading some of the things I have, I have to agree. A Young Wife is a novel loosely based on the life of the author’s grandmother. Makes me glad I have a relatively boring life.

Most of the characters were distinctly unlikable, but the story was very well-written. It’s a definite page-turner, as you follow Minke across three continents, and experience love, betrayal, and surprising friendship. I didn’t cry AND there’s a show more happy ending. Double-win, I’d say.

I won this book in a GoodReads First-Reads giveaway. show less