I enjoyed this, but not quite as much as her first book. This book revolves around three women who have been best friends since college: Eleanor, Nancy, and Mary. Two of the three are married, one happily in love, the other, ehhh? The men they are married to are just absolute repulsive fucking assholes. Sorry- no other way to say it. When Nancy is found murdered, Eleanor must be the one to tell her husband that she was trying to break things off with a lover on the night she died. This is complicated, but really isn't even the tip of the deception/betrayal iceberg that is this book. So, there were parts of this that just dragged a little for me and the men, like I said, were just AWFUL. I really enjoyed learning more about who nancy was underneath her "perfect" outer layer. I felt like this title was very appropriate and well-chosen for this book.

Nancy, Eleanor and Mary have been best friends since college. Now many years later Nancy is found dead. The story starts off with the remaining friends and their families trying to figure out what happened to Nancy. They find out she was having an affair but no one knows who with.
While I really wanted to like this book, and I thought I would enjoy it but I did not. I read the first half then I took a long break because I just was not interested anymore. Then I picked it back up determined to finish it and I did but I didn’t enjoy it. The story is told through a few different perspectives and all different timelines. It was a bit confusing at times and also I found a lot of the scenes just didn’t add anything to the overall story. If anything I felt things were repetitive. I gave it a 3-star rating only because I liked the original idea of the story. The mystery surrounding Nancy’s death. Sadly I was let down by the rest of the book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release Date: Aug 4 2020

Araminta Hall’s novel, Imperfect Women, a tale of murder, female friendship and the splintered lives made by the pressure of choices, is told through the eyes of three very different women: Eleanor, Mary and Nancy, friends who met in University and have stayed close for decades. Their lives have taken very different paths: Eleanor works for a charity organization and on the surface seems to have the career every women wants. But when it comes to her personal life, she has no long-term relationships and no children. Nancy, the beauty of the bunch, is married to human rights lawyer, Robert. They have a gorgeous London home, a child in university, and to all outside appearances, the perfect marriage. Yet Nancy also feels like a bit of a loser. She didn’t have the great career she expected, and she had a difficult time adjusting to having a child. And that brings us to Mary who is an earth goddess type. She’s married to self-focused academic Howard, has children and lives in domestic chaos. These three women feel imperfect and inadequate in various ways for the choices they’ve made.

Imperfect women

The novel opens with a call to Eleanor in the middle of the night from Nancy’s husband, Robert. Nancy didn’t return home after having dinner with Eleanor at a restaurant. Eleanor joins Robert as they wait for Nancy’s return, but only the police arrive to break the news that Nancy has been found dead.

In the wake of the murder, it’s revealed that Nancy was having an affair with a married man. Eleanor knew of the affair but only in scant detail while Robert says he suspected the affair. When Eleanor tells the police that Nancy had tried repeatedly to break off the affair, the mystery lover becomes the prime suspect in Nancy’s murder.

The story unfolds through 3 narrative voices: Eleanor, Nancy and then Mary. Through these alternating voices, we see how these three very different women struggle with their fractured identities through career, marriage, children. Eleanor has a great career but no personal life, and even though she doesn’t want children, she’s confronted frequently with this very personal decision:

“You know, I’m getting to that age where everyone asks me if I have kids, and when I say I don’t, they actually ask me why not, or if I want them which they would never, ever do to a man. And there’s this kind of judgment behind the question that I’m not fulfilling my womanly duties by becoming a mother. And then I work with lots of women who have children and they’re constantly feeling guilty and definitely being judged by the same people who judge me for not having them, or you for not working.”

Nancy has a good husband and marriage but having a child led to disaster and estrangement from Robert. She feels deeply lacking because she never had the career everyone expected her to have. And as for Mary, she has centered herself on the family. Her home life is bitter and chaotic and she’s become a doormat for her selfish controlling husband. Mary seems happy, but to her two friends, she’s wasted. None of these women ended up with the lives they expected to have.

