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zzfinch's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The third person omniscient perspective used is incredibly unique- across characters and timelines, this all-knowing narrative helps paint the snow-globe like world of Shaker Heights. This book explores complex ideas of many social determinants of health such as socioeconomic status, and largely race and ethnicity, and how these all affect our lives. Reading this while living in a post-Roe world and an increasingly dangerous country for mothers and pregnant people was challenging. Even in a self-titled “utopia”, these things will always prevail; is a utopia even possible? The prairie fire mindset is how revolutions (should) start.
My qualms were I felt while the omniscient perspective was powerful, it created less room for rounding out a few of the characters. I would’ve loved to be more inside Izzie’s head, Tripp, or Mr. Richardson, even. I felt the conflict between Izzie and Mrs. Richardson was shown a lot through Elena’s eyes and resentment built, but I would’ve liked to hear more from Izzie because the climax of her actions didn’t seem as built up as the beginning showed it- very strong opening, by the way.
I did watch the show prior to the book and I think that’s one reason I wished to have heard more from Izzie- the show focuses a lot on her and Elena’s conflict. Over all a great read and beautifully written.
My qualms were I felt while the omniscient perspective was powerful, it created less room for rounding out a few of the characters. I would’ve loved to be more inside Izzie’s head, Tripp, or Mr. Richardson, even. I felt the conflict between Izzie and Mrs. Richardson was shown a lot through Elena’s eyes and resentment built, but I would’ve liked to hear more from Izzie because the climax of her actions didn’t seem as built up as the beginning showed it- very strong opening, by the way.
I did watch the show prior to the book and I think that’s one reason I wished to have heard more from Izzie- the show focuses a lot on her and Elena’s conflict. Over all a great read and beautifully written.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Racism, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Miscarriage and Abortion
sweetmusic22's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I finally read the book after rewatching the limited series on Hulu. The source material is just as good. The plot was addictive and I loved how the author made The Richardsons so obvious. We know this family exists. I love how every character in the series and the book are very complex and nuanced. This gets a 5/5 from me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Racism, and Car accident
sarahs1214's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Little Fires Everywhere kept me hooked until the very end with its web of secrets and morally gray concepts. Following the neighborhood drama of Mia and Pearl, the Richardsons and the McCulloughs through classism, adoption trauma, and every kind of family challenge you can imagine felt like a roller coaster ride. There were so many storylines and at times the plot felt a bit overcrowded, with some moments feeling out of place. However, in the end, just about all the loose ends were tied up in a fascinating way. My loyalties were pretty divided and shifted frequently. I'm still conflicted about how the book "should" have ended, but this made the actual ending all the more thought provoking. While it’s not a thriller or true crime novel, it often felt like one, with moments of tension and suspense that kept me flipping pages. I devoured it in a day.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, and Abandonment
Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, and Kidnapping
thegardenlesbian's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a story about mothers: what does it mean to be one, who can be one, who gets to define it, the lengths one will take to be one. The writing is fantastic and I loved the pacing —very slow at first, like watching a street on a Sunday. Nonetheless, it builds up and then goes quite fast. As a daughter (and an eldest daughter of an eldest daughter), it made me think a lot about motherhood, what they go through, what they sacrifice, what they long for, what they think could have been. The class and race aspects of the book give it an added profoundness, intersecting the questions above with them and creating new ones (can motherhood be revoked?, can it be bought?). In conclusion, it's an amazing novel, one I'll probably re-read sometime.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Pregnancy
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Medical content, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Minor: Cursing, Death, Sexual content, and Car accident
maggiedoodlez's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Minor: Death, Infertility, Racism, Car accident, and Pregnancy
abitbetterbooks's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I really enjoyed this audiobook! I’m not really a person who enjoys mysteries or thrillers, so I really enjoyed this book that was mostly careful plot reveals and character study with just that little edge of drama and unease seeping in at the edges.
I really liked the narration and storytelling; generally I’m a fan of a very close, singular 3rd person style, but I fell in love with this 3rd person that was constantly changing and evolving in perspective. One moment we’re seeing things how Pearl saw them, but the next sentence we’re shown something different in what Mia picked up on in the same situation. I enjoyed how the curtain was peeled back, even momentarily, on even the perspective of a side character, so that each person in this community felt like a full and distinct individual.
