Little Fires Everywhere: 'Outstanding' Matt Haig

Celeste Ng's second novel opens dramatically: a family home in a respectable American town is burning down, the result of arson by the family's youngest daughter. As the remaining family members - parents and three teenage children - gather on the lawn in shock, the reader is immediately desperate to know what happened to lead to this. A couple of juicy hints are dropped, and then we return to the beginning of the story proper.It is a compelling story with a great plot, strong characters, and some unexpected twists. Even though it opens with the dramatic conclusion, the fire itself is not the item of interest - the good story lies in why Izzy Richardson was motivated to start 'little fires everywhere' in her own home and then disappear. The novel details the lives and characters of the Richardson children and their mother (their father is present but remains mostly in the background). An artist and her teenage daughter move into the second home that the Richardson's rent out, and soon both become involved with the Richardson family members. Meanwhile, friends of the Richardson family are thrown into a court battle for custody of an abandoned baby they'd been in the process of adopting. The court case quickly catches the imagination of the small town and soon everyone has chosen one side or the other, and this leads to strain within the Richardsons and with their tenants.It's a complex, captivating story, cleverly weaving together several plot threads but all around the strong central theme of motherhood and what makes a good mother. Is being a biological parent more important than being capable of caring for a child? Should cross-cultural adoption be encouraged? Is it more responsible to have an abortion than try to raise a child that you are not in a position to give a great life to? Is love alone enough, or are stability and wealth as or more important? All of these are key questions tackled within the book, and relationships between parents and children are explored in many different ways. It never provides answers to these questions, but it makes you think, and more importantly they make for a deep, moving and sometimes painful story.I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good literary novel. It's well written, easy to rad and well paced. Both characterisation and plot are strong. It's hard to put down and yet also deep and thought provoking. Ng's first novel, 'Everything I Never Told You' was a fantastic debut and I was concerned she'd be a one-hit wonder. But this book is just as good, perhaps even better in some ways. She is certainly an extremely talented writer and I can't wait to read her next book.

So many people I know have read this book but I didn't get round to it when it was first published. There has been lots of praise for it so, having finally bought it, I was looking forward to reading this novel.It has 388 pages, split into 20 chapters.Initially the book has quite a mundane feeling but I realised that it was much deeper than that. The characters are all well drawn and their interactions show cleverly nuanced relationships.The book has many themes - parenting, teenage infatuation and community values are all key recurring concepts which weave around the main plotlines.I loved Shaker Heights where the characters lived, with its rules and orderly way of life. We see the community's methodical approach being gradually softened as the generations move on - the reader is encouraged to consider whether these changes are for the better or not.The time period is not mentioned until well into the novel, however references to technology mean that you can't help but try to place the action.The first third of the book concentrates on setting up the characters and their connections before the main plot strand is revealed which comes as a surprise even though there has been a few hints. The rest of the book then deals with how the characters react.Also around the main plot there are explorations of class and the life expectations that come from background.Celeste Ng also considers the changes between the generations in a clever way. Mrs Richardson is usually referred to with her full name, differentiating her from Mis and the younger generation - this is thought provoking.After the first couple of chapters I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy the book as it was quite superficial. I soon realised how wrong I was though and was really pleased I stuck with it as there are many moral issues about parenting that are considered in very interesting ways. No judgements are made by the author even though she forces many of the characters to have some strong opinions about the others involved. The moral dilemmas in this book made me think a lot.CN includes everyone who appears in this book. Even characters that appear for just a few paragraphs get a back story - this makes the story feel very complete and encourages the reader to see the full picture.I'm often critical of book endings but this one was well thought through and cleverly structured.

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Shaker Heights is a peaceful, well ordered community, with rules ranging from rubbish collection (and how it should be done) to the colour a resident paints their house. It is a respectable community, free of drama. That is until artist Mia and her teenage daughter Pearl turn up and lead to the unraveling of secrets. Renting an apartment from the Richardson family, Mia and Pearl become intertwined, albeit reluctantly from Mia's perspective, into their lives. Elena Richardson is a second generation Shaker Heights resident and mother to four children- Izzy, Trip, Moody and Lexie. Elena has always been troubled by her youngest daughter, Izzy, but thanks to the arrival of Mia and Pearl, she soon realises she needs to have concerns about all four. A court case involving the adoption of an abandoned baby, leads Elena to uncover the truth about Mia's past and ultimately results in the opening scene of the book where Izzy sets 'Little Fires Everywhere.' Celeste Ng gives each character their own identity and lets the reader see how they became the person they are today. The writing is descriptive and at times appears to go off on a tangent when, as I reader, I wanted to get on with the plot, but it was an enjoyable read, nonetheless.

El libro en muy buen estado, no lo he leído pero escuché muy buenas opiniones de el

Una storia che sorprende nella complessità dei suoi caratteri e con svolte inaspettate fino alla fine. Una storia straordinaria raccontata da una scrittrice straordinaria! Il personaggio di MIA nella sua squisita sensibilità rimarrà nel mio cuore!

leitura envolvente e que aborda temas sociais muito importantes como a adoção inter racial

Al principio puede que se haga algo pensado pero una vez que coge carrerilla es una maravilla. Lo recomiendo.

La Saison des feux raconte l’histoire de deux femmes, Elena et Mia. La première élève ses quatre enfants à Shaker Heights, la banlieue chic de Cleveland, et travaille comme journaliste. (Mais sa carrière n’a jamais vraiment décollé, ce qu’elle commence à regretter.) La seconde est une artiste qui voyage à travers tout le pays avec sa fille unique et ne passe jamais plus de quelques mois au même endroit. Elles se rencontrent lorsque Mia devient la locataire d’Elena. Par le biais de leurs enfants, leurs vie s’entremêlent de plus en plus, ce qui fait remonter de nombreux secrets à la surface, des secrets qui menacent de faire exploser tout ce qu’Elena et Mia ont construit jusqu’ici…Les ami-e-s, faites-moi confiance et faites confiance aux critiques dithyrambiques, ce bouquin est génial. L’intrigue est à la fois captivante et profondément humaine. Je me suis énormément attachée aux personnages, car Celeste Ng nous explique parfaitement leurs motivations, et on comprend les réactions de chacun même quand on n’est pas d’accord avec eux. Mais j’ai également été épatée par la description de la vie à Shaker Heights, qui constitue à mes yeux un personnage à part entière. On se rend très vite compte que cette communauté n’est pas aussi progressiste et ouverte d’esprit qu’elle aimerait le faire croire, mais l’autrice réussit à critiquer ce style de vie sans tomber dans le jugement. Elle nous présente les faits et nous laisse nous faire notre propre opinion, ce qui est, je trouve, la marque d’une grande écrivaine.