Little Fires Everywhere: 'Outstanding' Matt Haig

My kind of book. Refreshing to follow teenage characters through the same era I was that age with the music, fashion, telly, technology and other cultural references. This coming of age novel doesn't feel overly YA-ish though with a strong theme of motherhood throughout. I can see how it would work well as a television drama with so many characters, plots and subplots. It's also a very visual book with one character as a photographic artist and descriptions of the Shaker Heights community. At times subtle but never sneaky, Ng lays out opposing views on emotive issues through her characters. There were moments that made me glad to live in the UK in 2018 when reference was made to Elena's employers being good for giving her 6 weeks maternity leave after each child. SIX WEEKS!? Be fair. The plot involving a baby born to a Chinese single mother fighting for custody of her baby from a wealthy white couple broke my heart. My cousin has been through the adoption process and it was so much more thorough and if there had been even a whiff of the birth family wanting to keep the child the adoption wouldn't have gone through. The idea that wealth trumps actually giving birth to a child with zero support from the state is appalling no matter how desperate the couple are or how good they'd be as parents. And don't get me started on race. It's an issue that's threaded throughout but never fully resolved. Which I'm fine with. There's a good courtroom bit that addresses the assumptions of some characters. Elena and her mate with Mirabelle could do with reading Picoult's Small Great Things. They need to check their privilege. The ending was fairly loose and open and I wonder if a sequel could or would work. Set in 2018, the teenage characters would now be in their mid 30s, some would have their own children, how have relationships developed, have the people who didn't want yo be found get found, does SPOILER ALERT May return to the US, what happened to Bebe, did the house get rebuilt, etc. It's about sacrifice, love, teenage relationships (took me back to sneaking around with my boyfriend), families, community, motherhood, power, the impact of newcomers, surrogacy, adoption, race. I've scored it high because I enjoyed it. It might not be the best book in the world ever but star rating' s are a flawed system.

3.5 Stars rounded up. My sister recommended this as something a bit different to help me out my reading slump. I see it's been made into a Netflix series too, and I can understand why, it is a very cinematic book with a fast-paced story and some intriguing characters. So, we have a nice, middle-class Edward Scissorhands-type American town, and into it come Mia and her daughter Pearl, ready to stir things up. We have the Richardson's three teenage children who are, without knowing it, ripe for being stirred up, and we have Elena Richardson, a woman who plays by the rules, but who kind of sort of would have liked to have been a rebel, if you could be a rebel by playing by the rules. And so the fire is lit under all of them. The story unravels at quite a pace, and jumps backwards and forwards in time, with the perspective/point of view jumping about at about the same rate. I found this a little disconcerting at first, but quickly got used to it. This is a genuine page turner of a story with some very real social issues at the heart of it, not least racism and prejudice. It's the sort of story I can imagine stirred up some 'middle' Americans (I loved the whole thing about the baby dolls). It's really well-written, the characters are three-dimensional, and of course we all relate to Mia and hate Elena - well sort of. I raced through it, and only when I got to the end did I start to fret at some of the plot holes and the issues with the motivation of some of the characters - what on earth was Mr Richardson doing for most of the book, for example. This is a woman's story, so the male characters are a little less well-drawn and a little more plot-creations, but I don't have an issue with that. Thoroughly enjoyable and just the sort of read I needed at the moment. I don't think it would stand up to a second reading, but instead I am launching into the author's earlier book.

The book opens with a fire that burnt down the house of Richardson’s, one of the residents of Shaker Heights district. Izzy, the rebel child of the household is nowhere to be found and they guess that she set the house on fire. She lighted up ‘little fires everywhere’ to make sure the house burns down. But, we don’t know if this is true, or why. And the story goes back for us to come back to find out if and why she did it. The novel starts with an intriguing event, that makes you immediately curious about who this ‘Izzy’ is, why on earth she set the house on fire, what hapenned!!! I really like books when the story grips you from the first page, and Celeste Ng did this perfectly. I was hooked from the beginning to end. Second thing that’s really good about the book is the characters. I loved Mia and Izzy. Even now I want to know more, read more, talk more about them. They are interesting and gripping. The way Ng built and revealed the history, their memories, the events affected their characters was very well done. The story evolved into something really emotional and thought-provoking, which I didn’t expect as well. It makes you think about many things at the same time. Dynamics of society, ethics of motherhood, and more. I would highly recommend this book. It’s very rich, enjoyable and gripping.

