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dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Abortion
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Abortion, Pregnancy
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Infertility, Racism, Car accident, Abortion
Minor: Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Pregnancy
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Celeste Ng does a great job of protraying characters as 3 dimensional beings. I did not find the plot all that engaging or even interesting. But all the characters here and front and center. I think this book touches on a lot of very complex topics and it does it with grace; it does a great job of presenting different points of view on questions of womanhood, motherhood, abortion, racism, etc. I found it hard to get into the book but towards the last third of the book I didn't want to put it down. I found myself seriously rooting for half the characters and completely despising the other half. I would totally recommend this book. I am curious to see the TV adaptation, and to read more books by Ng.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Racism
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion
Moderate: Infertility, Racism
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Abortion, Pregnancy
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I vaguely remember this book being Uber popular even before the idea of a tv show came about. I didn’t know what to make of the premise so I left it alone until recently. First - the plot twist towards the middle ish ? 3/4 of the way in surprised me. So that was interesting. Except .... if Mia truly believed that May Ling deserved to be with Bebe.... why hadn’t she given the Ryan’s their kid ? Isn’t that... hypocritical ? I also rolled my eyes and gave a sigh of ... not disgust just a really ? when Pearl tells Tripp she doesn’t mind being a secret. Again- I’m 29 so I’m obviously of the mindset where I know when a teenage boy like Tripp (fictional or not) is using someone and the girl just doesn’t see it. I also strongly disliked Elena throughout the entire novel. So... she has Izzy and because Izzy was the painful, no easy child to be pregnant with (not to mention a premature baby) Elena resents her daughter because of this ? This is no way in hell Izzy’s fault ! Izzy of course picks up on the mom’s behavior and despite the fire burning being a little extreme - a part of me doesn’t blame her for doing that. Izzy is fed up with the mistreatment and of course - the trauma would be enough for any teenager to act up. I think that the book is slow paced - I’m glad in the end the background / backstory of the characters took center stage in the first part of the novel to understand their development. Once that got out of the way - the plot picked up quickly. It took me some time to absorb the book in between readings - mostly because I sympathize with Izzy and being a premature baby myself - I understand when a parent is told your child may not be able to do things and then come out doing exactly what they said you couldn’t. Yet - my mom wasn’t like Elena. She didn’t channel her frustration on me because I was early. She fought hard to make sure I had what I needed to grow. So a lot of the sections with Izzy and Elena - I wanted to strangle / slap some sense into the woman. In the case of May Ling - I think visitation should have been granted. Or even a co parent option. I didn’t care / like the McCulloughs either.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Xenophobia, Abortion
Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Sexual content, Kidnapping
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Abortion, Pregnancy
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Little Fires Everywhere is a book that I picked up on a whim after watching a Disney documentary series that had an episode focused on the adaptation. I admired the passiom with which the author talked about her work and one scene showcases had me desperate to find out more.
This is not my typical read. Suburbian mystery and character driven books are hard for me to get invested in unless I become really attached to the characters early on. However, from the first couple of pages time slipped away from me. I could not put this down.
The writing is masterful, weaving together this complex history of a neighbourhood deseperate to present itself in a way that is entirely false. It's quiet but packs a punch that has left me reeling. From the artist, Mia, who moves to the area with her teen daughter, to the Richardson family, to bebe - a Chinese woman desperate to get her child back, there's so much bubbling under the surface thretening to explode at any moment.
I feel that, in some ways, the synopsis really undersells this book. The fire advertised is more of a footnote, as is the fight for a mother to get his child back from a rich white family. Everything is more rich and deep that I could ever have been prepared for.
I simply cannot stop sitting and picking apart every aspect of this story. There's themes of racism, class, teen experiences. I will be thinking about this for a long time.
This is not my typical read. Suburbian mystery and character driven books are hard for me to get invested in unless I become really attached to the characters early on. However, from the first couple of pages time slipped away from me. I could not put this down.
The writing is masterful, weaving together this complex history of a neighbourhood deseperate to present itself in a way that is entirely false. It's quiet but packs a punch that has left me reeling. From the artist, Mia, who moves to the area with her teen daughter, to the Richardson family, to bebe - a Chinese woman desperate to get her child back, there's so much bubbling under the surface thretening to explode at any moment.
I feel that, in some ways, the synopsis really undersells this book. The fire advertised is more of a footnote, as is the fight for a mother to get his child back from a rich white family. Everything is more rich and deep that I could ever have been prepared for.
I simply cannot stop sitting and picking apart every aspect of this story. There's themes of racism, class, teen experiences. I will be thinking about this for a long time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Abortion
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Death, Racism, Abortion
Minor: Sexual content