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The Perfect Mother
"In this fictionalized account of the Amanda Knox case, journalist Darnton asks the question any parent would Is my child capable of murder?... A fast-paced thriller with the kind of emotional impact that transcends a simple whodunit."— Kirkus Reviews
When an American exchange student is accused of murder, her mother will stop at nothing to save her.
A midnight phone call shatters Jennifer Lewis’s carefully orchestrated life. Her daughter, Emma, who’s studying abroad in Spain, has been arrested after the brutal murder of another student. Jennifer rushes to her side, certain the arrest is a terrible mistake and determined to do whatever is necessary to bring Emma home. But as she begins to investigate the crime, she starts to wonder whether she ever really knew her daughter. The police charge Emma, and the press leaps on the story, exaggerating every sordid detail. One by one, Emma’s defense team, her father, and finally even Jennifer begin to have doubts.
A novel of harrowing emotional suspense, The Perfect Mother probes the dark side of parenthood and the complicated bond between mothers and daughters.
When an American exchange student is accused of murder, her mother will stop at nothing to save her.
A midnight phone call shatters Jennifer Lewis’s carefully orchestrated life. Her daughter, Emma, who’s studying abroad in Spain, has been arrested after the brutal murder of another student. Jennifer rushes to her side, certain the arrest is a terrible mistake and determined to do whatever is necessary to bring Emma home. But as she begins to investigate the crime, she starts to wonder whether she ever really knew her daughter. The police charge Emma, and the press leaps on the story, exaggerating every sordid detail. One by one, Emma’s defense team, her father, and finally even Jennifer begin to have doubts.
A novel of harrowing emotional suspense, The Perfect Mother probes the dark side of parenthood and the complicated bond between mothers and daughters.
256 pages, Paperback
First published November 25, 2014
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1156 people want to read
About the author
Nina Darnton
7 books43 followersA journalist for thirty years, Nina Darnton wrote her first novel, An African Affair three years ago and never looked back. Her second novel, The Perfect Mother will be published by Plume on November 29th, 2014.
Nina is married to the journalist and novelist John Darnton. They have three children and four grandchildren and live in New York City and New Paltz, New York.
Nina is married to the journalist and novelist John Darnton. They have three children and four grandchildren and live in New York City and New Paltz, New York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 170 reviews
November 6, 2014
Jennifer Lewis is sleeping one night in her Connecticut home, when she receives a telephone call. It is from her eldest child, twenty year old Emma, who has been living, and studying, in Spain for the last eight months. Emma blurts out a tale of a man being killed in her apartment and asks her parents to come and help her. However, husband Mark – a lawyer himself – suggests that Jennifer go to Spain first and that he will join her there. Before long, Jennifer has left behind her other children, sixteen year old Lily and eight year old Eric, and gone to support her daughter.
Of course, as we can tell from the title, Jennifer is the ‘perfect mother’ of the title. Her husband even jokes that, were he to come back in a future life, he would like to do so as one of her children. She gives up a career as an actress to be home; to nurture, love and support her three children. Her house is a refuge, she is the mother that her children’s friends confide in and she organises parties, play dates and school projects with ease. However, when she meets up with Emma at the police station , she finds a child she hardly recognises. Emma is withdrawn, sullen and, pretty soon, it is obvious that she has been lying to her mother about her life in Spain. Despite claims that Emma’s version of events do not fully make sense, she is unwilling to discuss what happened that night – simply insisting that her version of events should be believed and becoming moody and difficult when challenged. It is also apparent that Jennifer is not the completely perfect and capable woman she would have everyone believe, with hints of a drinking problem and a husband who is so removed from events that you hardly feel he is involved at all.
Obviously, this novel bears more than a passing resemblance to the Meredith Kercher case, a young woman of only twenty one, who was found dead in her Italian apartment in 2007. Her flatmate, Amanda Knox, was the prime suspect in a case which has still not concluded in justice for the Kercher family and, as such, I do not wish to comment on that too much. I felt a little uncomfortable in places, reading this, but the novel does raise very interesting discussion points. How much would a mother do for her daughter, even as it becomes apparent that her version of events are not necessarily believable.
This is, ultimately, fiction – even if it is based loosely on real events – and, as a novel is both compelling and interesting. Of course, we see events through the point of view of Jennifer and, despite her faults, you do feel for her, stranded in Spain alone and dealing with the situation largely without the support of her husband. With nobody to turn to, she does become reliant on the Private Investigator employed to help support her daughter’s version of events. This is by far a more interesting relationship that that with her daughter, who it is impossible to feel any sympathy for. The novel is well plotted and there is a good twist to the storyline at the end. I think this would be an ideal book for a reading group, with lots to discuss. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
Of course, as we can tell from the title, Jennifer is the ‘perfect mother’ of the title. Her husband even jokes that, were he to come back in a future life, he would like to do so as one of her children. She gives up a career as an actress to be home; to nurture, love and support her three children. Her house is a refuge, she is the mother that her children’s friends confide in and she organises parties, play dates and school projects with ease. However, when she meets up with Emma at the police station , she finds a child she hardly recognises. Emma is withdrawn, sullen and, pretty soon, it is obvious that she has been lying to her mother about her life in Spain. Despite claims that Emma’s version of events do not fully make sense, she is unwilling to discuss what happened that night – simply insisting that her version of events should be believed and becoming moody and difficult when challenged. It is also apparent that Jennifer is not the completely perfect and capable woman she would have everyone believe, with hints of a drinking problem and a husband who is so removed from events that you hardly feel he is involved at all.
Obviously, this novel bears more than a passing resemblance to the Meredith Kercher case, a young woman of only twenty one, who was found dead in her Italian apartment in 2007. Her flatmate, Amanda Knox, was the prime suspect in a case which has still not concluded in justice for the Kercher family and, as such, I do not wish to comment on that too much. I felt a little uncomfortable in places, reading this, but the novel does raise very interesting discussion points. How much would a mother do for her daughter, even as it becomes apparent that her version of events are not necessarily believable.
This is, ultimately, fiction – even if it is based loosely on real events – and, as a novel is both compelling and interesting. Of course, we see events through the point of view of Jennifer and, despite her faults, you do feel for her, stranded in Spain alone and dealing with the situation largely without the support of her husband. With nobody to turn to, she does become reliant on the Private Investigator employed to help support her daughter’s version of events. This is by far a more interesting relationship that that with her daughter, who it is impossible to feel any sympathy for. The novel is well plotted and there is a good twist to the storyline at the end. I think this would be an ideal book for a reading group, with lots to discuss. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
July 14, 2015
This review is a little late coming as I didn't realize I hadn't yet updated it even though I finished it over a month ago.
This book caught my attention as it's description seemed to have many similarities to the Amanda Knox case.
Jennifer Lewis is shocked when she is awakened in the night by a phone call from her terrified daughter Emma. Calling from Spain Emma begs her mother to come quickly as there has been a murder and she is in jail. Of course Jennifer quickly makes arrangements for the care of her other children and rushes to be with her daughter and help straighten out what must be a huge mistake. As Jennifer fights for her daughter and helps investigate she starts to wonder how well she knows her daughter.
The book held my interest well as I really wanted to know what happened the night of the murder. Also being a mother to a teenage girl this book brings up the question of how far would I go to save my daughter? As mothers of course we want to fix everything for our children. However, when we do too much for them are we doing more harm than good when we intervene in certain situations?
I recommend this book. It is well written, with a good plot and flows at a good pace.
This book caught my attention as it's description seemed to have many similarities to the Amanda Knox case.
Jennifer Lewis is shocked when she is awakened in the night by a phone call from her terrified daughter Emma. Calling from Spain Emma begs her mother to come quickly as there has been a murder and she is in jail. Of course Jennifer quickly makes arrangements for the care of her other children and rushes to be with her daughter and help straighten out what must be a huge mistake. As Jennifer fights for her daughter and helps investigate she starts to wonder how well she knows her daughter.
The book held my interest well as I really wanted to know what happened the night of the murder. Also being a mother to a teenage girl this book brings up the question of how far would I go to save my daughter? As mothers of course we want to fix everything for our children. However, when we do too much for them are we doing more harm than good when we intervene in certain situations?
I recommend this book. It is well written, with a good plot and flows at a good pace.
December 4, 2014
Do we ever know our children or ourselves? This seems to be the question Nina Darnton is asking in The Perfect Mother and it is universal. This book has been called a knock off or fictional take on the Amanda Knox Case. Not really. That's like saying I'm a knockoff of Kate Upton because we wear the same bra size, but our boobs just aren't in the same place.
Yes there is a murder involving an American student but in Spain and the victim is male. This story focuses on the mother's story and how she staggers and evolves throughout the ordeal. Was she living through her children and was she to blame for anything that happens to them? What is a parents true responsibility to each child? A Perfect Mother is a thoughtful and relatable narrative with believable characters. And Darnton makes you consider your own response to parenting in a like situation. Definitely will appeal to parents and mystery lovers who like a little ambiguity.
Provided by publisher
Yes there is a murder involving an American student but in Spain and the victim is male. This story focuses on the mother's story and how she staggers and evolves throughout the ordeal. Was she living through her children and was she to blame for anything that happens to them? What is a parents true responsibility to each child? A Perfect Mother is a thoughtful and relatable narrative with believable characters. And Darnton makes you consider your own response to parenting in a like situation. Definitely will appeal to parents and mystery lovers who like a little ambiguity.
Provided by publisher
November 24, 2014
The premise to this book had me hooked, Jennifer is the mother to three children the eldest of which is Emma who at twenty is studying in Spain. One night Jennifer takes a phone call that changes her life, Emma is at the Police station, suspect in the murder of a local boy. I love books that let me play the ‘What would I do game’ and this is definitely one of those reads.
This book is as much about Jennifer and her relationships than the murder of Rodrigo Perez which almost becomes the backdrop to the drama being played out in Jennifer’s life as she is faced with the reality that her daughter which is different to that of the pretty, intelligent honour roll girl who goes to Princeton, this is a girl who has been lying to her parents about where she lives and how she spends her days for months.
