Little Fires Everywhere - October 2018 BOTM

[Ahtims]

We started October with little fires everywhere.
It has been in my radar for quite a few months, and hence welcome the opportunity to read.
All members keen to read it, please do start...
Will be starting soon

BLURB

Everyone in Shaker Heights was talking about it that summer: how Isabelle, the last of the Richardson children, had finally gone around the bend and burned the house down.

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is meticulously planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the colours 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 teenage daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than just tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the alluring mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past, and a disregard for the rules that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

When the Richardsons' friends attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town and puts Mia and Mrs. Richardson on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Mrs. Richardson becomes determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs to her own family – and Mia's.

Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of long-held secrets and the ferocious pull of motherhood-and the danger of believing that planning and following the rules can avert disaster, or heartbreak.

[Shivon]

I will be starting to read this today. :)

[swatreads]

I’ll probably start this today as well. Or tomorrow!

[Makrand]

I might start reading at the end of this week!

[Abarna]

I read it earlier this year and enjoyed it thoroughly. Mia's photography/art so beautifully painted through words is still etched in my mind. And Izzy, such a colorful character! Hope you all like it too. Happy reading.

[swatreads]

Started last night! A little slow paced but seems like an interesting read.

[Em Lost In Books, EmLo is my Name, PIFM is my Game]

Swathi wrote: "Started last night! A little slow paced but seems like an interesting read."

same thoughts. read four chapters and it's too early to say anything but the character descriptions are really good.

[swatreads]

@manju
Yes I agree! The descriptions are good. Waiting for some action:):)

[Bharat]

What is the name of the book. I am sorry not able to get it from the post.

[Makrand]

Bharat wrote: "What is the name of the book. I am sorry not able to get it from the post."

its Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

[Em Lost In Books, EmLo is my Name, PIFM is my Game]

44% and it was all about the children. Then all of a sudden it changed and things got serious. (view spoiler)[I knew there's something in Mia's past that she was running away and hell-bent on keeping things secret. But I suspect some big revelation about her on the horizon.

Mrs. Richardson's offer of help, I didn't like it and Mia was not interested. She saw it as an opportunity to look over Pearl rather than a mean to help with household. I am loving that budding friendship (?) Between Izzy and Mia. Though it's plain to see it is very one sided friendship...

I liked how the author planted the twist in story. One moment she was talking about children and mothers and the next moment we have media hounding Richardson's friends and eager journalists poking their noses in others' life. (hide spoiler)]

[Em Lost In Books, EmLo is my Name, PIFM is my Game]

Finished. Waiting for others to discuss.

[Abarna]

Awesome. How did you like it? I rated four stars I guess

[Em Lost In Books, EmLo is my Name, PIFM is my Game]

Abarna Sekaran wrote: "Awesome. How did you like it? I rated four stars I guess"

It was good till the climax. (view spoiler)[I didn't like action of Izzy. And that's where the book started, I thought whoever this Izzy was would have some very good reason to burn down the house but what she did was madness. (hide spoiler)]

[Abarna]

(view spoiler)[ Yeah, it was a bit over the top. I didn't really buy into it either. I guess Izzy had her own moral compass, a somewhat overly moralistic one and an unhealthy attachment/fierce loyalty towards Mia. Also teenagers can be extremely irrational, that's how I justified it. But Izzy's relationship with her mom made me crack up in several places, I still remember that 'I am not your puppet' debacle scene and I read the book months ago. (hide spoiler)]

[Vineet]

Arey.. Anansi Boys discussion closed!!! It took me a herculean month long effort to finish it.....

[Vineet]

And I finished it only for the sake of this group.... would definitely had dnf'd it otherwise!!!

[Vineet]

Sorry got the correct link now, and commented in that.

[Ahtims]

Have just began. And what a peculiar start!

[Ahtims]

At 17%, thoroughly enjoying

[Makrand]

At 66% right now & the book has been successful in keeping mr fairly engaged right from the start.
Characters are quite aptly described and one can visualize Shaker Heights.

There are a lot of things happening right now and a lot of threads too. Connecting the dots seems possible at the moment yet i am feeling somewhere deep down that an Unknown element is gonna jump in and present a twist.

