Rating: A+

Setting: Contemporary

Hero: Zachary Benedict

Heroine: Julie Mathison

Judith McNaught's novel Perfect is just that....perfect! Zack Benedict is a former Academy Award winner actor/director, wrongly convicted for the murder of his wife. Julie Mathison is a small-town school teacher who wants to carve out a ‘perfect’ life for herself as a way of atoning for her early childhood years of being a street urchin. Their paths cross when Zack escapes from prison and Julie gives him a ride thinking him an ordinary hitch-hiker. 

The roller coaster ride starts when recognizes Zack and tries to escape, Zack has to kidnap her and force her to drive him to his hide-out. Once they are at the cottage, Zack can't let Julie go for the fear that she would inform police about his whereabouts which means they are stuck together and thus begins one of the most over-whelming romance stories. 

I can't list all of the reasons I love Perfect since there are so many of them, but some of them are: It's a complete clash of Julie's optimistic innocence with Zack's jaded cynicism that drives the story. Another thing to admire is Julie's courage in taking the plunge in allowing herself to love Zack even when he didn't have respectability to offer as an attraction. Yes, he had killer looks but he was also a escaped convict which didn't fit at all in Julie's idea of being perfect. 

This is one of my all-time favorite books with certain parts (like Zack's letter to Julie, the phone call he made from South America) almost memorized. I also like the fact how Judith McNaught weaved her support for "Literacy. Pass it on" campaign, targeted at fighting illiteracy among American women.




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