Women, Eleanor thought, carry guilt and responsibility like a second skin, so much so it weighs them down and stops them from ever achieving quite everything they should. She knew also that a man faced with the true extent of a woman’s guilt only ever really thinks she is mad, she could hear it already in Robert’s tone. Madness, neurosis, heightened emotions, are all such easy monikers to apply to women.

While this is a crime book, the plot explores the fallout from the crime, and the impact on Nancy’s friends and family. But much more than that, it examines how women betray women. There’s always been a subtle animosity directed towards Nancy from her friends due to her looks and marriage, so when she turned to Eleanor for help, Eleanor was impatient as she felt that Nancy’s issues were self manufactured and slight. Yes men betray women, but perhaps betrayals from other women are worse. Just as there are cracks in long-term marriages, there are cracks in long-term friendships. Years create divisions and low-level resentments. It all comes down to that-mile-in-my-moccasins thing.

I liked this book quite a bit. By the time Mary’s section rolled around I had guessed the perp, so this section seemed long-drawn out until it arrived at the obvious. But apart from that, the way in which the author peels back levels of guilt and dissatisfaction in the lives of these three women adds depth to the tale.

Review copy

After reading (and loving) Araminta Hall's previous novel, OUR KIND OF CRUELTY, I was anxious to begin her followup book, IMPERFECT WOMEN. I was expecting this to be another domestic thriller, but it's more of a character study with some suspense layered on top of it. The focus of the story is the long-lasting friendship between three women and their relationships.

Eleanor, Nancy, and Mary have known each other for decades--but how well do they really know each other? The book is divided into three sections, each told from the POV of the three friends. Early in the book, we learn that Nancy has been killed after having an extramarital affair. Eleanor becomes involved with Nancy's cuckolded husband, Robert, even while searching for Nancy's killer. The story then shifts to Nancy's perspective, and we learn the identity of her lover and about the events that led to her demise. The last section focuses on Mary and her troubled marriage and how it impacts her friendships.

Once I tempered my expectations and realized the story was about the three women characters and less about the mystery, I enjoyed the story. Some readers will be disappointed that suspense doesn't play a larger role, but there's still something to be gained from delving into the complexity of the three women's relationships.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Araminta Hall's latest novel is a genre buster! I'm calling it a Chick Lit thriller.

Nancy, Eleanor and Mary have been best friends since they first started college. Now, years later, their lives have taken very different directions. One early morning, Eleanor gets a call from Nancy's husband that Nancy has not come home. Eleanor and Nancy had had dinner the night before, and Nancy had left dinner to meet one last time with her lover and break things off. When the police discover her body, there are two suspects - Nancy's husband and her lover. Then against all advice, Eleanor starts an affair with Nancy's husband. But is he the murderer? Or not?

Eleanor, Nancy and Mary each get a chance to tell their story. They each struggle with the choices they have made in life and how their choices impact their other relationships. Ms. Hall shows remarkable and keen insight into the expectations that society places on women in their roles as wives and mothers.

I’m judging a 2020 fiction contest. It’d be generous to call what I’m doing upon my first cursory glance—reading. I also don’t take this task lightly. As a fellow writer and lover of words and books, I took this position—in hopes of being a good literary citizen. My heart aches for all the writers who have a debut at this time. What I can share now is the thing that held my attention and got this book from the perspective pile into the read further pile.

Unfortunately, in the case of this novel, I can share what compelled me to put the book down.

Their eyes met as he spoke, and Eleanor felt a jolt of terror pass through her as she realized that everything about Nancy's death was worse than any other death anywhere.

I’m a journalist who reports on child fatalities, so initially what drew me to the idea of this novel was Hall’s work and experience as a journalist, but I found this sentence incredibly short-sighted.