This book has obviously been based on the killing of Meredith Kercher, an English student studying in Italy whose roommate, American Amanda Knox was suspected of being involved in her murder. That case hit the international news and to this day hasn’t properly been resolved. However, although the headlines to that case have been used by Nina Darnton this is book does not seek to directly copy that murder but rather used it a starting point. What is similar is the reporting by the media in the country of the murder using the fact that Emma was an American and allegedly brash and promiscuous in their news while back in America Jennifer enlists the help of a friend to brief a PR company to emphasise that Emma was the perfect daughter and her supposed involvement is all a horrible mistake. The other similarity is the way both Italy and Spain come up with a narrative that includes motive to build their prosecution case and it is up to the defence to disprove this. All of this makes for a fascinating read.
There are some good supporting characters to this story including Emma’s father Mark who is a US Attorney along with the local defence lawyer Jose and his support assistance Roberto. Jose and Roberto are Jennifer’s main support in the early days of the investigation while Mark remains in the US appearing in court and assisting Jennifer’s parents in looking after Emma’s younger siblings. Any parent will recognise albeit in an extreme form the prioritisation of everyday life and multiple children who need you.
I really enjoyed this book on many different levels and although both of the key protagonists are not people that I’d want to spend time with their reactions to the events as they unfold were suitable for the story being told.
I’d like to say a big thank you to the publishers Penguin Group Plume for allowing me to read and ponder over this book ahead of publication on 25 November 2014.
This book is as much about Jennifer and her relationships than the murder of Rodrigo Perez which almost becomes the backdrop to the drama being played out in Jennifer’s life as she is faced with the reality that her daughter which is different to that of the pretty, intelligent honour roll girl who goes to Princeton, this is a girl who has been lying to her parents about where she lives and how she spends her days for months.
This book has obviously been based on the killing of Meredith Kercher, an English student studying in Italy whose roommate, American Amanda Knox was suspected of being involved in her murder. That case hit the international news and to this day hasn’t properly been resolved. However, although the headlines to that case have been used by Nina Darnton this is book does not seek to directly copy that murder but rather used it a starting point. What is similar is the reporting by the media in the country of the murder using the fact that Emma was an American and allegedly brash and promiscuous in their news while back in America Jennifer enlists the help of a friend to brief a PR company to emphasise that Emma was the perfect daughter and her supposed involvement is all a horrible mistake. The other similarity is the way both Italy and Spain come up with a narrative that includes motive to build their prosecution case and it is up to the defence to disprove this. All of this makes for a fascinating read.
There are some good supporting characters to this story including Emma’s father Mark who is a US Attorney along with the local defence lawyer Jose and his support assistance Roberto. Jose and Roberto are Jennifer’s main support in the early days of the investigation while Mark remains in the US appearing in court and assisting Jennifer’s parents in looking after Emma’s younger siblings. Any parent will recognise albeit in an extreme form the prioritisation of everyday life and multiple children who need you.
I really enjoyed this book on many different levels and although both of the key protagonists are not people that I’d want to spend time with their reactions to the events as they unfold were suitable for the story being told.
I’d like to say a big thank you to the publishers Penguin Group Plume for allowing me to read and ponder over this book ahead of publication on 25 November 2014.
August 7, 2015
This is an interesting story about murder and motherhood. The story is told from Jennifer's point of view and the book delves deeply into how the murder accusations effect the accused's family. I was interested in the storyline and figuring our whether Emma was innocent or guilty. But there was something about the book that put me off a little. I am sure everyone has heard the motto for writers: show, don't tell. Well this author did not show very much. For instance, when the author was describing some of the landmarks or customs in Spain, she sounded like more of a tour guide. When I read books set in other locations, especially when those locations are other countries, I enjoy authors who can transplant me to that place with their words. This book did not do that.
Now of course this book was about more than just the location, but that is just an example of where the author fell flat in her descriptions of things. I really disliked the character of Jennifer. It was hard to connect with her because the author also did not describe Jennifer's feelings very well. There would be long conversations with dialogue only, no descriptions of facial expressions, emotions or anything. So the only way I knew Jennifer was feeling was when she actually told someone about it. And Jennifer seemed way more blind to her daughters' faults than most mothers. Every single time something happened (and there are flashbacks of other events that happened throughout Emma's childhood), Jennifer would make excuses and say there was a mistake, despite irrefutable evidence to the contrary. That got really old. Jennifer's decision at the end of the book shocked me and furthered my dislike of her. I don't want to say too much about that because I don't want to give away the ending to those who may choose to read the book.
Now of course this book was about more than just the location, but that is just an example of where the author fell flat in her descriptions of things. I really disliked the character of Jennifer. It was hard to connect with her because the author also did not describe Jennifer's feelings very well. There would be long conversations with dialogue only, no descriptions of facial expressions, emotions or anything. So the only way I knew Jennifer was feeling was when she actually told someone about it. And Jennifer seemed way more blind to her daughters' faults than most mothers. Every single time something happened (and there are flashbacks of other events that happened throughout Emma's childhood), Jennifer would make excuses and say there was a mistake, despite irrefutable evidence to the contrary. That got really old. Jennifer's decision at the end of the book shocked me and furthered my dislike of her. I don't want to say too much about that because I don't want to give away the ending to those who may choose to read the book.
December 19, 2014
2.5 stars
I thought this book was okay. I really did not like Jennifer or Emma. I thought they were both spoiled, whiny and entitled. At some points, I found myself rooting against them because I found them so unlikeable. Jennifer views her daughter Emma as having no faults at all and explains away everything that Emma does wrong, even her part in the murder of a young Spanish man. My dislike only increased as she pines away for the PI helping her work on her daughter's case. She just came across as so selfish. She didn't care that her other kids at home needed her. She said that she was staying in Spain to help her daughter, but it was clear that she just wanted to be near Roberto.
Emma does nothing but whine and complain, even as her parents are paying for high priced lawyers and private detectives to help her. Without them, she would've rotted away in a Spanish prison and she is not the least bit grateful.
I thought this book was okay. I really did not like Jennifer or Emma. I thought they were both spoiled, whiny and entitled. At some points, I found myself rooting against them because I found them so unlikeable. Jennifer views her daughter Emma as having no faults at all and explains away everything that Emma does wrong, even her part in the murder of a young Spanish man. My dislike only increased as she pines away for the PI helping her work on her daughter's case. She just came across as so selfish. She didn't care that her other kids at home needed her. She said that she was staying in Spain to help her daughter, but it was clear that she just wanted to be near Roberto.
Emma does nothing but whine and complain, even as her parents are paying for high priced lawyers and private detectives to help her. Without them, she would've rotted away in a Spanish prison and she is not the least bit grateful.
November 26, 2014
Review also posted @ Go Book Yourself
This was such a gem! I stumbled across this by chance on Netgalley and requested it on a whim. I'm so glad I did . The past few books I've read have been mediocre so this was a breath of fresh air.
The perfect mother is a work of fiction but is very reminiscent of the Amanda Knox case.
Jennifer gets a late night phone call from her daughter. When your a parent late night phone calls always set alarm bells ringing. When your child is in a different country it's 10 times worse. Her daughter Emma has been arrested following the murder of a much loved Spanish teenager whom she accuses of trying to sexually assault her.
Emma expects to bailed out by her mother because thats the way its always been. If Emma has a problem mommy comes to the rescue and offers excuses or gentle persuasion so things swing in her daughters favor. Jennifer is the perfect mother. The mother all the other teenagers look up too and feel they can share their problems with.
This resulted in what seems to be an utterly detestable spoiled teenager. I really just wanted to slap Emma and yell "start telling the truth girly or face life behind bars"! I love it when an author is talented enough to provoke such a reaction in me though! When the media get wind of the case the run with the promiscuous American angle. The whole country is baying for her blood as nothing she says seems to add up and Her sole focus is to protect her vigilante boyfriend Paco. I thought it was very interesting that Paco was such a strong character even though he didn't have a voice in this book.
Jennifer's character is the only one that shined for me. I hated Emma and her fathers attitude to the whole event was so blasé that it was almost unbelievable.
I have to say that the pacing was perfect. I raced through this and found it extremely hard to put down. I changed my mind about Emma several times during the book and was compelled to keep going at the end of every chapter.
The ending was entirely surprising giving Emma's actions throughout the story but it still left my mouth hanging open. I would have loved just one or two more pages!
If you like crime fiction but are looking for something a little lighter than usual then I'd highly recommend The Perfect Mother. It's a highly engaging, emotionally driven read.
This was such a gem! I stumbled across this by chance on Netgalley and requested it on a whim. I'm so glad I did . The past few books I've read have been mediocre so this was a breath of fresh air.
The perfect mother is a work of fiction but is very reminiscent of the Amanda Knox case.
Jennifer gets a late night phone call from her daughter. When your a parent late night phone calls always set alarm bells ringing. When your child is in a different country it's 10 times worse. Her daughter Emma has been arrested following the murder of a much loved Spanish teenager whom she accuses of trying to sexually assault her.
Emma expects to bailed out by her mother because thats the way its always been. If Emma has a problem mommy comes to the rescue and offers excuses or gentle persuasion so things swing in her daughters favor. Jennifer is the perfect mother. The mother all the other teenagers look up too and feel they can share their problems with.
This resulted in what seems to be an utterly detestable spoiled teenager. I really just wanted to slap Emma and yell "start telling the truth girly or face life behind bars"! I love it when an author is talented enough to provoke such a reaction in me though! When the media get wind of the case the run with the promiscuous American angle. The whole country is baying for her blood as nothing she says seems to add up and Her sole focus is to protect her vigilante boyfriend Paco. I thought it was very interesting that Paco was such a strong character even though he didn't have a voice in this book.
Jennifer's character is the only one that shined for me. I hated Emma and her fathers attitude to the whole event was so blasé that it was almost unbelievable.
I have to say that the pacing was perfect. I raced through this and found it extremely hard to put down. I changed my mind about Emma several times during the book and was compelled to keep going at the end of every chapter.
