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    How Perfect Is That
    How Perfect Is That
    How Perfect Is That
    Audiobook10 hours

    How Perfect Is That

    Written by Sarah Bird

    Narrated by Susan Bennett

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Sarah Bird's acclaimed novels include The Yokota Officers Club. In How Perfect Is That Blythe Young is stumbling down Texas' social ladder after some dubious moral choices. Bankruptcy is only the beginning. Soon, Blythe must face the facts and make amends with the world. But first she'll have to fix her nails. "A fried Twinkie of a book-crunchily witty, creamy-hearted and shockingly delicious."-Janet Fitch, author of White Oleander
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateDec 19, 2008
    ISBN9781436183635
    How Perfect Is That
    Author

    Sarah Bird

    Sarah Bird’s novel, Above the East China Sea, was long-listed for the Dublin International Literary Award. A Dobie-Paisano Fellowship helped in researching Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen. Raised in an Air Force family on bases around the world, Sarah is the child of two warriors, a WWII Army nurse and an Air Corps bombardier, who met at a barn dance in North Africa. She lives in Austin, Texas.

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    Reviews for How Perfect Is That

    3.5/5

    39 ratings8 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      a book that is humorous. Blyth is a character that we can both like and dislike at the same time, She gets herself in all kinds of wacky situations. I will definitely read more of Sarah Bird!
    • 4/5
      We’ve all heard the saying, “When you’re at the top, the only way to go is down.” Well, Blythe was at the top. She had it all: the perfect husband, the perfect house and money raining down around her. With nowhere else to go except plummeting off of her perfect cloud, Blythe’s life does just that. Now a divorcee, Blythe kicks herself constantly for signing that dratted prenuptial agreement and although her life is in shambles, it leads to some great laughs for the reader. HOW PERFECT IS THAT by Sarah Bird is a perfect summer read with drama, suspense and the perfect amount of gossip to fuel our fun-loving little hearts.Blythe’s story is that of a ruined socialite. She had it all and then in the blink of an eye lost it all as well. Her catering business is now the only thing that is keeping her head above water and even that is plummeting to the ground. What’s a girl to do when her clients want pâté but refuse to pay her an advance to purchase the goods? Why, she makes it with Crisco, that’s what.Living in a carriage house, Blythe is trying to survive and attempt to feed herself and her business. Only problem is that everyone keeps coming after her for money! Even her employees want to be paid now! Ha! With a cocktail of liquor and psychiatric medications keeping her going, Blythe must find some way to turn her life around and gain the ability to once again stand on her own two feet. Seeing her old friend Millie as her only escape, Blythe will run to her and beg sanctuary. Will Millie stand with Blythe through thick and thin or will Blythe’s escapades push Millie to the edge?I thought HOW PERFECT IS THAT was absolutely hilarious. Bird does an amazing job of instilling realism and humor into her story in such a way that we don’t really question whether or not this could actually happen. Of course it can! Nobody could possibly be creative enough to make up Blythe and her odd ways of going through life…right? Bird’s creativity flows through the pages as we encounter events with Blythe that will both drop our jaws and have us rolling on the floor in laughter at the same time.One of these moments for me was right near the beginning where Blythe decides that she must drug the people at the party she is catering so that they won’t realize how bad the food really is. That scene was unbelievable and hilarious at the same time. I felt horribly guilty for laughing, but how could you not? Bird’s writing makes you laugh, makes you feel. I absolutely loved that about the book and I imagine that anyone else with a tender spot for stories that make you feel something would love this as well.For a quick, fun, summer read I was expecting good characters but fairly shallow depictions. Instead, I found that Bird’s main characters were very well developed with multiple layers of complexity. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times. This adds depth to the story and acts as another handhold for the brain to attach to. Through the characters, we were more able to fully dive into the story and become one with Blythe. Due to her mishaps, this wasn’t always pleasant, but being able to feel that connection with a character in a story was fantastic.HOW PERFECT IS THAT was a lovely book with wonderful characters and a good deal of tension to pull the reader in. I loved the story and I believe my rating should reflect that. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for some good women's fiction, a nice summer read or just something different to carry the mind away. This was a fun story, an emotional story and a great work of fiction by author Sarah Bird.
