In my reading journey, I have come across very few novels based in contemporary times that are not romances or mysteries. It almost seems like the everyday life of 21st century people doesn’t make for good fiction.
Big Little Lies proves this statement wrong.
If you are even slightly active in the fiction reading world, you must have stumbled upon this title somewhere or the other. The book made quite a hype in itself and then touched new levels of popularity when it got adapted into a hit television series, starring some of the top actresses of Hollywood.
I had been looking forward to reading this book for quite some time now, but as my reading lists are governed by the books that are available in certain e libraries, I couldn’t get my hands on it. Until I finally gave in and got an Audible subscription.
The story is gripping from the first page itself. To be fair, there is an element of suspense in the novel, with the fact that there has been a murder spilled out in the first chapter itself. However, very frankly, I as a reader didn’t care so much about solving the murder mystery.
I can easily see why this story was adapted into a TV Series. It has all the ingredients. It ties together the stories of different women. Each individual story is capturing in itself. It is about the ordinary mom but there is the element of style and lifestyle which would make for good visual entertainment. And my favorite bit was the comments of various side characters about the events taking place. They were hilarious and I most looked forward to reading these remarks at the end or beginning of each chapter.
Now, as I pointed out earlier, I read the audio book. And I believe this is the first novel where I would recommend not to read the audio version. It hasn’t been done badly. The narrator transforms her voice excellently, even though she at times has to shift from a poised high society mom to a brash plumber dad. But somehow, I felt the voice of the narrator didn’t suit some of the main characters, especially Madeline. It would have been amazing if they could have gotten a different narrator to read out each character’s part.
Over all, I loved the story line. As I said, this is a rare contemporary fiction which makes a gripping story out of the most everyday situations. This book also makes the point that what looks glossy from the outside is not always as shiny on the inside. And isn’t that just what we all need? For someone to tell us that people who are richer, prettier or more popular than us, are not necessarily happier than us. So if you are looking for a cute and funny book with children, gossip and awesome goods, pick this one up.
Related links