The ending was entirely surprising giving Emma's actions throughout the story but it still left my mouth hanging open. I would have loved just one or two more pages!
If you like crime fiction but are looking for something a little lighter than usual then I'd highly recommend The Perfect Mother. It's a highly engaging, emotionally driven read.
February 27, 2015
The Hook - As a mother a book with the title The Perfect Mother called out to me. Who is this woman? Well, let’s find out.
The Line – ”Your children can get into trouble without it having anything to do with you.”
The Sinker – A story pulled right out of the headlines, The Perfect Mother is an exploration of a parent’s or in this case perhaps, a mother’s worst nightmare. The mother, Jennifer Lewis is the proud mother of Emma Lewis. She’s a Princeton exchange student studying in Spain and all seems well with the world. Then the phone rings in the middle of the night. Everything was so perfect in Jennifer’s world that she didn’t even get that pit in the stomach feeling that those late night calls cause.
“Hello?”
It was Emma’s voice, shaken and vulnerable, through torrents of tears.
“Mom.” She sobbed. “You told me not to do anything stupid, and I did.”
Emma, distraught, tells her mother someone was killed and the police think she did it. Jennifer tries to get more information but Emma sobs and begs her mother to just come.
So begins Jennifer Lewis’ fight to save her daughter from a a lengthy prison sentence in a foreign country.
Sounds good, doesn’t it? So what went wrong?
I do not have to like characters to like a book. At times, the most despicable people make a book for me. They need to be credible even if unreliable. I couldn’t totally buy into the dialogue, personal conversations or the thoughts that ran through the mind of the characters. The choices and the actions of most key players were just a bit off for me. Descriptions were sometimes stilted and flat. Perhaps my expectations were too high. I expected a gut wrenching experience but my emotions were barely tugged. I did read on. There were times when the dialogue between mother and daughter seemed plausible but there were also times when I just thought, “Oh, come on”. Mediocre.
I love stories that explore what we will do for love or how far we will go to protect our children. Jennifer Lewis is the mother bear of all mother bears but she missed the mark for me.
If you were thinking of reading The Perfect Mother do not let my review change your mind. Reviews have been positive and readers should draw their own conclusions.
The Line – ”Your children can get into trouble without it having anything to do with you.”
The Sinker – A story pulled right out of the headlines, The Perfect Mother is an exploration of a parent’s or in this case perhaps, a mother’s worst nightmare. The mother, Jennifer Lewis is the proud mother of Emma Lewis. She’s a Princeton exchange student studying in Spain and all seems well with the world. Then the phone rings in the middle of the night. Everything was so perfect in Jennifer’s world that she didn’t even get that pit in the stomach feeling that those late night calls cause.
“Hello?”
It was Emma’s voice, shaken and vulnerable, through torrents of tears.
“Mom.” She sobbed. “You told me not to do anything stupid, and I did.”
Emma, distraught, tells her mother someone was killed and the police think she did it. Jennifer tries to get more information but Emma sobs and begs her mother to just come.
So begins Jennifer Lewis’ fight to save her daughter from a a lengthy prison sentence in a foreign country.
Sounds good, doesn’t it? So what went wrong?
I do not have to like characters to like a book. At times, the most despicable people make a book for me. They need to be credible even if unreliable. I couldn’t totally buy into the dialogue, personal conversations or the thoughts that ran through the mind of the characters. The choices and the actions of most key players were just a bit off for me. Descriptions were sometimes stilted and flat. Perhaps my expectations were too high. I expected a gut wrenching experience but my emotions were barely tugged. I did read on. There were times when the dialogue between mother and daughter seemed plausible but there were also times when I just thought, “Oh, come on”. Mediocre.
I love stories that explore what we will do for love or how far we will go to protect our children. Jennifer Lewis is the mother bear of all mother bears but she missed the mark for me.
If you were thinking of reading The Perfect Mother do not let my review change your mind. Reviews have been positive and readers should draw their own conclusions.
December 17, 2014
The Perfect Mother started with a midnight phone call. That was the only part that I was expecting. I thought this would be a book about the judicial system of Spain and how an American is unfairly treated. I was wrong. This is not a book about Emma, it is more the story of Jennifer, the mother. It is a story on how she had always taken care of her family, sometimes to the extreme, and how it has made Emma the student and person she has become. There were points in the book that I stopped and questioned my own mothering skills and how I would have handled the same situation. I found this happening often and realizing that “fixing it” does not always have the long term effects that a mother hopes for.
Throughout the story I really felt for Jennifer. There were times it felt like everyone was against her. Emma certainly was not helping herself, her husband was in the US, the court system was working against her, and even her PI and lawyer sometimes seemed to be against her. Jennifer did wake up and realize that sometimes you have to take off your rose colored glasses and look harder at yourself and how you are living your life to see the truth. I feel like she is coming out of this horrible adventure a better person and definitely a better mom. She still needs help and support but I believe she will find it now that her eyes are open.
I did not feel sorry for Emma. She did nothing to help herself and did not appreciate those that were trying to free her. Although, being in a foreign prison was punishment, I am not convinced that Emma has become a better person or even understands the whole picture. I feel like she needs a lot of help and the only way she will get it is for someone to force her. She does not see that there is anything wrong with herself and the way she is living her life.
The Perfect Mother is definitely a book that shows the tougher and darker side of motherhood and the bonds between mothers and daughters. I recommend this book.
Throughout the story I really felt for Jennifer. There were times it felt like everyone was against her. Emma certainly was not helping herself, her husband was in the US, the court system was working against her, and even her PI and lawyer sometimes seemed to be against her. Jennifer did wake up and realize that sometimes you have to take off your rose colored glasses and look harder at yourself and how you are living your life to see the truth. I feel like she is coming out of this horrible adventure a better person and definitely a better mom. She still needs help and support but I believe she will find it now that her eyes are open.
I did not feel sorry for Emma. She did nothing to help herself and did not appreciate those that were trying to free her. Although, being in a foreign prison was punishment, I am not convinced that Emma has become a better person or even understands the whole picture. I feel like she needs a lot of help and the only way she will get it is for someone to force her. She does not see that there is anything wrong with herself and the way she is living her life.
The Perfect Mother is definitely a book that shows the tougher and darker side of motherhood and the bonds between mothers and daughters. I recommend this book.
March 6, 2015
** I received this in a Goodreads “First Reads” giveaway **
Jennifer Lewis is so certain that everything in her life is perfect she is not even worried when the phone rings in the middle of the night. Regrettably for the Lewis family, the axiom holds true, and the phone call is very bad news. Their daughter Emma, studying abroad in Spain for a year, is being detained as a “person of interest” in the brutal murder of another student which took place in her apartment.
Coming home from a local celebration Emma was unlocking her door when a fellow student threatened her with a knife, pushed her into her apartment and attempted to rape her. Her screams attracted the attention of a good samaritan who fought the rapist and killed him in self-defense. The good samaritan is now, unfortunately, nowhere to be found.
As any mother would, Jennifer rushes to be at her daughter’s side and vows to do everything in her power to exonerate her daughter. When Jennifer arrives in Spain she is shocked at the change in her daughter finding her sullen, withdrawn and for some reason angry with her mother. Jennifer always considered herself the “perfect mother” – always there for her children – she gave up her promising career to stay home and be a mother. She is proud of the fact that she had always been able to solve any of her children’s problems, whether something as simple as Emma’s unhappiness at being in a different class than her best friend or something more serious such as the time Emma was caught cheating on an exam or shoplifting a dress. But can she solve this problem? Particularly when it seems that Emma doesn’t want her help.
Jennifer and her husband Mark hire a top criminal defense attorney to navigate the Spanish legal system and a private investigator to find the mystery man who holds the key to their daughter’s release. Jennifer starts her own investigation by talking to Emma’s friends at school soon not being able to prevent her own doubts from rising to the surface as one story unravels only to be replaced by another.
When I read the description of this book in the Goodreads Giveaway section it struck me as bearing a strong resemblance to the Amanda Knox case very much in the news over the past years. I couldn’t help but think to myself “yeah, another quick fictionalized version of the story to cash in on its notoriety and controversy”. I have followed the Knox case with interest (more avid than some and less avidly than others) and have read other books (not so loosely) based on it, usually with disappointing results. If the book description is meant as a device to get this book into people’s hands … kudos to the marketing team … it works! After all, it did influence me to take a chance on receiving the book by entering the contest. Yes, it involves a young, slightly naïve yet adventurous American student studying overseas. Yes, there is a murder of a fellow student of which she is accused. Yes, there are other small similarities used as jumping off points for “The Perfect Mother” but that is where the comparison ends. After reading the book, my opinion is that if it is a marketing ploy it does the book a great disservice. This book is strong enough to stand on its own two feet. It takes off in a completely different direction. It explores whether sometimes, as parents and particularly mothers, we do too much for our children. Are we doing more harm than good when we intervene in certain situations? It looks at how extreme circumstances affect not only the people directly involved but family and friends as well. Can a marriage already troubled survive the stress of an untenable situation? All that AND it’s a page-turner with a surprise jab at the end! I think this book would lead to some lively book club discussions. Good job Ms. Darnton.
So, giving The Perfect Mother all the positive raving why only the 4 star rating? Well, I don’t often say this, but I wish the book had been a little bit longer. I was very intrigued by some of the characters, one example being Roberto Ortiz, the private detective hired by the Lewis family. The non-resolution of his subplot left me a little disappointed and wondering. But maybe that’s a tale for another time?
Jennifer Lewis is so certain that everything in her life is perfect she is not even worried when the phone rings in the middle of the night. Regrettably for the Lewis family, the axiom holds true, and the phone call is very bad news. Their daughter Emma, studying abroad in Spain for a year, is being detained as a “person of interest” in the brutal murder of another student which took place in her apartment.
Coming home from a local celebration Emma was unlocking her door when a fellow student threatened her with a knife, pushed her into her apartment and attempted to rape her. Her screams attracted the attention of a good samaritan who fought the rapist and killed him in self-defense. The good samaritan is now, unfortunately, nowhere to be found.
