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Loading... Truly Madly Guilty (edition 2016)by Liane Moriarty (Author)
Work InformationTruly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Another Goodreads member rightly compared this book to the old joke.. which also relates my feelings about the book. I couldn't finish it. "Worried that their son was too optimistic, the parents of a little boy took him to a psychiatrist. In an attempt to dampen the boy’s spirits, the psychiatrist showed him into a room piled high with nothing but horse manure. Instead of displaying disgust, the little boy climbed to the top of the pile and began digging. “What are you doing?” the psychiatrist asked. “With all this s**t” the little boy replied, beaming, “there must be a pony in here somewhere!” No pony here! I didn't like any of the characters or care about their lives and my rule is 100 pages and I'm done trying. This author tends to write this way in other books, but in a far better way. I'd still read other by her...just not this one. Moriarty's latest book is an absolute gem. A well-written, page-turner with extremely well-developed characters, who have complicated lives and complex flaws and motivations. The story centers around an impromptu, ordinary backyard barbecue, where six friends/neighbors gather with their kids. The reader is deceptively lulled into believing that this is yet another tale of bickering, young friends gossiping and bemoaning the sad state of their marriages, but the book isn't that at all. Instead, I was mesmerized my Moriarty's ability to weave together such a layered, multi-faceted story, and then deftly and expertly keep it aloft. Some reviewers have said this book meanders, but I disagree. The fast, luminous prose wraps around the reader, as one is taken from the present to the past and back again in an easy, fluid motion. Nothing lags, drags or falters. The reader senses that something major will occur, and when it does, all the subtle, build-up culminates into a shattering and surprising crescendo, like the music and the relentless rain that are the backdrop for the story. Moriarty writes with considerable skill and flawless pacing. She has a deep affection for her characters, as they stumble and struggle though friendship, love and forgiveness. This is a warm, redemptive book with a big heart and much insight. As an aside, I loved Ruby and Whisk! Of the three Moriarty books I've read, this is my favorite thus far. A great, worthwhile read. Three couples share a traumatic experience that tests themselves, their friendships, and their marriages. This plot is a slow starter as we see the characters floundering in the aftermath, with flashback interludes that tell the story of the “day of the barbecue”, so the reader is kept in the dark about what happened until at least halfway through the book. The hints about the traumatic event kept me engaged as much as learning about each of the characters and their individual struggles. Each of the characters is flawed enough to be realistic and each has their unlikeable features, but the ones most affected by the events of that day experience growth as they deal with it over the course of the book. Caroline Lee gives her usual fantastic performance in narrating this audiobook. Borrowed from my public library via Overdrive. AwardsNotable Lists
"The new novel from Liane Moriarty, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Husband's Secret, Big Little Lies, and What Alice Forgot, about how sometimes we don't appreciate how extraordinary our ordinary lives are until it's too late. "What a wonderful writer--smart, wise, funny." --Anne Lamott Six responsible adults. Three cute kids. One small dog. It's just a normal weekend. What could possibly go wrong? In Truly Madly Guilty, Liane Moriarty turns her unique, razor-sharp eye towards three seemingly happy families. Sam and Clementine have a wonderful, albeit, busy life: they have two little girls, Sam has just started a new dream job and Clementine, a cellist, is busy preparing for the audition of a lifetime. If there's anything they can count on, it's each other. Clementine and Erika are each other's oldest friends. A single look between them can convey an entire conversation. But theirs is a complicated relationship, so when Erika mentions a last minute invitation to a barbecue with her neighbors, Tiffany and Vid, Clementine and Sam don't hesitate. Having Tiffany and Vid's larger than life personalities there will be a welcome respite. Two months later, it won't stop raining, and Clementine and Sam can't stop asking themselves the question: What if we hadn't gone? In Truly Madly Guilty, Liane Moriarty takes on the foundations our lives: marriage, sex, parenthood, and friendship. She shows how guilt can expose the fault lines in the most seemingly strong relationships, how what we don't say can be more powerful than what we do, and how sometimes it is the most innocent of moments that can do the greatest harm"-- No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.92Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 2000-LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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The relationship between Erika and Clementine is difficult. When guilt gets thrown into the mix, it slowly fractures their friendship. Pack some patience when reading this book....it takes a while for the characters to develop and to get to the barbecue. ( )