Little fires everywhere

by Celeste Ng

485 pages

English language

Published Aug. 8, 2017 by Random House Large Print.

ISBN:: 978-0-525-49877-3
OCLC Number:: 1002878147

(100 reviews)

When a custody battle divides her placid town, straitlaced family woman Elena Richardson finds herself pitted against her enigmatic tenant and becomes obsessed with exposing her past, only to trigger devastating consequences for both families.

15 editions

pithypants reviewed Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (No)

Review of 'Little Fires Everywhere' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I can see why this book made so many of 2017's "best of" lists. It's hard to describe what makes it so engaging. It could be the characters, which are nuanced enough and three-dimensional that you feel like you know them. It could be the skill with which she lays out the three main plot lines then skillfully weaves them together with just enough foreshadowing to reward attentive readers with a sense of where things are going. It could be that she somehow manages to write a book that touches on family, race, death, adoption, abortion, sex, art, identity, independence - without it feeling either melodramatic or heavy. I'd rate it a 4.5 - but since that's not an option, I'm rounding up to 5.

GG reviewed Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Review of 'Little Fires Everywhere' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

The “little fires” are a metaphor for the passionate heart that beats inside each of us, and the strength of society’s ultimately foolish desire to control it. It unfolds as a dark-side-of-wealthy-suburbia mystery in an entertaining and surprising way that kept me turning the pages.The trope of dark suburbia may be cliché (“Everything has to be perfect on the outside, no matter what mess lay within...”), the author may beat the reader over the head with the fire metaphor, and the characters may be somewhat predictable (the artsy single mom with a heart of gold, the cold, wealthy couple desperate for a baby, the rebellious teen, etc.), but the adept way the author shifts perspectives among them helps the reader empathize with them and makes for an enjoyable read. This may not be any sort of literary landmark, but it’s an excellent read that I’d recommend to friends who like …

anaulin reviewed Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Review of 'Little Fires Everywhere' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This was a wonderful read, full of good characters, heart-wrenching life, relationships, and well-foreshadowed disaster.

luddite reviewed Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Review of 'Little Fires Everywhere' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Such a well-crafted story, written exquisitely with some deep, complex characters.

Engrossing, emotional, evocative in bits, and very difficult to put down. One of the best books I've read this year, easily.

PS: I want to see Mia's artwork! I keep going back to those descriptions over and over.

Kathleen reviewed Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (No)

Review of 'Little Fires Everywhere' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

To be totally honest, I wasn’t going to finish this book. I was about 40% of the way through and the author was still setting the scene, not giving too much detail about the characters, and I was getting a little bored. But at the halfway mark—wow, it took off. I got to know each character so intimately and deeply and it truly made me understand the actions and decisions made by them earlier in the book and as I continued reading. Really incredible character development. I don’t finish many books feeling sad that I won’t get to see how the characters progress throughout their lives, but if she made a sequel to this, I would pre-order it in a second.

Aside from the characters, the plot itself is so interesting and unlike other books I’ve read. It really challenges your empathy and shows you that situations can’t always be …

loppear reviewed Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (No)

Review of 'Little Fires Everywhere' on Goodreads

5 stars

Engrossing story peeling back the layers of 90s suburban teenage life inside and outside the rules we set for ourselves, our families, and our communities. Structurally wonderful, starring complex mothers and daughters.