As any mother would, Jennifer rushes to be at her daughter’s side and vows to do everything in her power to exonerate her daughter. When Jennifer arrives in Spain she is shocked at the change in her daughter finding her sullen, withdrawn and for some reason angry with her mother. Jennifer always considered herself the “perfect mother” – always there for her children – she gave up her promising career to stay home and be a mother. She is proud of the fact that she had always been able to solve any of her children’s problems, whether something as simple as Emma’s unhappiness at being in a different class than her best friend or something more serious such as the time Emma was caught cheating on an exam or shoplifting a dress. But can she solve this problem? Particularly when it seems that Emma doesn’t want her help.
Jennifer and her husband Mark hire a top criminal defense attorney to navigate the Spanish legal system and a private investigator to find the mystery man who holds the key to their daughter’s release. Jennifer starts her own investigation by talking to Emma’s friends at school soon not being able to prevent her own doubts from rising to the surface as one story unravels only to be replaced by another.
When I read the description of this book in the Goodreads Giveaway section it struck me as bearing a strong resemblance to the Amanda Knox case very much in the news over the past years. I couldn’t help but think to myself “yeah, another quick fictionalized version of the story to cash in on its notoriety and controversy”. I have followed the Knox case with interest (more avid than some and less avidly than others) and have read other books (not so loosely) based on it, usually with disappointing results. If the book description is meant as a device to get this book into people’s hands … kudos to the marketing team … it works! After all, it did influence me to take a chance on receiving the book by entering the contest. Yes, it involves a young, slightly naïve yet adventurous American student studying overseas. Yes, there is a murder of a fellow student of which she is accused. Yes, there are other small similarities used as jumping off points for “The Perfect Mother” but that is where the comparison ends. After reading the book, my opinion is that if it is a marketing ploy it does the book a great disservice. This book is strong enough to stand on its own two feet. It takes off in a completely different direction. It explores whether sometimes, as parents and particularly mothers, we do too much for our children. Are we doing more harm than good when we intervene in certain situations? It looks at how extreme circumstances affect not only the people directly involved but family and friends as well. Can a marriage already troubled survive the stress of an untenable situation? All that AND it’s a page-turner with a surprise jab at the end! I think this book would lead to some lively book club discussions. Good job Ms. Darnton.
So, giving The Perfect Mother all the positive raving why only the 4 star rating? Well, I don’t often say this, but I wish the book had been a little bit longer. I was very intrigued by some of the characters, one example being Roberto Ortiz, the private detective hired by the Lewis family. The non-resolution of his subplot left me a little disappointed and wondering. But maybe that’s a tale for another time?
January 14, 2015
Darnton provides an entertaining second novel, even if its foundation is pulled from the headlines in a case most tabloid-hungry folks know all too well. When Jennifer Lewis receives a frantic phone call from her daughter, things take a dramatic turn. Emma has been detained in Seville, Spain and is being questioned about a murder within her flat. Jennifer drops everything and heads to Europe, keen to clear things up and bring Emma back to the States. When Jennifer arrives, she discovers that things are more complex than first presumed. Jennifer secures legal counsel for Emma and waits to see the Spanish wheels of justice move. When an investigator is brought onto the case, Jennifer forges a bond with Roberto and tries to work with him to clear Emma, while digging up dirty on a supposed boyfriend, the mastermind of the murder. Jennifer's family suffers back at home and her husband, Mark, must straddle both sides of the Atlantic to pay for the legal fees, while Jennifer remains in Spain, searching for answers. Lines are blurred with Roberto, and the tabloids take advantage of these weaknesses to exacerbate Emma's problems. With Emma's life hanging in the balance, Jennifer must play the role of the perfect mother to ensure her eldest is protected, but at what cost to everyone else?
Darnton is surely a competent writer, though this novel leaves me a little less than impressed. The story is not only 'ripped from the headlines' but also uses the Amanda Knox story and almost replaces names and locales. It has little, if any, unique attribute and is superficial in its departure from the Knox version. Creating a less than stellar romantic connection between 'perfect mother' Jennifer and trial investigator Roberto seemed a little more trivial, especially since the story's depth did not extend into the full legal battle of the event. I would have preferred more nuance or a deeper tale to flesh out more development and less sickly-sweet weak mother trying to put her daughter first.
Kudos for the idea, Mrs. Darnton. While you have the ability to convey a story well, perhaps it's time you focus less on the structure of a well-known case and create one yourself.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Darnton is surely a competent writer, though this novel leaves me a little less than impressed. The story is not only 'ripped from the headlines' but also uses the Amanda Knox story and almost replaces names and locales. It has little, if any, unique attribute and is superficial in its departure from the Knox version. Creating a less than stellar romantic connection between 'perfect mother' Jennifer and trial investigator Roberto seemed a little more trivial, especially since the story's depth did not extend into the full legal battle of the event. I would have preferred more nuance or a deeper tale to flesh out more development and less sickly-sweet weak mother trying to put her daughter first.
Kudos for the idea, Mrs. Darnton. While you have the ability to convey a story well, perhaps it's time you focus less on the structure of a well-known case and create one yourself.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
February 11, 2015
Jennifer's daughter Emma is in terrible trouble, she is living in Spain and is subject to Spain's laws.
Jennifer's husband is a Lawyer but not adverse in Spanish law. He wants to be with Emma and Jennifer in Spain to support them but he cannot due to his pull of work to his clients. He has cases himself to see to, plus, he needs to keep making money now that its needed for his wife to remain in Spain to support their daughter.
Jennifer has always prided herself on being a good Mother, a Perfect Mother. She gave up her career to stay at home with the children. At the moment she knows that relatives are looking after her other two children at home and her husband when he is around.
The thing is, Jennifer has always taken charge of situations when its come to the children and she is no different now. Things unfold not only regards the alleged crime that their daughter has been suspected in but also the flaws in her relationship with her daughter, and her husband. Maybe she is not the Perfect Mother she thought she was?
All kinds of things come to light about Emma.
This is quite a page turner for me, and the ending was sharp, very sharp in that I didn't expect what happened.
The detectives, the law enforcement officers and all characters that Jennifer came in contact with became very real to me.
As for the style of writing this author has, I loved it. The story flowed so well, and like I say, it kept my interest from beginning right until the last word written.
Highly recommended.
I would like to thank PENGUIN GROUP Plume via Net Galley for allowing me a copy to read and review.
Jennifer's husband is a Lawyer but not adverse in Spanish law. He wants to be with Emma and Jennifer in Spain to support them but he cannot due to his pull of work to his clients. He has cases himself to see to, plus, he needs to keep making money now that its needed for his wife to remain in Spain to support their daughter.
Jennifer has always prided herself on being a good Mother, a Perfect Mother. She gave up her career to stay at home with the children. At the moment she knows that relatives are looking after her other two children at home and her husband when he is around.
The thing is, Jennifer has always taken charge of situations when its come to the children and she is no different now. Things unfold not only regards the alleged crime that their daughter has been suspected in but also the flaws in her relationship with her daughter, and her husband. Maybe she is not the Perfect Mother she thought she was?
All kinds of things come to light about Emma.
This is quite a page turner for me, and the ending was sharp, very sharp in that I didn't expect what happened.
The detectives, the law enforcement officers and all characters that Jennifer came in contact with became very real to me.
As for the style of writing this author has, I loved it. The story flowed so well, and like I say, it kept my interest from beginning right until the last word written.
Highly recommended.
I would like to thank PENGUIN GROUP Plume via Net Galley for allowing me a copy to read and review.
January 28, 2015
Amazon recommended that I read The Perfect Mother. I said, "This must be because I AM a Perfect Mother!" My 11-year old rolled his eyes and continued to ignore me. The 8 year old said, "Not really, sorry," as he gave my hand an apologetic squeeze. The 2 year-old said, "Shh, quiet, I'm watching SpongeBob!"
So clearly I am not anywhere close to being a Perfect Mother. Maybe that is why I did not like this book. Jennifer Lewis is a former actress/model who is now a stay-at-home mother to 3 perfect children. Of course she remains youthfully slender and gorgeous in her mid-40s. She is well-bred and thus manages to hide her scorn for working mothers and not let on that she knows herself to be vastly superior to them. She must leave her carefully ordered perfect life in Philadelphia to run to Spain, where her oldest daughter (studying in Seville for her junior year at Princeton, because what else do perfect children of perfect mothers do) has been implicated in a murder.
Jennifer is so profoundly unlikable that I don't even care that her precious oldest child is either (a) a dangerous psychopath or (b) a tragic victim. I think maybe there are supposed to be moments in the book where we realize that Jennifer's life isn't so perfect after all, that perhaps we can't actually control who our children turn out to be, that possibly we sometimes have to let our kids make their own mistakes and endure the consequences? I'm not 100% sure. I was too distracted by the really stupid romantic sub-plot to notice the Deeper Themes that might or might not have developed.
I am sure this will get made into a movie.
So clearly I am not anywhere close to being a Perfect Mother. Maybe that is why I did not like this book. Jennifer Lewis is a former actress/model who is now a stay-at-home mother to 3 perfect children. Of course she remains youthfully slender and gorgeous in her mid-40s. She is well-bred and thus manages to hide her scorn for working mothers and not let on that she knows herself to be vastly superior to them. She must leave her carefully ordered perfect life in Philadelphia to run to Spain, where her oldest daughter (studying in Seville for her junior year at Princeton, because what else do perfect children of perfect mothers do) has been implicated in a murder.
Jennifer is so profoundly unlikable that I don't even care that her precious oldest child is either (a) a dangerous psychopath or (b) a tragic victim. I think maybe there are supposed to be moments in the book where we realize that Jennifer's life isn't so perfect after all, that perhaps we can't actually control who our children turn out to be, that possibly we sometimes have to let our kids make their own mistakes and endure the consequences? I'm not 100% sure. I was too distracted by the really stupid romantic sub-plot to notice the Deeper Themes that might or might not have developed.
