Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
*I received a free ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Publishing date: 12 Sept 2017
Synopsis
"In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned - from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.
"Enter Mia Warren - an enigmatic artist and single mother - who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.
"When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town--and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs."
*I received a free ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Publishing date: 12 Sept 2017
Synopsis
"In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned - from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.
"Enter Mia Warren - an enigmatic artist and single mother - who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.
"When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town--and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs."
Review
I absolutely loved Ng's first novel, Everything I Never Told You, so I was excited and hopeful when I learned she had written another book.
Once again, Ng has created a beautiful, poignant, heartbreaking, and heartfelt story. Ng has a talent for truly understanding the intricacies of how people work, why they do the things they do, and how these unseen motivations and emotions from different people influence and play off one another. I felt totally immersed in the lives and minds of these characters, and once I started the book I sped through it in a day.
True to the title, we see the little fires everywhere, the secrets that everyone keeps. Ng establishes each character and their world view before putting them in a situation that directly challenges that view. The story brilliantly unfolds as we watch tensions build, as each character's small act has larger consequences, as these little fires slowly grow and blend into a raging blaze that will change the lives of everyone involved, forever.
Celeste Ng has some of the most beautiful prose of anyone I've ever read. It's not so poetic that it's distracting, but subtle, graceful, and powerful. She captures tender moments and feelings like a snowflake in cupped hands, admiring the beauty of it before it melts away.
While a major plot line concerns the adoption of a Chinese-American baby by close friends of Mrs. Richardson, that is not the main focus of the book. Instead, it serves as a way to discuss the various themes intricately woven throughout the story: motherhood, nurture verses nature, right verses wrong, how bad things happen to good people, how planning out everything doesn't prevent against things going wrong. Ng juxtaposes current events with similar things that happened in the background of characters. She also shows two totally different viewpoints, though neither one is "correct". She shows the good and the bad that comes with each choice.
Overall, an exquisite and enthralling read. This would be a fantastic book club pick. Highly recommend!
Rating
I give this book 4.5 stars.
Details
Genre: Fiction.
Language: Some strong language, but only a few incidences.
Sex: Some characters have sex, though it is never graphically described. There is also a character who gets an abortion.
Violence: None.
Once again, Ng has created a beautiful, poignant, heartbreaking, and heartfelt story. Ng has a talent for truly understanding the intricacies of how people work, why they do the things they do, and how these unseen motivations and emotions from different people influence and play off one another. I felt totally immersed in the lives and minds of these characters, and once I started the book I sped through it in a day.
True to the title, we see the little fires everywhere, the secrets that everyone keeps. Ng establishes each character and their world view before putting them in a situation that directly challenges that view. The story brilliantly unfolds as we watch tensions build, as each character's small act has larger consequences, as these little fires slowly grow and blend into a raging blaze that will change the lives of everyone involved, forever.
Celeste Ng has some of the most beautiful prose of anyone I've ever read. It's not so poetic that it's distracting, but subtle, graceful, and powerful. She captures tender moments and feelings like a snowflake in cupped hands, admiring the beauty of it before it melts away.
While a major plot line concerns the adoption of a Chinese-American baby by close friends of Mrs. Richardson, that is not the main focus of the book. Instead, it serves as a way to discuss the various themes intricately woven throughout the story: motherhood, nurture verses nature, right verses wrong, how bad things happen to good people, how planning out everything doesn't prevent against things going wrong. Ng juxtaposes current events with similar things that happened in the background of characters. She also shows two totally different viewpoints, though neither one is "correct". She shows the good and the bad that comes with each choice.
Overall, an exquisite and enthralling read. This would be a fantastic book club pick. Highly recommend!
Rating
I give this book 4.5 stars.
Details
Genre: Fiction.
Language: Some strong language, but only a few incidences.
Sex: Some characters have sex, though it is never graphically described. There is also a character who gets an abortion.
Violence: None.
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