The Imperfectionists [novel]

I love January. One, because it's perfect weather for curling up with a book (or electronic reading device) and a cup of cocoa. And two, because all those "Best of the Year" lists come out and I don't get so overwhelmed looking through the thousands of books available!

One book on many top ten lists is The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman. It reads like another one of those books written in the "a novel in short stories" style which I'm not really fond of, but seems to be a popular technique these days (Olive Kitteridge and Let The Great World Spin come to mind). It revolves around the slow demise of an English language newspaper in Rome. The chapters tell stories of the reporters and editors (and one avid reader) who work at the paper.

Since each chapter focuses on one character, some chapters are more engaging than others. Some characters are more interesting than others. All of the people have some serious flaws (but then I suppose we all do) . And they are loosely tied together because sometimes someone from a previous chapter has a minor part later on. I found that to be interesting...the differences in people in the work and personal lives. I also found the inner workings and politics of the newspaper business intriguing.

If you like rich character studies, it's a worthwhile read. But if you're looking for a plot and suspense, not so much.

This one's on my Kindle (I do have some actual paperback books to give away, I just haven't gotten around to reading them yet!)