Big Little Lies in Pop Sugar's Annual Ultimate Reading Challenge

Aug 26, 2020 Filipa rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: buddy-read, english-books, thriller-mystery-suspense, not-own, 2020-reads

2,5 stars would be a more realistic rating.

I wasn't expecting much from this book because earlier in the year I read Nine Perfect Strangers and I really wasn't impressed. However, considering the huge success this book has had - starting with the number of people who read it, the good ratings on GR and finally being adapted into a series, I had hoped for more. A lot more, to be honest.
I understand that I probably had the wrong expectations for this book but somehow, I was expecting more depth f 2,5 stars would be a more realistic rating.

I wasn't expecting much from this book because earlier in the year I read Nine Perfect Strangers and I really wasn't impressed. However, considering the huge success this book has had - starting with the number of people who read it, the good ratings on GR and finally being adapted into a series, I had hoped for more. A lot more, to be honest.
I understand that I probably had the wrong expectations for this book but somehow, I was expecting more depth from the 3 women that are the focus of this story. The whole book builds up to a murder that we know has happened but we don't know who has died - we discover bits and pieces throughout the book and the story develops slowly, excruciatingly slowly.

In terms of structure I can see the similarities between Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers. The author relies on the exact same strategy to develop the plot: nothing really happens for the first third of the book, maybe even a little bit more than a third. Nothing exciting, that is. You get to know the characters, their inner voices, desires, fears and anxieties, you get to know the setting and that's it.
Only on the second half of the book does something of relevance happens in the story. But that is only part of the "problem".

Big Little Lies wasn't really my cup of tea for a lot of reasons - on one hand, the story is just too convenient to be true. For me, fiction has to be somewhat believable (aside from fantasy, science fiction and other genres like it), I like to be convinced that something like what happens in the books, could actually happen in RL. This is not the case with Big Little Lies. The story is wrapped up so, so neatly that it completely failed to convince that this could actually happen in a real world. That was disappointing and made me question the purpose of the book: (view spoiler)
On the other hand, this book raises some important and relevant themes but they're dealt with extreme lightness and even stupidity (mostly on Madeline's part - my god, I couldn't stand Madeline, such a frivolous person, lover of conflicts and thoughts no more complex than 2+2=4). This was what sorely disappointed me with this book, tbh. I understand that the goal of this book was to entertain but why raise some relevant questions and not add anything of value? Books influence our way of thinking, of behaving and I do believe that books have enormous power. If you're only going to use your words to entertain and not educate, don't raise these kinds of subjects. Just write about something else.
Talking about bullying and then (view spoiler) Talking about domestic violence and then (view spoiler)

I think that I'm done with this author. The two books I've read weren't really my cup of tea and I feel like I gave her a fair chance to prove me wrong. I'm eager to move on to other books & authors. ...more

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Feb 25, 2017 Kelly rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, 3-star, social-commentary, cover-me-purple, cover-me-gray, 2017-read

Well, this book isn't going to win any literary prizes. Moriarty's primary characters are unique and wholly formed, each imbued with hidden depths, but the others - from the kindergarten teacher to the Greek chorus of parents - are disappointly typical and quite irritating. Suburbanites' catty gossip, frazzled schedules and parenting woes are usually the stuff of my literary nightmares, with few exceptions like Tom Perrotta's "Little Children". "Little Big Lies" aims slightly higher and hits the ...more

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Feb 20, 2021 Dana Fontaine rated it it was amazing

"It was all just a terrible misunderstanding. People's feelings got hurt, and then everything just spiraled out of control. The way it does. All conflict can be traced back to someone's feelings getting hurt, don't you think?" says Bonnie, one of the survivors being interrogated during a mysterious murder investigation of the event that took place at Trivia Night at Piriwee Elementary School. One does not find out about who was actually murdered until near the end of this darkly comic, and crypt ...more

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Mar 04, 2017 Ali rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017

read for Popsugar 2017 challenge: a book by an author from a country you've never visited

This book was really fun and very addictive to read. I figured out to the twist rather early on, but it was still a great reveal. Definitely looking forward to reading more Liane Moriarty and watching the HBO adaptation of this. ...more

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