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A review by joshpow3ll
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
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