Big Little Lies – Book Review

Our second book club choice was Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. She has written many popular books such as, The Husband’s Secret and What Alice Forgot but this was my first time reading her work. It’s nice to have other people in your book club pick the book since it forces you to read things that you would not otherwise read.

Goodreads Summary–

“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.”

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SPOILER ALERT–if you plan on reading the book, please stop here.

The Good-

I thought this book was a great page turner. The language was easy to digest and the plot was captivating enough that it kept me reading for a day or two straight. Sometimes you need those books that you can just binge read. If you are going to be on a long flight this would be a good book to bring along. I am also thrilled to hear that Big Little Lies is being turned into an HBO mini-series starring, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon and Shailene Woodley! HBO always turns out quality programming and the cast is excellent. Excited to watch that this year.

The Bad-

Besides for being an easy read and turning into a TV show, I did not really like the book. Big Little Lies had 3 main female characters that I wasn’t particularly fond of. Jane was too timid and doubted her innocent child Ziggy; Celeste was complacent about her life and abusive husband and Madeline, though more relatable, acted like a mom who never graduated high-school. You don’t have to like all the characters in a book or movie but I didn’t like any of them. The book had a kind of dark, Desperate Housewives vibe which was maybe another reason that I didn’t like it. The buildup was decent however, the climax was more of a plateau for me. How was it Bonnie that killed Perry? The context of her abusive father makes a little more sense but, she was this yogi loving hippie. For me, her pushing Perry to his death came out of nowhere.

 

Overall, I would rate it a 6/10.  Don’t get discouraged by my review because I know a good number of people who really enjoyed this book! We just picked our 3rd book for our book club. Stay tuned for a book review of Room, By Emma Donoghue.