Little Fires Everywhere: A Novel

I love Celeste Ng! After reading 'Everything I Never Told You,' I was hooked. When I saw this book on pre-order, I didn't hesitate, but I thought there would be no way book number two would be as good as her first. It was! Maybe even better! This family drama, much like 'Everything,' left me reeling, not ready to leave this family and wanting more. I doubt I'll think of much else in the following days.SYNOPSISThe Richardson family of Shaker Heights, OH lives a very easy, comfortable life. The four children ( 2 boys, 2 girls, each a year apart), have the advantages of a stable home, an excellent school and parents who love them. Yet the book opens as Mrs. Richardson and three of her four children watch their lovely house burn, all certain that Izzy, the youngest sister, is responsible. The story then jumps back several months revealing the events which led to the fire.In addition to their 6 bedroom house, the Richardson family owns a duplex they use as a rental property. Since they don't really need the money, Mrs. Richardson chooses renters who could use a break and offers them a very subsidized rent. The longtime downstairs tenant is an immigrant who drives a school bus and works hard to keep the property looking nice. When 30-something Mia Warren, a single mother and artists shows up in town with her extremely intelligent teenage daughter, Mrs. Richardson just knows she will be the perfect tenant.As the lives of the Warren and Richardson families begin to merge, lines begin to blur and drama ensues. Also, in the background is the story of May Ling / Mirabelle which brings about strong and opposing feeling in the whole town of Shaker Heights.One of the main themes in the book is decent people trying to do 'the right thing.' Everyone keeps trying to do the right thing, but in so many situations, it's very hard to determine what exactly that is. In this book, most people were striving to do the right thing or at the very least, not hurt others but there is not always a clear cut answer and often people end up hurt.WHAT I LOVEDI loved pretty much everything about this book. I love books with 3 dimensional characters, particularly ones who are well meaning, yet flawed. Good people who sometimes make mistakes. Better yet if they are written well enough so the reader can understand the events leading up to these mistakes and the mind set of the characters when making these mistakes. This book was jam packed with fascinating characters who made some bad choices, yet remain sympathetic to the reader. It totally delivered on my need for complicated characters!The plot took a couple surprising turns which kept me reading nonstop. It was just so juicy.I loved the way author, Celeste Ng, made Shaker Heights not just a part of the setting but almost a character in the book. I became intrigued by the town and found myself staying up late on Zillow looking up houses in Shaker Heights, reading about their schools, searching the city website and imagining what life there would be like.This book was so darn well-written! Just the right amount of detail without being over written. There were so many deep issues broached in this book, very thought provoking.WHAT I DIDN'T LOVEI very rarely give a book 5 Stars. In order to earn 5 Stars it must have no plot holes, it must completely capture my attention, not induce any eye rolls and cover some kind of new ground - not be a slightly varied repeat of anything I've read before. If there was anything I didn't love about this book, the overall experience of reading it made me completely forget. When I finished the book the only thoughts I had were, "holy crap!" and "when does her next book come out???"OVERALLExcellent book. Would be a great book for book clubs, there is so much to discuss.

Set in affluent Shaker Heights, Ohio before the millennium, Little Fires Everywhere is Celeste Ng doing what she does best. Like her wonderful debut book Everything I Never Told You, Little Fires is a deep dive into family relationships, suburban racism, family expectations, and difficult choices. Each book starts with a catastrophic event.The Richardson family seems perfect on the outside. Dad is an attorney and mom is a journalist for the local paper. They have four children, perfectly spaced apart, and all in high school. Lexie is a senior; pretty, smart and Yale bound. Trip is a junior and is the athletic one. Moody is smart but geeky while Izzy is a hot mess and always in trouble. Mrs. Richardson rents out a duplex to Mia and Pearl who are new to town. Mia is an artist, as unconventional and vagabond as Mrs. Richardson is proper and rigid. Pearl is Mia’s daughter who is sweet and smart, but has never bothered to make friends or a good impression as they move frequently. Mia promises Pearl that Shaker Heights will be their home. Pearl is essentially adopted by the Richardson’s, who she envies for their easy wealth and welcoming ways. Mia ends up adopting Izzy and later Lexie, as she offers the girls things that their mother cannot. Another affluent family, good friends of the Richardson’s, are in the process of adopting a Chinese baby who was abandoned at a fire station. Mia immediately knows who gave birth to the baby and sets in motion a chain of events that upends the town. Mrs. Richardson, in retaliation, digs into Mia’s complicated past and things spiral more out of control.This is an excellent story that will leave you with a lot to think about. It is a great pick for book clubs, as it is for my book club this month. There are the issues of what defines a family and of race and culture. There are characters you will root for and root against, though which is which will depend on your perspective. I gave this four stars because I thought that the book really dragged in places. I typically enjoy reading a character’s backstory, but some of it was just too much. This was particularly true of Mia’s backstory. I also did not care for the ending. After so much build up, the ending was very vague with no questions answered. And this criticism is from a woman who hates neat and tidy happily ever afters! Still, a strong sophomore effort that you will want to discuss with other readers.

El libro en muy buen estado, no lo he leído pero escuché muy buenas opiniones de el

I read this book after hearing some interviews where hosts were impressed by her phrases throughout the book. Indeed it is beautifully written. I really enjoyed it although I already knew the story from tv series. I recommend!

Una storia che sorprende nella complessità dei suoi caratteri e con svolte inaspettate fino alla fine. Una storia straordinaria raccontata da una scrittrice straordinaria! Il personaggio di MIA nella sua squisita sensibilità rimarrà nel mio cuore!

leitura envolvente e que aborda temas sociais muito importantes como a adoção inter racial

La Saison des feux raconte l’histoire de deux femmes, Elena et Mia. La première élève ses quatre enfants à Shaker Heights, la banlieue chic de Cleveland, et travaille comme journaliste. (Mais sa carrière n’a jamais vraiment décollé, ce qu’elle commence à regretter.) La seconde est une artiste qui voyage à travers tout le pays avec sa fille unique et ne passe jamais plus de quelques mois au même endroit. Elles se rencontrent lorsque Mia devient la locataire d’Elena. Par le biais de leurs enfants, leurs vie s’entremêlent de plus en plus, ce qui fait remonter de nombreux secrets à la surface, des secrets qui menacent de faire exploser tout ce qu’Elena et Mia ont construit jusqu’ici…Les ami-e-s, faites-moi confiance et faites confiance aux critiques dithyrambiques, ce bouquin est génial. L’intrigue est à la fois captivante et profondément humaine. Je me suis énormément attachée aux personnages, car Celeste Ng nous explique parfaitement leurs motivations, et on comprend les réactions de chacun même quand on n’est pas d’accord avec eux. Mais j’ai également été épatée par la description de la vie à Shaker Heights, qui constitue à mes yeux un personnage à part entière. On se rend très vite compte que cette communauté n’est pas aussi progressiste et ouverte d’esprit qu’elle aimerait le faire croire, mais l’autrice réussit à critiquer ce style de vie sans tomber dans le jugement. Elle nous présente les faits et nous laisse nous faire notre propre opinion, ce qui est, je trouve, la marque d’une grande écrivaine.