E-ARC Review: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Author: Liane Moriarty
Release date: July 29th 2014
Publisher: Berkley
Series: N/A
Genre: General Fiction
Add to your library: Goodreads
Big Little Lies follows three women, each at a crossroads:
Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She’s funny and biting, passionate, she remembers everything and forgives no one. Her ex-husband and his yogi new wife have moved into her beloved beachside community, and their daughter is in the same kindergarten class as Madeline’s youngest (how is this possible?). And to top it all off, Madeline’s teenage daughter seems to be choosing Madeline’s ex-husband over her. (How. Is. This. Possible?).
Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare. While she may seem a bit flustered at times, who wouldn’t be, with those rambunctious twin boys? Now that the boys are starting school, Celeste and her husband look set to become the king and queen of the school parent body. But royalty often comes at a price, and Celeste is grappling with how much more she is willing to pay.
New to town, single mom Jane is so young that another mother mistakes her for the nanny. Jane is sad beyond her years and harbors secret doubts about her son. But why? While Madeline and Celeste soon take Jane under their wing, none of them realizes how the arrival of Jane and her inscrutable little boy will affect them all.
Big Little Lies is a brilliant take on ex-husbands and second wives, mothers and daughters, schoolyard scandal, and the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves just to survive. (via Goodreads)
Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She’s funny and biting, passionate, she remembers everything and forgives no one. Her ex-husband and his yogi new wife have moved into her beloved beachside community, and their daughter is in the same kindergarten class as Madeline’s youngest (how is this possible?). And to top it all off, Madeline’s teenage daughter seems to be choosing Madeline’s ex-husband over her. (How. Is. This. Possible?).
Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare. While she may seem a bit flustered at times, who wouldn’t be, with those rambunctious twin boys? Now that the boys are starting school, Celeste and her husband look set to become the king and queen of the school parent body. But royalty often comes at a price, and Celeste is grappling with how much more she is willing to pay.
New to town, single mom Jane is so young that another mother mistakes her for the nanny. Jane is sad beyond her years and harbors secret doubts about her son. But why? While Madeline and Celeste soon take Jane under their wing, none of them realizes how the arrival of Jane and her inscrutable little boy will affect them all.
Big Little Lies is a brilliant take on ex-husbands and second wives, mothers and daughters, schoolyard scandal, and the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves just to survive. (via Goodreads)
I received an e-copy of this from Berkley through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This however did not influence my opinion of the book or of the author in any way..
Review
Why does it have to end? Oh, right. It's a book. I just cannot believe it's over now. It's just that good, you know.
Big Little Lies is the book you won't ever want to put down. Written in the 3rd person POV and centering three women's li(v)es, Madeline, Celeste and Jane, it will certainly make you ask for more.
The story started with the present, the time of chaos. It then shifted to the past, the time wherein the three women's lives finally collided. In each chapter, there were some statements from other characters regarding the commotion. Those statements, for me, were technically gossips, you know? About what someone think happened, of course, with the help of their malicious imagination. Ugh. Right from the start, I knew the characters to hate. It got me guessing as to who died, what happened, who did it. Just when I think I know what happened, there were more surprises.
The trio was connected because their children started in the same Kindergarten class. Along with the other kids and their parents, the mishaps started. Bullying within the class was the source of it all, that's what I thought at first. Yet as the story went on, some other issues materialized. Domestic violence was the root of all evil in this story. Seriously, it makes me cringe just remembering that. And it's not just because of one person, it's a ripple effect.
I admire the author for tackling this issue in a way that's so realistic. How the victim would totally be in denial at first, because, sure, that person do love the other one. How violence can sometimes not just be controllable by the person, and professional help is needed. How there are many variables that the victim thinks about before leaving the other. It's all different for everyone, but how it was portrayed here was heart-wrenching as if it was real.
Madeleine, Celeste and Jane were a joy to meet. Their lives weren't at all perfect. But they all had something to be thankful for. Madeleine surely was the cool mom, the talker yet she had her own drama within her family. Just imagine your ex-husband has a daughter with his new wife who's in the same class with you and your present husband's daughter. Imagine if your daughter from your previous marriage liked to be with her stepmom more than you. Celeste's life was not something to be jealous of. Pretty on the outside but really bad on the inside. Jane was the young mom who had an agenda of her own, I knew there was something about her moving place to place. They made me laugh, cry, and most especially to be grateful for my family all the time.
