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jessicapinn's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I couldn't put this one down. Chamberlain beautifully intertwined the past with the present as a thriller centered around art and civil rights.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Blood
Minor: Murder
vanessagrausam's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and Car accident
Moderate: Alcoholism and Pregnancy
jblum4's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoy found family, coming of age, multiple timelines. Themes of perpetuating injustices for multiple storylines and courageously rising above obstacles
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
greatexpectations77's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was a twisty, tense story, and I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the older story a little more than the recent one, and the artist's daughter was kind of tiring in how much of a tool she was being. This did make me wonder if I would have been an art restorer in another life. I liked the interplay of the many societal factors happening in here and the idea of an artist yelling about the crime against her in her art.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Racism
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Rape, Sexism, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Suicide, Blood, Grief, and Murder
tetcha's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Diane Chamberlain is a new author to me who writes an emotionally engaging story, richly detailed, with plenty of intrigue, secrets and lies. I found it to be a thought-provoking mystery with serious issues involving art, abuse, racism, misogyny, justice, prejudice, personal demons and mental health. I absolutely loved the dual timeline story, and quickly became completely immersed in the challenging lives of both women that were equally enthralling right to the very end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Rape
musingsofadistractedmama's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
jacesherman's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs, Rape, and Sexual assault
Minor: Murder
secre's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Big Lies in a Small Town is one of those rare novels that captivated me. It truly surprised me as it isn't an era of history I have great interest in, nor is mural painting or restoration a topic that grabs at me. Yet, I absolutely fell into this novel and devoured it in remarkable time. Alternating between the present day and 1940's, it uses both present and past to tease out the mysteries whilst displaying some wonderful characterisations.
In 2018, Anna Dale finds herself with a get out of jail card from prison as she is commissioned to restore an old mural that was done as part of the 1940's post office competition. There's one minor snag to this; she has zero experience in restoration, let alone as big a project as this is going to be. And there's a strict time frame. An expert would struggle. Anna is in over her head. Yet as the mural comes to life through her careful work, she finds herself fascinated by the life of the artist and what caused some of the more interesting choices and her later disappearance.
The mystery unfurls as the novel flicks back and forth from the mural's creation in 1940 and it's restoration in 1918. It's a compelling tale, quickly shifting from the excitement of Anna's arrival to having the darker undertones of the period of time with violence lurking in the shadows. It shines a light on systematic racism of the time, refusing to flinch away from it. Yet it isn't a dark book. It's thought provoking and fascinating, and it balances the light and dark well. I found myself truly interested in the restoration work, despite having no knowledge of the art and felt Diane Chamberlain melded fact and fiction well without ever info dumping.
This is the first Chamberlain I've read, it won't be the last.
In 2018, Anna Dale finds herself with a get out of jail card from prison as she is commissioned to restore an old mural that was done as part of the 1940's post office competition. There's one minor snag to this; she has zero experience in restoration, let alone as big a project as this is going to be. And there's a strict time frame. An expert would struggle. Anna is in over her head. Yet as the mural comes to life through her careful work, she finds herself fascinated by the life of the artist and what caused some of the more interesting choices and her later disappearance.
The mystery unfurls as the novel flicks back and forth from the mural's creation in 1940 and it's restoration in 1918. It's a compelling tale, quickly shifting from the excitement of Anna's arrival to having the darker undertones of the period of time with violence lurking in the shadows. It shines a light on systematic racism of the time, refusing to flinch away from it. Yet it isn't a dark book. It's thought provoking and fascinating, and it balances the light and dark well. I found myself truly interested in the restoration work, despite having no knowledge of the art and felt Diane Chamberlain melded fact and fiction well without ever info dumping.
This is the first Chamberlain I've read, it won't be the last.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Rape
Moderate: Mental illness
siobhanward's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Car accident, and Murder
Moderate: Racial slurs, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
iamaprettyflower's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, and Alcohol