(72)Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

The parents of students at the Pirriwee School are almost like something out of a soap opera your grandmother might watch on daytime television.  Maddie is one of the more experienced parents, her older son, Fred, has already been through the Kinder class and Chloe is getting ready to start.   Celeste is married to the wealthy hedge fund manager, Perry, and their twin boys will be starting the Kinder class, as well.  And they meet Jane, the young single mother who's son Ziggy is starting the same Kinder class.  The three women meet on the day or orientation and have become fast friends, but when they get to the orientation an "incident" casts a shadow on the day and sets the tone for the year to come.  A year of secrets, lies, violence, and whispers culminate in a school Trivia Night that will leave the school reeling, a parent dead, and the police trying to determine what really happened that night on the balcony.  Will the Pirriwee parents protect their own or will they continue to throw each other to the wolves?

I was quickly sucked into Big Little Lies.  Immediately I found myself liking Maddie.  She is intelligent, funny, and fiercely protective of her friends.  She was the kind of character that I would love to hang out with for "erotic book club" or a fun glass of champagne.  Watching her quickly take Jane under her wing was great.  So many of the mom's at school were just looking for an excuse to shun the young and pretty single mom, but Maddie wouldn't back down for nothing and that makes her my new literary BFF.  Then there is the whole Celeste/Perry relationship. I just don't even know where to begin with those two.  On the outside it appeared as if Celeste had everything any woman could possibly want, but it just goes to show you that you never know what happens behind closed doors. She was an expert at lying to herself and her friends.  There are so many other sub-plots that feed into the "big event" that happened at Trivia Night. Like Maddie's ex and his new wife, Bonnie.   Then there is the whole bullying thing that gets wickedly out of hand.  And the true paternity of Jane's son, Ziggy.   So many little things that also feed into the events of that night.   I feel that the story ended in the best possible way and it left me feeling satisfied.  It is always great when an author leaves you feeling as if everything ended the way it was supposed to.

Bottom line, Big Little Lies is a book that will keep you on the edge of the seat for as long as it takes you to fly through the pages.  Lies, deceit, abuse, and murder is just a sampling of what you will encounter in this wonderful little book.  Gather your girlfriends and pour a glass of wine , Little Big Lies is an excellent choice for your next book club selection.

The Details:

• Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
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• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Publication Date: July 29, 2014
• Buy it Here!