Big Little Lies: The No.1 bestseller behind the award-winning TV series

by Liane Moriarty

DISCOVER THE GRIPPING NO. 1 BESTSELLER BEHIND THE AWARD WINNING HBO SENSATION STARRING REESE WITHERSPOON, NICOLE KIDMAN & MERYL STREEP
________

Perfect families, perfect houses, perfect lives.

Three mothers, Jane, Madeline and Celeste appear to have it all, until they find out just how easy it is for one little lie to spiral out of control . . .

Single mum Jane has just moved to town. She's got her little boy in tow - plus a secret she's been carrying for five years.

On the first day of the school run she meets Madeline - a force to be reckoned with, who remembers everything and forgives no one - and Celeste, the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare, but is inexplicably ill at ease.

They both take Jane under their wing - while careful to keep their own secrets under wraps.

But a minor incident involving the children of all three women rapidly escalates: playground whispers become spiteful rumours until no one can tell the truth from the lies . . .

It was always going to end in tears, but how did it end in murder?
________

'Blame and guilt, forgiveness and retribution, love and betrayal. A tense, page-turning story . . . a great read' Mail on Sunday

'Blending romance, comedy and mystery, this is a wonderful book - full of brains, guts and heart' Sunday Mirror

'A hell of a good book. Funny and scary' Stephen King

'Brilliant, standout, superbly clever. Moriarty writes vividly, wittily and wickedly' Sunday Express

Liane Moriarty's books have sold over 2 million physical copies in the UK, Nielsen Book Scan, June 2024

• ISBN10: 1405916362
• ISBN13: 9781405916363
• Publish Date: 7 May 2015 (first published 29 July 2014)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 496
• Language: English

Reviews

[sstaley]

I have to admit, I watched the Tv series of Big Little Lies before I read/listened to the audio version. I really liked both. There were many differences of course with the book moving at a much slower pace. In many ways, I liked this. This is definitely a book that women will enjoy more, considering all of the main characters are Kindergarten moms This novel is a combination of chic-lit, mystery, and drama. The narrator did a fantastic job bringing to life each character in a wonderful way. Having already seen the series on HBO first, I feel that each part was cast superbly. Even knowing the outcome of the whole murder mystery, it was still so much fun to listen to how Moriarty played out this twisting tale of who died and who did it. This story truly shows how looks can be so deceiving and how perfect people aren't always living perfect lives. There is much humor in this novel mixed in with hard topics of abuse, rape, and bullying. This book won't be for everyone, especially if you don't like topics likes those I just mentioned and the "F" word is used quite liberally throughout the book. Big Little Lies was a good read for me but beware of my previous trigger warnings. If you like a novel that reminds you of an episode of Desperate Housewives, then this novel would be a great one for you.

[Emma (SCR)]

This review was originally posted on Star Crossed Reviews I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Thank you to Michael Joseph for my NetGalley copy of this book. I actually borrowed the audiobook from my library. I have previously read one of Liane's books and I know that this book was made into a TV series that has had very good reviews. but before I watched it I wanted to read the book.

This is one of those books where you can't stop talking about it but at the same time, you don't want to spoil the story. There are many secrets in this book and I love the way that they unfolded.

This story follows three women Madeleine, Celeste and Jane. Jane is new to the area and meets friends Madeline and Celeste. The three women have children starting kindergarten at the same school. These three women are very different but have some common ground. Madeleine is an easy person to like and instantly became my favourite. She's bubbly and loves to be involved. I found quite Celeste frustrating at times. Jane, I just wanted to hug her and tell her it was all okay.

The beginning of the book is actually the end. we flick from the end to the beginning and regularly get fed more mystery from after the 'event' through statements. I really liked this method. I love it when books do something. different like this.

This book is addictive and gripping I can see why it got picked up for a TV series. If you like a bit of mystery, playground politics and a shocking ending then pick this book up now.