I am sure this will get made into a movie.
November 21, 2014
ARC for review.
As with the wonderful Cartwheel this book has its base in the Amanda Knox story...beautiful, young, naive college student living abroad is charged with murder. I thoroughly enjoyed this in a "beach book" kind of way. Emma (the daughter) is horrible and awful - you love to hate her - seriously, you are nineteen or twenty and jailed in a foreign country and you want to give the police and detectives speeches about social justice? Idealism is great and all, but you know what isn't so great? Twenty years in a foreign prison, that's what. If Jennifer were really a "perfect mother" she'd have backhanded Emma across the face when she started that nonsense. But, of course, she doesn't because we learn early on that image is everything to Jennifer. She truly loves her children, but she also loves that they and everything about their lives appears perfect, until now.
There were some interesting secondary characters and a nice location, and I quite enjoyed the end. If you were interested in the Amanda Knox story, you'll enjoy this.
As with the wonderful Cartwheel this book has its base in the Amanda Knox story...beautiful, young, naive college student living abroad is charged with murder. I thoroughly enjoyed this in a "beach book" kind of way. Emma (the daughter) is horrible and awful - you love to hate her - seriously, you are nineteen or twenty and jailed in a foreign country and you want to give the police and detectives speeches about social justice? Idealism is great and all, but you know what isn't so great? Twenty years in a foreign prison, that's what. If Jennifer were really a "perfect mother" she'd have backhanded Emma across the face when she started that nonsense. But, of course, she doesn't because we learn early on that image is everything to Jennifer. She truly loves her children, but she also loves that they and everything about their lives appears perfect, until now.
There were some interesting secondary characters and a nice location, and I quite enjoyed the end. If you were interested in the Amanda Knox story, you'll enjoy this.
November 6, 2014
Similar to a recent news story but different in plot, this novel examines how much a parent is to blame for the child's behavior. Jennifer Lewis receives a phone call in the middle of the night from her college-age daughter, who is studying in Spain and has just been charged with murder. Jennifer, at first an unfailing supporter of her daughter, is forced to examine that her daughter is not the perfect child that she imagined and her parenting choices might be to blame. Part mystery, part cautionary tale, this is completely engrossing and hard to put down. Many times throughout the novel, I found myself cringing at both mother and daughter's behavior but that may be the point. There seems to be a couple of books based on this theme which can be drawn from the real life Amanda Knox story. I found this one well-written and different enough from true events to be considered a fresh take. I received this book from the Penguin First to Read Program in exchange for an honest review.
November 13, 2014
When you begin to read this book, you quickly realize that you have heard this story before. Remember Amanda Knox, the American that was studying in Italy and went to prison for killing her boyfriend? This story is in much the same vein. Emma is living abroad in Spain and has been charged with killing and/or being an accomplice of a man that entered in her apartment with the intent of raping her. Jennifer is the "Perfect Mother" who has raised Emma and her brother and sister with all of the things that they could ever have. She even baked cupcakes and had daily conversations with her children after school! In the beginning of the book, you feel like she is the Martha Stewart of mothering - by the end you just want to strangle her. I did not care for how this book ended. It was almost like one of my kids was writing a story and I caught them up after their bedtime, so they finished it quickly before I turned out the lights.
November 10, 2014
I received a free copy of The Perfect Mother from the publisher through Netgalley. And I am glad I did. The story is loosely based on the Amanda Knox story, told from the point of view of a mother who's daughter is accused of murder while studying in Spain. It's a very quick and easy read, but I nust admit that I had a hard time putting it down and the story has stayed with me. Darnton does a good job of conveying the tension between the mother's sense of loyalty to her daughter and the reality of her daughter's behaviour and attitude. There are no answers, but Darnton opens the intractable issue of just how responsible parents may be for their kids actions and whether a parent's duty is to be supportive no matter the circumstances. And Darnton makes these questions that much more tricky with a wickedly clever ending.
May 17, 2016
Prometía mucho,ya leyendo la sipnosis te imaginas como puede ser.Me ha mantenido con la intriga todo el tiempo para que al final entienda que este libro no se centra en el asesinato,sino que te explica como vive el mal trago la protagonista como madre. Intrigada queriendo saber que ha pasado realmente y lo solucionan rápido y facilmente.
December 20, 2014
A happy, healthy all American family. Mom, Dad, three perfect kids. One late night phone call changes all that...
Jennifer Lewis, stay at home mother, former actress and model, and wife to successful lawyer, Mark, receives a call from her student daughter, Emma, from a police station in Spain. She has been linked to the murder of a young Spanish man and the details are sketchy. Jennifer swings into action and boards the first flight, to try to help her twenty year old in her hour of need.
The story Emma has told the police does not seem to make much sense and she appears to be tumbling over her own lies. Who was the murder victim? Why was he in Emma's flat? Who is Paco, the mysterious older man? Why is Emma acting so brittle to her mother?
Starting this late on Friday night, I really didn't think I would still be reading it three hours later, but I was hooked! The story has echoes of the 'Foxy Knoxy' trial and the reader is introduced to the possibility that we never really know what our kids are up to, when out of sight.
The character of Emma, the accused student, is the most frustrating one I have read in years. A spoilt madam who has had everything handed to her on a plate, since birth, yet still manages to be a complete bitch, enabled by her wimpish parents. This brings me to Jennifer, the mother... From the first page, where a life changing phone call breaks the silence of the night, she is worrying about what clothes to pack in her little travel case. She demands the best lawyers, private investigators and even gets her friend to recruit a publicity firm for damage control within the media. All this while fixing her make up and sweeping her hair up into a chic look, for yet another dinner date with the handsome PI. Mark is unable to join her, as he says he needs to stay working to keep the money coming in. Grandparents are left minding the two remaining children at home in the States and don't seem too worried about their eldest Grandchild, languishing in a Spanish Prison. The whole thing is, frankly, bizarre. Emma is a douche, Jennifer is a self-centered woman who has used her looks to get her own way most of her life and Mark is a stereotypical lawyer. However, I have to admit to really enjoying this book. Interesting narrative, desire to know what really happened that night and some clever writing techniques all made for a great read. Spain is a magnificent country, and while it was a bit odd to find the protagonist giving tourist tips to her mother, while waiting to see if she would be charged with murder, it was a good way of setting the location.
This novel should not have worked, for many reasons. (Unlikable characters and bizarre gaps in the story being the main problems). But it DID work. I flew through it. Maybe it's because the story is so similar to recent real events, maybe it's because I am a mother who thinks I know what my girls are up to and believe I have reared them with core values and a sense of justice. Possibly it is because it is just a great page turner, not to be taken too seriously. Just what we all need, every now and again.
Jennifer Lewis, stay at home mother, former actress and model, and wife to successful lawyer, Mark, receives a call from her student daughter, Emma, from a police station in Spain. She has been linked to the murder of a young Spanish man and the details are sketchy. Jennifer swings into action and boards the first flight, to try to help her twenty year old in her hour of need.
The story Emma has told the police does not seem to make much sense and she appears to be tumbling over her own lies. Who was the murder victim? Why was he in Emma's flat? Who is Paco, the mysterious older man? Why is Emma acting so brittle to her mother?
Starting this late on Friday night, I really didn't think I would still be reading it three hours later, but I was hooked! The story has echoes of the 'Foxy Knoxy' trial and the reader is introduced to the possibility that we never really know what our kids are up to, when out of sight.
The character of Emma, the accused student, is the most frustrating one I have read in years. A spoilt madam who has had everything handed to her on a plate, since birth, yet still manages to be a complete bitch, enabled by her wimpish parents. This brings me to Jennifer, the mother... From the first page, where a life changing phone call breaks the silence of the night, she is worrying about what clothes to pack in her little travel case. She demands the best lawyers, private investigators and even gets her friend to recruit a publicity firm for damage control within the media. All this while fixing her make up and sweeping her hair up into a chic look, for yet another dinner date with the handsome PI. Mark is unable to join her, as he says he needs to stay working to keep the money coming in. Grandparents are left minding the two remaining children at home in the States and don't seem too worried about their eldest Grandchild, languishing in a Spanish Prison. The whole thing is, frankly, bizarre. Emma is a douche, Jennifer is a self-centered woman who has used her looks to get her own way most of her life and Mark is a stereotypical lawyer. However, I have to admit to really enjoying this book. Interesting narrative, desire to know what really happened that night and some clever writing techniques all made for a great read. Spain is a magnificent country, and while it was a bit odd to find the protagonist giving tourist tips to her mother, while waiting to see if she would be charged with murder, it was a good way of setting the location.
This novel should not have worked, for many reasons. (Unlikable characters and bizarre gaps in the story being the main problems). But it DID work. I flew through it. Maybe it's because the story is so similar to recent real events, maybe it's because I am a mother who thinks I know what my girls are up to and believe I have reared them with core values and a sense of justice. Possibly it is because it is just a great page turner, not to be taken too seriously. Just what we all need, every now and again.
December 10, 2014
The Perfect Mother
Nina Darton
Plume
Jennifer Lewis leads a perfect life—her Connecticut home is oh-so-shabby-chic, her lawyer husband handsome and successful, her three children active and popular. Jennifer herself gave up a career as a model and TV actress so that she could dedicate all of her time to family. Jennifer is the Perfect Mother.
Until a middle-of-the-night phone call threatens to destroy her reality. Daughter Emma, spending her junior year (from Princeton, no less!) abroad, calls from Spain—she’s in jail, claims rape, and is accused of being an accomplice to murder. As all Perfect Mothers do, Jennifer flies to her side, but is taken aback by Emma’s aloof, maybe even ungrateful, demeanor. The weeks that follow put Jennifer under the reader’s scrutiny, especially once husband Mark arrives in Spain and doesn’t fully believe Emma’s story—that the murdered boy followed her home and forced his way into her apartment at knife point; that a young Algerian heard her cries and came to save Emma, stabbing her attacker in a struggle; that the Algerian, undocumented and fearful of being deported, ran away into the night. Jennifer and Mark fight; Emma and Jennifer argue.
