Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Big Little Lies

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Published July 29, 2014

About the Book:

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 Thoughts:

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, loved it really!  The structure of the story is different but done really well.  99% of the book is spent leading up to the big event (the death) without giving away who dies until the event unfolds almost at the end of the book.  It keeps you guessing and wondering and anxious to find out, page after page.  There is so much more to the story too, though.  Some of it is hilarious, but it's also very serious at times.  The characters are so well written and realistic.  You can find something of people you know in each of them, as well as a bit of yourself.  The dialogue between characters is authentic as well, and the commentary of some at the end of some chapters brings humor to all the serious subjects the books tackles.  This is the first of Moriarty's books I have read, and I was sure to pick up another of hers (The Husband's Secret) when at the library today.  I have definitely found myself a new author to add to my list of favorites. 

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