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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Extremely well-written. Strong woman heroine that we females can relate to.
Gloria Squitiro: A first lady of Kanas City and author of May Cause Drowsiness and Blurred Vision: The Side Effects of Bravery—YOU, Too! can OVERCOME ANXIETY and live a bigger more carefree life—Become a New and Better You!
#YayWomenWriters
This book was slow and just as it gets good, it ends. With a dozen unintersting cliffhangers.
Extraordinary! A beautifully written novel, with masterful use of the omniscient point of view, where the author carries the reader seamlessly from the perspective of one character to another. And there is a large cast of characters, all three-dimensional and flawed, some more than others. The first few chapters unfold at a fairly slow pace, setting the scene and establishing the characters in the comfortable Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights in the 1990’s. But we know from the opening chapter, in which the affluent Richardson’s family home is burnt to the ground, by someone who had deliberately set “little fires” in every room, and the youngest of their teenage children has disappeared, presumed to be responsible for the arson – that all is not going to continue to be perfect in this perfect world. Soon the tensions mount, and I tore through the second half of the novel, unable to put it down, as the multi-layered conflicts reach their crescendo. A novel with many significant themes: class inequality and privilege; teenage friendships and sibling rivalry; styles of parenting and the mother-child bond; cross cultural adoption and race; conventional vs bohemian lifestyles – that will linger long after the last page is turned.
It was ok not a big favorite
I really enjoyed this book by Celeste Ng. While it started off kind of slow and confusing in parts, I very quickly wanted to continue reading, and found it hard to put the book down. I felt the characters were very well developed, the story line easy to follow (even though there were multiple!), and the intrigue very well done. I am certainly looking forward to discussing this book in book club!
Excellent writing good character development !
An intimate, intricate, and tender journey through the lives of four families. Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere is the type of novel you can set aside as you ruminate on the choices and subsequent consequences of the characters, question what choice you’d make if thrown into the same circumstance, and explore your own biases.
It’s also a novel you can speed through, utterly engrossed.
I have SO much to say about this book I have a video review at https://youtu.be/UJ7mr9BsIDU but honestly, if what I wrote above appeals to you, just pick it up and read it!
Good book, definitely good for book clubs, it has lots to discuss… especially about what a mother will do for her child!
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.
I found this book to be contemporary with a social justice slant even though the book is set in the late 90s. The close third POV felt comfortable and guiding as you peer into a suburban world of haves and have nots. The story follows two families. One affluent with two parents and four teenage children. The other family is a single mother and daughter who are drifters, the mother an artist who can fit all her belongings into a VW Rabbit. The two families become entwined and intrigue ignites around a local scandal. An immigrant woman abandoned her baby out of desperation and now wants the child back from the upper class, childless couple who has raised this child for the past 14mos after receiving her from social services.
I loved the soft way each story unfolds with more and more layers revealing themselves offering different points of view on the same topic. I almost abandoned the story at first because I mistakenly thought it was predictable, it was not, as I found the further I read.
Highly recommend this one.
I found this book to be just ok. I liked the story and the characters, but it felt like I was just reading about them without ever really getting to know them. I did like some of the twists and turns.
I wish the ending had been a little different but I still highly enjoyed this book.
I absolutely loved the way this story was written. It was so unique and an absolutely stunning read.
Very good character building
Wow! I could not put this book down. In one sitting, Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng pulled me into a world where the idea of a perfect family came crumbling down. This has to be one of my top reads this month!
This story is told through two completely different women. We have Elena Richardson, a successful, married reporter who has four children. The Richardson family lives in a well off neighbourhood and every little detail of Mrs. Richardson’s life is done to perfection.
Then we have Mia Warren, an ambiguous, creative single artist with her daughter Pearl. The Warren family moves into the neighbourhood and rents an apartment from the Richardson family.
Soon the lives of these two families intercept, with love, heartache, anger and regret; Ng takes you on a journey of what it means to be a mother, daughter, and even a family. While this story is so simple, is screams genuineness and parallels many realities.
I seriously regret not reading this book sooner! It is so well written and it pulled me in within the first chapter. From the writing, characters and setting, I felt like I was part of Shaker Heights where the book took place.
While the pacing felt slow at times, it allowed Ng to develop these two families and how they perfectly depict the opposite of one another, yet somehow utterly fit into each other’s lives.
I really feel like Ng’s writing can’t be described like any other author’s. It is blunt, poignant and masterfully done.
“Sometimes you need to scorch everything to the ground, and start over. After the burning the soil is richer, and new things can grow. People are like that, too. They start over. They find a way.”
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng is a wonderfully addictive book. I was enthralled from start to finish. It is engaging and will leave you feeling a wide range of emotions. This is the first book that I’ve read by Celeste Ng and it won’t be the last. I highly recommend this book! You won’t regret it!
Read my full review here: https://bit.ly/2Vn2usV
The best book I have read in years!
This definitely is not a “feel good” book, but it is original. It’s different than any other book I’ve read (I’d say I’m a 1 book a month reader and I stick to popular books). I purchased this book and I wish I would’ve just waited and checked it out from the library because it’s not one I will revisit.
I love how all of the book builds to be neatly tied up in the end. The book is very character driven and about them as people rather than the events of the story.
Just a good book with a storyline that keeps moving and keeps you interested!
Sad, but true!