Enter Emma’s lawyer, Jose, who reveals to the Lewis’s that Emma may have been leading a life on the edge. Her boyfriend, Paco, is a drug dealer who has vanished and the police want him for questioning. Emma swears Paco sells drugs only to send money to his home village as a kind of Spanish Robin Hood—she claims the police just want to trap him. Jose sets out to find Paco, discover the truth of the attack, and free Emma from prison. He also provides a shoulder for Jennifer to cry on, and their attachment becomes a little too close for comfort.
Young parents always worry that two-year-old tantrums and pubescent rebellion are warning signs that one’s parenting has fallen short. I think, rather, it’s those early adult years that prove the parenting pudding and writer Nina Darton captures this perfectly. When adult children get into trouble, like Jennifer one might have “this pathetic realization that you failed, that you made some terrible mistake that caused this.” And mothers especially, I think, blame themselves. Here’s Jennifer again: “I’m selfish, I’m pushy, I’m too optimistic, or I’m overly dramatic, or I’m too blind, or I’m naïve or see only what I want to see …”
Maybe being a Perfect Mother actually is a curse and not a blessing. Could it be that the time and energy and hopes and dreams we mothers invest into our children end up jinxing them … and ourselves? Darton’s Perfect Mother is rich and thought-provoking—and her plot twist at the end could lead to hours of book group heart-to-hearts.
[read more at thisismysymphony.net]
Nina Darton
Plume
Jennifer Lewis leads a perfect life—her Connecticut home is oh-so-shabby-chic, her lawyer husband handsome and successful, her three children active and popular. Jennifer herself gave up a career as a model and TV actress so that she could dedicate all of her time to family. Jennifer is the Perfect Mother.
Until a middle-of-the-night phone call threatens to destroy her reality. Daughter Emma, spending her junior year (from Princeton, no less!) abroad, calls from Spain—she’s in jail, claims rape, and is accused of being an accomplice to murder. As all Perfect Mothers do, Jennifer flies to her side, but is taken aback by Emma’s aloof, maybe even ungrateful, demeanor. The weeks that follow put Jennifer under the reader’s scrutiny, especially once husband Mark arrives in Spain and doesn’t fully believe Emma’s story—that the murdered boy followed her home and forced his way into her apartment at knife point; that a young Algerian heard her cries and came to save Emma, stabbing her attacker in a struggle; that the Algerian, undocumented and fearful of being deported, ran away into the night. Jennifer and Mark fight; Emma and Jennifer argue.
Enter Emma’s lawyer, Jose, who reveals to the Lewis’s that Emma may have been leading a life on the edge. Her boyfriend, Paco, is a drug dealer who has vanished and the police want him for questioning. Emma swears Paco sells drugs only to send money to his home village as a kind of Spanish Robin Hood—she claims the police just want to trap him. Jose sets out to find Paco, discover the truth of the attack, and free Emma from prison. He also provides a shoulder for Jennifer to cry on, and their attachment becomes a little too close for comfort.
Young parents always worry that two-year-old tantrums and pubescent rebellion are warning signs that one’s parenting has fallen short. I think, rather, it’s those early adult years that prove the parenting pudding and writer Nina Darton captures this perfectly. When adult children get into trouble, like Jennifer one might have “this pathetic realization that you failed, that you made some terrible mistake that caused this.” And mothers especially, I think, blame themselves. Here’s Jennifer again: “I’m selfish, I’m pushy, I’m too optimistic, or I’m overly dramatic, or I’m too blind, or I’m naïve or see only what I want to see …”
Maybe being a Perfect Mother actually is a curse and not a blessing. Could it be that the time and energy and hopes and dreams we mothers invest into our children end up jinxing them … and ourselves? Darton’s Perfect Mother is rich and thought-provoking—and her plot twist at the end could lead to hours of book group heart-to-hearts.
[read more at thisismysymphony.net]
November 26, 2014
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
2.5 stars.
This book had a lot of potential, but ultimately didn't live up to its promise.
If you haven't been living under a rock in the last decade, you've probably heard the story of Amanda Knox, the American foreign exchange student who got involved in a salacious murder in Italy. Well, this is the story of Emma, a privileged Princeton student, who runs into a bit of trouble--and a potential murder charge--while studying in Spain.
Emma's mother Jennifer, a former model/actress and now dedicated SAH mom, rushes to Spain to be with Emma. I had a hard time connecting with Jennifer at first, and I think this is based on the book's POV, a third person limited omniscient that keeps Jennifer a bit at arm's length. At several points, I found myself wishing that I could be inside Jennifer's head in a first person POV, rather than simply watching as she navigates the streets of Seville and the complicated Spanish legal system. Overall, I wanted more from Jennifer. She has a good idea or two about her daughter's case, but I would have loved to see her take a train out of Seville to do some of the investigation herself, or at least do SOMEthing. She spends an awful lot of time in cafes, and a lot of that time in the company of the private investigator for hire, Roberto--but ultimately, she doesn't end up feeling all that strong or compelling.
While reading the book, I kept coming back to Defending Jacob--which is essentially the same type of story, only narrated by a more interesting character. In that book, Jacob's father has personality in spades, and some dark family secrets of his own to boot. He's not completely likable (and sometimes not at all likable), but that presents an interesting moral quandary for the reader. This guy is behaving somewhat despicably--and yet, might I not do the same thing if it were my child, and I had these means at my disposal?
I didn't feel the same sort of quandary here, because I never really saw Jennifer as a real person. Only in the book's final pages does an interesting dilemma arise for Jennifer, but the book ends before the reader can fully see the ramifications of her decision.
2.5 stars.
This book had a lot of potential, but ultimately didn't live up to its promise.
If you haven't been living under a rock in the last decade, you've probably heard the story of Amanda Knox, the American foreign exchange student who got involved in a salacious murder in Italy. Well, this is the story of Emma, a privileged Princeton student, who runs into a bit of trouble--and a potential murder charge--while studying in Spain.
Emma's mother Jennifer, a former model/actress and now dedicated SAH mom, rushes to Spain to be with Emma. I had a hard time connecting with Jennifer at first, and I think this is based on the book's POV, a third person limited omniscient that keeps Jennifer a bit at arm's length. At several points, I found myself wishing that I could be inside Jennifer's head in a first person POV, rather than simply watching as she navigates the streets of Seville and the complicated Spanish legal system. Overall, I wanted more from Jennifer. She has a good idea or two about her daughter's case, but I would have loved to see her take a train out of Seville to do some of the investigation herself, or at least do SOMEthing. She spends an awful lot of time in cafes, and a lot of that time in the company of the private investigator for hire, Roberto--but ultimately, she doesn't end up feeling all that strong or compelling.
While reading the book, I kept coming back to Defending Jacob--which is essentially the same type of story, only narrated by a more interesting character. In that book, Jacob's father has personality in spades, and some dark family secrets of his own to boot. He's not completely likable (and sometimes not at all likable), but that presents an interesting moral quandary for the reader. This guy is behaving somewhat despicably--and yet, might I not do the same thing if it were my child, and I had these means at my disposal?
I didn't feel the same sort of quandary here, because I never really saw Jennifer as a real person. Only in the book's final pages does an interesting dilemma arise for Jennifer, but the book ends before the reader can fully see the ramifications of her decision.
January 26, 2025
this book did a really good job of making you be on edge wondering what really happened? i really enjoyed this story especially the end my jaw was hanging. it was short and i’d recommend this to others
February 1, 2019
I started reading this book by mere chance. A long time ago I became interested in the Amanda Knox case (when it got viral due to the Netflix documentary) and I purchased this book but never read it. Now that I have some free time, I decided to give it a chance, and I'm glad I did.
The book starts when Jennifer receives a call at midnight. That call would change her life and that of her family. Her daughter, Emma, a Princeton University student in an exchange year in Seville has been implicated and accused for the crime of a Spaniard guy in her apartment. Jennifer immediately flies there to assist her daughter in the defence of the case, but the situation in Spain is much different from what she had expected.
Jennifer is portrayed as the perfect mother: a former theatre actress that gave up her career to take care of her three kids. She’s profoundly proud about her relationship with them and most of her emotional stability and reason of being comes from the success of her kids. Despite that, the reality is much different, at least when it comes to her relationship with Emma. I couldn’t feel identified with Jennifer most of the time. Having a first-person narrator would have helped in this sense, as sometimes I felt disconnected from the characters and I felt as a mere observer who can’t really know what’s going on in their minds. The author could have gone deeper into exploring the mother’s feelings instead of repeating that she was feeling anxious about the situation of her daughter, which is obvious. Nonetheless, the book made me think a lot about trust. Do we really know one another? Can we blindly trust someone we love? Would you still support someone you love even if all evidence proves that he or she is lying? Jennifer and Mark (her husband) play completely opposite roles when it comes to the latter topic. Even if Jennifer seems blind at some points, it is hard for me to believe that I would act differently. Sometimes we see what we want to see, and we want to believe that things are the way we want them to be.
Mark, a lawyer and logic-guided person shows the other side of the coin. He doubts her daughter’s word and tries to keep some perspective regarding the case. He is portrayed as cold-minded and harsh with his wife, leaving her with no support in a foreign country where she doesn’t even know the language and facing most of the cases’ problems by herself. Of course, he had to work to support the family, but his attitude was cold and strange at all times. One keeps waiting for a reaction, a comeback. But Mark never breaks or shows ‘real feelings’, that moment never arrives. Some people may feel real love for someone, even deeper than others, but are not capable of showing it in conventional ways. I think that was the case for Mark. He deeply cares about her daughter but he knew that a rational approach was needed to overcome the situation.
