Book Review: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Book Review: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Tuesday, 4 July 2017

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I love a good old book-to-tv or book-to-film adaptation as much as the next person, so when I heard that HBO were turning this little wonder into a TV series, I HAD to get my hands on the book and read it first. I am incredibly glad I did.

I’ve read Liane Moriarty before, having read her The Husband’s Secret a few years back and absolutely LOVING it, as well as reading and reviewing Truly, Madly, Guilty last year (but unfortunately not loving it all that much.) Because of this, I was a little bit sceptical as to whether or not I would enjoy it. Because of the hype, I was even more cautious but very willing to be proven wrong.

The story is set around the lives of three women- Madeline, Celeste and Jane – in a small beachside community. They have very different lives: Madeline is a hilarious, sharp and witty character, overwhelmed when her uncaring ex-husband moves into the area and sends his daughter- a daughter whom he fathered the way he ought to have, unlike their own- to the same school as her own young child. Celeste is beautiful, the kind of woman that makes you stop and stare, but harbours a secret that doesn’t bear thinking about. Her twin sons attend the same school, in the same class, as Madeline’s youngest. Jane is a sharp contrast to these beautiful and intelligent mothers – a young girl, clearly unsettled by something that has happened in her past, new to the area.

Someone has died, but we have no idea who.

Who committed the crime? We have no idea on that either.

I was instantly transfixed and pulled into this story because of those two little details. In fact, I was bloody captivated by everything about this book. It read like a book of about 200 pages and I found myself having to physically force myself to put it down for an hour here and there, to savour it for longer, to make it last the day rather than devouring it all in one foul swoop. The characters are incredibly believable and the book was just darn FUNNY. It’s very rare when a book like this one- with MURDER as its main plot line- makes me laugh out loud on the regular. I loved the way that the story alternated between differing perspectives and included witness statements of the main event – an event we don’t find out about until the very end of the tale. Everything comes together and there are absolutely no gaps in the plot; every single thing is accounted for and actually makes sense. I absolutely LOVED Madeline’s character and I’d honestly say that she is everything I aspire to be in life: hilarious, loving, fashionable.

This one of those books where you just want to forget every single aspect of it-  just so you can read it and enjoy it all over again. It covers a lot of pretty difficult themes: mental illness, motherhood, single parenthood, rubbish parenting, domestic abuse, murder. You name it, it’s probably included. But that’s what makes the book so great: it’s relatable, it’s dark and it touches on issues that need approaching. It does this in a beautiful and thoughtful way.

I’m officially back on the Liane Moriarty bandwagon.

5/5 (Mate, I’d give it 6/5 if I could.)

Book Review: The Escape by C. L. Taylor

Book Review: The Escape by C. L. Taylor

Sunday, 16 April 2017

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C.L. Taylor is probably one of my favourite new additions to the psychological fiction/crime fiction genre. I’ve read 3 of her books prior to the one (and reviewed The Lie, here) I’m about to unveil and loved each and every one of them and I’m pleased to say that her newest book, The Escape, is no exception to the rule. The Escape was a bit of a spontaneous buy whilst I was perusing the shelves in my parents’ local Tesco- it was on offer and I had a train journey ahead of me, so I whacked it in my basket and it wasn’t long before I was 100% stuck in and a million percent addicted.

Our protagonist, Jo, finds herself instantly transported into what is arguably every parent’s nightmare: a woman approaches her, threatens her daughter’s safety, and disappears without a moments thought. Having lost her first child whilst pregnant, naturally Jo is incredibly protective over her daughter Elise, practically wrapping her up in cotton wool, and struggles to put herself in difficult situations because of the agoraphobia she suffers from. This woman, who we learn is called Paula, knows a lot about Jo and her life: her husbands name, her daughters name, where they live… all terrifying stuff. She also has in her possession a glove belonging to little Elise – all of this more than enough to scare Jo to her wits end and report back to her husband, Max. Before long, Paula seems to be affecting the happenings of her life on a detrimental scale and it’s all Jo can do not to run away from the terror to a safe haven. Things take an even bigger turn for the worse when her husband, worried about the safety of their daughter, files for sole custody. When no one seems to believe that Elise’s life is in danger, Jo makes the decision to run to the only place where she has ever truly felt safe, her motherland Ireland, averting police and the course of justice as she does so.