    • 4/5
      Blythe Young has been given lemons... and has no idea how to make lemonade with them.She was recently married to a very wealthy man and part of a well-known family, but sadly is now divorced and she made the mistake of signing a pre-nup. So she’s broke, wearing last years fashion, living in her friends pool-side cabin, and all while trying to maintain her socialite status but failing miserably. Her last chance is to cater an upscale garden party for one of her ritzy friends but that is a total disaster and the last step off the social ladder for her.She’s bankrupt, being hounded by an IRS agent, and stalked by her irate employees who have not been paid for months, she has been publicly humiliated, and is addicted to pharmaceuticals (oh, and have I mentioned that she hasn’t had a Pap smear in ten years). Luckily for her she remembers a friend (the only one she can remember and whose calls she’s been ignoring) and runs to her for help. The only problem, her friend still resides in the same housing co-op she did back when they were in college. While residing amongst the tattooed, the pierced, the rasta-wannabe’s and the musically hip, she begins to face her sins and make amends for her behavior... but not without getting into all types of scrapes and scuffles along the way.I thought this was hilarious! Blythe is a narrator you will not soon forget. Her story is one full of ups and downs but mostly one of hope. She gets herself into all types of wacky situations and is always in some type of trouble - even when she is trying to do something good it backfires on her. She is funny, sarcastic, witty and clever. All the other characters were quirky and unique and they were just tons of fun. The story is set in Austin, TX and from what I’ve read from other reviewers - the descriptions of Austin are very accurate and there is a lot of Austin-insider info were someone who is not from or has never been to Austin might not fully comprehend. That was definitely not the case with me and I do fall under the category of never been. This is a quick, easy read with an uplifting message that I would definitely recommend.
    • 3/5
      Blythe Young is in trouble. Her rich husband is gone, along with all the trappings that came along with being an Austin socialite. Her business is bust. She owes the IRS big time. She has defaulted on her student loans. Drugs are her only solace. Nowhere to run to, baby.But, then again, Blythe does have somewhere to run to. Her old friend, Millie. And Millie doesn’t let her down. If you’ve never read a Bird, you must do it. Now. If you’re not an Austinite, or at least a Texan, be prepared to enter a unique subculture. It’s funny, but very, very dark. Go for it. It’s summer.
    • 5/5
      Blythe is utterly unlikable, but I completely love her! There’s a list of quotes at the beginning of How Perfect Is That; one is from Vanity Fair. Blythe is indeed reminiscent of Becky Sharp while there are shades of Amelia Sedley in Millie, who Blythe quickly learns is the only one to see even a hint of good in her. To create a character like Blythe, the author has to be talented otherwise she is simply unlikable and the book is put down because the reader doesn’t want to know what horrific act the character will commit next. And let me tell you, Blythe does some pretty horrific things. She intentionally drugs a group of women (her former friends) when they realize she cut corners on the food she provided for the party. Since Blythe is all about money and keeping up appearances, it is very enjoyable to see her forced to return to the “run-down dump” boardinghouse she lived in as a student at the University of Texas.I enjoyed every second of this book. I loved that Blythe’s character stays true even as she starts to evolve into a slightly less self-absorbed person.
    • 4/5
      This book was hilarious. I laughed almost from the first word all the way through. And while I couldn't connect with Blythe on a personal level it was entertaining to try and find reason in her messed up logic. She's been cast aside from her once glamorous life and is trying to wide a wave that has long left shore. While she can't seem to realize it, all of her problems are her fault, not her ex-husband or his "evil" mother. Her look on life is a bit disheartening and I can't say I want to trade places with her, however seeing what she comes up with is hilarious. From the Ruffies to the tandem recumbent bike to the "off label" spa clinic this book just kept me laughing. There are so many moments when I was thinking she's screwed now, but somehow she comes up with something. I know I keep mentioning how funny this book was, but I couldn't stop laughing. Even when I was talking to my bf about what was happening in the book he would chuckle. It's a great pick me up, cause if you feel like you have nothing well Blythe has even less, and she's making due (kind of). It's good chick lit and it was a pretty quick read.