[clementine]

I can definitely get behind a book that's mostly fluffy but pretty clever. Moriarty's characters are charming and well-conceived; everyone is fleshed-out and likeable despite their flaws. I read this nearly 500-page novel in two days easily, and sometimes that's the type of book I'm looking for. (I read this sandwiched in between two that required considerable more brain power, so it was well-timed.) I guess I was just expecting more. I went into this knowing absolutely nothing about the plot, but given the hype both the book and HBO series have engendered I expected more of a wow factor. It was juicy and dramatic, but I think I was expecting it to be a little more artistically complex given HBO's highbrow inclinations. And I expected more twists! I thought the identity of the victim was pretty obvious (I mean, there's a narrow handful of characters we're focusing on, and process of elimination plus the fact that this is a mass market bestseller left it fairly clear that Perry was the only real option), although the exact circumstances surrounding the death were a little more interesting. I also worry that some of the more frivolous aspects of the book undercut the portrayal of domestic abuse (which I thought was handled well, for what it's worth). It's like, here's a juicy book full of upper middle class white woman scandals and nice clothes and mommy drama and also domestic abuse. I don't know! I liked this and it was certainly readable, but it wasn't amazing by any stretch of the imagination.

By the way, since reading this I've watched the HBO adaptation, which I liked better though I didn't love it.

[funbreaker4opal]

Hey, TW on this book for domestic violence and rape.

This is the first full book I read to finish on my new Kobo Clara; I like the device and all the neat stuff it has on it to make reading books better. However, the one thing it can't do is make "humorous" books about domestic violence, rape, and parents being shitheads to others' kids more enjoyable. Despite the funny little comments from the sometimes clueless parents in between the goings-on, it just felt like a total slog after about a quarter of the way in, and even more so at about 60%. I kept skipping pages about 5 at a time about jumped 10 chapters cause ugggh. 2.5 stars.

[emilybettridge]

Didn’t pick up quite as fast as I would have liked but it gave me all the feels by the end.

[Leigha]

Three women’s lives come together in unexpected ways in this adult women’s fiction novel.

It is so hard for me to write this review. I want to give justice to the story, to sell you on why you should read this novel or to fangirl with you if you have read it. I never would have picked up this novel without the HBO series. I decided to watch the show on a whim when it released last year and it stole my heart. The cast is phenomenal, nailing the complexity and vulnerability of the characters.

Big Little Lies may market itself as a murder mystery, but, at its heart, it’s a love story about women. It tackles topics affecting women, including the complexity of female friendships, the perils of motherhood, and the toxicity of domestic violence. Our core three narrators – Madeline, Celeste, and Jane – are complex characters dealing with the challenges of motherhood and relationships. Madeline is struggling with a teenage daughter and her ex-husband’s family. Celeste is struggling with her seemingly “perfect” relationship with her husband and the directionless motivations brought about by her wealth. Jane is struggling with being a young mother to a potentially troubled boy. These challenges are explored with nuance and compassion as the women change and grow from their experiences.

The story unfolds in short chapters featuring one (or all) of the three main characters. Interspersed at the beginning and/or the end of each chapter are testimonials from people attending the trivia night where a murder occurs. You don’t know who or why the person is murdered until almost the end of the book. Suffice it to say it keeps you turning the page faster and faster in order to sate your curiosity. While I enjoyed the format of the book, the constant push and pull between the past and present, the audiobook didn’t really provide anything to the experience. I recommend reading it instead of listening to it.

tl;dr A well-written novel focused on female relationships, domestic violence, and motherhood.

[mitabird]

3.5 stars

[Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews]

Big Little Lies is my first in my analysis of books vs their film (or series) counterpart.  Big Little Lies has been circulating the book blogosphere for a while so the novel is nothing new, however what brought me to read it was the HBO series.  It looked like a trashy romp and is one of many books that Reese Witherspoon is adapting to screen.  She obviously has an attraction to the word "little" as Little Fires Everywhere is set to hit Hulu later this year.

Anyway, back to ‎Liane Moriarty's novel. I slowly read Big Little Lies over the past week, dutifully not watching ahead despite the DVDs sitting tauntingly on my tv console.  The novel is a beach read, there is no way to get around it.  However, for what it is, it was highly readable.  This was until Madeline's 14-year-old daughter, to protest child slavery and sex trafficking decides to auction off her virginity.  This was just too much for me.  It jumped the shark and was slightly laughable.

Do not let that subplot deter you though because overall it is still very enjoyable. The story also deals with domestic abuse, bullying and sexual assault. Although, the characters, Celeste, Madeline and Jane (as well as a few side characters) are all so self-absorbed that it lightens the mood with sly humor. The main plot point, handled with suspense and pacing which keeps the story moving forward is a murder that occurs at the elementary school's trivia night fundraiser. As a whole, the novel was satisfactory and was a fun read.

