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.)

Goodreads: Exploring Children's Literature

Goodreads: Exploring Children's Literature

Monday, 3 July 2017

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If you follow my twitter, you’ll be well aware that I’ve recently got a job as a primary school class teacher. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ll also be well aware that I read a LOT. It’s probably no surprise to you at all to read that I’ve been reading books for years and years and I was just as much of a book geek when I was a child as I am now. To prepare myself for my new job, I’ve taken it upon myself to stock up on both classic and contemporary Children’s Literature and get some read over the summer break.

When I was in primary school myself, I remember reading a whole range of different texts. One of my earliest memories is using The Suitcase Kid by Jacqueline Wilson as a guided read text. Jacqueline Wilson was a staple in my childhood bookcase and even now I find myself drawn towards books that she’s written. Her books were also a firm favourite in my most recent class, so I’ll definitely be getting hold of a few of her newer books over the next few weeks. David Walliams is another firm favourite amongst children, although I must admit I was a little bit sceptical at first. However, an early finish one Tuesday afternoon required a class reading session, and the book chosen was The World’s Worst Children 2. I am not at all embarrassed to admit that I probably enjoyed reading the story out more than the children enjoyed listening to it. Walliams’ writing is funny and SO relatable to children. He uses humorous language and JUST the right amount of rude words to make kids chuckle with glee.

One of the best books that I read as a child was one that I picked up in my most recent children’s book haul. Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian is one of the books that I still go back to now, so picking up a beautiful new paperback copy of it was a bit of a no-brainer really. It’s beautifully written and SO SO sad to read. I’ll definitely be using this within my own teaching. I also picked up a copy of Tom’s Midnight Garden, a book that I remember being read by a teacher when I was in year 5, as a class read. Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce is an absolute classic. It’s full of intrigue and mystery and brings back wonderful memories of my childhood.

One of my English tutors from my PGCE year recommended the book Time Travelling With a Hamster by Ross Welford during a lecture so I picked that up, as well as another one of his books, What Not To Do If You Turn Invisible. These are books I haven’t really heard of before but she sold the former to be with such enthusiasm that I felt obliged to trust her judgement on the author as a whole. Discovering new contemporary texts is something that, as a Primary School teacher, I really love doing so I’m hoping that these two books are exciting and will have a place within my classroom too.

Are there any other Children’s authors that I need to be checking out? Let me know in the comments!

Blog Tour: The Things We Thought We Knew by Mahsuda Snaith

Blog Tour: The Things We Thought We Knew by Mahsuda Snaith

Wednesday, 21 June 2017

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When I was contacted a few weeks ago by Thomas Hill, the Press Officer for Transworld Books, an imprint of Penguin Books, about a new book, naturally I jumped at the chance to get stuck into it. I didn’t know much about The Things We Thought We Knew by Mahsuda Smith, prior to reading so I was able to go in with a completely open mind and thoroughly enjoy everything that the book had to offer. The story follows Ravine, a young girl, after her diagnosis with chronic pain syndrome and is set in Leicester and her and her mother’s council estate block. I loved how detailed the description of the setting is; I really could imagine the cramped but cosy flat, and the surrounding neighbours who really add to the multicultural nature of Leicester as a city and the UK as a whole. The neighbourhood is incredibly close knit, which I think definitely affects Ravine’s state of mind- being confined to her bed, in constant paint, and having everyone know your business really doesn’t seem the ideal situation to me.

I found Ravine’s character incredibly interesting, particularly because I don’t really know anything about chronic pain syndrome. I found her struggle with her feelings, particularly surrounding her best friend’s disappearance particularly poignant and she was definitely a character that I felt a lot of sympathy for, in spite of her tendency to appear selfish. Ravine’s mother, Amma, is a very fascinating character and I resonated with her more than I did with Ravine; her personality was full of spice and sass and her commitment to her daughter and her daughter’s health was admirable. She attempts to get on with her life, hiding her romantic relationship as far as she can, but also puts her daughter first, sacrificing her own basic needs to ensure that those of Ravine are fully met. She really is an admirable character and reminds me of my own mum, in many different ways.

I honestly cannot believe that this novel is a debut, much less that the initial write was done when the author was 16 years old. I think back to the own pieces that I penned at that age and find myself overwhelmed with the sheer sophistication of the writing. The whole mystery surrounding Marianne, Ravine’s best friend’s, disappearance is one that pulls you in from the offset and makes you want to continue reading. I’m not one to use the word “unputdownable” willy-nilly but this book honestly was. It’s hard to talk too thoroughly about the story without spoiling the best bits, so I’ll leave it to you to explore it further.

Thank you so much to the team at Penguin Random House for my copy of the book, in exchange for this review. I really look forward to reading more by Mahsuda and exploring her prose more over the coming years.

The Things We Thought We Knew was published by Penguin Random House on 15^th June 2017.

5/5.