    • 5/5
      Blythe Young has made some serious mistakes in her life and is on a dangerous downward spiral. She has lost all that was important to her. Her friends, her husband and worst of all, her status. She is now forced to work for her money and has a "the world owes me" attitude. With the IRS hot on her trail, how will she survive? She can't go home and she drugged her clients so she can't exactly ask for her check. Then a lightbulb appears and she realizes that she does have somewhere she can go. Her college roommate, Millie, who has a heart of gold will surely take her in. In her desperation she uses the only means she knows to get what she wants. She lies and sucks up. Will Millie take Blythe under her wing and show her the error of her ways or will Millie the saint become as frustrated and fed up with Blythe as everyone else seems to be?I really enjoyed this book. If you have ever made a mistake or lost touch with someone important to you then you will be able to relate to Blythe in some way, shape, or form.Thank you to Sarah from Pocket Books for sending me this book to review.
    • 4/5
      Blythe Young was summarily divorced by her husband and subsequently dumped by her supposed friends from the creme de la creme of Austin society. Desperate not to disappear from the stratified group, she resurrects her catering company, but without the money to produce the events for which she was known in the past. Obviously a dreadful idea, she manages to alienate her so-called friends by serving them hors d'oeuvres from Costco and them knocks them out with tiny doses of Rohypnol. As if that wasn't enough, she is being chased, literally, by the IRS.So she runs to the only place she can find refuge and sympathy: back to the grotty student co-op she lived in with friend Millie before she met the Biggs-Dix family (yes, that really is their name and I snorted each time I read it, feeling grateful when it was shortened just to Dix) and became a social-climbing twit. Millie, because she is the long-suffering and compassionate friend, takes Blythe in, lets her stay, and even forgives Blythe for dropping her like a hot potato when other, more glamorous so-called friends came along. But things won't be quite that easy for Blythe, who must face several of her former employees who also live in the house and whom she hasn't paid. She gets called on the carpet for acting like a spoiled princess to whom things are due. Even Millie quickly reaches her limits with this incarnation of Blythe. And so it is time to learn and practice humility.This is really a novel about friendship and redemption and remaining true to what matters, not just as a fall-back option. And as Blythe learns the importance of these things, she really grows. Almost like the Grinch on Christmas Day, you can see Blythe's heart re-learning how to care, to reach outside of herself, and to lose so much of what was bad about the laser self-focus that had become a hardened selfishness. We watch this transformation without being bludgeoned by the morals and this light touch makes the tone just right. As Blythe learns her lessons, we are reminded of the rightness of what she is learning without feeling as if we are reading a sermon.Blythe's desperation to remain a part of Austin society is definitely over the top but since she has dumped her only other friend in lieu of the barracudas who populate the monied ranks, she really doesn't have a choice. As a reader, you waver back and forth between feeling sorry for Blythe and thinking she's a complete jerk who has gotten what is coming to her. There are other characters too, who walk a thin line in this reader's mind: the sanctimonious Sanjeev and Millie as doormat are just two. But the frustrations over character flaws serves to make them more complex and real than they might have been had I loved them all the time. I was uncertain about the IRS storyline, wondering how on earth Blythe has had enough time to be a serious target for the IRS given that her husband took her for every penny in their divorce, said divorce had only been final a year, and her business went bankrupt in the blink of an eye. The character's own explanation that she was being made an example of based on her name and connection to her ex's family just didn't hold enough weight to be completely believable for me. But that was a minor irritant in an overall cute and entertaining story.Bird excels at this sort of book and this one will delight her readers. It proved a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend a few hours.