by Liane Moriarty
Why did you choose this book? I have enjoyed everything I’ve read by this author
When did you read this book? July 2014
Source: Penguin First To Read
Sometimes it’s the little lies that turn out to be the most lethal. . . .
A murder… . . . a tragic accident… . . . or just parents behaving badly?
What’s indisputable is that someone is dead.
But who did what?
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.
My Review
I’ve read several books by Liane Moriarty and each one gets a little bit better. This is more amazing than you may think, since she set the bar so high with the first one I read!
At first glance, this book may seem very similar to her previous work, The Husband’s Secret. Both are centered around three women, tied together through their connection to the local elementary school. And both are very good books!
This book appears to be a murder mystery….with a twist! Right away, we learn that their was a disturbance at the annual school trivia night, someone has died, and the police have now opened a murder investigation. What makes this one different is that in addition to wondering ‘whodunnit?’ and ‘why did they do it?’, we are also left wonder ‘who was it done to?’! The victim is alluded to often and we are given lots of clues to the answers to all of these questions, but we only learn the identity of the victim near the very end of the story! Until then I was left guessing; and hoping that the victim wasn’t ‘this character’ or ‘that character’! One thing I really enjoyed about the journey was the pieces of police interviews that were interspersed throughout the story. These were entertaining, as well as providing clues….or completely throwing me off track!
One thing to know about this book is that it deals with some pretty ugly topics; domestic abuse and bullying. This is not always easy to read about, but is an important part of this story. However, if these scenes will bother you, this may be a book to pass on. But if you can deal with this difficult scenes, you will enjoy this book!
Below is a book trailer for Big Little Lies.
My Rating: ★★★★1/2 4-1/2 Stars
I received an advanced review copy of this book through the Penguin First To Read program in return for an honest review.
Glad you liked this Kim - I do want to try it as well.
ReplyDeleteAnd I have not read anything by Liane Moriarty! I need to change this. Glad you liked this book!
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