Frieda, the recently widowed mother of four-year-old Justin, runs a gallery and supplements her income with Gregg's insurance policy. Glued to one another for the nine years they were together, after a marriage filled with love, laughter and great sex, Frieda knows he can never be replaced - all she needs to do is convince her meddling sisters that she's happier alone. Then she meets an out-of-work actor, and though the sex is hot and the rapport strong, her sisters are less thrilled by his youth (only twenty-five!) and lack of continuous employment.
Her older sister Ilene has her perfect life together - slender, organised, profoundly content with her life and her marriage, all Ilene wants is for her sisters to share her happiness. The only flaw is her husband Peter's perpetual insistence of remaining overweight - it's unhealthy and unattractive, and she's sure he's doing it on purpose. It's the centre of every meal, argument, and attempt at sex (it's hardly Ilene's fault that her husband's naked body repels her).
Youngest sister Betty is fat, bitter and shy. Never comfortable with men, none more so than those she's attracted to, her response to any overture is attack. That is until her colleague Gert forces her to charm Earl, a dashing free lancer whose the hottest thing Betty's seen in a long time. He actually seems attracted to her, and Betty blooms, but Earl's not all he appears.
I could relate to Betty, but found Peter the most interesting character. Frankel has a gift for naturalistic dialogue, and her inter-familial dynamics rang true for me (also one of three sisters). I liked that the women were all flawed but strong, and their foibles were consistent with the way the rest of their characters were drawn. The ending was a little too pat, but other than that I thought The Not-So-Perfect Man (though Men would have been more accurate), light, fun and interesting, with a little more depth than the typical froth. I'll try another Frankel work again soon. - Alex
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