Big Little Lies: Book Review by Dinh
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Summary
Big Little Lies pivots on what happened on School Trivia Night. The book starts of in the present with a murder and it works its way forward from 6 months ago to the actual trivia night when the murder is committed.
The book’s main characters are Madeline, Celeste and Jane who have their children starting kindergarten at Pirriwee Public School.
Jane is a young single mother who is looking to make a new start in this beach town community.
On orientation day for kindergarten, Jane meets Madeline who has a daughter starting there too.
Madeline’s friend, Celeste has twin boys, are also starting kindergarten.
Jane becomes friends with these two women and an allegiance is formed between them when Jane’s son Ziggy is accused of bullying on the first day of school.
Review
I picked up Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty because the cover caught my attention. I liked the brightly colored lollipop shattering on the cover.
On reading the book sleeve I was interested in reading it right away. I was looking for a bit of light reading and this seemed to hit the spot.
About Moriarty
I had not heard of Liane Moriarty and when I picked up Big Little Lies. I found out that she is an Australian writer.
Her books include the New York Times best seller The Husband’s Secret, What Alice Forgot and The Hypnotist’s Love Story. Also written Moriarty are The Last Anniversary and Three Wishes.
Moriarty is also author to children’s books The Petrifying Problem with Princess Petronella, The Shocking Trouble on the Planet of Shobble, and The Wicked War on the Planet of Whimsy.
Long Build Up
What I didn’t like was the slow pace of the book. The build up to Trivia night seemed to take too long. I felt like I was just reading about these 3 main characters and not much was happening.
Although the hardcover book was only 458 pages, 383 pages of it were used to explain the events that led up to the murder. By that time, I had forgotten about the murder until I was there at trivia night.
Eurphoria
I enjoyed this book like I enjoyed watching Neighbors (Australian soap) in the 80s. Great entertainment! It was very satisfying to read to the end especially when it left me with a sense of euphoria.
Imagine this: everyone involved at the school trivia night is dressed as either Audrey Hepburn or Elvis Presley and at the end is a murder! How comical is that?
Ending
The ending was fantastic. It pulled all the loose strings together and tied up the story in a satisfactory manner. In short, it was a nice happy ending even though it had a murder in it.
Twist
I had not expected the twist in the story and the surprising twist at the end added to the plot.
For me that was the best part of the book. When you have a twist it has to be good and this definitely was a good one!
Easy to Read
I enjoyed the way Moriarty writes. She is very perspicacious. Her style is light and conversational so it’s an easy read.
The book is laid out in an interesting way. The story is dotted with people who are questioned by the police/reporter and inject a light and humorous quality.
Ms. Moriarty writes a murder with humor that is also a page turner.
Tone
The book is light to read but the themes of the book are heavy. Themes in Big Little Lies include domestic abuse, bullying, rape, raising kids, teenage use of the web.
I would say that making light of these themes through humor does not in fact mean that she is merely brushing it off but rather it’s a clever and sagacious way to make the reader understand that looks are not always as it appears.
Characters
Moriarty is insightful with her characters. The characters are spot on. They are realistic and you can identify with the main characters as well as the side characters.
I enjoyed the way we get inside the minds of Jane, Celeste and Madeline. These women all have different personalities and Moriarty expresses their inner thoughts and workings so well. She captures their emotional states, their frustration and anxiety in an astute and funny way.
In conclusion, I enjoyed this book. This is written in a light and easy to read way with some heavy themes that raises some issues for us to think about.
Get a copy of Big Little Lies here, or listen to it for free with Amazon Audible trial.
Check out our other book reviews!
Have you read Big Little Lies? Let us know what you thought!
This has made me intrigue. Hilarious murder?
I’ll let you know once I read it!
Hi Susan,
it’s so nice to hear from you.
Yes, parts of Big Little Lies was funny. The whole book is written in a non-serious way and some of the scenes with the side characters are very funny.
I am glad that you’re picking it up to read. Do keep me posted and let me know if you found it funny and what you like about it.
Thanks for popping by at Arlene’s Book Club!
Hi Dinh,
I’ve not heard of Liane Moriaty either before this review. The story and premise sounds interesting. There’s a school, children and murder. Plus an exciting twist at the end.
I’m always searching for new books and authors, so this is a great suggestion. Thanks for your review!
