Little Fires Everywhere in Diversity in All Forms!

Dec 14, 2017 Barbara rated it liked it

In "Little Fires Everywhere" the lives of two very different families - the Richardsons and the Warrens - overlap for a time in the mid-1990s, resulting in dramatic changes in both.

The six-member Richardson family is comprised of mother Elena - a journalist;

Father Bill - an attorney;

And their four teenage children: Trip - the high school athlete and local heartthrob;

Lexie - the pretty fashionista aiming for the Ivy League;

Moody - the serious thinker who enjoys playing the guitar;

And Izzy - ...more

104 likes · Like · see review

May 17, 2018 Candace rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018-5-star

Shaker Heights, a suburb of Cleveland, is a planned community. It is an Utopia founded on Shaker principles. Everything is in order from the fresh cut lawns to the paint colors of the houses to the success of the families. Order--and regulations, the father of order--had been the Shakers' key to harmony.

The Richardsons are the ideal, successful family in Shaker Heights. They live in a six bedroom house with four teenagers. Mrs. Richardson is a working mother. She is a reporter for the local new Shaker Heights, a suburb of Cleveland, is a planned community. It is an Utopia founded on Shaker principles. Everything is in order from the fresh cut lawns to the paint colors of the houses to the success of the families. Order--and regulations, the father of order--had been the Shakers' key to harmony.

The Richardsons are the ideal, successful family in Shaker Heights. They live in a six bedroom house with four teenagers. Mrs. Richardson is a working mother. She is a reporter for the local newspaper, Sun Press. Mr. Richardson is a defense attorney. Mrs. Richardson's children -- Lexie, Trip, Moody and Izzy -- all attend Shaker Heights High School. The school motto: A community is known by the schools it keeps.

Mia Warren is an artist. Her art is photography. She is a single mother living hand-to-mouth while she pursues her art. Mia's teenage daughter, Pearl, is a honor student. She is bright and shy. Her mother tells her they will stay put this time. They won't be leaving Shaker Heights. Mia and Pearl rent the upper half of the Richardson's duplex.

Soon Pearl is intigrating herself into the Richardson family. Mrs. Richardson cooks cookies and, when she leaves, she kisses Pearl's forehead along with her kids'. Pearl feels like she is part of the family.

Izzy adores Mia. She like the person she is around Mia. Izzy feels she has to be a hard, self-centered person with her family. She helps Mia with her art.

Mrs. Richardson feels rules are to be followed; mainly her rules. She feels that if you follow the rules you will succeed. Mia doesn't feel that way. She believes there are gray areas because life changes. As humans we must be flexible so we can carry on. Both women love their children.

Mrs. Richardson's friend Mrs. McCullough is adopting a Chinese-American child, Mirabelle. Mirabelle, known as May Ling by her mother, Bebe Chow, was left on the firehouse step by her mother. Bebe wants her daughter back. A custody battle ensures between the two mothers. It boils down to who will be the better mom for Miabelle/May Ling. Is it biology or love that makes a mother. Mia sees the custody of the child differently from Mrs. Richardson's view.

This is a character-driven novel. It is the first book I've read by Celeste Ng. The primary, as well as the secondary, characters are so perfectly fleshed out, this reader feels like she knows both families well. The themes are motherhood, mother-daughter relationship, and secrets. We are pulled emotionally between Mrs. Richardson and Mia, Mrs. McCullough and Bebe. The plot moves the reader through the story with an even pace. The subplots make the reader think over the situations, questioning the choices the characters' make. The setting is vivid. The atmosphere and descriptions are realistically written. I recommend this book, and I look forward to reading Ng's first book. ...more

87 likes · Like · see review

Sep 26, 2017 JanB rated it it was amazing

Shelves: edelweiss, traveling-sister-read, book-club

4.5 stars, rounded up

My kids live in Cleveland and it was such fun to read about familiar neighborhoods and places. I’m not sure how the residents of Shaker Heights will feel about the stereotyping, and I can’t speak to the accuracy of the portrayal, but it was fun for this reader.

Shaker Heights is an idyllic planned community where everything is carefully ordered and governed by rules. Elena Richardson has done everything “right", and in her carefully ordered life, the good life naturally follo 4.5 stars, rounded up

My kids live in Cleveland and it was such fun to read about familiar neighborhoods and places. I’m not sure how the residents of Shaker Heights will feel about the stereotyping, and I can’t speak to the accuracy of the portrayal, but it was fun for this reader.

Shaker Heights is an idyllic planned community where everything is carefully ordered and governed by rules. Elena Richardson has done everything “right", and in her carefully ordered life, the good life naturally follows. She has the successful husband, 4 children, a job as a reporter for the local newspaper, and an upper middle class lifestyle.

