Big Little Lies

Audiobook performed by Caroline Lee

The novel focuses on three women – all with children in the Pirriwee Public kindergarten class. Jane is a single mom; at twenty-four she’s so young that many of the other mothers mistake her for Ziggy’s nanny on orientation day. Madeline has just turned forty; she quickly becomes Jane’s friend and champion, and her daughter Chloe becomes friends with Ziggy. Celeste is Madeline’s best friend; strikingly beautiful and very wealthy, she nevertheless struggles with her twin boys, Max and Josh.

Well, I thought I knew where this was headed … but I was wrong. Just proves that we never really know what is going on in other people’s houses, and sometimes, not even in our own tight circle of family show more and friends.

Moriarty uses the “minor” drama of helicopter parents to explore larger issues of school bullying and domestic abuse. The reader knows from the first chapter that someone has died … but who died and who was responsible will have to wait until the last 40 pages of the novel.

Discussing a different novel at my F2F book club last night, we talked about how many books there are these days with multiple narrators and multiple timelines, and how very difficult it is for the author to successfully employ this technique. Liane Moriarty does a fine job of it. Throughout the novel, she includes snippets of interviews / statements that are clearly taken AFTER the “incident at school trivia night.” These serve as a sort of Greek chorus to foreshadow events and to lead the reader down certain paths (sometimes intentionally misdirecting us). The major chapters are also divided among the three central women characters, so that the reader gets the perspective of each of them somewhat independent of the others … because, of course, each of them is keeping certain things secret from the others, and telling little lies to herself.

I loved these characters – yes, even when they did things that annoyed me. They seemed very real to me and I was quickly invested in their stories and eager to see how it would play out. Moriarty also gives the reader an entire community of secondary characters that fairly leap off the page … from the husbands, to parents, to teenagers, to “the blonde bobs,” and the local barrista, these characters lend depth and nuance to the lives of the three central women.

Caroline Lee does a fantastic job of voicing the audio book. She has good pacing and I never felt lost or confused about which character was the focus of each chapter. I did, however, read about a third of the book in text. It is definitely easier to sort out who is speaking and which elements are the interviews when using the text, because the publisher uses different fonts and paragraph indentations to set those apart. show less

I’m officially a huge fan of Moriarty. She has an incredible skill for introducing friendly, women who seem like people you know, building up their lives and then taking a sharp turn into the unexpected. Despite the sweet friendships that sit at the core of the story, the book deals with some very serious and real problems, yet it reads like a mystery you can’t put down.

From the first pages we know that the police are trying to solve a murder case. Then we skip back in time to months before the fateful night of the crime. Sprinkled throughout are interviews with witnesses and suspects, adding layers of depth to the plot. We touch on topics as diverse as bullying, financial status, blended families, domestic violence, and more. The show more book explores the social dynamics and pitfalls of elementary schools’ hierarchy and the personal lives of some of the mothers of students.

Madeline, Celeste, and Jane are all mothers of children in the same kindergarten class. Jane is new to town, a quiet single mother who is overwhelmed by it all. Madeline is the brash center-of-attention who, though well-meaning, tends to stir up trouble wherever she goes. Celeste is the gorgeous wife of a wealthy financier. Each woman has a much more complicated life than what first appears to be happening on the surface.

BOTTOM LINE: A big book, but a fast engaging read. The author makes the characters come alive. She can deal with dark subject matter without making the whole book feel dark. She manages to hit a delicate balance between gravity and readability. I couldn’t put it down and I will be reading whatever she writes next. show less

Well, you know going in you're getting a mystery and, from the beginning, you think you're clever enough to know exactly what's what. And yeah, almost but not quite.

This is simply a good book. It wasn't too short or too long. It had a satisfactory beginning, middle, and end. And I nearly dislocated my jaw when I got to the climax.

I didn't think it'd appeal to me as much as I did. See, I'm not a mom. And I likely won't ever be. To be honest, books like this make me deliriously happy about that. I won't ever be directly responsible for the idiotic decision-making of children and teens. The idea of staying together for the kids need never cross my mind for a split second and in the event of divorce, no-contact wouldn't be a problem. I can show more do just about whatever the hell I want at a moment's notice, with the exception of breaking the laws of state and physics. It's glorious. And I don't envy Madeline, Jane, or Celeste for a second, because despite all that, I can relate.

"It occurred to her that there were so many levels of evil in the world. Small evils like her own malicious words. Like not inviting a child to a party. Bigger evils like walking out on your wife and newborn baby or sleeping with your child's nanny. And then there was the sort of evil of which Madeline had no experience: cruelty in hotel rooms and violence in suburban homes and little girls being sold like merchandise, shattering innocent hearts."

