The Idea of Perfection

Kate Grenville · b. 1950 · Australia

Why it matters

A shy engineer sent to demolish a heritage timber bridge falls for the outspoken museum curator campaigning to save it, in a fictional rural New South Wales town. A gentle, character-driven romance about awkward, unglamorous people and small-town heritage politics.

At a glance

Plain, warm prose and a linear plot make for an easy, companionable read.