I absolutely loved Jo as a character- she was hearty and gutsy when she needed to be, putting her daughter before anything and everything that stood in her way. I sympathised with her immediately and everything that went against her irritated me to no end- how could they be so cruel to a woman who clearly cares for her daughter so dearly? On the other hand, Paula is the standard villain: terrorising and unnerving, she made even me feel uncomfortable and cautious.

This book was incredibly good. It was one of those books where I knew from the offset that I wasn’t going to put it down until I’d devoured the very last page. I found myself telling my customers all about it when I was at work, I’ve recommended it to pretty much all of my friends and I’ll likely ship a copy over to my mum to read at some point too. If I could shout from the rooftops about it without being assumed insane, I probably would. Psychological fiction is the genre that I turn to when I’m relying on something consistent and satisfying, so finding a book that exceeds even my own expectations is remarkable. Every little hint towards what was going to happen made me want to read even more: the book was quick paced and extraordinarily exciting, every page that turned unravelling a new twist in the tale. I am notorious at guessing what’s going to happen and while I got the “twist” pretty early on, that didn’t make it any less exciting when all the pieces of the jigsaw came together. I liked the flip between different perspectives – it definitely added a completely different dimension to the novel and gave you a small break from all the drama.

An excellent, exciting novel which will satisfy every thriller loving reader immensely.

4.5/5

Goodreads: March Recently Read (So far!)

Goodreads: March Recently Read (So far!)

Friday, 24 March 2017

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I’ve had a very hectic few weeks – starting a new job, having even more job interviews and working out where I’ll be in the coming months- but luckily, in spite of this chaos, I’ve been able to keep on top of my reading and get through some absolutely fantastic books this month. I’ve actually been quite adventurous and have read a couple of non fiction texts alongside my usual novels… who would have thought it?

One of the first books I managed to get my teeth sunk into this month was When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. This one was one that I have had on my radar for a little while, having seen it all over the place – reviews on blogs and in newspapers, recommended reads in bookstores – so buying a copy was always on my agenda. I picked it up and finished it within a day or two, which really does illuminate just how good of a book it was. It was absolutely devastating- a young man in his thirties who had dedicated over ten years of his life to surgery and medicine discovers that he is absolutely riddled with lung cancer. He is no longer doctor and takes on the role of patient, writing down his experience and the feelings that he has throughout this incredibly difficult time period. I won’t spoil the ending but I will say that I absolutely sobbed my heart out at multiple points-  the story is a true one, after all.

Having been emotionally destroyed by When Breath Becomes Air, I wanted something a little bit more cheery to read next. Another book that I’d had in my Amazon basket for quite a while was The Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell, so this was the book I picked up next. I am very, very pleased to say that The Penguin Lessons was everything I needed to pick me right back up again- and more. Another non-fiction text, the story follows Tom on his gap year in Argentina, where, on a weekend break in Uruguay, he discovers a single, living penguin on a beach covered in dead ones. He takes the penguin (who he later names Juan Salvador) back to the apartment he is staying in to clean it up, before attempting to return it to the beach: I say attempting, quite frankly, because little Juan Salvador refuses to leave Tom and instead he finds himself smuggling the penguin across the Uruguayan/Argentine border and installing it in the International school where he teachers English. The book is beautifully written, joyful and just a downright lovely book to read. I’d read it over and over again.

I absolutely love watching Sanne’s (booksandquills) videos on youtube and she recommended reading Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler in one of her videos. I bought it on a whim whilst browsing in Waterstones (mostly because it’s a retelling of the Taming of the Shrew- my favourite Shakespeare play) and I am very glad I did as it is absolutely fantastic. Kate, the protagonist, is asked by her dad, a mad scientist, to consider marrying his lab assistant. Why, you may ask? Why, to get him a Green Card of course. The novel plays on so many different themes and has the most delightful prose throughout it – it’s definitely one you have to read to truly believe how good it is.

My final book of the last few weeks is, of course, a psychological thriller- I wouldn’t be me otherwise, would I? My colleague Denise has been telling me to read Behind Closed Doors by B. A.Paris for pretty much the entire time I’ve been working with her (around a year) and I’ve FINALLY done as I was told and got myself through it. It really didn’t take much – I powered through the entire thing in a matter of an evening and I didn’t look back once. It was PHENONEMAL. There’s been a LOT of hype surrounding this book and I’m slightly ashamed to say that this did actually put me off a little bit – I fully expected to be disappointed and underwhelmed but that most certainly was not the case here at all. It was tense, it was intriguing and I felt myself instantly sucked into the tale. I’m really excited to read more of B. A. Paris’s books after reading this one!

What have you been reading so far this month? Let me know!

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