[Makrand]

Hoping it ends in a manner that is convincing to the general audience

[Arman]

Abarna Sekaran wrote: "I read it earlier this year and enjoyed it thoroughly. Mia's photography/art so beautifully painted through words is still etched in my mind. And Izzy, such a colorful character! Hope you all like ..."
I didn't get the end though, It was like I wanted it more and like what happened to all the characters in the end, that question stayed always. Kind of an abrupt end to me.

[Ahtims]

At chapter 4

MINOR SPOILER AHEAD

Now Pearl is incorporated in Moody's family and her mother is a bit worried.

Waiting to see what happens further

[Abarna]

Arman wrote: "Abarna Sekaran wrote: "I read it earlier this year and enjoyed it thoroughly. Mia's photography/art so beautifully painted through words is still etched in my mind. And Izzy, such a colorful charac..."

That seems to be the popular opinion. (view spoiler)[ I guess the whole whydunit part was really just a hook to reel the reader in. Essentially it was only about the characters; especially the moral dilemmas each character faces when it comes to children/motherhood. I think the author's end goal is to convey that and only that, hence the story/plot sagged on the whydunit front. I found this guardian review that dissects the book well; it might help us digest the ending better(or at least be frustrated with it in an informed manner).

"Little Fires Everywhere is less about arson than babies. Ng constructs a three-ring circus, each subplot posing a moral quandary regarding an infant. 1) Close friends of the Richardsons have taken in a baby abandoned at a fire station, whom they hope to adopt. But the little girl’s Chinese mother has got her act together, and wants her daughter back. 2) Years before, the Richardson’s tenant, Mia, carried a child for an affluent but infertile couple, after manually inseminating herself with the man’s sperm. Yet she began to form an attachment to the unborn child. 3) The older Richardson daughter gets pregnant by her unwitting boyfriend. Her family could afford to raise the baby, but a child would interfere with her forthcoming university education.

In each instance, whose rights and desires take precedence?

“It came, over and over, down to this,” Ng spells out, perhaps too explicitly. “What made someone a mother? Was it biology alone, or was it love?” "

And as for the open ending, it's disappointing. May be the author is trying to leave room for a sequel.
(hide spoiler)]

[Makrand]

Just finished reading BOTM!

Felt like an absolute 3 starrer with characters so beautifully written that i felt in love with Ng :D She has really done at amazing job at character building.

The pace of the story is Slow but very gripping. The contrast between the Richardson's family and the Warren/Wright's family is also effortlessly portrayed!

Mia's journey seems to be the hardest with bare minimum needs yet high on talent. Someone who sort of had to face consequences in her life due to one bad decision and yet somehow she has made peace with it without cribbing and living a content life whereas the Richardson's of Shaker have no shortage of money, fame and all luxuries yet as a family is in a complete disarray!

But...But..
(view spoiler)[The part when Izzy goes extreme and burns down the house seems a bit unrealistic for a 15 year old. Even though she hated her family and would no longer like to see them,
somewhere the house burning seemed a bit far-fetched (hide spoiler)]

& secondly i felt that the Novel ended up with a lot of hanging questions either directing to be resolved in the next part(if there would be one) or well, it's an open ending, Go Figure!

Questions like (view spoiler)[
Where was Mia headed along with Pearl after picking up Izzy?
Did they visit the Ryans or the Wrights?
Was Izzy complelled to goto the Richardson's?
How did Elena try & attempt to find her lost daughter?
What of Lizzy, Moody and Trip?
(hide spoiler)] Loomed over me as i saw the Acknowledgements come up!

[Makrand]

Eagerly waiting to discuss!!

@Abarna i read your post about the Guardian's review and agree with stuff in there, especially this

(view spoiler)[
“It came, over and over, down to this,” Ng spells out, perhaps too explicitly. “What made someone a mother? Was it biology alone, or was it love?” "
(hide spoiler)]

[Mohi]

Just started reading. Expecting it to be good.

Eager to join the discussions as soon as I finish.

