Big Little Lies follows three different women who all have children starting kindergarten. It is a mystery, drama and satire about the pressures of parenthood, modern motherhood especially, all rolled into one.
“Should I call the police?” wondered Mrs. Ponder out loud, but then she heard the wail of a siren in the distance, at the same time as a woman on the balcony began to scream and scream. pg 19, ebook.
I couldn’t put the book down. I don’t know people who are as intense as the parents are in this book, but with a little push, I could see some of the PTO members making that leap and fitting right in. You know they care about their kids, but it makes them a bit competitive and unapproachable. This book made me wonder what may be going on at home if that’s the face they choose to display in public…
My favorite character in Big Little Lies was Jane, the youngest of the mothers and one who is carrying a devastating secret. She allows her intense love for her son, Ziggy, to keep her going through her anxiety.
If it weren’t for Ziggy she would have driven off. She would have been so focused on her goal of getting him to his kindergarten orientation that she would have left a woman sitting on the road, writhing in pain. pg 28, ebook.
But a close second for favorite character was Madeline, a fiery mother of three children, one from her first marriage and two from her second. She doesn’t let anybody push her around and she stands up for those she takes under her wing. It’s nice to have friends like that.
Madeline saw Celeste and her face lit up. One of the nicest things about Madeline was the way her face transformed when she saw you, as if there were no one else in the world she’d rather see. pg 40, ebook.
Madeline is also the cause of much of the drama in this story. She has a tendency to cause trouble when she’s upset rather than back away from it. Also, gossip seems to follow her around.
Madeline, she realized, was one of those slightly dangerous people who jumped right in defending their friends and stirred up far bigger waves than the first tiny ripple. pg 90, ebook.
Mysterious and beautiful Celeste is the last of the main characters in this story. She’s so easy to love, but, like Jane, also has a terrible secret. And while all of this drama is going on in their personal lives, their children are trying to make it through kindergarten in one piece.
Highly recommended for readers who like their mysteries interlaced with some backstabbing parents and heartbreaking secrets. I’m interested to see the HBO series now and see how true they were to the book.
Thanks for reading!
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