Little Fires Everywhere: A Novel
The #1 New York Times bestseller - Named a Best Book of the Year by People, The Washington Post, Bustle, Esquire, Southern Living, The Daily Beast, GQ, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Audible, Goodreads, Library Reads, Book of the Month, Paste, Kirkus Reviews, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and more "To say I love this book is an understatement. It's a deep psychological mystery about the power of motherhood, the intensity of teenage love, and the danger of perfection. It moved me to tears." --Reese Witherspoon "I read Little Fires Everywhere in a single, breathless sitting. . . . Be ready to be wowed by Ng's writing--and unsettled by the mirror held up to one's own beliefs." --Jodi Picoult From the bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You and Our Missing Hearts comes a riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives. 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. Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood--and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster.
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Book club read for July. Unfortunately, I had to miss the discussion and I really really wanted to talk about this book!
Shaker Heights, Ohio is the perfect community - super conservative, priviledged, well off, with an underlying hint of ignored racism, and they believe they are enlightened individuals who know what's best for everyone. The main family in the book are the perfect husband and wife, raising 4 teens- 2 boys, and 2 girls. The dynamics between all the family members was interesting, with the youngest daughter being the outlier in the family. The mother, Elena Richardson, has a home she rents out to people she thinks are in need. The newest family to rent the apartment is an artist mom, Mia Warren, and her teen daughter Pearl. Mia is an artist and moves every year at least, but this time she promises her daughter they would stay this time. But as her daughter gets more involved in the family and community, things slowly unravel for both families and the community as secrets about everyone are exposed.
By the middle of the book I could not stand Mrs. Richardson - such a smug, self righteous bitch. This book helped me, however, to see the viewpoint of the ultra conservative right as I could see my father's views aligning with Mrs. Richardson's. The hypocrisy of so many of the characters is realistic as no one ever really sees hypocrisy in themselves. It was very interesting to read from all the different viewpoints. I really enjoyed this book and consider it a great conversation starter for book club.
There are a ton of questions available online:
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This was complexed and layered...I can see why readers were really pulled in by the story's intensity and darker sides of humanity. While I did enjoy some of the themes around motherhood, socioeconomic inequalities and the dangers of prejudice, there was too much 'hero-complex' and unforgiving/unlikeable characters for my taste (unlikeability needs more...delicacy and depth perhaps...) maybe there was also too much neediness and seeking of purpose in the wrong spaces....also self-righteousness...
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