smart, funny, dark - there is a lot to like in this novel, and i enjoyed it a lot. i enjoyed the different eras and perspectives of this fictional newspaper and its cast of characters. there were two moments that actually made me go "WTF?!?!", and that showed rachman to be a bit of a dark and twisty soul. while i know where this story was headed, once i got there it felt too abrupt and not quite as solid as the rest of the book. i also felt there were some inconsistencies in how characters/story lines were handled. but neither of these criticisms were enough to seriously impact my enjoyment of this novel. ( )

I was waiting for something at the end to tie everyone together, but then I realized part of what makes this novel so good is that the reader makes those connections and the author doesn't waste space spelling it out. Some of the characters are odd and maybe I would've enjoyed more if I had ever worked for a newspaper. I will read more from this author, but not this one again. ( )

I don't know why I thought this book would be funny, must have been an impression I picked up during the purchasing process. It wasn't funny. In fact, it was unrelentingly grim. I enjoyed it quite a lot (grim doesn't turn me off) and did not find, as many others here did, that it was excessively stereotyped. Each character was unhappy in their own, unique way. For me, the structure did hold together. The individual stories were fleshed out just enough to pad the skeleton story. And it was enough. I don't think I would like to know more or read more about any one of the individual characters than I was given. I don't understand the attention that is given to the fact that the novel is about a newspaper. I think any enterprise could have been substituted to the same effect: a restaurant, a classroom, a law firm, a car rental agency. The real story is the back story and not enough detail or attention or importance is placed on the fact of the newspaper to make it of any particular relevance. Nor do I understand the attention give to the fact that it is set in Rome. The fact that Rome is of no relevance whatsoever is deftly handled by one small handprinted sign indicating that the office is outside the country. I did not pick up enough detail about the newspaper business or Rome to make me believe that the novel was written by anyone with more than a passing acquaintance with either. Regardless, I found the back stories intriguing and persuasive. All of the tragedy and misery of people's individual lives shouldered daily and dragged to work, set down underneath the desk while the work day proceeds, to be picked up and carried home at the end of the day. With one or two exceptions the stories are well written and touching and for me the characters are exposed enough to allow me to empathize with them rather than view them as sad specimens. ( )

The Imperfectionists has received nothing but rave reviews at work; in fact, "we" loved it so much that we sent out an email to our customers offering a discount on it, just in an attempt to share it with as many people as possible. So as you can imagine, I was REALLY anxious to get my hands on it! Well, it took a while; the galley was in high demand amongst the staff. But I was patient, and waited in line, and eventually I was rewarded when my turn came up.

I greatly enjoyed it, but I did not love it with the same fervor and intensity as my colleagues. (As a side note, once I admitted this fact, there were several others who agreed that they felt a bit let down after the storewide buzz about it.) That is not to say it isn't a wonderful book. It's beautifully written; it has great, fully developed characters who are both quirky and entertaining; it offers a multifaceted and engaging window into the world of newspaper publishing, both in the 1950s (when the paper is founded) and now, as newspapers are a kind of endangered news form. In fact, in my opinion it has all the necessary ingredients of a great novel. The Imperfectionists is actually a collection of short stories, woven around the common thread of the newspaper. Each main character has a chapter, but also makes cameos in other chapters, a technique that adds dimension and offers the reader a multiple perspectives. Despite the fact that it is a connected collection of stories, it does read more like a novel.

So what is my complaint? What was missing for me? I'm not really sure, to be honest. Maybe nothing. I read the whole thing, I enjoyed it from start to finish, it held my interest and kept me entertained. But I was not in love with it. I recommend you pick up a copy and see for yourself! ( )

Funny at times, poignant at others, tale of the rise and fall of an English-language paper in Rome. (The author worked at the International Herald Tribune.) Each chapter relates a different character's story linked together by the author's tone and their work at the paper. Wonderfully quotable descriptions throughout, plus chapter titles. ( )

I thought this was good. It's not much like what I normally read, in that it's very aggressively "literary" and has lots of "deep" and "meaningful" undertones, but I still found the book to be engaging and well written. The different perspectives on the newspaper combine nicely, and the book has a good pacing that makes it enjoyable to read even when certain sections are really quite depressing.

The book really does lay bare some of the sadder aspects of the human condition, so if you are not a fan of books that lead you to some self reflection, stay away. ( )

Follows the life of small newspaper in Rome and the imperfect lives of those who work there. OK read.

Hmmm. This was a really hard book to wrap my head around. It started very slowly and I didn't really understand the structure with the inset sections about the founding of the paper.

Once I got a handle on things I decided I didn't like it much -- depressing stories. But then, something shifted and I really started to enjoy what was happening. The connections started to make sense and the stories were still sad but not quite as awful and bleak as the earlier stories but then we got to the final chapter and that really was a total downer. It made me feel awful and like it was all just a terrible use of my time. ( )

I liked the feel of this, like short stories all tied loosely to each other through the common experience of the newspaper.