Nancy, Mary, and Eleanor have been friends since university, and their friendship has survived the onset of middle age, motherhood, and marriage. When Nancy is found murdered after a night out, suspicion soon falls on her husband, but when it's revealed that she was having an affair with a mystery man, everything that Nancy's family and friends thought they knew about her is thrown into doubt.

This is a beautifully written, unflinching exploration of female friendship, resentment, motherhood and marriage. The narrative is split between the three main female characters, and each of their voices is distinct and powerful. I must confess, I found myself less interested in the central mystery than in the bonds of friendship shared by these wonderfully complex characters.

This book didn't grip me but I was intrigued to find out who had killed Nancy. Learning about the friendship of these women and the intricate web woven between them was interesting. Predictable at times but an easy read.

Interesting premise, but none of the main characters were very likable and I didn't think the romantic twist was that believable. The male character was portrayed to be such a despicable creature that I couldn't see how his love interest could have overlooked that.

Imperfect Women is THE perfect title for this book. Then again, imperfect people may have worked just a little better actually, as the husbands of the women in which this story involves around, were far from perfect too. These imperfect women were flawed, insecure (which shouldn’t necessarily be held against them of course, because who isn’t from time to time? Hell, I know I am!), problematic, and just downright unlikeable. And as for the husbands I mentioned? They were just despicable! I didn’t like a single character in this book. And while unlikeable characters aren’t always a novels undoing, it certainly didn’t work in this case.

This book revolves around three women who have been best friends since college, Eleanor, Nancy, and Mary. Two of the three are married, one happily in love, the other, not so much.

Nancy is the one who seems to be the luckiest of the three: beautiful, wealthy, and in love with her husband. But she has her inner demons, as she has always struggled with mental health issues, which only worsened after the birth of her daughter.

Eleanor, who has never married, is bitter, as she harbors anger, hatred, and jealously towards nancy, as she has always been in love with her husband, Richard. Despite the fact that she has a traveling job that she finds meaningful and fulfilling, she can’t let go of her feelings for him, nor her resentment towards Nancy. She may just be my least favorite of the three women. She is just downright petty and ridiculous at times.

Mary is a stay at home mom with a cruel, nasty husband who offers her little support, let alone attention or affection. She met her husband when he was married to another woman and the only reason he left his wife for her was because she learned of his infidelity and Mary being pregnant. Mary ends up as a doormat of a wife to a man who is a serial cheater, neglectful to both her and their children, and just downright cruel and not a good man overall.

Each of the women is unhappy with their lives in their own ways, struggling with their own problems, dealing with their ridiculous, terrible husbands, while making foolish choices, which will ultimately lead to one of their deaths.

While this could have been a pretty interesting story it just…wasn’t. I didn’t like or care about any of the characters, and so each turn of the page and glimpses into each characters’ inner monologues got duller and duller as the story progressed. I never ended up connecting with any of them in any way, shape, or form, and so I just couldn’t bring myself to care about the outcome of what was going to ultimately happen.

And the husbands! They were all just downright despicable and once I finish writing this review I never want to think about any of them ever again.

Sorry, but this one just wasn’t for me.

Nice, twisty thriller told from the POVs of three best friends from college as they enter middle age. The novel was a bit slow in parts, but the twists kept coming. Good summer read.

Araminta Hall's unflinching eye for character is at the heart of this novel, an examination of three women bound together by years of friendship...who discover how tattered or illusive that friendship is. This is a superbly titled tale, for each of these women is deeply flawed and deeply, deeply self-absorbed. There is a coldness at the heart of the narrative...just as there is an iciness at the heart of the "friendships" explored. Introspective and richly written, a novel which will spark conversations about the ways women convince themselves they're not living lies.

Thank you Net Galley and FSG books for the advanced reader’s copy.

