Near Perfect: A Novel [Hardcover]

Sharon Mitchell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 11, 2001

Eric Jerome Dickey hailed Sharon Mitchell's novel, Nothing but the Rent, as "sparkling, spirited, soulful, and sensational . . . a magnificent debut." The Philadelphia Tribune compared it to the novels of Terry McMillan-"an entertaining and illuminating study of female bonding." Now the acclaimed author gives us Near Perfect, a novel about love and friendship and the powerful ties that hold women-and men-together.

For the past five years, Roxanne's life has been near perfect: Her husband, Jamal, is a football star, and they have a strong relationship. But when tragedy strikes, Roxanne will need all the support she can get. Her old friends Gayle, Monique, and Cynthia, busy with their own lives, come to the rescue. Yet even they are powerless against the scandals and nasty allegations that erupt around her. It is Linc, her husband's best friend, who helps Roxanne cope with her sudden upheavels and notoriety. But a devastating secret and the unexpected appearance of another woman force Roxanne to confront some painful truths-about Jamal, Linc, and herself.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of this semisequel to Mitchell's Blackboard-bestselling first novel, Nothing but the Rent, Roxanne Steele, wife in a "near perfect" five-year marriage to professional football star Jamal, has everything any woman could want except a baby. Roxy, a member of the quartet of African-American college friends featured in Mitchell's debut, is happy with Jamal, but she becomes obsessed with getting pregnant. The novel begins with a lusty marital sex scene followed by an indiscretion committed by Jamal while on tour, which, if divulged, might undermine his wife's trust in him; there'd been no trustworthy men in Roxy's life until her marriage, and honesty is of paramount importance to her. All too soon, a tragic accident brings Roxy's best friends Monique, an attorney; Gayle, a busy mother; and Cynthia, still in search of romance to her side; they provide more support than her flighty mother and unhelpful sisters. But it is to Linc Weaver, Jamal's teammate and Roxy's childhood buddy, that Roxy turns for comfort, unaware that Linc's feelings for her are becoming more than friendly. Mitchell, a psychologist at the University of Delaware, knows that women tend to sustain relationships with talk while men are likely to keep their own counsel, which leads to misunderstandings. There are no surprises here, but the audience this novel addresses will find it warmhearted and diverting.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

In this sequel to the popular Nothing but the Rent (1998), Mitchell reunites Roxanne, Gayle, Monique, and Cynthia, each woman having moved on to new romances and relationships, yet their friendship remaining strong and reliable. Roxanne finally marries the man of her dreams, Jamal, a football player who rejects the bachelor life-style of a professional athlete for the security of marriage. As Roxanne and Jamal begin to prepare for a family, tragedy strikes. Gayle, Monique, and Cynthia put their busy lives on hold to come and support Roxanne, who discovers that her childhood friend and husband's best friend, Linc, has been keeping a devastating secret about Jamal from her. As she learns the whole story and comes to terms with all of the scandal, Linc, Gayle, Monique, and Cynthia help her cope with the unpleasant situation. In spite of her shock and disappointment with the people closest to her, Roxanne is forced to accept some truths about herself and acknowledge that she is not perfect nor can she demand perfection from those she loves. Lillian Lewis
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult (October 11, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525946217
• ISBN-13: 978-0525946212
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,491,147 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Could have been perfect-, January 11, 2002

By 

Erica B. Fox "love-kid" (Columbus, Georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Near Perfect: A Novel (Hardcover)

"Near Perfect" opens with feisty Roxanne happily married to famous football player having everything she could ever want, except one thing....a baby. Everything seems near perfect until unexpected tragedies strike. In true sister-friend fashion her girls are there for support; but this time, Roxanne needs the support of her childhood friend more. Roxanne knows her friendships are strong, but are they strong enough to withstand all this and more?

"Near Perfect" is authored in true Sharon Mitchell style. It is well written and entertaining. As usual, she pulls you into her characters lives, has you experience their happiness and heartaches, desires and disappointments. This book will take you through relationships that have thrived on deception and jealousy and a world that is filled with illegal marriages, illegitimate children and ironically love.

"Near Perfect" was labeled and promoted as the "long awaited follow-up" to "Nothing But The Rent", so Sharon Mitchell fans waited anxiously to find out what happened to that sassy foursome of friends. Unfortunately for us, it didn't quite meet its claims to notoriety. For example, in the opening chapters not only did Ms. Mitchell introduce new characters (Roxanne' husband and her best friend); she started writing about them and their connection with the "familiar" characters as if we (the readers) knew there had been a preceding relationship. I actually had to re-read "Nothing But The Rent" to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything.

Fortunately for first time Sharon Mitchell readers, they will be able to read a wonderful book about friendship and love. Unfortunately for those who are adept Sharon Mitchell readers "Near Perfect" wasn't quite as perfect as it should have been.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heartwarming and Engaging Read!, January 25, 2002

By 

Yasmin Coleman (PENNSYLVANIA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Near Perfect: A Novel (Hardcover)

Near Perfect the semi-sequel/follow-up to Nothing But The Rent by Sharon Mitchell grabbed me from page one. I recall that I didn't really care for Nothing But The Rent and was a little skeptical about reading a sequel so I was pleasantly surprised when I was drawn into the read so quickly. I've read all of Mitchell's book and I must say that she continues to show growth as a writer with every book as each book from her is better than the previous one.

Mitchell reunites us with Roxanne Steele who appears to have the "perfect life"-phine and loving husband, luxurious and large home, money in the bank, great job and all the material possessions she could ever want. However, she is still unfulfilled in one area of her life and that is being a mother. She's almost obsessive about having a child to round out her happy home and perfect life. Unfortunately, her idyllic life will be turned upside down by a tragic event. It's at that junction in the road that she's slapped hard in the face regarding her husband and her marriage.
Roxanne's friends and mother rush to her rescue to help her pick up the pieces and move on but it's Linc, her handsome and protective friend since childhood who helps her to move on and in a new direction. As Roxanne journeys forward, we ache, we cry and then finally we smile again and we rejoice as Roxanne discovers that life and living is near perfect at best.

Near Perfect is a wonderful relationship novel that combines fine writing with suspense and intrigue. Mitchell's tone was engaging, warm, friendly and heartwarming as she allowed the characters to bring the story to life. I must admit that she really threw me for a loop regarding Jamal's character as I was caught completely off guard. However, once I got over the initial shock that twist just added more to the compelling nature of the storyline for me. Near Perfect is an endearing story about love, friendship, family, committment, trust, betrayal and redemption and I highly recommend this novel to others.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read in One Day, November 6, 2001

By 

"vitajay85" (Wilmington, DE) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Near Perfect: A Novel (Hardcover)

I just enjoyed the storyline of this book. In real life, there is so much drama with athletes being unfaithful to their spouses with "groupies" but this had a surprising ending.And it exposed an African American couple who were in the limelight as positive people which, at times can be very lacking in our community. I say positive because they were not just characters who lived the "rich and famous lifestyle" but were also involved in community service, assisting those less fortunate. But the fact that the media tends to try to dig up the worst when tragedies happen is very realistic. Sharon Mitchell is a wonderful writer. I have read all her books, and like the way she makes her stories so realistic that you can relate to the characters and the settings.