I had Big Little Lies buried on my to-read list for over a year. I want to thank one of my lovely Goodreads friends Suzanne for suggesting I push it to the top of the mountain. Big Little Lies is a several-month slice of life in the universe of grade school parents in a coastal town located in Australia. Not having children, this setting fascinated me, especially since it was nothing like when I was a grade schooler in the late 1950s/1960s in Tennessee. Parents did not get into heavy politics and squabbles with each other and didnt hover over their kids back then. Im glad I was a kid when I was.Wow, this was some book! I went into it cold, not reviewing the plot blurb at all. The first quarter of the book mystified me; I had no idea where it was going. It seemed to drag a bit and to be rather chick-littish, but with quite a few 5 star reviews I elected to just go with it, and Im happy I did. The main thrust of the story revolves around the lead up to a melee resulting in significant injuries to several and death to one at the annual parents trivia night at the school. This is made known very early in the story; the rest of the book builds up to and includes that event and ends with an epilogue set one year later. One unique feature I loved was the snippets of police-parent interviews that took place right after the trivia night calamity; these appeared at the end or beginning of every chapter, starting with chapter 1. After I elected to just go with the story it actually flowed quickly. I had allotted 7 days to read this almost 500-page novel and finished in 4. There were many characters and many character-interactions to keep track of, but I found this not be a challenge for the most part. A huge plus for me was the authors numerous perfectly timed tiny bursts of humor that often had me laughing out loud. Ms. Moriarty and I clearly have the same sense of humor.So what are the themes of this novel? There were so many! The title refers to the seemingly little lies that people tell themselves, their friends and loved ones, their perceived enemies and the authorities that result in big, sometimes very big, consequences. The story also illustrates that people really dont always know their friends and loved ones as well as they might think. It touches on a myriad of other subjects such as bullying, domestic violence, sexual and emotional abuse, human trafficking and the impact of cliques and gossip. The power of friendship and just doing the right thing is well depicted. This book is polarizing. Some think it is boring and too long. Some believe it is mostly chick lit (let me just say this isnt a bad thing unless you hate chick lit), others think some of the characters are shallow (but there are people like this in real life). It has also been opined that some of the topics are handled inappropriately. Then there are those readers, like me, who loved it. I think it is cleverly written, contains just the right amount of humor and really has a lot to say at the end. I recommend everyone read this book for yourself and see what YOU think. Im glad I did, and I will definitely be reading more novels by Ms. Moriarty.

Liane Moriarty has done it again written a book that kept me up way too late because I couldnt put it down. She has a knack for creating characters who are so believable they could easily be someone you know. Big Little Lies is a story of parents acting badly. It is also a smart and witty story about the real lives of children, teens, friends, husbands, wives, second wives, and exes. You are teased from the beginning with something awful that happens at the annual Pirriwee Public School fund raising. You know the what but not the who or the how. Along the way you discover some of the dangerous little lies that people tell just to be able to face the day. I couldnt wait to get to the end to find out what happened that night but at the same time I was sorry that I wouldnt be reading any more about the inhabitants of Perriwee.

Probably the funniest book about murder and domestic abuse I'll ever read.

If you had hoped for something more from the much-lauded Landline, look no further than Liane Moriarty. She writes well-plotted, engrossing, and incredibly funny stories with believable women that also happen to put marriage and friendship under a microscope. Every book I've read by this author has been terrific.

Let's sum up this book with two words: "Oh, calamity!"What a pleasant surprise. When I picked this up I expected some sorts of a predictable, dull book about lies and family, etc. What I read though far exceeds those two. It's more of a family thriller. What does that mean? I just came up with it. It's about the horrors between families, the hardships. Not just the good stuff, leaving out all the bad. Mrs. Moriarty takes care to include everything in this book. From teenage nightmares to the undoubted horror of living next to your ex-husband. It all begins with a scream tearing through the night. And then we go back, 6 months back before that scream. We have moms, and dads, lots of them. A mom with three kids, two kids from her current marriage and one kid, a teenager, from her previous marriage (her ex-husband abandoned her and her child and then went on and remarried, had another child and moved next to them). We have a single mother. A mother with the perfect marriage, the perfect husband, the perfect children. But what if, I say, what if it's just all a big lie?Believe me when I say that you'll take immeasurable pleasure from reading this book. Gripping dialogues with touches of humor, black and white. Multi-dimensional characters, with lots of aspects to them. Characters who make mistakes, fall prey to others, and well, they're not perfect. Mrs. Moriarty is a master at portraying emotions in the simplest of ways, just one single word. The mystery surrounding the storyline is amazing and it makes you read more and more and before you know it, it's over. At the end of each chapter there are interviews from fellow Piriwee residents, giving statements and sharing their views of one another. Nothing more to say. Just read this. You have to. Don't you want to know who died?