Elena owns an apartment and rents it out to tenants she feels are deserving and would benefit from her help. Mia and her teen-age daughter Pearl are the most recent recipients of Elena’s “philanthropy”. Mia, unlike most of Shaker Heights residents, is a free spirit, an artist who lives a vagabond lifestyle, moving frequently from city to city, and working odd jobs to support her art.

Before long, the lives of Mia and Pearl become entwined with the lives of the Richardson’s and the status quo is upset. Mia has secrets and Elena is a reporter, accustomed and driven to uncover secrets. No one's life will remain unchanged.

Meanwhile, a custody battle is taking place in the community between a co-worker of Mia’s, and a friend of Elena’s. Battle lines are drawn and it ends in explosive revelations that threatens everyone involved

The characters are so well-developed, the setting so real, and the story so well told, that it was a pleasure to read. The issues of motherhood, class, ethnicity and privilege are explored. What makes a good parent? There are no easy answers in this novel and it leaves the reader with much to think about. This would make an excellent book club choice.

I wasn't a fan of the author's first book, but absolutely loved this one. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to EW and Penguin Publishing for a free copy of the e-book for review. ...more

86 likes · Like · see review

Feb 21, 2020 Kristy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, read-in-2020, a-real-book-wow, swapped-back-on-pbs, family, read-what-you-own, penguin, literary-fiction

Nothing like an upcoming Hulu show to get me to tackle a book on my backlist! :)

Truly, I've been meaning to read this one for ages, but those Hulu promos with Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington really did push me over the edge. Shaker Heights is a planned community in Ohio, focused on perfection. No one loves the community more than Elena Richardson, who has lived there most of her life. She and her husband have four children, and Elena works as a reporter for a local paper. They also rent Nothing like an upcoming Hulu show to get me to tackle a book on my backlist! :)

Truly, I've been meaning to read this one for ages, but those Hulu promos with Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington really did push me over the edge. Shaker Heights is a planned community in Ohio, focused on perfection. No one loves the community more than Elena Richardson, who has lived there most of her life. She and her husband have four children, and Elena works as a reporter for a local paper. They also rent a townhouse to deserving tenants. Their latest project is Mia Warren and her daughter, Pearl. Mia is an artist and Pearl goes to high school with the Richardson kids. Mia is everything Shaker is not--mysterious, interesting, and different. When Elena's friends try to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a battle erupts within Shaker Heights that splits the town--and Mia and Elena. Elena starts digging into Mia's past, but her obsession with this woman will soon put both Mia and herself at risk.

I'm not sure there's much I can say about this popular book that hasn't been said before. I'm often hesitant to read hyped books, fearing a letdown, but I really enjoyed this one. It's mesmerizing, drawing you into Shaker Heights, as one event keeps leading to another, things unfolding before your eyes. Disaster, you know, is waiting right around the corner.

Ng flirts constantly with the idea of being different--Pearl, for instance, isn't sure she likes being different--and loves spending time with the Richardson kids, who seem so average and normal. There are others who are scared of being different. We see different ideas of conformity. And the thread of fires--big and small--real and metaphorical--throughout the entire novel. Ng is an excellent writer; I was really impressed with how everything tied together. She captures the everyday moments so well.

The whole book was incredibly compelling; I had not realized that there was a mystery element to this one, as Elena digs into Mia's past. I was fascinated, and I loved how real each of the characters seemed. The four Richardson kids are unique in their own way, and of course, Mia, Elena, and Pearl are quite captivating. The world-building and storytelling here is amazing.

Overall, this book is just fascinating. I was hooked from the beginning and awed by the excellent writing, as well. I'm extremely curious how this will translate to tv (and what liberties they will take with the story). 4.5 stars.

Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ PaperBackSwap ~ Smashbomb ...more

49 likes · Like · see review

Sep 15, 2018 Stacey rated it really liked it

Domestic suspense at its best. Idyllic neighborhood with that one nosy neighbor that's in everyone's business. Add to that she's your landlord whose kids are attracted to you because of your free thinking beliefs.

Mia, the single mother to Pearl lives life on her terms, not those dictated by society. She's an artist with a fuzzy past, but it's hers and she owns it. The characters of Mia and Pearl were especially relatable, but I felt caught up in the lives of all the characters which made this an ...more

48 likes · Like · see review

Feb 24, 2018 Wendy rated it really liked it

Shelves: 5000-books, wom-2018, mar-18

Little Fires Everywhere is a story of motherhood. The lengths women will go to become a mother, the sacrifices and compromises mothers make for their children, and the impact of those sacrifices on their children.
It is clear at the beginning that something went horribly wrong and the rest of the story explains what led up to it. The reader begins to understand as the tension climbs higher and higher as to how this issue could become such a huge problem. In the end everything comes full circle an ...more

