Big Little Lies

If anyone’s life seems perfect, you can be sure that it isn’t. Big Little Lies follows a group of school moms, in a nice neighborhood, who bond and support each other while hiding massive secrets.

Liane Moriarty is a master at crafting relatable characters who feel real, like people you know from the school gates, only more glamorous. The idyllic suburban setting is equally vivid, while the twists keep coming. This isn’t a typical whodunnit but an exploration of the truths women hide from themselves and each other.

You’ve probably read it already, but if you haven’t–grab it.

I seriously could not put this book down for the three days it took me to read it.

It’s a breathless page-turner, and the levels and layers of characterization, twists and turns of the plot, and suspense were so intriguing. I couldn’t wait to find out what secrets from the past the characters were hiding that led them to their present dilemmas.

It was inspirational and cautionary at the same time and made me think, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” The book was a tribute to ultimate goodness and reason and an affirmation of our common… show more.

This novel is so much more than a funny and heart-breaking mystery involving three very different women with kids attending the same kindergarten.

Celeste is a victim of gaslighting and sexual abuse by her wealthy husband and she demonstrates only too well how difficult it is for victims to leave their abusers who have convinced them that how they see the world is wrong and their abuser is right.

Jane, a reclusive and timid single mom, is the victim of a rape that changed her life and personality. She has kept the rape a secret and it haunts her, until… show more.

This book opens with Madeleine, one of the three central female characters, debating what it means to be 40.

Throughout the book, Moriarty certainly shows us that midlife needn’t ever be boring and that when women get together, they can be unstoppable.

We may not want to be part of this community of lies and half-truths, but we’re rooting for them all the way.

The school-mum politics and school-yard scandals in Big Little Lies are so entertaining! It’s fiction, of course, but there is some truth to it.

As mothers, we should be allies, but sometimes the school gates can be intimidating places, especially if we are already doubting our abilities and questioning our identities. This novel is about three very different mothers who are juggling their lives and families, while living in fear of losing the women they were before motherhood. I think we all experience this fear at some point and it can be terrifying.

It’s our default setting to put our… show more.

The ultimate in twisty journeys, this book is like a rollercoaster. You think you know what happens, but chances are you’re wrong. At the heart are a group of female friends who are willing to do anything to help each other—even if it means covering up a crime. I love the way the book depicts the power of friendship, but even more so the secrets we all carry and what we’re willing to do to keep them hidden. So many choices and consequences in this one! Juicy and unputdownable. 

This novel offers an incredibly rich portrait of complicated friendships within a broader network. Big Little Lies focuses on a group of women who all have children starting kindergarten. As the book unfolds, these women—especially Jane, Madeline, and Celeste—let each other into their inner worlds more. We also get a view of the broader network of “kinder moms” and “blonde bobs” whose lives appear nearly perfect. Within their close friendships and broader network, we see how people are our “friends” not because we call them that, but because they support us, in ways we don’t anticipate. The book develops these… show more.

In Big Little Lies, author Liane Moriarty interlaces the lives of five women: Jane, raising a son alone; Celeste, the quintessential beauty, hiding family secrets; Maddie, my favorite, the thinks-too-much, defends-the-weak, won’t-take-no-for-an-answer mom; Renata, the wealthy, most powerful mother at Pirriwee Public School; and Bonnie, the current wife of Maddie’s ex-husband. Never have I loved a female cast of characters as much as I love these women. This story cleverly wraps friendship foes, family saga, and Chick Lit into one page-turning murder mystery. You simply can’t put it down. The excellent writing and superb character development of strong, fierce… show more.

I love stories about dark hidden secrets. This is one of the best. Moriarty keeps you guessing. The characters are annoyingly interesting and very Aussie, even though the massive TV show that it spawned was based on the West Coast of the US. If you haven’t seen the TV show, read the book first. If you’ve seen it, still read the book. 

I love this book, and the resulting TV series, because of the way it deals with harrowing subjects while showing the three main characters as funny, intelligent, and strong women, instead of weepy loners who sit around day-drinking. And the fact that it is set around their children’s school hits home for me as someone who, for many years, only made new friends through my kids’ playdates and school plays. Especially as those other mums became a lifeline for me through some serious ups and downs.