One Whole and Perfect Day [Hardcover]

Judith Clarke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2007

Freakish, thought Lily. That was the word for her family. Not freaks exactly, but getting there.
Sometimes Lily wishes she weren't so sensible. If she were less reliable, then perhaps she'd have more fun. As it is, her hardworking but flaky mom and her dreamy older brother count on her to run the house. She wishes things could be different, but how can she change her responsible ways? Perhaps, she thinks, she should fall in love! Meanwhile, her scheming grandmother is planning a family party and, as is typical, Lily worries. Her fears are not entirely unfounded. Her grandfather has recently disowned her brother, and her brother has a new girlfriend who might not fit in. Her mother will probably bring the loony Mrs. Nightingale from the adult day care center where she works. And these are only the predictable complications. Lily is beginning to understand how easily unimaginable things can happen, too. Back to the question of love, what is this new feeling Lily experiences when Daniel Steadman is near? Could it be the cure?

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Lily feels both love for and embarrassment about her eccentric family: a grandmother with an imaginary friend, an ax-brandishing grandfather, a mother who brings home patients from the elder-care facility where she works, and an estranged older brother, Lonnie, who still can't seem to get his life together. In a series of implausibly coincidental events (Lonnie's girlfriend's mother also happens to be the random stranger who teaches his grandfather a lesson about racism, for example), all of the family members, and many with whom they come into contact, reach new understanding about themselves and their lives, and all make both small and large changes for the better. In the end, Lily realizes her dream: one "whole and perfect day," in which her entire family comes together and finds happiness. The third-person narration alternates among the many characters' experiences, offering the reader an omniscient view of interconnecting lives in a down-to-earth, Australian setting. Heather Booth
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

* --Horn Book

* "Writing with the same warmth and humor that characterized her earliest novels (the Al Capsella series), Clarke introduces a new cast of endearingly eccentric characters who are drawn together to enjoy "one whole and perfect day."...While the novel mainly focuses on Lily's exasperation with her family's peculiarities, the third-person narrative shifts among other characters' points of view, which reveal old resentments as well as their mutual affections, affections that prove to be more deep-rooted than grudges. Filled with surprising turns of events and serendipitous encounters with strangers (who ultimately take on significance in the story), this book celebrates rekindled friendship and blossoming romance.While Lily's voice dominates, this quiet, moving novel rapidly shifts points of view, giving each family member as well as several secondary characters a voice." --Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

* "As in Kalpana's Dream (BCCB 4/05), with which this book shares characters, the eloquence lies in the perfect, fluid movement from character to character and the success with which the book ties all of those characters together in a conclusion riddled with elements of coincidence and destiny. Reminiscent of Perkins' Criss Cross (BCCB 9/05), this Australian import will appeal especially to fans of strong character development and alternating points of view; the birthday-party plotline lies secondary to the portrayal of the characters' internal lives, and readers willing to follow that development will wholly embrace the gentle pacing and pointed exploration of the way lives interconnect." --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Starred Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: Front Street Press (March 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932425950
• ISBN-13: 978-1932425956
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,028,097 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ending too pat, November 26, 2007

By 

gaylelbf (Montgomery, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Whole and Perfect Day (Hardcover)

One Whole and Perfect Day is a pleasant story about a wish that Lily has that her dysfunctional family have "one whole and perfect day." Her grandmother is planning a party hoping to reconcile her grandmother and her brother. Her brother has a new Chinese girlfriend that no one has met. Her mother has promised not to bring home any more elderly people for the weekend, yet is tempted to break her promise. This story's main flaw is the happy ending that is too perfect and too coincidental to be real.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable!, April 27, 2010

By 

Katie Dahlberg (Roseville, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Whole and Perfect Day (Hardcover)

This was definitely an enjoyable read. It doesn't have an intense plot, or any gasp-worthy twists and turns. The title is perfect, because that's what the main extent of the plot is- family and friends trying struggling to be whole, and one girl who pushes for it so she can have her "perfect day."

What I really liked about it was the changing characters. Though it's written in 3rd person, each character has a story and purpose (except for one character- Jessaline. I didn't really understand how she fit) so there isn't really one main character. I also liked the age variations. With most young adult books, you only get a glimpse into the head of the teenage narrator, but these characters spanned from early teens to early eighties.

Everybody connects in a way. When I got into it, I was incredibly confused at why so many characters were being written such large parts, but it all fits. Everybody fits together, hence why the word whole is so perfect for the title. (Almost funny? Probably not. I'm lame, I know) Everybody's issues, which every character has some, intertwine so wonderfully that I appreciated their flaws so much more at the end.

I finished it fairly quickly considering it's not very long. It's not the kind of book that you'll get swept away in, but it's something that definitely will lift your spirits. I laughed a lot, and probably smiled throughout the entire thing. I recommend picking it up, and saving it for a rainy day when you're not feeling so awesome- it'll make you feel a lot better, I promise!

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful book, August 11, 2008

By 

Canadian Reader "Canadian Reader" (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Whole and Perfect Day (Hardcover)

As another reviewer has noted, the ending of this book is not "realistic"...but that's perhaps one goal of the novel: Lily wants one whole and perfect day and she finally gets it in the end after a whole truckload of family dysfunction--a father who abandoned her even before she was born, an artsy-fartsy brother who can't stick to anything, a soft-hearted mother who relies on Lily to be the sensible one while she, a psychologist, rescues "lame-duck" elderly people whose families want a break from them, an apparently racist red-necked grandfather, and a grandmother with an imaginary friend! This is a delightful novel full of quirky characters and fine writing. All of the members of this extended family surprise each other in some way and have hidden aspects which briefly sparkle and shine forth. One does have to suspend one's disbelief to enjoy the novel perhaps, but if one does, the rewards are considerable. I think the book might be more appealing to older young adult females and women in general as it's character rather than plot-driven. This is one of the best written pieces of fiction I've read in some time. Reading it made me consider if I've ever had a whole and perfect day and what such a day would consist of for me.