Big Little Lies is all about those lies, no matter how little, we tell ourselves everyday to get through life. Is that bad? I honestly don't think so. But it gets bad when we lose ourselves in the process of our lying. When our lies become the truth that we want. When the truth becomes the lies we sought to forget. This book will not just give you a glimpse of how domestic violence can affect everyone around you, but also how hope and love can heal people amidst the storm. I cannot not recommend this book enough. I definitely want to talk about it more. Please read it. Tell me what you think.
P.S. I guess this just became one of my favorite mystery/thriller novels.
Big Little Lies is the book you won't ever want to put down. Written in the 3rd person POV and centering three women's li(v)es, Madeline, Celeste and Jane, it will certainly make you ask for more.
The story started with the present, the time of chaos. It then shifted to the past, the time wherein the three women's lives finally collided. In each chapter, there were some statements from other characters regarding the commotion. Those statements, for me, were technically gossips, you know? About what someone think happened, of course, with the help of their malicious imagination. Ugh. Right from the start, I knew the characters to hate. It got me guessing as to who died, what happened, who did it. Just when I think I know what happened, there were more surprises.
The trio was connected because their children started in the same Kindergarten class. Along with the other kids and their parents, the mishaps started. Bullying within the class was the source of it all, that's what I thought at first. Yet as the story went on, some other issues materialized. Domestic violence was the root of all evil in this story. Seriously, it makes me cringe just remembering that. And it's not just because of one person, it's a ripple effect.
I admire the author for tackling this issue in a way that's so realistic. How the victim would totally be in denial at first, because, sure, that person do love the other one. How violence can sometimes not just be controllable by the person, and professional help is needed. How there are many variables that the victim thinks about before leaving the other. It's all different for everyone, but how it was portrayed here was heart-wrenching as if it was real.
Madeleine, Celeste and Jane were a joy to meet. Their lives weren't at all perfect. But they all had something to be thankful for. Madeleine surely was the cool mom, the talker yet she had her own drama within her family. Just imagine your ex-husband has a daughter with his new wife who's in the same class with you and your present husband's daughter. Imagine if your daughter from your previous marriage liked to be with her stepmom more than you. Celeste's life was not something to be jealous of. Pretty on the outside but really bad on the inside. Jane was the young mom who had an agenda of her own, I knew there was something about her moving place to place. They made me laugh, cry, and most especially to be grateful for my family all the time.
Big Little Lies is all about those lies, no matter how little, we tell ourselves everyday to get through life. Is that bad? I honestly don't think so. But it gets bad when we lose ourselves in the process of our lying. When our lies become the truth that we want. When the truth becomes the lies we sought to forget. This book will not just give you a glimpse of how domestic violence can affect everyone around you, but also how hope and love can heal people amidst the storm. I cannot not recommend this book enough. I definitely want to talk about it more. Please read it. Tell me what you think.
P.S. I guess this just became one of my favorite mystery/thriller novels.
About the Author
Liane Moriarty is the Australian author of six internationally best-selling novels, Three Wishes, The Last Anniversary, What Alice Forgot, The Hypnotist's Love Story and the number 1 New York Times bestsellers, The Husband's Secret and Big Little Lies. Her breakout novel The Husband's Secret sold over three million copies worldwide, was a number 1 UK bestseller, an Amazon Best Book of 2013 and has been translated into over 40 languages. It spent over a year on the New York Times bestseller list. CBS Films has acquired the film rights.
With the launch of Big Little Lies, Liane became the first Australian author to have a novel debut at number one on the New York Times bestseller list. An HBO series based on Big Little Lies is currently in production, starring Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon.
Writing as L.M. Moriarty, Liane has also written a children's book series, The Petrifying Problem with Princess Petronella, The Shocking Trouble on the Planet of Shobble and The Wicked War on the Planet of Whimsy.
Liane lives in Sydney with her husband, son and daughter. Her new novel, Truly Madly Guilty, was released in July 2016.
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