Perhaps not everyone's cup of tea, but short stories are one of my favourite things in the world. ( )

A wonderful little novel with, in many ways, a Roman newspaper as the main character. However, the novel consists of 11 short chapters where one of the newspapers' employees takes center stage, becoming the main character. What makes the novel so wonderful is just how well Rachman is able to so completely capture the life & and entire personality of his characters in these brief, sparse, and succint chapters. ( )

There was nothing wrong with this book. It was really well written, the characters were real people with real problems... I think the reason I'm only feeling three stars for this book is the structure. It's a collection of stories, linked by the story of the newspaper. I never felt 'hooked' by this story. All the same, [b:The Imperfectionists|6834410|The Imperfectionists|Tom Rachman|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1291052624s/6834410.jpg|7045390] provides a very fine snapshot of an era that may be coming to an end. ( )

[b:The Imperfectionists|6834410|The Imperfectionists|Tom Rachman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327935648s/6834410.jpg|7045390] is both a novel and a short story collection. To me, it reads like a novel, but each chapter could standalone as a short story. It is the story of an international newspaper being published out of Italy. Each chapter takes us into the life of one of the characters associated with the newspaper. All of the characters have a relationship to the newspaper, but each one is totally unique and perfectly drawn. Every detail is necessary and so thought through. It's just beautifully vivid.

It isn't a pretty picture of humanity, but the flaws are ones that we see all around us. Who doesn't know a person who tries to avoid all their responsibilities? Or a person who is terribly lonely? Or a person whose choice of a mate seems both insane and yet somehow understandable?

In the end, I just felt that Rachman is incredibly talented. I admired what he did while also being engaged by it. ( )

Mixed feelings about the novel. It was well-written and held my interest all the way through, and was very funny in places. All the main characters had major problems, reasonable given the title. But I kept feeling that the author had a real streak of cruelty; every time I started feeling sympathetic to a character they were either shown as being worse than you realized, or something awful happened to them. I felt like the author was being heartless to his own creations.

Listened to the audiobook, the reading was ok but nothing special. ( )

Absolutely incredible, I didn't think I would like it as much as I did. So brutally honest. Makes me really hurt for the publishing industry, especially newspapers. I wonder what The Imperfectionists would look like now? ( )

This book is about a Rome based English newspaper and the many characters that have worked there over the decades. The chapters are little vignettes of each character and their imperfections. It skips back and forth time-wise, but it is not at all distracting. I did not really like any of the characters, and only two of them were interesting enough that I wished more was written about them. ( )

I was in Rome in 2007, and I'm from Atlanta-ish, two facts which made me love this book even more than the format, the choppy perspectives. It's almost a book of short stories, but the first-person chapters of people struggling through life - fairly depressing, in some ways - interwoven with the vignettes about the owner and his successors swirls into life, sucking you into their network and their relationships. I loved it. I love short stories, I love varying perspectives, I love Rome, I love/hate Atlanta (which doesn't exactly play much of a part in this book), I loved this. ( )

I will admit that this book is making me think. I enjoyed it more towards the end when I got the hang of it being character studies. ( )

What a depressing little book. All characters are very unlikeable and things usually do not end well for them. And yet, I strangely enjoyed it. ( )

A collection of sharp and insightful, at times flinch-inducing, character sketches. I felt like I knew many of these people a page into their chapters. A quick but memorable read. The only reason I don't give it five stars is the abrupt, mysterious ending (damned post-modernists). ( )

Great look at the newspaper industry - especially in the early 2000s as it battles the rise of technology. This is a small newspaper in Rome - started on the whim of Cyrus Ott an American billionaire who wants to make amends with a former lover - essentially this is his gift to her. She and her husband make it a viable enterprise and the story follows the paper through about 50 years. Most of the action takes place in roughly present-day and follows a handful or so of the paper’s employees, working in various capacities- each gets his/her own chapter and headline so the stories are independent but interwoven. There is their big story but also their personal lives: Arthur Gopal who writes the obits and is at the bottom of the pecking order - suffers personal tragedy that makes him a better writer and he rises through the ranks. Herman Cohen the picky publisher whose mentor turns out to be a flop and frees him to be his own self. Kathleen Solson, the editor in chief who walks the line between bitchy boss and exacting professional and a few others from copy editors to foreign stringers and three generations of the hapless Otts. ( )

I enjoyed this book, with all of its faults, which are so clearly described by other readers in this forum. Rachman is a skilled writer who can engage, and I look forward to reading his future works. ( )

Interesting idea. The story of a international newspaper in Rome and
the folks who publish it. Great writing but I found myself really
not caring for any of the characters. Also, the novel was set in Rome, however you did not get any sense of the 'eternal city'. Just a story
of ex-pats and their problems. ( )

The journalism crowd may find this one pretty interesting. ( )

All journalists and journalism students should read this! Deeply empathetic, sometimes funny, mostly sad in a realistic kind of way, always detailed and clever. Highly recommended! ( )

This was great fun to read... Makes me wonder what the back stories of my office mates might be. Or better yet, what the backstories of the Dodge staff might have been! ( )