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Little Fires Everywhere

Celeste Ng

Start date: May 1, 2018

Finish date: May 29, 2018

Discussion: Monthly Bonus Reads

Why we're reading this: May Bonus Read- Mother's Day

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Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

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What Members Thought

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

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Jul 06, 2018 Cam rated it really liked it

This is my second time reading this book ..... this time I’m reading it for our neighborhood book club. I think I enjoyed it my second time around more.

9 likes · Like · see review

Jul 18, 2019 Christina rated it really liked it

Please be advised: This book is definitely a slow moving ongoing build up to complex drama in the lives of the characters presented in this book. Do not expect a fast riveting story... although the story is riveting in itself, it is a slow dramatic build to what's going on in this small progressive town.

I was instantly intrigued to read this book because I'm from Cleveland, and I specifically lived in Shaker Heights as a single adult. I was instantly transported back to Shaker Heights as I read Please be advised: This book is definitely a slow moving ongoing build up to complex drama in the lives of the characters presented in this book. Do not expect a fast riveting story... although the story is riveting in itself, it is a slow dramatic build to what's going on in this small progressive town.

I was instantly intrigued to read this book because I'm from Cleveland, and I specifically lived in Shaker Heights as a single adult. I was instantly transported back to Shaker Heights as I read her book and connected with the landmarks that the author sprinkled throughout the book.

This slow build up of drama is enthralling, highly emotional and deeply engrossing.

The story tells of all of the small fires that are going on in everyone's lives, but starts with a literal fire at the Richardson house. The book then goes back to fill in the gaps as to why the house fire was started in the first place.

All the characters in this book are all intertwined with each other and make significant impact on the fires in their lives as well.

Mia, a poor/struggling artist has just moved into Shaker Heights with her teenage daughter Pearl. Both Mia and Pearl move into the Richardson's rental house on Winslow Rd. The Richardson children are all intrigued into the mother and daughter duo and get to know them as best as they can while they are living in the house. However, Pearl befriends the Richardson kids and gets involved in their lives as deeply as possible because this move is supposed to be the last. We watch as Pearl dives head first into school, friends, and life as a budding teen with a love interest.

While she's becoming invested in this new life here in Shaker, we see how everyone has something going on.

We also see Mr. and Mrs. Richardson and how their perspectives hovers over their kids and the lives of their friends. Mrs. Richardson uses her station in life and career to help a friend who she feels deserves to be a mother. On the other side, we see Mia help a friend, Bebe, attempt restore a broken life with her child that is found and is within arms reach. This custody battle divides the Shaker Heights community in more ways than one, and puts everyone's emotions on the line. Does someone deserve to be a mother just because they want to be one? Does someone deserve to be a mother just because biologically they are? But what if they made a mistake and gave the child up? Do they still deserve to get the child back? I was so emotional after the court hearing when I saw the verdict. Looking at it from both sides, each person had valid points. It's impossible to have to make a decision like that. What Bebe did to resolve the situation was shocking.

By the end I was cheering, rooting, booing and hissing all kinds of characters in this book. The author did a great job in developing the characters because you could literally see them in so many different angles that you could be for or against them at any given moment.

I wasn't a fan of the slow build up of drama in this book at first, but it did not take away from the flow of the story. I would rate this book a 4 and I would recommend this as a book club read. There are so many things you could talk about in this book with others.

...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Jun 17, 2018 Donna rated it it was amazing

Shelves: n-y-times-best-seller, friendship, fiction, family-life, adult-chic-lit, adult-fiction

I had to wait a L-O-N-G time to get my hands on this book from the library. Finally, I read it and it is awesome!! I loved every single page.

3 likes · Like · see review

Jul 27, 2018 Tosha rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This story is not for you if you don’t like slow moving stories that dive into character analysis. I found it difficult to not read when the story starts with little fires burning everywhere in the Richardson household. Izzy the youngest of the Richardson children being blamed for it all. As the story opened up to describe & introduce the Richardson children & Mrs. Richardson herself I initially thought the story to be “typical”. Yet as the story goes back to what sparked (pun intended) the fire ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 31, 2018 Tippy rated it really liked it

Shelves: drama, fables, 2018, diversity-in-all-forms-group

This was a solid story. But mostly I appreciated the overall tone of the book. Quiet but determined. It's hard to describe. It was this feeling that made the book 4 stars instead of 3. ...more

Like · see review