gl_mrtnl's review against another edition
3.0
This is a 3.5 stars for me, so I'll round up to 4.
I am clearly not the target audience for this book, and some of the plot twists were quite obvious from the beginning, but I truly liked the characters' distinctive personalities and the touches of comedy here and there. They all felt realistic but also slight caricatures as well (in a good way). A special note for Madeline's PMT-induced anger... Been there, done that.
I am clearly not the target audience for this book, and some of the plot twists were quite obvious from the beginning, but I truly liked the characters' distinctive personalities and the touches of comedy here and there. They all felt realistic but also slight caricatures as well (in a good way). A special note for Madeline's PMT-induced anger... Been there, done that.
septimusmith's review against another edition
5.0
I could read this every once a year. Just never gets old. Funny, smart and scary!
wannabe_bennett_sister's review against another edition
4.0
It is a good book. Yes... One you cannot put down once you've started, brilliantly written, and well crafted with a perfect twist in the end. It even finds moments of humor in a story that revolves around dark stuff.
All being said, there's just one question that keeps coming up. Madeline says it too, a lack of diversity. Piriwee Public has a whole of rich white straight parents.
All being said, there's just one question that keeps coming up. Madeline says it too, a lack of diversity. Piriwee Public has a whole of rich white straight parents.
louesums's review against another edition
4.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/4
“This can happen to anyone.” Can someone say slow burn mystery? Not knowing who died until the very end was torture!!!!!!! But like… in the best way. Also I totally called it! I knew it in the back of my mind and when I got it right… BOOYA!
“This can happen to anyone.” Can someone say slow burn mystery? Not knowing who died until the very end was torture!!!!!!! But like… in the best way. Also I totally called it! I knew it in the back of my mind and when I got it right… BOOYA!
menniemenace's review
4.0
This book is as good as TV show. It's funny, smart, and magnetic. Madeline is amazing, Ed and Chloe are much funnier -even though Ed is bald- and Bonnie has an actual character.
I don't really know where I stand from " A murder happens in the first chapter but we'll never speak of it again" thing, even though I'v had my fair share of it. One of the books I'm currently reading has the same theme, only with a bigger number of victims. I watched a very good Turkish series with that same theme but for some reason I stopped watching at some point. It's interesting to try and guess who died and how, but I can't say for sure it's better than knowing what actually happened.
The part about Abigail bidding her virginity is so shocking, and it's a surprise because it wasn't in the series. It was such an odd way to take action, and the only moral I was 100% sure of was that "the world is a very scary place" as the Gothic Archies say.
I love Tom, by the way. I love him almost as I love Ed. He's adorable.
The Audio narrator has such a Marie Antionette-ish accent, it took my some time to process the fact that the book is Australian and not American, but after that I was delighted by the audio book. Great work, thank you Caroline Lee!
I don't really know where I stand from " A murder happens in the first chapter but we'll never speak of it again" thing, even though I'v had my fair share of it. One of the books I'm currently reading has the same theme, only with a bigger number of victims. I watched a very good Turkish series with that same theme but for some reason I stopped watching at some point. It's interesting to try and guess who died and how, but I can't say for sure it's better than knowing what actually happened.
The part about Abigail bidding her virginity is so shocking, and it's a surprise because it wasn't in the series. It was such an odd way to take action, and the only moral I was 100% sure of was that "the world is a very scary place" as the Gothic Archies say.
I love Tom, by the way. I love him almost as I love Ed. He's adorable.
The Audio narrator has such a Marie Antionette-ish accent, it took my some time to process the fact that the book is Australian and not American, but after that I was delighted by the audio book. Great work, thank you Caroline Lee!
shannonisstillreading's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
liinley's review
4.0
A great mystery novel and different from most because you don't know who did it OR who was murdered at the Trivia Night.
This book focuses on three mothers: Celeste, Madeline, and Jane, who have all gone (or are currently going through) something tragic. They become great friends and although this is a mystery book, it is also about friendship. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading other Liane Moriarty novels in the future (The Husband's Secret is already on my to-read list)!
This book focuses on three mothers: Celeste, Madeline, and Jane, who have all gone (or are currently going through) something tragic. They become great friends and although this is a mystery book, it is also about friendship. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading other Liane Moriarty novels in the future (The Husband's Secret is already on my to-read list)!
waxingquixotic's review
4.0
I think Stephen King summed up Big Little Lies perfectly when he said it is "a hell of a book, funny and scary." I found it to be like the first two seasons of Desperate Housewives before the show started to slowly fall apart (and I've seen every episode so I feel like I'm right... right about the comparison to the book and the fact that the show was never all that great after the first two seasons, but the bigger question is why did I watch all of the show in the first place, and I'll never really know the answer to that question, but I'm OK with it and can live with myself).