I can definitely see why it was picked up to become a limited series— with the number of intertwining storylines and perfectly scaffolded tensions growing, it grabs your attention and there definitely is so much to work with on both a plot and character level!
I don’t think this book is like, one of my favourite of all time or something that I really connected with on a profound level, but it was really good and is what I would consider the perfect book club book- lots of pieces to untangle and talk about, with decisions to dissect both artistically by the author as well as the decisions of the characters we are trying to understand. I really appreciate how Celeste Ng played with these ideas and assumptions around motherhood, complicating the notions of ethics and ideology of what is “best” for a child. I love when you leave a book without clear answers of who is right and wrong, and the author forces you to confront you personally might interpret as the good or bad choice.
I really liked the narration and storytelling; generally I’m a fan of a very close, singular 3rd person style, but I fell in love with this 3rd person that was constantly changing and evolving in perspective. One moment we’re seeing things how Pearl saw them, but the next sentence we’re shown something different in what Mia picked up on in the same situation. I enjoyed how the curtain was peeled back, even momentarily, on even the perspective of a side character, so that each person in this community felt like a full and distinct individual.
I can definitely see why it was picked up to become a limited series— with the number of intertwining storylines and perfectly scaffolded tensions growing, it grabs your attention and there definitely is so much to work with on both a plot and character level!
I don’t think this book is like, one of my favourite of all time or something that I really connected with on a profound level, but it was really good and is what I would consider the perfect book club book- lots of pieces to untangle and talk about, with decisions to dissect both artistically by the author as well as the decisions of the characters we are trying to understand. I really appreciate how Celeste Ng played with these ideas and assumptions around motherhood, complicating the notions of ethics and ideology of what is “best” for a child. I love when you leave a book without clear answers of who is right and wrong, and the author forces you to confront you personally might interpret as the good or bad choice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Medical content, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Minor: Child death, Death, Sexual content, Car accident, and Alcohol
supjanie's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I surprisingly enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would (I had put it off for a while because I was worried it had been over-hyped.) Had a good pace and a number of plot twists that kept the story interesting. Definitely recommend for anyone looking for a relatively quick and easy read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
salewis224's review
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
It was okay, kind of like a movie that you see when flipping through channels and you land on it, and you don’t change away from it because it’s justtt good enough to keep your attention.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Classism
josisteacup's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Sexual content and Vomit
joshpow3ll's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I don't normally read books like this. I don't normally read small town dramas about an outsider coming into a perfect community and blowing it all up. And yet I loved it.
The initial chapter, providing a dramatic reveal of the ending, I think was necessary considering the rest of the first half really took its time to build the setting and wide ensemble of characters. But past the first half, everything accelerated and fell into place quite quickly. It took me a few days to start, but only a few hours to finish.
It did feel pretentious at times, particularly with some dictionary-reaching choices of vocabulary and delves into art theory, but I'm glad I didn't let them get in the way of an enjoyable read.
The politics and well-meaning liberal speak about race in the 1990s was also interesting to read in comparing how far popular culture has come since then. To me it didn't come across as too preachy, but I think my conservative relatives would disagree with me on that!
Interested to see what else Celeste Ng has in store for her readers in the future!
The initial chapter, providing a dramatic reveal of the ending, I think was necessary considering the rest of the first half really took its time to build the setting and wide ensemble of characters. But past the first half, everything accelerated and fell into place quite quickly. It took me a few days to start, but only a few hours to finish.
It did feel pretentious at times, particularly with some dictionary-reaching choices of vocabulary and delves into art theory, but I'm glad I didn't let them get in the way of an enjoyable read.
The politics and well-meaning liberal speak about race in the 1990s was also interesting to read in comparing how far popular culture has come since then. To me it didn't come across as too preachy, but I think my conservative relatives would disagree with me on that!
Interested to see what else Celeste Ng has in store for her readers in the future!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility, Racism, Sexual content, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Minor: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Miscarriage, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Classism