Imperfect Women

A Novel

By: Araminta Hall

Narrated by: Helen Keeley

Don’t miss the limited series adaptation starring Scandal’s Kerry Washington and The Handmaid’s Tale’s Elisabeth Moss, streaming on Apple TV starting March 18!

From the author of Our Kind of Cruelty comes an enthralling, irresistible novel of psychological suspense about three women and the destructive power of buried secrets.

When Nancy Hennessy is murdered, she leaves behind two best friends, an adoring husband and daughter, and a secret lover whose identity she took to the grave. Nancy was gorgeous, wealthy, and cherished by those who knew her—from the outside, her life was perfect. But as the investigation into her death flounders and her friends Eleanor and Mary wrestle with their grief, dark details surface that reveal how little they knew their friend, each other, and maybe even themselves.

A gripping, immersive novel about impossible expectations and secrets that fester and become lethal, Imperfect Women unfolds through the perspectives of three fascinating women. Their enduring, complex friendship is the knot the listener must untangle to answer the question Who killed Nancy?

Imperfect Women explores guilt and retribution, love and betrayal, and the compromises we make that alter our lives irrevocably. With the wickedly sharp insights and finely tuned suspense that has drawn comparisons to Patricia Highsmith and Paula Hawkins, Araminta Hall returns with another thought-provoking tour de force.

A Macmillan Audio production from MCD

great story

if you liked Pretty Little Lies, you'll love this! I'm glad I found this author.

Loved this book

Great writing. Fabulous story line. We’re all imperfect so I feel like we all can relate. Can’t wait to see the show.

Simple & melodramatic

If a B Movie and an overwrought novella had a baby this is it. Holy mackerel. Not sophisticated writing or storytelling whatsoever. I’m mind boggled that the reviews are so high for this. The book itself must be better - it’s definitely ideal for a tv mini series. POV of three women friends — but a dragging failed attempt at genuine character development and the intended intricacy never actually lands. I get what the author was going for, but she just missed the mark leaving me throughly exhausted. The narrator’s voice is lovely but the narration style itself is quite corny, slow and basic. I could barely get through it. The “romance/sexual” aspects were so silly you’d think a precocious 12 yr old girl was writing a romance novel. I’ve listened to excellent stories/hundreds of audibles — this one just doesn’t stand up. Overall VERY melodramatic - like junior theatre, If I could I’d get my credit back.

Good read

This books storyline was interesting and did each character justice but it was lengthy and I did struggle at times to get excited about listening to it. The ending was good but was so hopeful the box held a deed or something for Ellie! Thank you!

Who needs friends like this

When I think of friends I think of the people in my life that are invested in my happiness and I them. The title suits this book very well - Nancy, Elenor, and Mary are true to the title “Imperfect Women”.
The description doesn’t at all match what this book is about to me. The use of the word “friends” is very much misguided. Perhaps former friends, lies you tell, backstabbers is better. The only thing about this book that I liked was last two chapters, the end. Much like “presumed innocent” - the show not the book, explains the cautionary tale infidelity has on the adulterers children- who seem to suffer the most.

SEMI SPOILER ALERT- Each woman Mary, Elenor, and Nancy all struggle in their own ways- Mary’s struggles were more fleshed out, Elenors is a bit flushed and at a high level you can infer certain things, and Nancy well I’m stil trying to figure out her issue maybe it’s having too much money, it’s very surface level. The women all tend to respond by having inappropriate sexual relationship’s with the spouses of others. This left me asking 1. Are there a limited number of men across the pod? 2. What was Nancy’s problem? 3. Education, family support, and wealth isn’t helping anyone in this book.

SPOILER ALERT- When I found out Nancy was sleeping with her dear best friend Mary’s husband I was ok that someone had killed her. This author did a good job making you feel for Mary until her chapter when you find out that she shortly after earning her Ph.D was having an affair with her boss Howard, what a cliche. What did shock me was that she got pregnant and married him. I did chuckle when her dad said it’s ok be a single mom and we will help (her dad knew Howard was a pos eff boy). What I was concerned with was that Mary was so smart and settled for a jerk. That she didn’t think he would do the same to her. Book smarts vs common sense I guess or maybe I will blame the love bubble.

The men- Marcus is the only redeemable male character here.i mean poor kid to see with his own eyes and be impacted by the knowledge that his father is sleeping with his mom’s best friend who is also his God mother- yikes. It was very predictable what his role in the book would be. The rest of the men in this book are hmm or have hmm… no redeeming qualities other than sexually pleasuring woman. The emotional and verbal abuse both Howard and Robert inflicted was hard to read. I felt for Mary the most and would have had more sympathy for Nancy after her postpartum but her terrible decisions and whining ness over I don’t even know what she was upset about was hard. Maybe that was the authors point I don’t know.

All in all - This is one time when I hope the show is better than the book.