title: Almost Perfect Moment, An: A Novel
author:  Binnie Kirshenbaum 
description: Columbia University fiction professor Kirshenbaum (Hester Among the Ruins) mixes biblical lore with Brooklyn culture in her latest novel, a tragicomic tale of mah-jongg, thwarted love and the mysteries of faith in 1970s Carnarsie. Valentine Kessler, a lovely, slightly spacey Jewish teenager who's "the spitting image of the Blessed Virgin Mary as she appeared to Bernadette at Lourdes," is the book's enigmatic center. Around her swirl the shifting allegiances of high school friendships, the neighbors ("The Girls") with whom her mother trades gossip and mah-jongg tiles, and the increasingly desperate lives of two of her high school teachers, John Wosileski and Joanne Clarke. While cold, disappointed Joanne, who's got her eye on John, sabotages her chances at love, ?ohn, who privately aches for Valentine, succumbs to inertia, exhausted by the "thought of rallying" against life's challenges. Kirshenbaum's rendering of these two allows for painfully funny insights, but tenderhearted readers may wish their lives were a little less miserable. Much more fun are "The Girls," four middle-aged housewives. From Judy Weinstein, the queen of gold lam, to Valentine's obese mother, Miriam, who substitutes food for passion, they are vibrant and warm ("Girls. Girls. Are we gabbing or are we playing?"). Kirshenbaum's narrative style is a little restless, relying more on clever snapshots than fleshed out scenes, as she jumps from one character's perspective to the next. But she gracefully mixes comic takes on familiar domestic scenes with the poignant story of Valentine, who wants to be the Blessed Virgin but also to experience sexual pleasure. Complications and heartache abound, but they're mitigated by Kirshenbaum's humane humor and sly wit.<br />Copyright  Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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  # The Perfect Moment in Peril
  
  
  ### Book 2 of the Perfect Moment Trilogy
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## Kenneth Preston
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events
  and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or are used
  fictitiously.
  
  
  
  
  
  Copyright © 2017 Kenneth Preston
  
  
  
  
  
  All rights reserved.
  
  
  
  
  
  This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of
  America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material are
  artwork herein is prohibited without the express written permission of the
  author.
  
  
  
  
  
  Published by Kindle Direct Publishing
  
  
  
  
  
  First Printing: August 2017
  
  
  First Edition: August 2017
  
  
  
  
  
  Cover design by OctagonLab
  
  
  [ Created with Vellum](http://tryvellum.com/created)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Contents
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 1](part0003.html#2RHM0-6e25255d14374504aca975f99aa5f71e)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 2](part0004.html#3Q280-6e25255d14374504aca975f99aa5f71e)
  
  
  
  
  
  