All the stress arising from the situation with Emma falls like a bomb in the already deteriorated marriage between Mark and Jennifer. Ghosts from their past and insecurities emerge and put at risk their relationship. Awkward silences and the much different approach towards love and caring may be a signal of their story coming to an end. Jennifer is tempted by the support shown by the detective, who was always there for her when Mark wasn’t. At some point Jennifer even feels relieved when Mark leaves back to the States and she can be alone with the Spanish detective. Similar to the glass between them and Emma during the visits to the prison, there seems to be a thick glass between Mark and Jennifer, one that grew even thicker during this unexpected and tense situation. Instead of growing strong and support each other, the occasion served as an excuse to question their marriage and their lives. Again, I would have loved for this novel to be in narrated in first person to learn more about the psychologic aspect when it comes to their ‘almost failed’ marriage. They seem to carrying a corpse expecting for it to come back to live at some point, but knowing deep inside that this will never happen. It made me wonder about the evolution of relationships: the different phases and stages in which one will feel more or less comfortable. Not only that but also it made me realize how blind we are sometimes with regard to the status of a relationship: even when you think that everything is going fine, the other person might be going through a different phase and see things as the opposite. This brings me back to the topic of trust, but this time between Jennifer and Mark. There is a ticking bomb in their relationship, and that is mainly due to their lack of trust in one another. Jennifer is convinced that Mark had an affair, and only because of the stress of the situation she was able to bring up the topic in Seville. Of course, an ultimatum like that for their relationship was not the best solution and would have put more obstacles and difficulties when it comes to saving Emma. This undesired guest between them two was already there from a long time ago, and it will still exist when they come back from Spain. The question remains open about whether they will address it or they will decide to live an empty marriage because they don’t see the point of changing things now.
Last but not least, what happened to Emma? After eight months in Spain, the perfect model daughter becomes the queen of Orgasmus and falls in love with a drug dealer (Paco) convinced that he is a modern times Robin Hood trying to save a ‘third world country in a deep crisis’ such as Spain thanks to his drug selling business. Emma presumably falls for it and decides to collaborate with him. I won’t comment much about Emma’s evolution throughout the book because it was quite expected and linear. It was obvious that she was lying from the very beginning and only by the end she decides to ‘tell the truth’. A truth that we would learn on the last pages was not completely honest. I didn’t believe her version at all and there was something that didn’t still click. And those doubts are confirmed later on. What caught my attention, though, was Jennifer’s reaction when knowing that her daughter had lied to all of them. As it made me think, how can you live with your own daughter, knowing that she is not who she claims to be. Someone so cold that would lie to everyone’s faces and still show no trace of remorse. Of course, that would explain her distant behaviour when coming back to the States. Jennifer learnt the hard way that she could not trust her daughter. Emma had changed and her daughter died with that change. She was living now with a complete stranger. This leads me to the following questions:How can one accept that and move on? Is it even possible to do so? I feel anxious just thinking about Jennifer having to face her daughter in that breakfast and every day after knowing the dark truth, the one she didn’t want to believe from the very beginning but that all her instincts told her that it could be true: that her daughter is not who she thinks she is.
The book starts when Jennifer receives a call at midnight. That call would change her life and that of her family. Her daughter, Emma, a Princeton University student in an exchange year in Seville has been implicated and accused for the crime of a Spaniard guy in her apartment. Jennifer immediately flies there to assist her daughter in the defence of the case, but the situation in Spain is much different from what she had expected.
Jennifer is portrayed as the perfect mother: a former theatre actress that gave up her career to take care of her three kids. She’s profoundly proud about her relationship with them and most of her emotional stability and reason of being comes from the success of her kids. Despite that, the reality is much different, at least when it comes to her relationship with Emma. I couldn’t feel identified with Jennifer most of the time. Having a first-person narrator would have helped in this sense, as sometimes I felt disconnected from the characters and I felt as a mere observer who can’t really know what’s going on in their minds. The author could have gone deeper into exploring the mother’s feelings instead of repeating that she was feeling anxious about the situation of her daughter, which is obvious. Nonetheless, the book made me think a lot about trust. Do we really know one another? Can we blindly trust someone we love? Would you still support someone you love even if all evidence proves that he or she is lying? Jennifer and Mark (her husband) play completely opposite roles when it comes to the latter topic. Even if Jennifer seems blind at some points, it is hard for me to believe that I would act differently. Sometimes we see what we want to see, and we want to believe that things are the way we want them to be.
Mark, a lawyer and logic-guided person shows the other side of the coin. He doubts her daughter’s word and tries to keep some perspective regarding the case. He is portrayed as cold-minded and harsh with his wife, leaving her with no support in a foreign country where she doesn’t even know the language and facing most of the cases’ problems by herself. Of course, he had to work to support the family, but his attitude was cold and strange at all times. One keeps waiting for a reaction, a comeback. But Mark never breaks or shows ‘real feelings’, that moment never arrives. Some people may feel real love for someone, even deeper than others, but are not capable of showing it in conventional ways. I think that was the case for Mark. He deeply cares about her daughter but he knew that a rational approach was needed to overcome the situation.
All the stress arising from the situation with Emma falls like a bomb in the already deteriorated marriage between Mark and Jennifer. Ghosts from their past and insecurities emerge and put at risk their relationship. Awkward silences and the much different approach towards love and caring may be a signal of their story coming to an end. Jennifer is tempted by the support shown by the detective, who was always there for her when Mark wasn’t. At some point Jennifer even feels relieved when Mark leaves back to the States and she can be alone with the Spanish detective. Similar to the glass between them and Emma during the visits to the prison, there seems to be a thick glass between Mark and Jennifer, one that grew even thicker during this unexpected and tense situation. Instead of growing strong and support each other, the occasion served as an excuse to question their marriage and their lives. Again, I would have loved for this novel to be in narrated in first person to learn more about the psychologic aspect when it comes to their ‘almost failed’ marriage. They seem to carrying a corpse expecting for it to come back to live at some point, but knowing deep inside that this will never happen. It made me wonder about the evolution of relationships: the different phases and stages in which one will feel more or less comfortable. Not only that but also it made me realize how blind we are sometimes with regard to the status of a relationship: even when you think that everything is going fine, the other person might be going through a different phase and see things as the opposite. This brings me back to the topic of trust, but this time between Jennifer and Mark. There is a ticking bomb in their relationship, and that is mainly due to their lack of trust in one another. Jennifer is convinced that Mark had an affair, and only because of the stress of the situation she was able to bring up the topic in Seville. Of course, an ultimatum like that for their relationship was not the best solution and would have put more obstacles and difficulties when it comes to saving Emma. This undesired guest between them two was already there from a long time ago, and it will still exist when they come back from Spain. The question remains open about whether they will address it or they will decide to live an empty marriage because they don’t see the point of changing things now.
Last but not least, what happened to Emma? After eight months in Spain, the perfect model daughter becomes the queen of Orgasmus and falls in love with a drug dealer (Paco) convinced that he is a modern times Robin Hood trying to save a ‘third world country in a deep crisis’ such as Spain thanks to his drug selling business. Emma presumably falls for it and decides to collaborate with him. I won’t comment much about Emma’s evolution throughout the book because it was quite expected and linear. It was obvious that she was lying from the very beginning and only by the end she decides to ‘tell the truth’. A truth that we would learn on the last pages was not completely honest. I didn’t believe her version at all and there was something that didn’t still click. And those doubts are confirmed later on. What caught my attention, though, was Jennifer’s reaction when knowing that her daughter had lied to all of them. As it made me think, how can you live with your own daughter, knowing that she is not who she claims to be. Someone so cold that would lie to everyone’s faces and still show no trace of remorse. Of course, that would explain her distant behaviour when coming back to the States. Jennifer learnt the hard way that she could not trust her daughter. Emma had changed and her daughter died with that change. She was living now with a complete stranger. This leads me to the following questions:How can one accept that and move on? Is it even possible to do so? I feel anxious just thinking about Jennifer having to face her daughter in that breakfast and every day after knowing the dark truth, the one she didn’t want to believe from the very beginning but that all her instincts told her that it could be true: that her daughter is not who she thinks she is.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2016
Whenever you hear that a child has died, one of the first thoughts that may come to mind is "Their poor mother, how will they move on?" But when you hear about the accused murderer, do you feel the same? "The Perfect Mother" will make you think that way going forward.
Jennifer is your average American wife. She's got a successful husband, Mark, and three beautiful children: Emma, Lily and Eric. Her eldest Emma has been studying in Spain for almost a year. Yes, it would seem Jennifer has the perfect life. But that is all shattered by a phone call she receives in the middle of the night. It's Emma, telling her that a man was killed in her apartment and that she is the prime suspect. She swears she didn't do it, but that she needs her mother to come right away.
Jennifer, confused and worried, heads to Spain as soon as she can, her husband staying behind to arrange a lawyer, tend to the kids and take care of some last minute work before he can join her. Once she arrives, Jennifer is thrown into a world of mayhem. When she finally gets to see her not-so-little girl again, Emma seems to have changed. Jennifer doesn't even recognize her. It doesn't help when Emma's story does not make sense and when the only two witnesses: her boyfriend and the man she claims to have committed the murder, are nowhere to be found. She doesn't even know who that man could be.
But Jennifer herself, is not so perfect deep down. She has her demons and is pushing her husband out of the equation. Along the way, she starts to form a bond with a nice PI who is helping them with the case. Her husband cannot be there for her, but this PI is. Jennifer is tempted with a line in the midst of realizing that the daughter she thought was perfect, isn't so perfect all along. But as Mark will point out, she hasn't been that perfect little girl in some time.
This book is gripping and will keep you at the edge of your seat. As it draws to a close, you may think it's one of "those" books. But the last few pages will blow you away.
Jennifer is your average American wife. She's got a successful husband, Mark, and three beautiful children: Emma, Lily and Eric. Her eldest Emma has been studying in Spain for almost a year. Yes, it would seem Jennifer has the perfect life. But that is all shattered by a phone call she receives in the middle of the night. It's Emma, telling her that a man was killed in her apartment and that she is the prime suspect. She swears she didn't do it, but that she needs her mother to come right away.