I have to hand it to the author, Big Little Lies is a human drama, not privileged white mother exclusive. And even if you can't find a speck of yourself in the characters, maybe it could help spot the signs in another. show less

Big Little Lies
5 Stars

Three women at crossroads - Jane who has moved to town with her small son hoping the sand, sea and sun can still their anxious hearts; Celeste whose seemingly perfect life of beauty, wealth and love hides a terrible secret, and Madeline who is a force to be reckoned with, but struggles with her teenage daughter's rebellion.

Seemingly innocuous, the small community of Pirriwee is a hotbed of gossip, innuendo, and bullying, which all comes to a head on Trivia Night when tragedy strikes leaving one parent dead and several injured. Was it a terrible accident brought on by excessive alcohol or did someone have a grudge against the victim?

This is an amazing book!

The characters come to life on the page and are very easy show more to identify with. Their secrets and lies, both big and small, are realistic and believable. Some events had me rolling with laughter and others had me seething.

Written in non-traditional format with a mix of regular chapters and interview sections, the style is engaging, amusing and heart-wrenching. The interview parts also ratchet up the tension by providing teasing hints at the mystery, which had me guessing right up until the very end.

The book has been adapted into a television series and I can't wait to see the characters and story come to life on screen. show less

Three very different mothers face their own issues as their kids start kindergarten at a prestigious seaside school. The story begins with an unspecified tragic event at a school fundraiser and then backtracks to six months' prior. As the hidden lives and secret fears of loud and loyal Madeline, beautiful but reserved Celeste, and plain, single-mom Jane become clear, Liane Moriarty drops crafty bits of information in between chapters via the interview statements of other parents, teachers, and the investigating detective until what happened at Pirriwee Public is shockingly revealed. This darkly humorous and cleverly plotted story takes a satirical look at marriage, parenting, schoolyard scandals and the little lies people tell show more themselves to survive. Another compelling, accomplished, and immensely enjoyable read from Moriarty. show less

This one was 480 pigs. that read like less than 300. I was thoroughly captivated, found this to be brilliant in plot, structure and tone. Gulped it right down.

On the surface this was about a group of parents whose children were starting kindergarten. We have the typical cliques, the do-goobers and many, many who think their children are oh so special.Over parenting to a T. Working moms against stay at home moms, fulfillment vs. involvement. Humorously told, there are so many times this book had me laughing, some of these moms were so over the top, absolutely absurd.

Under the surface was another layers, the author tackles many issues, among them bullying, spousal abuse and others. These women and their marriages all have issues, show more problems with their marriages, dealing with traumas from the past. Considering everything that was tackled in this book it should not have worked but it did, and that is to the author's credit.

Everything leads up to trivia night at the school and that will bring revelations, disasters and many will find themselves changed. Loved every minute of this one. show less

I put off reading this one for so long -- no idea why other than it finally doesn't have excessively long wait lists at my library. A couple of weeks ago I read a description of this book that caught my attention (now I don't remember where I read it), but the descriptions on Goodreads and LibraryReads are NOT it (in fact, the LR review is a little spoilery).

Anyway...

I liked this a lot.

Moriarty writes such relatable, realistic characters. Secretive Celeste, quiet Jane, and exuberant Madeline each have unique perspectives on life, motherhood, and parenting. I saw myself in each of them at some point.

But it was the very first chapter that hooked me. We meet Mrs. Ponder, an older woman that lives next to the school. It's school trivia show more night and something is going DOWN! The next chapter then takes us to six months before trivia night... and I kept reading because I wanted to know what all the commotion was at this school (dudes fighting, ladies screaming, and everyone dressed up like Audrey Hepburn or Elvis Presley)! Each chapter ends or begins with snippets from an interview -- and I was never sure who the interviewer was -- was it a police officer? a journalist? I DON'T KNOW! The intrigue! The snippets give us a little hint as to what happened, but I was still surprised by the end. By the middle of the book, it was difficult to put down. Murder and assault on trivia night??

(How I managed to avoid spoilers, I'm not sure. But I'm glad I did. The reveal was pretty great.)

If you liked The Hive, read this one because as far as school/parent politics go, this is WAY better and WAY crazier. If you still can't get enough of the crazy politics of parenting a school-aged child, also read Where'd You Go, Bernadette so you can laugh about how ridiculous it all is.

I was also reminded of a book I've checked out a few times, but have yet to read: The Playdate. But based on a few reviews, maybe it's a good thing that I skipped that one and waited for Moriarty's.... show less