Idea of Perfection

Harley Savage is a plain woman a part-time museum curator and quilting expert with three failed marriages and a heart condition. Douglas Cheeseman is a shy gawky engineer with jug-handle ears one marriage gone sour and a crippling lack of physical courage. They meet in the little Australian town of Karakarook where Harley has arrived to help the town build a heritage museum and Douglas to demolish the quaint old Bent Bridge. From the beginning they are on a collision course until the unexpected sets them both free. <p/> Elegantly and compassionately told <i>The Idea of Perfection</i> is reminiscent of the work of Carol Shields and Annie Proulx and reveals Kate Grenville as a writer of extraordinary talent (<i>The New York Times Book Review</i>).