Roxane's Reviews > Big Little Lies

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
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No, I haven’t seen the TV show. This book is fine. It’s certainly readable and hard to put down. I enjoyed reading Big Little Lies. But it’s shallow. Yes, it deals with domestic violence and sexual assault and the pressures and pettiness of white middle class and upper class womanhood when it comes to their social lives and their children and so on, but everything here is easy, frothy. And that’s fine. Not every book needs to carry the weight of the world. But at the same time, some of what this book deals with is serious and so it makes the frothiness aggravating at times. Also, it just needs to be said, this is a very white book. Again, every book doesn’t need to be everything buuuuut, I guess only white people go to the elementary school at the center of this narrative which, given Sydney’s reasonably diverse population speaks to how segregated the world is. Look, I hate having a brain, too. I wish I could just turn it off and enjoy froth for froth’s sake. Also, this book is brutally well written. You can absolutely see the structure and how the plot was assembled and what each character is supposed to do. There’s an interesting twist at the end. There is lots of relatable mommy content but I am not a mother so I rolled my eyes at all the gilded mother suffering (not the abuse/sexual violence obviously, just the harried mom stuff). I get it, I get it. Everything resolves very tidily and satisfyingly. This book is a fine template for how to write a massive bestseller, if you want to do that sort of thing.
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Reading Progress

Started Reading
November 29, 2017 – Finished Reading
November 30, 2017 – Shelved

Comments Showing 1-50 of 83 (83 new)


Gina McDonald Your review makes me want to go back and re-read it. I gave it 5 stars 2 years ago but what you say is true! I guess I was in the mood for froth in 2015!


Laura YES to all of this. I tried to watch the series hoping it would be better but it's WORSE. Everyone is SO RICH and SO WHITE and I just don't have any sympathy for them.


Lizzy Ripp This is exactly what I felt about Moriarty's other book "Truly, Madly, Guilty." Rich white people problems. SO well structured, satisfying finish, good enough twist - I can see why it was a bestseller. But still... Froth you have to turn your blinders on to enjoy to the fullest.


Mary Nelson Yes. Said many of these things to our book club and got rude stares for my trouble. But this book was mostly froth on weak coffee. Tried to watch the TV series; abandoned. Glad to hear it wasn't just me.


Erica That's so interesting! I actually preferred the TV show by a long shot. Absolutely really disliked the writing of the book.


Steph Honestly, I flew through it and read it in a day. It's easily digestible and written surprisingly well but afterwards I found myself thinking that the world and setting of this book is a place I'll never be able to experience which made the characters the opposite of relatable.


Jeannie I appreciate this review. I hadn't considered a lot of what you've written, about the whiteness and intensely structured nature of this book. Thank you, Roxane.


Jacquelyn One thing I appreciated about this book is how the women were so supportive of one another. I've read so many books where women just tear each other down, and I hate that. In this book, for the most part, they had each other's backs.


Leslie Bam! Exactly what I thought. Pop chick lit is less than what we deserve.


Dramatika Very white and very rich book, the tv series is even worse!


message 11: by Sarah (new) - added it

Sarah Thanks for saying so succinctly what I tried to say to my bookclub when we read this one.


message 12: by Jeff (new)

Jeff Hadn’t had any interest in the book, but I challenged the HBO adaptation to hook me, and it did. I thought it was diabolically good/bad/good. Smart and well-made.


message 13: by Traci (new)

Traci I once heard this book (or was it the show?) described as “Karen problems.”


Mallory Whiteduck I agree totally with your review, but I didn’t find it to be a page turner with the exception of wanting to find out WTH was going on with those kids.