The moms in Big Little Lies are written so well. I loved all the different stereotypes represented in each of them and how the different dynamics played out between them and their families. I'll admit, I was a little confused early on and could have used a family tree to help me see who belonged where (and that only got messier along the way), but Moriarty kept me updated in subtle ways to make sure I was tracking with her as the story unfolded.
Hang on, taking a quick coffee break.
Alright, much better. There are a couple of other takeaways from the book I want to share.
First off, the whole suburban-everything-is-awesome facade in which the book is firmly nestled, and in which I find myself now. I really loved how the book started out in a fun, whimsical way by introducing me to the various characters and making me feel like everyone has everything together and life is just so swell all the time. Then, as the book rolls along, more and more is revealed from the past, mysteries are solved, and you learn that these women's lives just aren't what you thought they were. And, man, isn't that life? All of us walking around all carefree making sure everyone thinks we are just fine and dandy thank you very much, and maybe there aren't things as dark as some stuff in this book happening, but we are all stressed out with kids and jobs and life and whatever. Anyway, I just liked that slow descent into the darker layers of the major characters in the story. That's all I'm saying.
So no spoilers, but I thought it was important for me as someone who isn't a woman to read about how events can shape the lives and thought of someone who is a woman. That's a lot of unnecessary words. What I'm trying to say is you never know how much your actions can impact another person. In this case, the words and actions of men had a deep emotional impact on women. Some of it was tough to read, and to know that stuff is happening that we often don't even know about is scary. It's bad enough that so much evil and darkness exists out there, but what about all the stuff that hasn't been brought into the light yet? Life is hard.
And, last but not least, the minor characters chiming in at the end of many chapters to kick in a little foreshadowing was an excellent plot device. That trivia night was something I was anticipating from the very beginning. The timeline worked down to that single night, and there was lots of statements from police questioning sprinkled in early so the mystery slowly rolls down to that night and a little beyond. It made the book so easy and quick to read, but it wasn't some mindless page turner to just get through for mild enjoyment. It was written really well, and the payoff in the end was worth it.
I may have to get some more Liane Moriarty in my life. I never thought I would say that out loud, but here we are. Looking forward to the HBO series!
The moms in Big Little Lies are written so well. I loved all the different stereotypes represented in each of them and how the different dynamics played out between them and their families. I'll admit, I was a little confused early on and could have used a family tree to help me see who belonged where (and that only got messier along the way), but Moriarty kept me updated in subtle ways to make sure I was tracking with her as the story unfolded.
Hang on, taking a quick coffee break.
Alright, much better. There are a couple of other takeaways from the book I want to share.
First off, the whole suburban-everything-is-awesome facade in which the book is firmly nestled, and in which I find myself now. I really loved how the book started out in a fun, whimsical way by introducing me to the various characters and making me feel like everyone has everything together and life is just so swell all the time. Then, as the book rolls along, more and more is revealed from the past, mysteries are solved, and you learn that these women's lives just aren't what you thought they were. And, man, isn't that life? All of us walking around all carefree making sure everyone thinks we are just fine and dandy thank you very much, and maybe there aren't things as dark as some stuff in this book happening, but we are all stressed out with kids and jobs and life and whatever. Anyway, I just liked that slow descent into the darker layers of the major characters in the story. That's all I'm saying.
So no spoilers, but I thought it was important for me as someone who isn't a woman to read about how events can shape the lives and thought of someone who is a woman. That's a lot of unnecessary words. What I'm trying to say is you never know how much your actions can impact another person. In this case, the words and actions of men had a deep emotional impact on women. Some of it was tough to read, and to know that stuff is happening that we often don't even know about is scary. It's bad enough that so much evil and darkness exists out there, but what about all the stuff that hasn't been brought into the light yet? Life is hard.
And, last but not least, the minor characters chiming in at the end of many chapters to kick in a little foreshadowing was an excellent plot device. That trivia night was something I was anticipating from the very beginning. The timeline worked down to that single night, and there was lots of statements from police questioning sprinkled in early so the mystery slowly rolls down to that night and a little beyond. It made the book so easy and quick to read, but it wasn't some mindless page turner to just get through for mild enjoyment. It was written really well, and the payoff in the end was worth it.
I may have to get some more Liane Moriarty in my life. I never thought I would say that out loud, but here we are. Looking forward to the HBO series!
__meg's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25