As for the series, it was a great soap opera and I would liken it as the Millennial's Peyton Place. Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman and Shailene Woodley nail the snobbery in the community and were as I pictured them. Madeline and Celeste (played by Witherspoon and Kidman) and Jane (played by Woodley) are on a constant quest to be their best selves and to build a confidence that quite frankly, none of them have.



It should not have surprised me as it is an HBO program but, there is quite a bit of nudity in it. If Nicole Kidman's scantily clad appearance in Dead Calm was too much for you, her role in Big Little Lies certainly will be. Although, as I mentioned earlier, this is my generation's Peyton Place so that should be expected.

There were a few changes made to the series, the main one being an affair between Madeline and her coworker Joseph. It was brief and was clearly there to add even more drama to the plot, but overall this adaptation stayed true to the book.

Despite the fact that my mantra is "the book is always better" I will have to eat my hat on this occasion. In my opinion, it was the presentation of the story that put the series over the top. While Liane Moriarty was descriptive in her novel it was not vividly so thus having a true visual enhanced the experience. In this case, the winner of the age old question, is the film actually better, the answer is yes.

This review was originally posted on First Impressions Reviews

[ibeforem]

I completely missed the boat on this book the first time around. It was one of those that flitted around the periphery of my reading world, but nothing drew me to pick it up and give it a try.

And then I watched the first episode of the HBO show. I don’t get HBO, so it was going to be a long wait before I could see the rest. But I needed to know what happened! So I immediately picked up the book.

Big Little Lies follows three women. Madeline is the social director, the glue that keeps the group together. But behind her bubbly facade, she harbors deep insecurities about her ex-husband’s new wife and their relationship with their daughter. Celeste is the beautiful and collected mother of twin boys with an uber-successful husband and gorgeous home, if you don’t notice the dark cloud that hangs over it. Jane is young, insecure, and new in town, a mystery to nearly everyone.

All we know at the beginning is, someone is dead. Is it one of these women? Or did one of them do it?

I thought this was a great book. I enjoyed the gossipy feel of the police interviews. I enjoyed how the lives of the three women were woven together, yet some of the darkest secrets remained hidden. They all have very real problems, from Madeline’s struggles with her daughter, to Celeste’s relationship problems, to Jane’s worries about her son and whether he is troubled. And compounding the issues is the town where they live, where your position is determined by the size of your house and how stylish you dress when you drop your kids at school, and everyone knows everything.

Moriarty does a great job of weaving the story, dropping hints at the same time as she shows how things can be misunderstood and blown out of proportion. By the time you get to the climax, you feel like you should have known it all along, even if you weren’t quite sure. The ending was not expected, yet it made perfect sense.

I recommend this book even if you’ve seen the TV show. As you would expect, it’s more fleshed out and I feel you get more understanding of the characters. I understood the ending better than I would have if I just watched the show. But I do have to say, the casting was perfect.

[gmcgregor]

Mommy wars are hardly anything new. They've probably been going on as long as there have been moms (i.e. forever). Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies has its roots in drama between mothers, but there's a bigger story here. It begins on the first day of kindergarten in a small seaside Australian town, drawing together a group of women who all have children starting school that day: hotheaded Madeline, her ex-husband's serene yoga instructor wife Bonnie, her beautiful best friend Celeste, and the new arrival in town, young and insecure single mother Jane. Of these women, only Madeline is much like she seems to be on the surface.

It seems frothy, this story about the bonds between women, and in some ways it is, but there's a lot of darkness behind the surface veneer of fun. Lovely Celeste with her perfect life and doting husband isn't quite as #blessed as it would seem, Jane's sweet little boy is the product of a heart-wrenchingly sad encounter, and Bonnie's secrets are too much a part of the suspense to give away. All we know when we begin the book is that there was a death a school function, and interviews with the police frame the chapters, dropping little hints about what might have happened and to whom.

I'll be honest...this is a genre of book that I tend to see on airport bookstore shelves and walk right past. But Big Little Lies is a great example of why it's often a fruitful exercise to get outside my comfort zone every once in a while. I found the story of the relationships that grew (and frayed, sometimes) between the women to be well-told and emotionally resonant, which meant that by the time all is revealed at the end, the payoff was earned and carried weight. The mystery of what happened keeps the plot moving forward through character-building beats, resulting in a book that's well-balanced between the story and the people who populate it (in other words, both plot and character lovers will find something to enjoy here).