Helpful Score: 4
The rise and fall of an international newspaper based in Rome, detailed through a string of vignettes centering around the lives of the paper's hapless employees. This is an incredibly enjoyable read, even if you know nothing about journalism. Alternately poignant, hilarious, and sad. Great read!
Helpful Score: 3
Very original novel - reads like a bunch of short stories about people who work at a Rome-based English-language newspaper, but all the stories are connected and are easy to follow.
You get a good sense of all of the characters' personalities - some of funny, some are poignant - some are just plain nuts. One particular chapter about a young college grad who thinks he wants to be a reporter (but gets taken advantage of by an older, ego-driven correspondent) was so entertaining and funny that it made me laugh out loud.
At first I wasn't sure about this book but the more I read, the more I loved it.
You get a good sense of all of the characters' personalities - some of funny, some are poignant - some are just plain nuts. One particular chapter about a young college grad who thinks he wants to be a reporter (but gets taken advantage of by an older, ego-driven correspondent) was so entertaining and funny that it made me laugh out loud.
At first I wasn't sure about this book but the more I read, the more I loved it.
Helpful Score: 3
Loved reading this, the characters are all so fully presented with their good and their bad and their naked faults exposed. The story is about an industry titan who doesn't marry the one he loves but follows her to Europe and in order to remain near to her, establishes a business, an international newspaper, so that they can work together while married to different people, with him never divulging his love to her. That particular bit is unsatisfying, but all the microscopic peeks at the others who work on the paper (for 3 generations) are all amazing in their breadth and depth and hilarity! There is Herman Cohen (whom I picture in my mind's eye as Madmen's Bertram Cooper) the militant grammar nazi at work who goes home to grovel at the feet of his loving wife, and Rich Snyder (Wayne Schneider the super on One Day At A Time) the slimy correspondent who totally abuses the hospitality of his stringer competition Winston Cheung, every character presented is delightful and pathetic in their own wholly realistic way.
I had high hopes after reading the book reviews on Amazon etc. I, however, found most of the stories tedious, most of the people uninteresting and often the little stories too short to cover the situation being covered. I often flipped the pages looking for more info. I think that is the only reason I finished the book. I thought maybe that more might be explained. It wasn't.
Helpful Score: 2
Surely the book is well-written, but do you really want to spend 272 pages with a bunch of unhappy people?
Helpful Score: 1
Awful ending. Too many characters that are all displeased with their situations. Really just not an enjoyable book.
A great read. Lots of charm, atmosphere, loops and twists. Very fun and engaging.
I liked this book, I could not love it. All short stories about the lives of people working at an Italian Newspaper. It was extremely well written and all the stories tied together well. Alas I found myself bored half way through the book because of the abrupt shorts. There was nothing pulling me into the next story. It's a great read if you stick with it.
The Imperfectionsists reads like discrete set of intense character sketches. Each chapter focuses on a member of an English-language newspaper based in Rome, followed by a couple of pages in italics chronicling the newspaper's life. In his debut novel,Tom Rachman does an amazing job describing the imperfect private lives of these characters. Each chapter ends at precisely the moment a television show would cut to commercial break for maximum effect. The style and tone match the neuroses of the character in question. However, I became a bit disappointed when I realized that we won't get a chance to revisit that character in that moment; the best is a passing reference in subsequent stories. Nonetheless, this was an engaging read about things on the decline.
This is the story of a once mighty and respected international English language newspaper headquartered in Rome (not surprisingly, Rachman once worked at the International Herald Tribune) that is now fighting for its life in a 21st century world of the Internet and an unfeeling and unresponsive corporate headquarters. Each chapter profiles one of the newsrooms irrefutably but often lovably imperfect staffers from ambitious, opportunistic Kathleen, editor-in-chief, down to Ruby, hired 20 years ago as an intern, who stayed on as a lowly, unappreciated, misunderstood copy editor. This is their story in all of its wry humor and messiness. Despite all, this assortment of loners and misfits share a common devotion to getting out the next days news. This is a novel about the ties that bind us in the workplace ties that are often surprisingly and heart-wrenchingly strong. 3.5 stars
"The Imperfectionists" takes the form of a series of intersecting short stories, each focusing on a character that is somehow connected to an English-language newspaper based in Rome. Between each of these stories is a small vignette that outlines the history of the paper.
It's clear that Rachman wishes the paper to stand as the central character in his novel, and in many ways he succeeds. As the novel wears on, however, the tales of the paper's employees and readers begin to veer toward the melodramatic. The overarching story of the paper starts to fade in favor of soap operas laced with black humor that focus on failed love affairs or sexual revenge.
The real meat of "The Imperfectionists" is told between the main chapters of the book. These vignettes (most no longer than a page or two) chronicle the history of the papers from its inception in 1953 to its ultimate demise in 2007. Therein lies a story that deserves its own full-blown novel.
Rachman is a gifted writer and I am eager to see what comes from him in the future. Even for its faults, "The Imperfectionists" is a well-crafted, intelligent, and engaging read
It's clear that Rachman wishes the paper to stand as the central character in his novel, and in many ways he succeeds. As the novel wears on, however, the tales of the paper's employees and readers begin to veer toward the melodramatic. The overarching story of the paper starts to fade in favor of soap operas laced with black humor that focus on failed love affairs or sexual revenge.
The real meat of "The Imperfectionists" is told between the main chapters of the book. These vignettes (most no longer than a page or two) chronicle the history of the papers from its inception in 1953 to its ultimate demise in 2007. Therein lies a story that deserves its own full-blown novel.
Rachman is a gifted writer and I am eager to see what comes from him in the future. Even for its faults, "The Imperfectionists" is a well-crafted, intelligent, and engaging read
cleverly written book with interesting characters all set within a world of journalism.
Well written book, perfect for cynical journalist types. I HATED the ending (basically the last 2-3 chapters), which essentially killed the dreams of everyone in the book. I can't decide if Rachman wanted people to NOT care about any of the characters (therefore making the ending more appropriate out of futile symbolism) or if I just didn't notice his complete lack of empathy as an author until nearly the end of the book. I won't spoil it, but let me just warn you, dear reader (for fear you, like me, are an animal lover), with these words: It involves a dog.
The Imperfectionists tells the story of an international English language newspaper based in Rome, from heady beginning to bitter end. Each chapter introduces the reader to a person connected to the newspaper, from obituary writer to would-be stringer to business officer. The cast of characters will be familiar to anyone with a knowledge of the media business or to anyone has toiled as an unappreciated drone for a budget-stingy employer in a job they're not sure they love anymore. Some stories are painfully funny and some are sad--all are memorable.
New York Times Bestseller. Excellent story about the newspaper industry. The story revolves around the lives of the employees of the newspaper. The paper is in Rome and appeals to an International audience, although written in English. The owners of the paper span 3 generations. They are ecentric and interesting.
Just the table of contents are hilarious. I may have to read it some day, when print media gives up the ghost.