Jennifer, confused and worried, heads to Spain as soon as she can, her husband staying behind to arrange a lawyer, tend to the kids and take care of some last minute work before he can join her. Once she arrives, Jennifer is thrown into a world of mayhem. When she finally gets to see her not-so-little girl again, Emma seems to have changed. Jennifer doesn't even recognize her. It doesn't help when Emma's story does not make sense and when the only two witnesses: her boyfriend and the man she claims to have committed the murder, are nowhere to be found. She doesn't even know who that man could be.
But Jennifer herself, is not so perfect deep down. She has her demons and is pushing her husband out of the equation. Along the way, she starts to form a bond with a nice PI who is helping them with the case. Her husband cannot be there for her, but this PI is. Jennifer is tempted with a line in the midst of realizing that the daughter she thought was perfect, isn't so perfect all along. But as Mark will point out, she hasn't been that perfect little girl in some time.
This book is gripping and will keep you at the edge of your seat. As it draws to a close, you may think it's one of "those" books. But the last few pages will blow you away.
May 6, 2020
2.75 A very fast read that starts off reminiscent of the Knox murder. Princeton jr Emma is accused of being an accomplice to murder on her study abroad in Spain. She claims a fellow student tried to rape her, she screamed, and a random Algerian came in off the street to save her by stabbing the rapist. But her story is full of holes, like none of her neighbors heard any of the screams and the ominous omission of her drug dealer boyfriend Paco. She defends him until she learns he is married with a kid.
One niggling feeling I had throughout reading this book was that It was all familiar—nothing innovative at all but it is an engrossing story. I haven’t hated characters like mom Jennifer and daughter Emma in a very long time. Jennifer is one of those pathetic women whose entire identity is wrapped up in her kids. She makes excuses for them and puts up with their crap and rescues them instead of having them learn from their mistakes (cheating, plagiarizing, stealing) wanting to protect them instead of doing what is good for them. She is constantly criticizing her husband for working instead of being in Spain with her and needed to be reminded that he is earning money to pay for all of the bills (but even hubby Mark winds up having an affair). And Jennifer’s flirting with Roberto was ridiculous — seriously??and wanting male attention to restore “a small sense of her own power“ made me sick. Emma is a spoiled, egotistical, ungrateful, privileged brat. And so immature, lashing out at her parents who only want to help her. And as is revealed in the end, a murderer too so not only does she kill a guy, but she ruined his reputation by alleging he tried to rape her. Totally reprehensible.
One niggling feeling I had throughout reading this book was that It was all familiar—nothing innovative at all but it is an engrossing story. I haven’t hated characters like mom Jennifer and daughter Emma in a very long time. Jennifer is one of those pathetic women whose entire identity is wrapped up in her kids. She makes excuses for them and puts up with their crap and rescues them instead of having them learn from their mistakes (cheating, plagiarizing, stealing) wanting to protect them instead of doing what is good for them. She is constantly criticizing her husband for working instead of being in Spain with her and needed to be reminded that he is earning money to pay for all of the bills (but even hubby Mark winds up having an affair). And Jennifer’s flirting with Roberto was ridiculous — seriously??and wanting male attention to restore “a small sense of her own power“ made me sick. Emma is a spoiled, egotistical, ungrateful, privileged brat. And so immature, lashing out at her parents who only want to help her. And as is revealed in the end, a murderer too so not only does she kill a guy, but she ruined his reputation by alleging he tried to rape her. Totally reprehensible.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2018
I didn't really expect much, and basically that's what I got. Upper middle class helicopter mom finds out her privileged daughter is kind of shitty. The metaphors are so heavy handed it was hard to not roll my eyes: the actress that left her career to become a mother who needs to create the perfect family, orchestrated as if by a director. A privileged white girl goes to another country and does stupid shit and because *white and rich* she gets off totally free because her Spanish boyfriend is *gasp* a drug dealing bad boy that has a wife and child. If anything the only interesting part is that her daughter is actually a terrible person and a great manipulator, but we really only get the full point on the literal last page. Basically it ends with her getting a good job and going back to normal and her mother being terrified to even try to suggest therapy or that her daughter is a piece of shit or that literally nothing has changed since she was PROBABLY LET OFF FOR A CHARGE FOR MURDER FOR WHICH SHE WAS PROBABLY GUILTY. I just really hated it, and it was majorly disappointing. But I mean I guess it's not totally far fetched, but idk I wanted Emma to rot for being a spoiled brat and having no morals and being a classic white "I need to save all the poor Spanish people because their lives are just so sad and poor."
Plus the whole flashbacks to Emma being shitty and her mother covering for her got old quick. It was just a easy out to show that her daughter is not innocent and that her mom covers it up to make everything nice and neat and pretty. I just really, really did not like it.
Plus the whole flashbacks to Emma being shitty and her mother covering for her got old quick. It was just a easy out to show that her daughter is not innocent and that her mom covers it up to make everything nice and neat and pretty. I just really, really did not like it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2019
No est�� mal, pero esperaba más.
1. Las dos protagonistas, Jennifer y Emma (madre e hija), me desesperaban. Jennifer está totalmente ciega ante lo que ocurre y hubo un momento en que se hizo cansino que siguiera defendiendo todas las actitudes de Emma. Por otro lado, Emma trata fatal a su madre, es injusta y una malcriada.
2. Los detalles que se dan sobre España no están bien integrados en la historia. Daba la sensación de que, de repente, dejabas de leer una novela y pasabas a leer una guía turística.
3. La lectura es sencilla, pero carece de emoción. No hay apenas acción, todo se trata de cómo Jennifer vive la acusación contra Emma y la información que va recibiendo. Pero no había nada que me hiciera continuar leyendo excepto que no suelo dejar libros a medias. Nada que me hiciera pensar: “¡Qué intriga! ¿Qué ocurrirá en el siguiente capítulo?”
4. El “giro argumental” es predecible. Aunque hubo algo que no entendí (quizá porque lo estaba leyendo rápido para terminarlo ya):
Entiendo que a muchos les haya gustado, pero a mí me ha parecido más de lo mismo.
1. Las dos protagonistas, Jennifer y Emma (madre e hija), me desesperaban. Jennifer está totalmente ciega ante lo que ocurre y hubo un momento en que se hizo cansino que siguiera defendiendo todas las actitudes de Emma. Por otro lado, Emma trata fatal a su madre, es injusta y una malcriada.
2. Los detalles que se dan sobre España no están bien integrados en la historia. Daba la sensación de que, de repente, dejabas de leer una novela y pasabas a leer una guía turística.
3. La lectura es sencilla, pero carece de emoción. No hay apenas acción, todo se trata de cómo Jennifer vive la acusación contra Emma y la información que va recibiendo. Pero no había nada que me hiciera continuar leyendo excepto que no suelo dejar libros a medias. Nada que me hiciera pensar: “¡Qué intriga! ¿Qué ocurrirá en el siguiente capítulo?”
4. El “giro argumental” es predecible. Aunque hubo algo que no entendí (quizá porque lo estaba leyendo rápido para terminarlo ya):
Entiendo que a muchos les haya gustado, pero a mí me ha parecido más de lo mismo.
November 24, 2014
The Perfect Mother is an interesting book. It will hold the attention of some readers because of its attempt to mirror the Amanda Knox case and interesting to me because I believe it addresses the issue of “helicopter” parents and does it quite convincingly. Jennifer Lewis is an excellent example of this parenting style and sadly, not an exaggeration. Her daughter, Emma, is hopefully an exaggerated illustration of its result. It wasn’t the story itself that held my attention, but the mother’s thoughts, actions, and reactions to incidents as they unfolded. Emma, a young and privileged Princeton student, studies abroad in Seville, becomes involved in what she believes to be radical and altruistic politics, leading to murder and eventual incarceration in a Spanish prison for women. Her parents are stunned, angry and portrayed rather convincingly by the author as “ugly Americans.” The murder victim, his parents, and even Paco, the daughter’s lover and partner in crime take a backseat to the unfolding of this American family’s life. I understand the interplay between Jennifer and Roberto, the detective, but found it unnecessary and a bit distracting from what I thought was the true heart of the story. Fans of “Defending Jacob” might enjoy Nina Darnton’s “The Perfect Mother.”
December 14, 2014
For a legal thriller, The Perfect Mother is really lacking in suspense. As seen through the eyes of a well-off, self-satisfied "perfect" mother, this story of a daughter caught up in a criminal investigation while on her junior abroad is really every parent's worst nightmare: The seemingly ideal daughter is suddenly implicated in a murder, has turned cold and hostile, and seems to hate everything the parents stand for. The more Jennifer tries to help Emma, the more alienated she becomes, not just from Emma but from her entire family.
The writing style didn't particularly work for me. It was kind of clunky, and every once in a while there would be a random perspective shift for a line or two. Jennifer's inner drama wasn't all that interesting, and her self-deception wasn't taken far enough to actually yield any results. There's a half-baked, highly inappropriate kinda-romance that adds nothing to the story, and the big reveal at the end wasn't terribly shocking.
All in all, I'd say The Perfect Mother was an okay read -- I wasn't exactly bored, and I did want to know how it would end, but I'm not left with much of an impression at all.
The writing style didn't particularly work for me. It was kind of clunky, and every once in a while there would be a random perspective shift for a line or two. Jennifer's inner drama wasn't all that interesting, and her self-deception wasn't taken far enough to actually yield any results. There's a half-baked, highly inappropriate kinda-romance that adds nothing to the story, and the big reveal at the end wasn't terribly shocking.
All in all, I'd say The Perfect Mother was an okay read -- I wasn't exactly bored, and I did want to know how it would end, but I'm not left with much of an impression at all.
November 7, 2014
The Perfect Mother seemed to mirror some real events in the news from the past few years. Jennifer is so proud of the job she has done, raising well-adjusted children and living the perfect suburban life. As the story unfolds, however, you realize her life isn't as ideal as she likes to think, but she has become a master of overlooking the cracks and imperfections. Her daughter Emma has been accused of murder, and Jennifer is forced to open her eyes to a side of Emma that she never imagined. Jennifer must also examine her life and the choices she makes. A frightening story for mothers sending their daughters away for college.
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