If it's true that art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable, then art has done exactly that to the Richardsons family in this book. Or at least the presence of one artist, Mia, and her oddball photographic projects has. If you've never lived in American Suburbia, this book offers a really great window into that. It's Suburbia on steroids, no less. Everyone living here is successful, affluent, well-educated, owns a house that harmonizes with all the others in the neighborhood and is generally picture-perfect. The younger generation of the novel is like the poster for United Colors of Benetton, good-looking and racially diverse - but just enough so. The book is mostly populated with characters just on the verge of leaving the parental nest, about to graduate from high school and go on to college. Now, just because you choose to write about young people and coming of age, it doesn't automatically make your book a Young Adult novel. Unfortunately, Little Fires Everywhere sure reads like one. All in all, I found the book overrated: burning your parents' house down because you're an angsty arty teenager seems unrealistic and like a huge overreaction. I could see where some plot 'twists' were going a mile away. It does explore burning questions of the day: race and identity in America, abortion, wealth and poverty. Most of all, it dwells on the love of mother for her child, and explores the (somewhat taboo) topic of yearning that your parents were some other people.

Little Fires Everywhere interestingly starts at the end – with the Richardson home on fire as a result of a number of little fires lit throughout the home (hence its title!). Through the book the reader is aware of the outcome for a number of characters but doesn’t know why. Shaker Heights is a well manicured community based upon order, rules and decorum – a place whereby strict rules decide who is allowed to live in Shaker Heights, the colour schemes that people have to use on their homes depending on its build type and Duplexes are hidden behind a facade of a well-to-do detached home. Shaker Heights is a community for the well off, that prides itself on its rules and, as a result, is a safe and affluent community to live in. Little Fires Everywhere is beautifully written by Celeste Ng – she uses wonderful descriptive prose to bring to life the community of Shaker Heights and its comparison to those who are not so well off. Mrs Richardson comes from a line of Shaker Heights residents and has had her life planned out from the start which she has ‘adhered’ to. In comparison to this, there is Mia Warren, a single mother who rents the Richardson duplex. Mia is an artist and is constantly in the search of inspiration, as such Mia and her daughter Pearl have led a nomadic life, moving each time Mia has a new project. Pearl has grown up knowing that they will never be in one place for long, that she won’t be at any school for long – there is a tragic expectation in Pearl that she’ll never be in one place long enough to make friends. Celeste Ng shares with her reader a fantastic exploration into the rich/poor divide – the relationship between the Richardson’s and the Warren’s should be purely business whereby Mia pays her rent on time and looks after the duplex. However, Pearl is brought into the Richardson fold through her friendship with Moody and then his siblings, Lexie, Trip and Izzy. This acceptance of the Warren’s in the Richardson’s lives is thrown into trouble when a custody battle starts within the community and they are on opposing sides – not only that but it also creates tension within the cohesive Richardson family unit. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I’m not always a fan of long descriptive prose but in this book it works brilliantly – it is all very cleverly crafted to draw the reader into the Shaker Heights community and the events that they are facing. It was brilliant to read this story from various different perspectives; to understand from Mia’s perspective her reasons for moving constantly and her guilt that she feels, the impact that this lifestyle has had on Pearl, how Mrs Richardson embraces her affluent lifestyle but tries to use it for good whilst being fiercely protective of her Shaker Heights friends and an insight into each of the Richardson children. Simply, a brilliant read and I can see why Celeste Ng is receiving a lot of positivity around this, her second novel. The hype is most definitely deserved and I will be adding her first book, Everything I Never Told You to the TBR!

This is a really seductive read. The novel opens at the end, and we learn that Isabelle (Izzy) Richardson has burned down the family home in the upmarket Shaker Heights area of Cleveland. Set in the 1990s when Bill Clinton is president, the story focuses on the Richardson family and their perfect, meticulously planned lives (much like Shaker Heights itself with its rules about what colour you can paint your home, and about not putting bins on the sidewalk). But even the best laid plans cannot avoid the disruptive influence of outsiders; Mia Warren, a photographic artist arrives with her daughter, Pearl, and, renting a duplex from the Richardsons, soon becomes close to the family. Further uncertainty is created in the community as a result of a controversial inter-racial adoption case which ends up in court. There are lots of layers and the story allows the author to explore attitudes to race, class differences, our attempts to control our lives and the relationships between mothers and children here. The characters were engaging, complex and sympathetically drawn. Even if we didn't like all of them equally, there is a sense that that author wants us to understand them and the choices they make. It's a beautifully written book, easy to read, and gripping, but also thought provoking, leaving an impression on the mind long after the last page has been turned. I will certainly be seeking out Celeste Ng's first novel on the strength of this, her second. Highly recommended.