36 likes · Like · see review

Jun 27, 2017 Chris Blocker rated it it was amazing

Celeste Ng's sophomore effort, Little Fires Everywhere, is destined to be one of the hottest books in 2017. Great characters and an evenly paced plot come together in a novel that is sure to impress fans of the author and newcomers alike (maybe even Joyce Carol Oates herself). With its excellent pacing and riveting storyline, it is a quick read; with the many thought-provoking topics it addresses, it will be a leading selection for many book clubs; it's intelligent, it's commercial. Bam, and jus Celeste Ng's sophomore effort, Little Fires Everywhere, is destined to be one of the hottest books in 2017. Great characters and an evenly paced plot come together in a novel that is sure to impress fans of the author and newcomers alike (maybe even Joyce Carol Oates herself). With its excellent pacing and riveting storyline, it is a quick read; with the many thought-provoking topics it addresses, it will be a leading selection for many book clubs; it's intelligent, it's commercial. Bam, and just like that, a literary star is made.

In many ways, Little Fires Everywhere has much in common with its predecessor. As with Everything I Never Told You, Ng's latest effort is a heartfelt, intelligently orchestrated story about the lack of understanding and empathy within a family. The novel is peopled with characters who are both beautiful and imperfect. And while I strongly believe that Little Fires Everywhere will be a larger success and a much better received book, I personally do not feel that it surpasses the gorgeously subtle brilliance of Everything....

Little Fires Everywhere succeeds unequivocally by most standards because of its formulaic plot. Naturally, this will also be the reason some readers feel the story to be disingenuous. Every turn of events relies on another that must be orchestrated perfectly. The results are the same again and again, a cascade of well-placed plot points that make the story one-hundred percent exciting, but also difficult to swallow. Yet this plotting is exactly what raises what would otherwise be academic reading to the ranks of a commercial success. Ng is an intelligent author with a strong grasp of language and of the craft, but she will not bore her readers. Those hoping for a more subtle telling will be disappointed by the obvious authorial manipulation, but it is this interference that frames an utterly unforgettable and engaging story where not one word is wasted.

While Everything... convinced me and moved me, Little Fires Everywhere pulled me in completely. It is a story I will not soon forget. Neither will you: I can almost guarantee you'll be hearing much about it in the coming months. ...more

14 likes · Like · see review

Sep 30, 2017 ColumbusReads rated it really liked it

A triumph. Even better than her debut.

4.25 stars

5 likes · Like · see review

Dec 05, 2017 Becca rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, fiction, 2018

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This story follows the interactions of artist-photographer Mia Warren and her daughter, Pearl, and the Richardson family. After a lifetime of moving across the country, Mia says that this is finally the place they will stay. We read the story in reverse, chronicling the perspectives of the four Richardson children - Trip, Moody, Lexie, and Izzy - and how each of their lives become entwined with and impacted by Mia and Pearl...and how a little uncertainty and wonder in an orderly town like Shaker This story follows the interactions of artist-photographer Mia Warren and her daughter, Pearl, and the Richardson family. After a lifetime of moving across the country, Mia says that this is finally the place they will stay. We read the story in reverse, chronicling the perspectives of the four Richardson children - Trip, Moody, Lexie, and Izzy - and how each of their lives become entwined with and impacted by Mia and Pearl...and how a little uncertainty and wonder in an orderly town like Shaker Heights can change the course of several lives.

This was my first read by Celeste Ng, and it certainly won't be my last. While reading about each of the characters, I wasn't sure where this story was going..and then BAM, around page 100 she rips your heart out. Even though the book is written in third person, it reads like a first person glimpse of each character - and even though there isn't a definitive break in when the stories switch (like when we finally hear Mia's full story, to Lexie's story, to the court case) the flow isn't confusing at all. Ng has a way of flowing in and out of topics so subtly you barely notice that you're covering so much ground so quickly. Pair this with the uncanny parallelisms with her characters (Bebe and Mia, Izzy and Pearl, Her attention to this kind of detail is a huge strength.

This book asks some hard questions: what makes a parent, particularly a mother? What makes a family? What defines a good or bad choice - are there good and bad choices? Do people understand the weight of cross-cultural adoption and the issue of race? Is "because this is how things are done" always a good reason to keep the status quo? There's a lot going on under the surface that it will take some time to unpack.

We're also left with a lot of questions, which I love: Does Mia go to meet her parents? Does she contact Mia's father (and his wife)? Does Izzy find Mia and Pearl? Where do Mia and Pearl end up - and do they find a place to finally "stay"? This would be delightful for a book discussion.

Pairings: The Mothers, Under a Painted Sky, The Girl who Fell from the Sky. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Apr 19, 2022 Kris rated it really liked it

Shelves: owned-books

Messy and complex family drama. It is interesting to compare and contrast how this would happen today versus in the mid 90s when this book is set. This book asks hard questions without one set answer. What makes a mother? What role does race play in raising a child? Is there a way to define what a successful life looks like?

This isn't perfect. It is sometimes over the top. But it's really good. ...more

1 like · Like · see review