Katie Marsh This was the rare time that I preferred the tv adaptation to the book. They expanded more on the characters and the acting was excellent.


message 16: by Niki (new)

Niki ñ


message 17: by Kira (new) - rated it 3 stars

Kira FlowerChild Roxane, I understand when you point out the lack of diversity. I am white but I grew up dirt poor, on welfare, working (unofficially) from the time I was thirteen, so the problems of rich white women or for that matter rich women of any hue tend to seem trivial to me, with the exception of things like domestic violence, drug abuse, alcoholism, etc. I realize money doesn't solve everything but it sure as hell helps. I am fortunate enough that, through my hard work and my husband's, I have everything I need and most things I want at this time in my life (as I approach my "Medicare birthday"). It's been two years since I read this book and I've read a couple hundred books since then so my general impression of it as I read the description (I didn't do a review) is of a bunch of ducks in the water with their ducklings swimming behind them, some of the ducks fighting, others protecting their children and maybe the duck beside them, and some ducks attempting to hide or get out of the fray. The problems of those ducks and the problems of the women in this book are pretty much equally relatable to me.


message 18: by Gill (new) - rated it 3 stars

Gill No need for me to write a review on this book, as what you’ve summed up my thoughts exactly Roxane 🙂


Lindsay Yes!!!! Liane is so talented. I keep reading, and always finish wanting more. I wish she would go further.


message 20: by Katherine (new) - added it

Katherine If you are a tv person at all, the tv show is brilliantly well done. The community of Monterey is mostly rich and white in real life and thus the perfect setting. The shot sequencing is gorgeous. The acting is phenomenal. It certainly doesn’t do everything for everybody but for the story at hand I think it is much better consumed as a television series than as a book in this case.


J. Dawn Miller Totally agree. I just couldn't see what about it made it worthy of a multiple, hour long episode show. (I read it before I ATTEMPTED to watch the show. I wasn't impressed with the book and couldn't even get through one episode of the show.) I give it was rousing, "Eh." for the twist at the end.


message 22: by One (last edited Apr 25, 2018 06:10AM) (new) - rated it 5 stars

One Flew A book isn't good anymore unless it tackles every issue of diversity? Why not criticize the book for not representing the LGBT community, or immigrants struggles, or environmental issues. I mean come on, yes this book tackles some serious issues reasonably lightly, it still addresses them. And to have a go at the book for not having enough diversity is absurd. Does every book have to have characters specifically of different ethnicities inserted in just to keep the pc brigade happy?


Lierette This book is fine, it's actually pretty good. I don't really understand the need to bring up racial issues? This book was not about race.


Morgan Myers (morgans_literary_life) Will respectfully agree with One Flew and Lierette. I don't even see a lot of physical descriptions that regard skin color; for many it might be able to go either way. Some books have white people. Some have black. Lack of diversity doesn't automatically equal a bad book.


Natalí I’ve read a few of this this author’s novels and she always speaks of “white” “translucent” “pale” skin in terms of being beautiful and worthy of envy, darker skin characters are either jealous of the lighter skinned ones or described as food for consumption (“mocha skin” for example). I love her books but yeah, definitely something that irks me.


The Fifth Eliot Well one of the mothers even pokes fun at their lack of diversity. So,... I can’t say I can agree with you complaining about it being all white when the characters already talk about how overly white they are.


Colleen Chi-Girl I rated this book three stars as well. However, the series was done very well.


Princess Leigh TOTALLY AGREE!!!!


message 29: by Dana (new) - rated it 5 stars

Dana Reading all the comments, I have to say, "Really??!!" Does every book written have to have every race ? And if they did, someone would then complain they weren't a main character, or they were portrayed wrong by the author. I am a woman of ethnicity other than white. And I know from previous and current experience communities still exist that are predominantly white and so on. You readers mostly liked her work. Except White, Rich. Problems.....I'm sorry the issues she tackled in this book have NO BOUNDARIES to sex, religion, race, economics. She wrote in one piece of society....


Christopher It hurts to hear someone call this book shallow. The frothiness is part of the structure of the book and the point the book is trying to make. It's just another way we assemble the lies that we use to live life. For me, it seemed that the gossipy style was expertly used to reveal the depth of all the characters, even minor ones.

The book itself points out the insular nature of their community multiple times. It even points out that may be why so many of the people in the story are so self-absorbed.


Del~*.*~ One : I couldn’t agree with you more.


Lyndsay Jones So how many stars did you minus because there was no diversity?


