The #1 New York Times bestseller!Now a Hulu original series starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington.“I read Little Fires Everywhere in a single, breathless sitting.” —Jodi Picoult“To say I love this book is an understatement. It’s a deep psychological mystery about the power of motherhood, the intensity of teenage love, and the danger of perfection. It moved me to tears.” —Reese … danger of perfection. It moved me to tears.” —Reese Witherspoon
“Extraordinary . . . books like Little Fires Everywhere don’t come along often.” —John Green
From the bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You, a riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives.
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.
Named a Best Book of the Year by: People, The Washington Post, Bustle, Esquire, Southern Living, The Daily Beast, GQ, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Audible, Goodreads, Library Reads, Book of the Month, Paste, Kirkus Reviews, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and many more…
Perfect for book clubs! Visit celesteng.com for discussion guides and more.
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great character development. Totally believable
Entertaining
I can see why this book became a popular movie. Teenagers with different backgrounds become friends. Black versus white. Selfish versus selfless. Do we have a chance to change ourselves for the better?
In all honestly it took me a few chapters to get interested in the story. The story follows multiple characters and I felt a bit overwhelmed. However once I started diving deeper into the book, I began to realize Ng’s reasons for a slow build and complicated web of characters was very much intentional. As we learn more about Elena and Mia’s pasts, it becomes clear that this story offers an amazing opportunity for multiple readers to relate too. Whether you are a mother or a teenager, there is a character in this story that most can relate too. Overall, I am glad that I pushed through to see this story till the end.
A great book addressing many of society’s hidden agendas. White elitism is on display.
Took a while to get going (third time of starting was a charm for me!!!) but once I caught it I buzzed right through it!!!!
This was an enjoyable read about a rather dysfunctional family whose mother, Elena Richardson, rents her rental home to Mia Chen and her teen daughter Pearl who becomes friends with the teenage Richardsons. The inter-twining of the two families leads to all sorts of complexities and drama that come together in an emotionally plausible ending. My main criticism of the book is the negative stereotyping of Elena and her wealthy white women friends.
Great book
Loved it
This was an unsatisfying read. The characters were well drawn but other than Pearl and Mrs Richardson, none had a goal. They were characters floating through a story that experienced things that happened to them. They weren’t pro-active. The ending was hardly resolved. Disappointing.
I really enjoyed Celeste Ng’s book even though they are one the somber side. I find them to be interesting storylines with twists and quirky characters from Ohio!
Way superior to the mini-series.
I highly recommend this book. The ending was a tad heartbreaking but hopeful. However, the book brings so many questions to the surface about morals and motherhood. How far would you go to get what you want? Can the past really stay in the past? What drew me in were the characters and how they intertwined. Simply beautiful.
Loved the book but was left hanging at the end.
I know this book is popular, but I struggled with the last third of the book in which telling took over. Even the moral dilemma became watered down by telling me how I should perceive it.
A powerful story of family dynamics, motherhood, race, social injustices, freedom, and rules we apply to ourselves and others. Totally unputdownable. Great read!
memorable, strong woman vs. society women
Characters are tremendous. Story is masterful. Interesting ending – enjoyed very much.
Found this read to be uneventful. Although I liked many of the characters it just left me wondering why I read it in the first place.
3.5 stars. Honestly, if this book was not so over hyped, I may have liked it more. It just didn’t meet such high expectations, in my opinion. I’ve landed on a 3.5 star rating, but I’m still unsure whether it deserves a 4 star rating instead. I’m too indecisive!
This book was definitely not what I was expecting. I went into this novel thinking it was a fast-paced mystery thriller-esque book. It is quite the opposite. The pacing of this novel is extremely slow—probably the most slow-paced book I have ever read. It was certainly a very slow burn. I wasn’t very intrigued until about 100 pages in, but once I got there I was hooked. At first, I wasn’t a big fan how slow-paced this book is. After I got used to the slow moving storyline, however, I grew to appreciate that very aspect of the book.
I grew to appreciate how slow moving the storyline is, as it allows for more intricacy. The story is extremely character driven, so it allows the reader to intimately know each and every character, as well as the dynamics between them. When I say each and every character, I truly mean every single character. All of the characters—even secondary and tertiary characters—are included in that statement. You understand how the characters became the person they are. You see into their souls. This makes for a deeply emotional, beautiful and impactful read.
As I’ve made abundantly clear, this is a very slow-paced character focused novel. I love character driven stories, but they aren’t for everyone. For people who prefer action and plot driven novels, this is probably not the book for you. Even for me, it felt too character driven at times. I would’ve liked it to be balanced with a little more action!
If you don’t go into this book expecting a fast-paced mystery, you’ll love it. Just have the right expectations! You’re in for an amazing slow-paced, character focused read.