Your Perfect Year by Charlotte Lucas: book review

Your Perfect Year (2019) is set in Hamburg, Germany.

Regimented, punctual, routine-fixated 42-year-old divorced publishing figurehead Jonathan N. Grief is easily annoyed. He begins the first day of January at the gym, but someone—named H—has left their Filofax planner journal in the gym. The planner has the hand-written title ‘Your Perfect Year.’

In trying to find the owner, Jonathan begins to read the proverbs and inspirational comments in the journal. He begins to undertake the activities planned in H’s journal. There are suggested movies to watch and places to go.

H is actually Hannah Marx who had given the planner to her boyfriend Simon with notes on achieving happiness.

Hannah had planned for Simon to write gratitude statements, and now Jonathan wrote one—his very first entry. Hannah had planned for Simon to invite a friend to stay in the spare room. Okay, Jonathan thought he would invite Leopold to stay for awhile.

Hannah is on the hunt to find the journal. Why hasn’t anyone handed it into the police station? Or put an announcement in the newspaper?

Their paths cross, unbeknownst to either Jonathon or Hannah. On the date marked as H’s 30th birthday in March, Jonathon does as the planner suggests—he goes to the Lutt Café in the afternoon for coffee and cake. Hannah goes too, but at the entrance, she decides to go elsewhere.

This novel has a slow start and a rushed ending. It’s a bit more than a light and breezy romance tale because it covers some intense themes. However, it’s not the type of story I would usually read, although many readers would find it satisfying to the end.

MARTINA NICOLLS

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MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of: The Paris Residences of James Joyce (2020), Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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