Ashlyn What tv show adaptation is everyone talking about I'm on page 371 and love this book so far, though it's a trigger with the dv parts but I'm almost through it :)


message 34: by Dakota (new)

Dakota This is why I’ve resisted reading it — is this both entertaining & vital to read rn? Don’t think so.


message 35: by Natalie (new) - added it

Natalie Girl, have you been to the northern beaches. Ain’t no diversity there my gal.


message 36: by Emma (new)

Emma Rutherford Liane Moriarty's writing, this book in particular, is social satire. Anyone who has been to a mixed middle class primary school or one in a 'socially aspirational' or 'socially arrived' area must laugh out loud at the characters she depicts. They are so real and horrible. She is not saying aren't they wonderful? Don't you wish you were like them? She exquisitely reveals their ugliness and their insecurities. Like the description of Madeleine 'They weren't necessarily the prettiest, but they decorated themselves so affectionately, like Christmas trees, with dangling earrings, jangling bangles ...' The description points up the absurdness of these women. So agreed, many or most of us could not give a toss about the problems of white, rich, self obsessed characters. Not relatable. But we are positioned to laugh at them and dislike them, and also possibly recognise some of our own frailties if we are parents. But we are also drawn in to view their underlying humanity. The book invites us to cry at the universality of experiences of domestic violence and to empathise with the need of anyone, regardless of wealth, to be loved and to be safe. That's my take anyway.


message 37: by Booksnob (new)

Booksnob This book is a fine template for how to write a massive bestseller, if you want to do that sort of thing. BINGO.


Marianna Aren't you full of yourself. "Look, I hate having a brain, too." Maybe you shouldn't mask your insecurity in a good reads review of a book that's obviously a fluffy one.


message 39: by Leah (new)

Leah This sums up my sentiments perfectly. I can’t wait to read this review out to my bookclub. 👏🏽


message 40: by Emily (new) - rated it 1 star

Emily Warna Completely agree


message 41: by Tara (new)

Tara Cardwell I hate having a brain. 🙄 oh Jesus.


Chloe “This ‘brutally well-written’ book about domestic violence is too frothy for me” is...a take.


Billy Curry Natalie is (generally) right about northern beaches


the_only_bunny Lol u sound so bored....as if you were forced to read it...anyways nice review tho. I have the book but haven't read it yet. 👌👍


Bruna "A very white book" what kind of mindful person reads a book and judges it by the race of the characters? It'd be more racist to include token characters for the sake of it.

"I hate having a brain" lol wut


message 46: by The (new) - rated it 4 stars

The I find it alarming that someone would expect characters of diversity in a largely single race community where the story is set. If the story were about other culturally rich areas, would you complain that the book didn't have enough different characters? For example, if it were set in the Middle East would you complain there weren't enough Irish, or set in Africa yet not enough Chinese characters? I could obviously go on. Diversity is a great thing, but it also isn't everywhere. That's okay too. Dont force it into a setting that it doesn't belong. Forced diversity doesn't make it any more PC.


message 47: by Shirley (new) - added it

Shirley Smith I loved this review. It's breezily honest and civil. An author writes what she knows. Not everyone has to love it. You can't help but notice what isn't there if you're part of what isn't there.


Leewana Holy shit fellow white people - CHILL. Your defensiveness speaks volumes. I liked this book, everything in the review might not resonate with me, but a person of color is allowed to note what kinds of racial dynamics are happening in the book and how it makes them feel. When I read something that doesn’t have women characters I might say “oh I liked this in some ways, but it’s really all about men and that’s not my cup of tea” which is a FACT. I live in a world where men’s stories are consistently given more airtime - it’s valid for me to want to read about women characters, so it might affect my enjoyment of the book. (Race and gender don’t function the exact same way and this isn’t a perfect comparison, I’m just trying to help some folks on this thread empathize). White narratives are also consistently given more airtime in our world. For what it’s worth, I read this book, deeply enjoyed it, and also noted to myself that it is all white characters and tried to think a bit about how that affected the narrative as I was going along. It didn’t stop me from enjoying it, and this review isn’t saying you’re not allowed to like the book. Maybe the next time a person of color says something to you about race, pause and listen and consider that they might have more perspective on the topic than you because of how they’ve been forced to go through the world.


message 49: by Carolyne (new)

Carolyne Thrasher This was a good and honest review and it made me laugh out loud. I won’t be disappointed when I read the book now because I know where best to put my expectations. Thank you Roxane!


Tiara Perry Thank you for this review!!!! I know to expect now


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