Little Fires Everywhere would make a great reading choice for any bookclub. Well written, good storyline, carefully crafted central characters and everything flows along nicely at a good pace. Strongest elements of the book for me related to Mia’s backstory and her passion for photography. The descriptions of the portraits left for the Richardson family (given towards the close of the book) encapsulate the thought processes behind the images created for each of them, and I loved how for Mia “some pictures belong to the person who took them. And some belong to the person inside them.” Celeste Ng has a wonderful ability to make the reader imagine the future story line for some of these characters too with subtle references given to events and thoughts of key characters in a future timeline. So although the ending does seem a little open ended, all the answers are there in the book. As the author herself states on goodreads.com “Everything I know about the characters in Little Fires Everywhere is in the book” yet doesn’t dismiss the idea of a possible sequel. Great book😊

Little fires everywhere is a beautifully written, character focused, contemporary fiction. It is set in idyllic suburbia and is focused around the, seemingly perfect, Richardson family and their relationship with their new tenants Mia, a single mum and artist and Pearl, a shy, gifted teenager. We get to know each member of the family, as they get closer to Mia and Pearl and as their lives become more closely entwined the relationships become more complex. We also find out how each person feels about the abandoned baby, whom one of the wealthy couples in the neighbourhood plan to adopt. Soon the family is divided and tensions rise. The thing that stood out for me reading this book was how well developed each character was, I felt I really knew each of them. The storyteller changed from one character to another and I never questioned from whose point of view I was reading as it was so obvious. I liked and wanted to know more about each character, all had interesting back stories and were each having their own personal struggle throughout the book. I loved that as we got to know the characters the storyline naturally developed and all the characters and their pasts intertwined perfectly. It just felt so neat, like a complete circle. You knew how it would end, because thats how the book started, but I did find myself hoping for a different ending for Mia and Pearl. Overall, an excellent read, and highly recommended.

