"A lyrical, haunting, and utterly gripping memoir." --Redbook
"A dark, evocative memoir from a woman forced to come to terms with her husband's death and the revelation of his infidelity." --Shelf Awareness
"A fascinating memoir." --People
"A delectable summer read." --USA Today
"She brings refreshing candor to a startling, painful tale." --New York Times
"A riveting memoir." --Real Simple
"...lyrical, moving prose." --Working Mother
"Metz's Perfection chronicles with lapidary precision one woman's climb back to happiness after not just a spouse's death, but also the shocking recognition that her life before that death was not what she had thought it was. The journey is a painful one, but Ms. Metz is much the stronger for having survived to recount it." --Julie Powell, author of Julie & Julia
"Julie Metz's memoir of how her marriage unraveled after her mate's death is piercingly honest, haunting, and heartbreaking. Anyone who has ever been in a bad relationship will over-identify." --Susan Shapiro, author of Five Men Who Broke My Heart and Lighting Up
"It is impossible to put Perfection down as we follow Julie Metz through her true story of love, lies, loss, and moving forward. Her raw and brave writing makes you want to cheer Metz on as she pieces her life back together, one beautiful sentence at a time." --Marian Fontana, author of A Widow's Walk
"This aching memoir of love, loss, and deception is candid and compelling. I found myself rooting for Julie Metz in her search for a happy `second life.'" --Hilma Wolitzer, author of The Doctor's Daughter and Hearts
Julie Metz's life changes forever on one ordinary January afternoon when her husband, Henry, collapses on the kitchen floor and dies in her arms. Suddenly, this mother of a six-year-old is the young widow in a bucolic small town. And this is only the beginning. Seven months after Henry's death, just when Julie thinks she is emerging from the worst of it, comes the rest of it: She discovers that what had appeared to be the reality of her marriage was but a half-truth. Henry had hidden another life from her.
"He loved you so much." That's what everyone keeps telling her. It's true that he loved Julie and their six-year-old daughter ebulliently and devotedly, but as she starts to pick up the pieces and rebuild her life without Henry in it, she learns that Henry had been unfaithful throughout their twelve years of marriage. The most damaging affair was ongoing--a tumultuous relationship that ended only with Henry's death. For Julie, the only thing to do was to get at the real truth--to strip away the veneer of "perfection" that was her life and confront each of the women beneath the veneer.
Perfection is the story of Julie Metz's journey through chaos and transformation as she creates a different life for herself and her young daughter. It is the story of coming to terms with painful truths, of rebuilding both a life and an identity after betrayal and widowhood. It is a story of rebirth and happiness--if not perfection.
That any one woman could get through what Julie Metz did amazes me. I know women are strong, that as a gender we tend to be resilient, but Julie's story is so far beyond what most women have to go through. At least, I've never known anyone who's been in her position, having to come to terms with so very much in such a short period of time.
Losing her husband cheated her of the opportunity to vent, to scream and cry and let him know what a complete jerk he was. It also didn't allow her to listen to his side, as if anything he said could come close to excusing such abhorrent behavior.
The author is intelligent, a wonderful writer, and so refreshingly open and honest about all facets of her life. I was drawn into her story immediately, and my heart just broke at what she went through. But then, I saw how her strength shone through, how she pulled herself up and realized she needed to be there for her daughter. She wasn't about to let Henry win, and for that I applaud her.
This book will enhance the solidarity of women who've weathered their husband's affairs. It will give them inspiration and hope. I respect Julie Metz, and hope that from here her life continues to provide her with happiness. I came to care a lot about her by the end of the book.
I'd compare this book to Elizabeth Gilbert's 'Eat, Pray, Love,' and look forward to see it shooting up the bestseller list. I think it deserves it.
I am dreading writing this review, as this memoir is obviously beloved by previous reviewers. But since I received this book through Vine, my hands are tied. So in the spirit of Julie Metz, I'll give you the brutal honesty that she unloaded throughout her book, Perfection, and brace myself for the torrent of "not helpful" votes I'm sure to get.
First off, let me establish that I understand it must have been hard for Metz to pen such a personal account, and re-hash the death of her husband, and his betrayals. Secondly, I can't imagine how difficult it must to be to walk a line of complete candor yet not overexposing oneself, the crux of an excellent memoir. Finally, I do understand how heavily sex factors into the story that Metz is telling. However, after conceding those points, I still feel that Metz gives us too much information.
The idea that those we love can betray us so basically, and that we only see what we want to when it comes to those closest to us are two themes that could compel legions of memoirs. And the reminder that nothing is ever perfect, nor can anything be made perfect is a very important lesson. The road to healing after losing a spouse is also something many of us will either face or sympathetically relate to. So why with so much meat, does Metz feel the need to dish off putting sexual details throughout her book? They seem out of place and were not powerful, but instead I found them nasty and uncomfortable to read.
I will however say, this memoir is salacious, and I can see why so many have enjoyed it. I read some passages in disbelief that anyone could disclose anything so personal, and commend Metz for her candor. Usually I'd give a passage or two to illustrate, but the passages I'm referring to could be mistaken for obscenity. If you prefer the sexual relationships of others to be rendered more discreetly, you'd do yourself a favor by skipping this one.
Wow. I finished the book. It did take me awhile, as it wasn't a book that compelled me to pick it up and read it whenever I had a spare moment. I was intrigued with the brief description of the book before I picked it out, but it just seemed to go on too long for me. I wanted to shout, GET OVER IT, but Metz had to deal with it her own way and you will read about every step of it. The story of Metz's life with her unfaithful husband was at times interesting, but at times too much for me. Granted, she has had an interesting life with trips to foreign countries and more love affairs than I will ever have, but still, I felt no connection to her life or choices and it seemed more like a work of fiction to me.
I can understand the 5 star reviews of the book as this story will appeal to many, but it just wasn't my bag of fun. If you want to read about how a woman comes to terms with her husbands infidelities and weaknesses, then try this book out. I apologize for this review, but truthfully I don't have much to say about the book. I read it, felt bad for what Metz went through, but didn't feel I would have dealt with it the way she did and that is it. Her life and mine are very different and I couldn't identify with it, and thus I suppose I didn't find it that enticing to read.
