Picture Perfect [Paperback]

Jodi Picoult (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1996

Falling madly in love and beginning what she believed would be the perfect marriage with Hollywood leading man Alex Rivers, renowned anthropologist Cassie Barret is heartbroken when their fairy-tale romance falls apart. Reprint. LJ. AB.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This politically correct Hollywood romance leaves no plotting stone unturned. For her discovery of an ancient human relic, glamorous UCLA anthropologist Cassie Barrett is rocketed to the prominence of a '90s-style Margaret Mead. As if that's not enough, she goes to Kenya as technical consultant on a movie starring hunk-of-the-month Alex Rivers. After a whirlwind romance, Cassie becomes the new Mrs. Rivers, toast of filmdom's beautiful people. But all is not bliss for the newlyweds: Alex's tortured past just won't let go, and Cassie must bear the brunt of his emotional scars. Perhaps attempting to salvage the predictable plot, Picoult administers to Cassie's bland character a dose of adrenalin-pumping amnesia. She also throws in a dollop of Native American culture and a noble savage who skirts the periphery of Cassie's tumultuous existence, always ready with sage advice, spiritual healing techniques and warm embraces. Some rather prettily told Indian legends are added to the mix, but the total effect is wide of the mark. Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club selection; film rights to Dove Audio; audio rights to Brilliance.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Anthropologist Cassie Barrett, suffering from amnesia, is rescued from a church cemetery by Native American cop Will Flying Horse, only to be reclaimed by her Academy AwardR-winning husband, Alex Rivers. A positive pregnancy test triggers memories of abuse at the hand of her star husband, and Cassie turns to Will, who secrets her away in Pine Ridge with relatives for the remainder of her pregnancy term. All of the characters in this recording come from dysfunctional families and offer sad tales of childhood contrasted with details of life among Hollywood's rich and famous. Unfortunately, the audiobook's reading by Sandra Burr and Bruce Reizen is disjointed. Not a necessary purchase, although large popular collections may consider.?Sandy Glover, West Linn P.L., Ore.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 1 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (August 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425154114
• ISBN-13: 978-0425154113
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (115 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,146,973 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up on Long Island with my parents and my little brother, the product of a ridiculously happy childhood. My mom says I've been writing as long as she remembers - my first masterpiece was "The Lobster That Was Misunderstood," at age 5. I honed my writing skills beyond that, one hopes, before I headed off to Princeton, where I wanted to work with living, breathing authors in their creative writing program. Mary Morris was my teacher/mentor, and I really do believe I wouldn't be where I am today if not for her guidance and expertise. I had two short stories published in SEVENTEEN magazine when I was in college. However, when I graduated, a desire to not eat ramen noodles exclusively and to be able to pay my rent led me to take a job on Wall Street (not a great idea, since I can't even balance my checkbook). When the stock market crashed in 1987, I moved to Massachusetts and over the course of two years, worked at a textbook publishing company, taught creative writing at a private school, became an ad copywriter, got a master's in education at Harvard, got married, taught at a public school, and had a baby. My first novel was published shortly after my son was born, and I've always said that the reason I kept writing is because it's so much easier than teaching English.

In fourteen years, I've published thirteen novels: Songs of the Humpback Whale, Harvesting the Heart, Picture Perfect, Mercy, The Pact, Keeping Faith, Plain Truth, Salem Falls, Perfect Match, Second Glance, My Sister's Keeper, Vanishing Acts, and the upcoming The Tenth Circle, this March. Two of my books (Plain Truth and The Pact) were made into Lifetime TV movies; Keeping Faith will be another. My Sister's Keeper is in development at New Line Cinema to be a feature film. And there isn't a single day that I don't stop and marvel at the fact that when I go to work, I get to do what I love the most.

My husband Tim and I live in Hanover, NH with our three kids, a dog, a rabbit, and the occasional donkey or cow.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing, November 28, 2005

By 

Erin Brooks "Erin Brooks" (London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Picture Perfect (Paperback)

This is the story of Cassie, who is found wandering helplessly in a cemetery by a young Indian policeman who just arrived in LA. Cassie suffers from amnesia and we don't know what brought her there, until a hollywood megastar recognizes her as his wife.

This is by far the most disappointing of Picoult's books, and I've read almost all of them and am a big fan of hers. Cassie is amnesic, yet she does remember stuff and it is not clear at all in the book how comes she recovers from her amnesia or actually how it happened. The story goes back and forth between the present, the past, the memories, and leaves readers lost in the middle.

I was surprised by other reviewers who were surprised by the ending. Chapter one gives the ending away in my opinion. What is frustrating is that it takes Picoult 350 pages to make her character realise the obvious.

I also found Cassie to be unreliable and unappealing, let alone her husband Alex, a massive egocentric. The story was very confused, mixing hollywood lifestyle with movie sets in Africa, with anthropology, Indian legends, domestic violence, alcoholism, amnesia - it was just too much for one book and the message was confused.

If you want a superb story of domestic violence, read Black & Blue by Anna Quindlen. If you want a good Picoult book, read The Pact or My Sister's Keeper, but definitely not Picture Perfect.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars THINGS AREN'T ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM....., July 11, 2005

By 

tiffany lynn "Tiffany" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Picture Perfect (Paperback)

After some of the not so stellar reviews of this book I was a little wary of buying it. All said and done, I do not regret it. It is a cautionary tale of what can happen to even the most "perfect" couples and the twisted forms that love can take.

Cassie's tale will no doubt frustrate many readers and I felt as though the ending did not quite deliver, but I still enjoyed the book and would reccomend it.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not as good as Picoult's others..., July 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Picture Perfect (Paperback)

Keeping Faith, The Pact, and Harvesting the Heart are prime examples of Picoult's remarkable talent. I was enthralled by all three of those books. While Picture Perfect was a good read, it lacked the depth and beauty of the others. Still, it was enjoyable.