The synopsis drew me in but the story wasn’t what I expected. Written in the third-person, the story was divided into 3 parts featuring each major character’s perspective. These 3 women are supposed to have known each other since their college days, but they all seem so self-absorbed that their interactions over the years seem superficial. The book had an interesting premise —how well do we really know our closest friends? The story was well-written with wonderful insights into the societal pressures women face...but I just didn’t connect with the characters. They clearly care about each other, but they didn’t show it. I expected a suspenseful story but what I got was more of a diatribe on women’s issues and friendship (and the author really excels at exploring these issues) —while this is certainly a great topic, there was too much introspection and exposition and not enough actual interaction. .

I’m Afraid this book just wasn’t for me. Really disliked the main characters. Sorry I couldn’t continue. But if you can get past unliveable characters then it seems a great plot x

Another enthralling offering from Araminta Hall. A recommended first purchase for collections where thrillers are popular.

Five fabulous stars for this one!!!!
This author has done it again. The authors second novel is just as fantastic, thrilling, fast paced and interesting as her first.

Imperfect Women is the perfect title. Not only were the three main characters imperfect, they were also downright unlikeable. There was not about any of these 3 women that made me feel connected or even empathetic to their situations. Also, the story line was predictable and concluded in the most predictable way as well.

Another great page turner from Araminta Hall. I couldn’t put it town. The three main characters become so intertwined and so known to the reader , you will be amazed at what the author has does with each one. I loved this book and highly recommend it to all lovers of mystery and suspense. Her book would also be excellent for book clubs.

**3.5 Stars**

"Marriage is very strange. It's as full of hate as it is love. We can't possibly speculate at what happens between any couple when all the doors are shut and all the curtains are drawn."

"Anger is often not cruelty...it is more often love."

I was excited to get an advanced reader copy of Araminta Hall's newest book, Imperfect Women, as I really enjoyed her book, Our Kind of Cruelty, last year. Hall's writing, especially at the beginning of the book, was first rate. There are some jewels scattered throughout the book, too, that I highlighted and certainly won't forget. She has a gift for prose and for writing things that really hit home for me as a woman and working mother.

So why the 3.5 stars? I so wanted to like this book, but about 25% of the way in it seemed to go on a number of tangents. I think heavy-handed editing could have helped the narrative, as Hall often has her characters go into long diatribes on life and feminism. This is certainly not a bad thing in my book, but all of her characters are deeply introspective people who make questionable choices despite their reflectiveness. I am not confident that most people operate with that level and depth of self-awareness on a daily basis, and that's probably what struck me as the most problematic part of the book.

The book is about three female friends who met in college and are now coming of age (despite being of middle age like myself). The friends find themselves tethered to one another when one of them disappears and then is found dead under what is believed to be suspicious circumstances. As the friends investigate what happened, betrayals and unfaithfulness are revealed, making the reader wonder how these three women ever stayed together and trusted one another in the first place.

I've read other reviews of this book now that I'm done with it, and some people have complained that everyone in the book is "imperfect" (hence the title) and irredeemably flawed. Every person out there is flawed, so I don't see this as a big problem. What is a problem, in my opinion, is how self-absorbed all the characters are despite being "friends." They seem to be so flawed that they lack a moral compass needed to have friends - maybe that's Hall's point, that all of these characters were drawn together because they were missing what makes them human. I am not sure.

Nevertheless, I will definitely read Araminta Hall's next book because I enjoy her writing style so much. The plot is where the book fell short for me. 

Thank you to Araminta Hall, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of the book!

While very different from Hall's first book, Our Kind of Cruelty, Imperfect Women is clearly written by someone who knows how to write the logistics behind marriage and all its imperfections. Imperfect Women is a story of wives, their faults, their fears, and what happens when a marriage dissolves. Even as imperfect as the characters are, I found myself drawn to them and wanting to know more about their lives. These are women I could see myself being friends with. I mean, we all have faults, do we not?

Imperfect Women isn't a thriller, and even though there is a bit of a mystery involved, to me, it was more of a story about the inner workings of our minds, and how we deal with the drama and total bs around us. It's a book that's almost humbling in a way.

Imperfect Women publishes 8.4.2020.

5/5 Stars