[G]

Started it a day or two ago. I'm about thirds of the way through. Liking it so far. Looking forward to the discussion

[Em Lost In Books, EmLo is my Name, PIFM is my Game]

Makrand wrote: "But...But..
(view spoiler)..."

totally agree. Before meeting Mia, I don't think she was this aggressive. (view spoiler)[there was only a single incident where izzy jammed the doors in school. other than that she was never involved in any act of violence or mischief. Even after the door incident she just started spending time with Mia, and author never went in detail with what they talk about when they spent time together. So I find it unconvincing to think that Mia inspired Izzy to burn down the house as the author implied. (hide spoiler)]

Again I agree with the questions that the end put up in front of readers. I hate these kind of endings.

I also find it frustrating (view spoiler)[that the author tried to make this story character driven while in my opinion this is clearly a plot driven story. None of the character or their backstory made an impact on me. True, I was engaged till the very end but I just felt nothing for the featured mothers or children.

For me Mia and Elena represented the opposite ends of the spectrum. While Mia was always on the move, short on money, giving Pearl a nomadic life was thought to be a good mother, at least in the opinion of Lexi and Izzy. On the other hand Elena, who's working so hard to give her children a life of comfort, and fulfillment was presented as someone who did not take care of her children as a mother should be doing. I think author very subtly implied this which I think was wrong.

If Ng was trying to write about the relationship of mother-children, and then leaving it on readers to draw an opinion, then I think she should have given Mia some better backstory. When Mia told her co-worker about the whereabout of her child she thought to herself that a child should never be separated from the mother. I think in that way Mia should hand Pearl to Ryans right at that moment, after all Pearl was not her child. She was Ryans' child and it was wrong of Mia to take her away from the parents just because she was the surrogate. Mia's this opinion made her the villain of the story for me. (hide spoiler)]

[Ahtims]

At 40%, it is riveting.
(view spoiler)[
Am at the part where Izzy is investigating about Mia's portrait, and ropes her mother in. who is unable to find the answers..
Then about Bee (dont know the spelling, I am listening to audio) goes to meet the daughter she left in the fire engine dept.
I am loving all the characters.
Character development is the most strong point of this book..
Moody, Pearl, Izzy, Mia, Mrs. Richardson... and all others are vivid in my mind
(hide spoiler)]

[Em Lost In Books, EmLo is my Name, PIFM is my Game]

Smitha wrote: "At 40%, it is riveting.

Am at the part where Izzy is investigating about Mia's portrait, and ropes her mother in. who is unable to find the answers..
Then about Bee (dont know the spelling, I am l..."

I had same thoughts going through my mind at 40%. *giggles*

[Ahtims]

Manju wrote: "Smitha wrote: "At 40%, it is riveting.

s..."

That sounds like a wicked, 'You just wait and see what happens next" sort of giggle to me :P

[Em Lost In Books, EmLo is my Name, PIFM is my Game]

it was! ;)

[Makrand]

Manju wrote: "Makrand wrote: "But...But..
(view spoiler)..."

totally agree. Before meeting Mia, I don't think she was this aggressive. [spoilers removed]

Again I agree with the questions that the end put up in..."

YES!! So true what you have stated about Mia in the last paragraph which would definitely strike every reader!
(view spoiler)[
Mia helping Bebe getting her daughter back and Mia not letting the Ryan's keep Pearl - So contradictory! Either the author purposefully cancels herself out so as to build the premises for a sequel or sorry to say 'messed up' in putting forth a convincing Mia
(hide spoiler)]

[Em Lost In Books, EmLo is my Name, PIFM is my Game]

@Markand - Exactly!! and at times I feel (view spoiler)[Ng tried to present Mia as an ideal mother and I absolutely hated it. (hide spoiler)]

[Ahtims]

At 94% and am absolutely loving this story . So quirky and different ... Just the type of books I like to read to escape boring life.
Would have loved to discuss .. a lot of points in fact, but the spoiler nature of each inhibits me .. as I can add spoiler tag only at desktop..

