(9)Big Lies In A Small Town by Diane Chamberlain

Thursday, February 13, 2020


In 2018 twenty-two-year-old Morgan Christopher was sitting in prison for when a stranger pays her a visit with an opportunity to get out of jail.  But there is a catch, she is willing to help Morgan get out on parole, but in exchange, Morgan must move to Edenton, North Carolina to restore a mural that is to be hung in the art gallery funded by Lisa's recently deceased father, the great artist, Jesse Jameson Williams.  Morgan has no idea why Jesse Jameson Williams chose her for this project, she had completed three years of art school before the accident that sent her to jail, but she does not understand how he even knows her name. She has an unrealistic deadline, but she is going to do her best to meet it or face the consequences. 

In 1940 twenty-two-year-old Anna Dale is floating through life after her mother's suicide. She was just as surprised as anybody when her submission for a mural contest was selected and she finds herself in Edenton, North Carolina to paint a mural for the post office wall. Edenton is a quaint little town, but it is a far way from the progressive hometown Anna left behind in New Jersey.  She is working hard and putting in a lot of hours to get the mural finished.  But then something tragic happens that will change Anna's life forever. 

Two women decades apart have one thing in common -finishing the mural.  Anna Dale was a strong, independent, progressive young woman looking for ways to work through her grief.  Morgan is the complete opposite of Anna. She was raised by people who didn't know how to love her and betrayed by a boyfriend she trusted.  I liked and respected both women immensely, they both had challenges in their lives unique to their time.  Like Anna having issues because of her gender.  And Morgan having to deal with an ankle monitor that monitored her alcohol consumption. The story moves back and forth between the two women and you get lost in their stories.  I spent most of the book trying to figure out their connection between the two women because you knew there would be one. However, even I was surprised by the way things played out.  CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS

Bottom Line - I have said for years that Diane Chamberlain is just as good, if not better, than Jodi Picoult.  Big Lies In A Small Town just backs up my statement.  It is smartly written and tackles topics that are, unfortunately, just as relevant today as they were in 1940.

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shelleyrae @ book'd out said...

Great review, thanks for sharing your thoughts

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