Pick for March

Gloria Naylor wrote "Women of Brewster Place," which I read back in college. This might be a treat for spring.

"Blast Kills People Again"

Vote for your favorite Ruby Zaga headline! (or any other)

The name

And now for the de rigueur title question. Why "The Imperfectionists"? Any thoughts? Is it a comment on the profession of journalism? On this particular group? On people in general?

Deep background

What did you think of the italicized story that made up the end of each chapter? Did knowing how the paper was founded and its decades of history add something to the story?

Rome

Why do you think Rachman set the story in Rome when it's so easy to imagine this basic story unfolding in any number of locales across America? Do you think it's simply because the author himself was a foreign correspondent, or did you perceive an additional reason for the international setting?

Favorite story

Whose story was your favorite? And, as a journalist, whose story resonated most with you?

Characters

All of the stories seemed to have a deeply sad twist, which, even though I loved the book, left me with a faintly bitter aftertaste. I mean, it just felt like every single person connected with this dying newspaper had some kind of deep flaw, weakness, unhappiness, etc. Did that seem realistic to you? Am I missing something?

"The Imperfectionists"

Did you like the book overall? How about the way it was written, with each chapter focusing on a different character (and a different bit of the newspaper's history)? Do you think that was a strong way to tell the story or mainly just a convenient way to manage/organize a kind of sprawling narrative?