[G]

Just got done with this one. I liked it quite some. I like the pacing of the story and the nicely crafted principal characters.
It was quite a feel-good read for me

[Em Lost In Books, EmLo is my Name, PIFM is my Game]

Smitha wrote: "At 94% and am absolutely loving this story . So quirky and different ... Just the type of books I like to read to escape boring life.
Would have loved to discuss .. a lot of points in fact, but the..."

eagerly waiting for your spoilers. ;)

[Em Lost In Books, EmLo is my Name, PIFM is my Game]

G wrote: "Just got done with this one. I liked it quite some. I like the pacing of the story and the nicely crafted principal characters.
It was quite a feel-good read for me"

that's great. :)

[Barbara]

Smitha wrote: "At 94% and am absolutely loving this story . So quirky and different ... Just the type of books I like to read to escape boring life.
Would have loved to discuss .. a lot of points in fact, but the..."

I just read her earlier book and was bored silly by it. I think I'm going to need some time to recover before trying 'little fires'.

[Ahtims]

Barbara wrote: "Smitha wrote: "At 94% and am absolutely loving this story . So quirky and different ... Just the type of books I like to read to escape boring life.
Would have loved to discuss .. a lot of points i..."

Which book, Barbara?
Anyway, I liked this one..
To each, his/her own... the motto holds true for us readers as well :)

[Ahtims]

Finished. Was an enthralling read. This is just down my alley, the kind of story which is quirky, not very romantic, and deals with the vagaries of human nature.
I loved the art part of it, and loved the dynamics between various people.
It was predictable at a few places, dramatic at a few places, and slightly scientifically inaccurate at others.
But on the whole, thoroughly satisfactory.

And as others who thought so, I too feel/hope there will be a part 2 sometime in future.

[Ahtims]

Manju wrote: "Abarna Sekaran wrote: "Awesome. How did you like it? I rated four stars I guess"

It was good till the climax. [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[
I guess Izzy is not fully sound in head. Her character is one which is sort of undecipherable to me. She is a loner, and one who acts upon her instincts. And I guess she takes things literally than metaphorically. Mia telling her a couple of times that everything has to be razed down by fire for new things to sprout up, is of course the reason behind her fire act..
Still, at 15 she should have known of the repercussions and safety issues, esp since she didnt even check whether her mother was at home. It is God's (and Author's ) grace that noone perished in the fire.
(hide spoiler)]

[Ahtims]

Abarna Sekaran wrote: "[spoilers removed]"

Yes :)

[Ahtims]

Abarna Sekaran wrote: "Arman wrote: "Abarna Sekaran wrote: "I read it earlier this year and enjoyed it thoroughly. Mia's photography/art so beautifully painted through words is still etched in my mind. And Izzy, such a c..."

YES to all
And whose side are you all on (view spoiler)[ THE BABY ANGLE.. I had more sympathy towards Linda and husband, though Bibi (or is it BeeBee) is the birth mother. Somehow I didnt take to Bibi though she deserved full sympathy.. dont know why.. perhaps because of the naked want Linda displayed.. .. but then I want BIbi to have her too. They shoud have discussed and Bibi should have stayed in on at Linda's place and baby Mirabel/Mayling would have had two equally loving mothers.. but then there would be a clash of culture and wills..

as to what Mia did with Pearl.. again dilemma.. I feel Ryan and wife deserved her more... But then I am purely going by the obvious rights... quite discounting maternal love.
But isnt paternal love too important? Ryan had almost an equal right to be with his daughter.

(hide spoiler)]

[Ahtims]

Makrand wrote: "Manju wrote: "Makrand wrote: "But...But..
(view spoiler)..."

totally agree. Before meeting Mia, I don't think she was this aggressive. [spoilers removed]

Again I agree with the questions that the..."

YES, Mia is quite at odd ends considering both situations. Or perhaps she is plain selfish and does what she wants to...

[Barbara]

Smitha wrote: "Barbara wrote: "Smitha wrote: "At 94% and am absolutely loving this story . So quirky and different ... Just the type of books I like to read to escape boring life.
Would have loved to discuss .. a..."

The earlier book is 'Everything I Never Told You'

[Ahtims]

Okay.. thank you . Haven't read it.

[G]

Thank You IR, this BOTM is probably what I needed at this juncture of my life right now. Mia gave me a very Howard Roarkish vibe and I loved her character. Also, I kinda disagree with a posted opinion that Mia's character is inconsistent. Her actions -- with Pearl as well as the bit with helping her co-worker -- clearly show her primary belief - a child belongs with her mother as long as she can take care of it.