“Little Fires Everywhere” was the tv series I planned to watch next after finishing “Big Little Lies”. But right then the lockdowns due to the pandemic started, I began writing in earnest and had to drop the pastime that used to be my favourite for many years. So, when the book deal for “Little Fires Everywhere” by Celeste Ng landed in my mailbox, I downloaded it. The book turned out to be exactly my kind of read. I appreciate that the author didn’t cut short on fleshing out the characters. Some might call it ‘tell not show’, but I loved it. The characters – and what a diverse set of them there is in the book! – felt real, even though not always their motivations were crystal clear, which is absolutely fine with me. Words exist to explain things. And it is impossible to explain everything about a character and their past through dialogue in the scenes set in the present. I understand that not everyone likes such a style when some parts of characters’ lives are described as a narrative rather than some bits and pieces of it get thrown between the ‘action.’ Yet, it works for me, and thus, I enjoyed learning about the inhabitants of Shaker Heights, their dark and not-so-dark secrets, the dreams they pursued and the ones they decided to leave behind. The book draws a wide canvas of life in an upmarket suburb of Cleveland, Ohio – Shaker Heights – focusing on the Richardsons and the Warrens. The Richardsons are a perfect American family, with a big and beautiful house, two successful parents, and four teenage children. While the Warrens are a single mother Mia and her daughter Pearl. The Warrens become the tenants of the Richardson’s, renting from them a house Mrs Richardson has inherited from her parents. However, the relationship between the two families doesn’t stay within the tenant-owner limits. I found the dynamics between Mia and the Richardsons’ children especially fascinating. It might seem that the privileged and somewhat spoiled teenagers who live the American dream their parents have created for them would not even see a struggling artist who never stays in one place for long and has to supplement her income by doing low-paid jobs. It also might seem logical that the daughter of the nomadic mother would inevitably become an outsider in the uppity school of a planned community such as Shaker Heights. Yet, it doesn’t happen this way. On the contrary, the rich get drawn to the poor, and the ties that form between them become so strong that it’ll bring tremendous heartbreak to everyone when they are forced to cut them. At first, the plotline with the teenager crises, such as pining for a boy out of your league and being left alone at the party thrown when the parents are out of town, frustrated me. But then the whole picture came together, and this part clicked into place in the overall narrative. I didn’t feel that the author forced a certain point of view on the readers. All the characters in the book have their flaws, as well as their share of disappointment. To me, it was compelling that I couldn’t firmly take someone’s side. Mia, a nomadic artist, certainly followed her heart and creative dreams. Still, even though the Richardsons’ children were drawn to her due to the stark difference she presented with their own mother, was Mia’s choice of lifestyle beneficial for her daughter Pearl? As much as I can relate to Mia’s passion for art, I can’t wholeheartedly support the idea of sacrificing one’s child’s comfortable life because of it. True, Mia had other reasons for not staying in one place for long – her back story is exciting and, like everything else in the book, controversial. I didn’t feel that the author wanted the readers to condemn Elena Richardson, an ideal Shaker Heights resident, a wife, a mother – a working one at that – who has her life planned. After all, Elena has built a great life for herself and her family. There is no denying that. Only those who haven’t experienced real poverty can declare that a comfortable home, stable, higher-than-average family income, the ability to buy a car for your child’s sixteenth birthday, etc. are not real values. While the real ones are following your dream and staying true to your nature. Perhaps the perspective slightly shifts only if one has gone through a real financial struggle when buying food and paying utility bills become an insurmountable task. “Little Fires Everywhere” touches upon some controversial topics I found intriguing to explore. It also made me realise my position on some of them differs from the accepted by the mainstream. I recommend this book to those who don’t mind the gradual immersion in the story and appreciate delving deep into the characters’ backstories and motivations.

🔥Book Review 🔥 🔥 Little fires everywhere by Celeste Ng. 🔥 Genre: Fiction. 🔥 Storyline: Q. Did the story have a good beginning? A. A house was set to fire. Do you want any better beginning? Q. Was the story believable? A. Being contemporary in nature and a story about families, it was totally believable. Q. What was the most exciting moment in the book? A. When the house was set to fire. The beginning. Q. What do you think was the most important point, or climax, of the novel? A. Families. In our busy lives we just forget our families. They need us, so do we. Q. Were you happy with the ending? A. Hell yeah. Mrs. Richardson totally deserve whatever she got. 🔥 Setting: Q. When and where is your novel set ? A. 1990s Shaker Heights. Q. Were they descriptions good? A. The description was ok. You know at times we read something where the characters are normal people and not heores, the story is ordinary and not some fantastic theory, the writing is simple and not lyrical, yet it leaves a mark. This is something like that. 🔥 Characters: Q. Pick the main character in the novel you studied. A. Mrs. Richardson, Mia, Izzy, Pearl. Q. Did you like them? Why and why not? A. Each of them were so different from themselves and each of them taught me something. Q. If you could ask them any questions, what would you ask? A. I would ask Mia what would she do if she finds a guy in his life? Because she totally deserves one. 🔥 Theme: Q. If you had to say what the novel was about in one sentence how would you describe it. A. A book which reminds us that we at times forget about the tiny yet important things around us but then regret when we lose them. Q. At what points in the novel was the main issue obvious? A. When Mrs. Richardson asked Mia to come work at her house. 🔥 Language: Q. Did you find this book easy to read? A. Yes. The language was simple to comprehend. 🔥 Conclusion: Q. Would you recommend this book and why? A. This book will be one of my favourite reads ever and would recommend it to everyone because we all have a family. And obviously it says how we should mind our own business.

Great book about life, womanhood, growing up, race, and great storytelling all thru the book

Buen libro! Entretenido

The layering of relationships in a small community unfolds beautifully delving into pain, reality and fantasy of its players. The author writes grippingly about the shallows and depths of teenager thinking and it’s consequences. From a literary perspective , this author is a gifted storyteller who ticks all the boxes of structure, theme, heart, research , reader engagement and probing emotional depths of her characters. At first I found her writing to be unsophisticated but her ability to probe relationships compensated for a simpler writing style.