Hi Yvonne,
it’s so nice to hear from you again!
The story line is good in Big Little Lies and the ending is fantastic even though it ends in a murder. What I enjoyed about this book is that it was quite funny. I love the twist in this novel as well.
Let me know what you think if you get a chance to read it.
Thanks for stopping by at Arlene’s Book Club!
Hi Dinh
Thanks for another great review. Like I have said before I really love reading reviews because it helps me find new authors. Reading is a passion of mine and I often find myself at a loss for what to read next and finding great new authors.
This sounds great, it is so nice when there is something different and surprising for a twist. Yes it is nice to sometimes read the typical happy ending, the ones with the expected endings, but to find something that really takes you by surprise is a treat of note.
I also love it when you get to really get a feel for the characters. I am looking forward to reading this!
Hi Lynne,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
I think you’ll enjoy Big Little Lies. It was funny and entertaining and had a good plot with a great twist. What more could you ask for?
I love to discover new authors as well. Liane Moriarty is a gem and I am glad I picked up her book. 🙂
I haven’t read this one myself but my mother recently bought it for herself and read it. She quite liked it and at a certain point was hooked into continously reading! She couldn’t stop. But it sounds like it took a while before the build up got there, which was a bit of a let down. It seems like everything else about this book was quite up to standard though 😀
Hi Olivia!
Thanks for stopping by at Arlene’s Book Club.
I read Big Little lies pretty quickly as it was so easy to read and the characters were interesting. I could relate to the mothers with their kids starting kindergarten.
The buildup was slow but it was worth it in the end, I especially liked the twist (didn’t expect it so it was a nice bonus!).
I don’t think that it’s everyone’s cup of tea though. I think it falls in a ‘chick lit’ genre.
Talk soon!
Hi Dinh, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve pick up a book because the cover is so alluring. This one sounds interesting, even a bit unusually to have a murder/mystery written in a way that it’s also humorous. I can’t quite wrap my head around that. Though, it sounds like the author was affective in weaving these two antithesis well.
Are you done moving? Just thought I’d checked on a response to a comment and saw that you have another review up.
Hi Lonna,
Thanks for your comments.
I agree with you that the book cover is alluring. The cover is important in getting someones attention and Moriarty’s colorful cover has certainly did its job.
Yeah, this book is unusual in that it’s a murder/mystery written in a light and fluffy way. I thought it was clever of Moriarty as the layout with the statements from witnesses and the humor in the book made me enjoy it. She’s formerly a journalist and so she writes very well. I loved that it was so easy to read. Some books can be so heavy that it makes my head hurt 🙂
No, I am not done with moving. Thanks for asking. We won’t be done until mid June. Hopefully we will be in our new house then.
And before you ask, the video is coming up later 🙂 I know how you like to watch them 🙂
Ahhh, yes! Videos. =) I notice how your starting to edit it with the nice transitions between thoughts. Are you doing the edits?
Hi Lonna,
I am trying to edit but it’s so basic that all I am doing is cutting up the bits I don’t want….I need more training and better equipment and improved thoughts..Haha 🙂
It is getting a bit easier I must say. Hope you’re still enjoying them. Perhaps I need a gimmick?
What about a little branding bar right at the bottom that has your blog name/logo? =)
Hi Lonna,
thanks for the fantastic suggestion.
I do need to get a logo done so I can do that. I think logos are very effective but I have yet to invest my time into looking at creating one. LOL, you’re more organized than me. 🙂
Hey Dinh!
Love how you organized your thoughts in this review and putting them in sections. You know that I have a weak spot for Mystery/Crime books and that I absolutely love them haha. I love it when a book gives you an unexpected twist in the end, this way it will keep thinking about the book for a long while. I have a suggestion, why don’t you add the cover of the book too after stating that it’s what made you interested at first. I have never heard about this author but this review made me really interested and I’ll add it to my to read list.
Thank you!
Hi Basem,
thank you for your thoughtful comments.
I am glad you liked how I organized my thoughts in this review.
I think you may be surprised that you may like this book. The twist at the end of the book was good and made it worth it for me to read. It’s a light read and the characters seem to be superficial but its heavy theme of domestic abuse made me think otherwise.
I will add another picture of the book cover as per your suggestion. Thanks!