From the bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You, the intertwined stories of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the mother and daughter who upend their lives "I read Little Fires Everywhere in a single, breathless sitting. With brilliance and beauty, Celeste Ng dissects a microcosm of American society just when we need to see it beneath the microscope ..."--Jodi Picoult, New York Times -bestselling author of Small Great Things and Leaving Time 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, …
From the bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You, the intertwined stories of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the mother and daughter who upend their lives "I read Little Fires Everywhere in a single, breathless sitting. With brilliance and beauty, Celeste Ng dissects a microcosm of American society just when we need to see it beneath the microscope ..."--Jodi Picoult, New York Times -bestselling author of Small Great Things and Leaving Time 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.
Review of 'Little fires everywhere' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
It's hard to describe what this book is about. At the beginning you're dropped in dramatically, a family mansion is burning down, and we don't know what happened. But in flashbacks, we learn. It's a family drama story about a poor single mom, Mia, and her teenage daughter, living as tenants of the wealthy Richardson family in 'perfect' suburbia. But Mia has secrets from her past, and she soon clashes with Elena Richardson. It's predominantly a book about women. About growing up as a woman, motherhood, tough stuff like abortion, and the mean things women do to each other. Male characters play side-roles, but this book is really not about them. The writing is quite excellent, once it grabs you, there's no letting go. I enjoyed myself quite a bit.
Review of 'Little Fires Everywhere' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
Ng does it again! I LOVED Everything I Never Told You because of the writing style, and this is no different. I feel like she stepped up her game as well. This story is not just about one family, but about a different set of families whose lives are intertwined, sometimes literally and sometimes thematically. One thing I love about her books is that she always manages to make me empathize with everyone in the story. She treats very complex issues with a lot of respect and nuance. There are no bad guys in her novels, simply people making choices, which sometimes might be questionable, but as a reader you always understand where they come from. This woman is a genius.
