Past Imperfect: A Novel

This story was mezerizing, engrossing and thoroughly entertaining. I laughed, cried, cringed, and lived through it all right along with the characters. Many who complain of the lengthy descriptions aren’t reading the book for what it is. It was the impartation of the philosophy of English upper class and what they went through in the tumultuous sixties and seventies and what it did to shape what British society is today. He is brilliant. Every word was selected to mean something. But then, one must actually care about British society to appreciate his painstaking presentation of that portion of history from that perspective. It was the unraveling of a culture and the rewinding it back up again. It was not only how it affected those caught up in the times but also how it has created what it has become. Take the time to read this book slowly and see it from the eyes of one who lived through it. It is pure gold.

Julian Fellows writes novels as spell binding as his films. He has his own generation of aristocrats down to a tee. The narrarator is quite objective and a good man to his group of friends who gather for The Season in 1960's London. We learn about the individual characters of this group, and watch the evolution of the narrarator's unrequited love for one of the girls. The characters are about the sixth year of "the baby boom" and it's especially fun to follow them into middle age. The horrible evening that is referred to throughout the book is almost anti climatic to the remainder of the story, but it does give the reader an idea of the still youthful attitude of the crowd. Fellow's other novel could be the same group in a different circumstances. Reading both is a good idea. One book compliments the other. American readers will be fascinated by the tiny details of upper class British life which Fellow shares as one would an important but inside secret. I wanted to grab a pen and write them down as guidance of what Not to do in Britain. I found six - you might find more. And, American's shouldn't be huffy about the aristocratic and social climbing parents in the book. I see young people now are marrying later in life when they have experienced how well they can live. Many are examining their potential spouses for more than romantic love and considering what compromises would be necessary to live the life they imagine for themselves. The book is filled with memories, songs of the period,a treasure hunt and is thought provoking. Very well titled!!

Throughout the book, we never find out the narrators' name. Only that he is a moderately successful writer, who graduated from Cambridge circa 1970. At the time, his friends include an incredible range of aristocrats and socialites. He introduces a fellow student, Damian Baxter to the group. This is the basis for the story. As a dying billionaire software entrepreneur Damian summons the narrator to his stately home. He wants to locate the source of a rather rude letter. Damian and the narrator figure out the letter means that Damian might have fathered a child, some 40-years ago. Now, Damian is desperate to find an heir to inherit his huge fortune. Throughout to book we are haunted by an episode at Estoril. Only at the end, do we find out what happened there. Events that build up to the Estoril incident, form the story, as we flash back in time from the narrator's present investigations of potential mothers, to his and Damian's past involvements and encounters. In all, Past Imperfect is beautifully written. It is a fascinating insight into 1968 to early 1970's society. How did a group of friends, the offspring of wealthy parents interact with one-another? I just loaned it to a friend but maybe I'll read it again!

In PAST IMPERFECT by Julian Fellowes, we have an unnamed narrator who is contacted by a former friend, Damian Baxter, to locate a woman who he believed gave birth to his child in 1968. Our narrator reluctantly agrees to this request and begins his quest in a very reflective state of mind and discovers as much about himself (past and present) as he does about the members of a debutante group he was a part of in the late 60s. The story is a bit long, but interesting, detailed, witty and a bit sad. As with Julian Fellowes’ book, SNOBS, the story is told against the backdrop of English class and society. I liked the details of London in the 1960s. I liked the book’s cover art. I became a bit reflective, myself, about past friends and experiences. A great read.

This novel is set in the 1990s and in the late 1960s, telling the story of the young gentry of England who came of age in the 1960s and 70s, the last generation that still had a season, and followed many of the unspoken rules of their class; in which young women had no expectations other than marrying well and having children. The narrator is our guide to this world and the bridge to the new one as he embarks on a mission to help the dying Damian, a "common" man who made a fortune, and a former friend turned enemy. The narrator journeys in memory into the fateful season of 1968, and in fact into finding his friends from that time, in order to discover the identity of Damian's now adult child, and heir to his enormous fortune. During the course of the novel, he reviews his own life in light of new information as well as memory, and in the changes in society, including the notion of class, expectations, youth and maturity. The book is a good read, if not a page-turner. It's chock full of detail, snobbery, dinner parties, house parties, cogent observations, and Brits being Brits.

A very enjoyable journey through some almost unbelievably embarrassing but amusing events of the personal history of many of us who weathered our youth and the shifting of classes in the sixties and seventies. The book takes a little time to take off and get into the nitty-gritty, so to speak but, as always, Fellows "comes out" with his usual elegant brilliance and manages to round the story off very satisfactorily.

Loved this epic novel from start to finish enthralling reading

Author uses descriptive language which captivates the reader. The characters & their flaws in personality are relatable & colorful.

One of the best books of the last past 20 years. I read it in English because the language is fantastic and the style is so elegant: the Italian translation would make me lose all that. A gallery of splendid characters, above of all the enigmatic Damian. The "tableau" of the Sixties is stunnig, evocative, incredible. It makes you feel like you are there, in that lost magic era, but at the same time it shows how different the impact of the Swinging Sixties was for every person. The comparison between the dreams of a generation and the real destinies of when they become adults, is sometimes ruthless and fierce. The dialogues, the descriptions, the psycological digging are so clever, deep, oustanding, and the end... the end is so perfect and moving that it will take your breath away.

I loved the book -- although it is about the aristocracy and their changing role in society, in many ways it reflects society as a whole. There are bores and snobs throughout the classes -- and those that do better than others with the hands they are dealt and those that simply go out there and get what they want. The book covers all the bases. I also loved the references to places long gone -- the Battersea Park permanent fun fair, for example. The rich may have had the money to cordon off parts for private parties (as Diana did for her boys at the fun fairs in the eighties and the mega rich do today), but that fair was magical for many others who didn't mind rubbing up against the crowds. And the fun fairs weren't as packed in those days -- no half an hour queues for a big ride. So all told, a lovely book, beautifully written and full of both social and emotional nuance. I've read Snobs too -- the first Fellowes book I read and, as soon as I put it down, I downloaded this one. He knows how to write and what interests the reader. He also knows his subject well and his confidence and humour shine through.