An Almost Perfect Moment
by Binnie Kirshenbaum
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Description
In Brooklyn, in the Age of Disco, Valentine Kessler -- a sweet Jewish girl who bears a remarkable resemblance to the Virgin Mary of Lourdes -- has an unerring gift for shattering the dreams and hopes of those who love her. Miriam, her long-suffering mother, betrayed and anguished by the husband she adores, seeks solace in daily games of mah-jongg with The Girls, a cross between a Greek Chorus and Brooklyn's rendition of the Three Wise Men, who dispense advice, predictions, and care in the show more form of poppy-seed cake and apple strudels. When her greatest fear for Valentine is realized, Miriam takes comfort in the thought that it couldn't get any worse. And then it does. Sagacious, sorrowful, and hilarious, An Almost Perfect Moment is a novel about mothers and daughters, star-crossed lovers, doctrines of the divine, and a colorful Jewish community that once defined Brooklyn. This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
A very strange, ultimately annoying book about a beautiful Jewish teenager who looks like and becomes obsessed with the Virgin Mary. Great voice, in the beginning, but it deteriorated.
I loved the writing style, the tone, the humor...but I found the ending dissatisfying. And, as the novel progressed, most of the characters outside of Miriam and The Girls were not all that likable. Great premise, but not as well executed as I had hoped.
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Author Information
12+ Works 816 Members
She lives in New York City & teaches at Columbia University. (Bowker Author Biography)
Some Editions
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- An Almost Perfect Moment
- Original title
- An Almost Perfect Moment
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 121
- Popularity
- 268,524
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.48)
- Languages
- English, French, German
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 8
- ASINs
- 2
