brettpet's review against another edition
4.0
Little Fires Everywhere is a difficult novel to rate. It's a microcosm of suburban politics and class dynamics, with the beautiful prose evoking every last thought in each character's head. There's a ton of characters in this book and they're all characterized in overt detail, but not many of them have strong arcs. This ties into my main gripe with the book--the pacing.
The start and end of the book are the only parts set in the present, with the rest of the story told through flashbacks (with flashbacks inside of those as well). I thought the constant stop-starting and resetting of the playing field grew draining after a while, like Elena and Mrs. Mcullough's background for example. Did the court case not show enough of their relationship beforehand? The over explaining works for some characters, like Mia, Pearl, and Elena, but the time spent on the chosen few gives characters like Trip and Moody absolutely nothing to resolve by the end of the book. Izzy (the black sheep of the Richardson family) was possibly the most interesting character in the book, but lacked the compelling character moments to be fully realized. Sure, she, but after doing barely anything for the rest of the book besides be a point of contention between Mia and Elena.
But I didn't dislike this book, and I think it's the most I've thought about a story in some time. It's an absolute oxymoron--overly detailed yet bare bones. Characters are everything and also nothing in the wider scale. I was particularly pleased with Bebe's ending, being a nice payoff after the lull in the story that the court case was. This book is deceptive and weird: it feels like there should be enough detail to write a whole dissertation on it, but if you were to attempt that you would probably run out of steam by the ten page mark. 7/10
The start and end of the book are the only parts set in the present, with the rest of the story told through flashbacks (with flashbacks inside of those as well). I thought the constant stop-starting and resetting of the playing field grew draining after a while, like Elena and Mrs. Mcullough's background for example. Did the court case not show enough of their relationship beforehand? The over explaining works for some characters, like Mia, Pearl, and Elena, but the time spent on the chosen few gives characters like Trip and Moody absolutely nothing to resolve by the end of the book. Izzy (the black sheep of the Richardson family) was possibly the most interesting character in the book, but lacked the compelling character moments to be fully realized. Sure, she
Spoiler
sets the fires and runs awayBut I didn't dislike this book, and I think it's the most I've thought about a story in some time. It's an absolute oxymoron--overly detailed yet bare bones. Characters are everything and also nothing in the wider scale. I was particularly pleased with Bebe's ending, being a nice payoff after the lull in the story that the court case was. This book is deceptive and weird: it feels like there should be enough detail to write a whole dissertation on it, but if you were to attempt that you would probably run out of steam by the ten page mark. 7/10
isarosereads's review against another edition
reflective
sad
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
4.0
tishreads's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. This is the best book I've read so far this year. I can't articulate it yet, but just pick it up and see for yourself.
alejandra_rodriguez's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-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
4.25
I truly enjoyed reading this book. It was a complex story about family dynamics and the unspoken rules (and seemingly perfect life) of a luxurious town in the US. You get to understand and know every character’s thoughts and decision making behind their actions. You also get to see that life isn’t truly black and white but a spectrum of different colors. When you think you agree with a character, you will see another character’s struggle and your opinions will change often throughout the whole story. I had a great time
chrissireads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
desilvuh's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
finajevans5's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
waitdont_tellme's review against another edition
emotional
sad
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
5.0
baralillaannie's review against another edition
3.0
Lyssnade på via BookBeat. 3-3,5 stjärnor.
Följer Reese Witherspoons bokklubb på Instagram där den här boken blivit flitigt tipsad, främst för att Reese spelar en av huvudrollerna i serien.
Min syster och jag pratade om den och hon hade svårt att ta sig igenom den och det förstår jag helt klart. Vet inte om jag hade läst ut den på en helg om jag läst den fysiska boken. Men att lyssna på den var lugnt och ganska intressant.
Jag gillade plotten, hur boken började med att huset brann ner och slutade på samma sätt genom att svara på det.
I vissa tillfällen var boken stereotypisk och lite tråkig, då stängde jag av mina öron för en stund.
Gillade alla karaktärer väldigt mycket, blev chockad över saker Elena sa ibland men tyckte mycket om dem i de flesta stunder. Tyckte synd om Moody men han var ändå gullig. Gillade Mia starkt, Elena ibland, Trip, Lexi och Pearl var väldigt bra gjorda. Izzie och Moody var de jobbiga avundsjuka småsyskonen, ganska pretentiöst och tråkigt samtidigt som de var hyfsade karaktärer som gav boken lite volym.
Den var ganska lång och tråkig att ta sig igenom i vissa stunder, däremot höjde slutet hela boken och älskade den delen när vi får reda på Mias bakgrund, gav boken spänning och förstod mer.
Gillar serien än så länge men tycker dem valt fel skådespelare till Mia som porträtteras som en skurk när det är Elena som ska göra det.
Följer Reese Witherspoons bokklubb på Instagram där den här boken blivit flitigt tipsad, främst för att Reese spelar en av huvudrollerna i serien.
Min syster och jag pratade om den och hon hade svårt att ta sig igenom den och det förstår jag helt klart. Vet inte om jag hade läst ut den på en helg om jag läst den fysiska boken. Men att lyssna på den var lugnt och ganska intressant.
Jag gillade plotten, hur boken började med att huset brann ner och slutade på samma sätt genom att svara på det.
I vissa tillfällen var boken stereotypisk och lite tråkig, då stängde jag av mina öron för en stund.
Gillade alla karaktärer väldigt mycket, blev chockad över saker Elena sa ibland men tyckte mycket om dem i de flesta stunder. Tyckte synd om Moody men han var ändå gullig. Gillade Mia starkt, Elena ibland, Trip, Lexi och Pearl var väldigt bra gjorda. Izzie och Moody var de jobbiga avundsjuka småsyskonen, ganska pretentiöst och tråkigt samtidigt som de var hyfsade karaktärer som gav boken lite volym.
Den var ganska lång och tråkig att ta sig igenom i vissa stunder, däremot höjde slutet hela boken och älskade den delen när vi får reda på Mias bakgrund, gav boken spänning och förstod mer.
Gillar serien än så länge men tycker dem valt fel skådespelare till Mia som porträtteras som en skurk när det är Elena som ska göra det.
gabyelle97's review against another edition
5.0
I’m a little bit starstruck by this book. I mean, I have so many questions about morals running through my mind. What’s right? What’s wrong? How can we truly decipher what is good or not if it means the detriment of another? Or are we so absorbed in the lives of others that we truly cannot understand the harm we can and may be causing? As you can see I’m perplexed and amazed by this book. The characters are flawlessly written, they mould together perfectly to create the complexity of a novel that made me question too much