This novel follows a series of interconnected lives, from the assorted families that reside in Shaker Heights. This affluent neighbourhood, with its meticulously designed streets and strict house colour coding, is the very definition of orderly. Seemingly nothing can disturb the idyllic peace that reigns over this neighbourhood and not a thing can ruffle the pleasing sameness of every day and every individual.

But this is exactly what does happen. Behind the plastic smiles and candy-coloured exteriors, the reader bears witness to silent screams and small acts of protest that prove the idyll is a facade for what really occurs here. These small series of little fires ignite, until a shocking betrayal is exposed and the neighbourhood is rocked to its very core.

This could easily have become a very confusing piece. The protagonists alter quickly and both their pasts and presents are explored within this almost endless variety of character insights. These flashbacks help expose the presiding action and proved this a deftly accurate character portrayal as well as a highly addictive plot.

The slow-moving pace and steadily-unfolding story-line drove this to become a character-centred piece where suspense runs high and precedence is placed on the most subtle of movements. I adore this type of tale, and the author perfectly encapsulates what is so entrancing about such a story. This exceeded every expectation and is definitely worthy if its early hype.

I was so excited to read Little Fires Everywhere. Celeste Ng has beautiful writing as portrayed in Everything I Never Told You. Similar to that, this book is also written with an elegance, such detail and depth that you can imagine every part like it is really happening. This is a book that draws you in and you never want to end because it has made its way under your skin. It’s based in Shaker Heights which a town where everything is meant to be ‘perfect’ and everyone follows the rules and regulations to ensure that it is so. However, this story starts with something not so perfect as the Richardson’s house is ablaze. Instantly, you are pulled into the story captivated by what is going to happen next. The story allows to reader to develop an understanding of the differences between the fortunate and the unfortunate however the focus is on relationships, particularly those of a mother and daughter and the family dynamics. The story is about two families, The Richardson’s whose house was on fire, who are wealthy and successful, and the Warren’s who arrive at Shaker Heights a little later. However, the single mother in the new family has something to hide. These characters are so easy to imagine as it is so realistic, and written in such depth. You learn that each one of them is vulnerable and flawed making the story engaging throughout. While I would argue this book does not pull you in and touch your heart as much as Everything I Never Told You it would still conclude that the emotions it makes the reader the feel are very powerful, making it hard to put the book down.

Metaphorically speaking, everyone has 'little fires' in their lives - events that begin as a small spark, and have the ability to transform into a raging inferno, changing lives for ever.

Shaker Heights, Cleveland is an idyllic place to live, everything has been planned to create the perfect community, but it's residents are expected to live by its many rules and regulations.

The Richardson's are quintessentially the kind of family who the community of Shaker Heights was built for. Elena Richardson was brought up with these rules, and she and her husband are determined that their four children, Lexie, Trip, Moody and Izzy will live by them too. Izzy isn't exactly a chip off the old block though, and will prove to be very disruptive.

The Richardson's rent out an apartment to people they feel need a helping hand, and their latest tenants are Mia and her daughter Pearl. Mia is a free spirit, an artist specialising in photography, and when Elena’s troublesome daughter Izzy becomes close to Mia, Elena finds that she's jealous of the relationship, a relationship that doesn't exist between her and Izzy. Further to this, an adoption case in the community puts Elena and Mia on opposing sides, and Elena decides to do some digging on Mia’s past, and uproots some secrets that will change everything.

Oh gosh, this book explores so many issues, but for me the one that stood out was motherhood, and in particular, the relationship between mothers and daughters, from baby's early days to teenage angst.

It was beautifully written, with characters so well developed I felt as if I knew them personally. I also liked the setting of Shaker Heights, a place so perfect and orderly, and yet, ultimately there is always someone who will rip up those precious rules and regulations and throw them in the garbage.

Celeste Ng writes with great insight and empathy, and leaves the reader with much to think about.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group for my ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I loved Celeste Ng's debut novel - Everything I Never Told You, so I was thrilled to receive a galley of this one. It did not disappoint. Ng's writing is just as captivating in this novel, although the plot is a little less quiet.

She pulls you in right from the first few sentences and the novel is a fabulous balance of character development and plot. Enough happens to keep you interested but she leaves enough space in between to fully get into the minds of her characters and paint a real picture of Shaker Heights.

I loved the juxtaposition of parenting styles between the two mothers - demonstrating just how tough it is to be a mum and live for yourself at the same time. The relationships between all the teenagers were really convincing which I have not often come across in my reading life.

The end seemed a little abrupt and overwrought to me but I was happy to go along with it after such a wonderful reading experience.

I admit that Little Fires Everywhere wasn’t on my radar at all until I heard so many good things about it from the bookish community that it became a “must-read” for me. I was delighted when I received a copy from Netgalley for review. And as it so often turns out, this little gem of a book easily made it on my favourites list for 2017 – I loved it!

Little Fires Everywhere is a character driven drama set in the ordered suburb of Shaker Heights, where everything is carefully planned and controlled by many rules residents must adhere to. It is obvious from the start that the arrival of a non-conformist person would wreak havoc in the lives of people no longer used to individuality. I had no doubts that artist Mia, with her mysterious past and unconventional lifestyle, would cause some ripples.
I also wasn’t surprised that Mia was a magnet to young Lizzie, who didn’t fit into the Shaker Heights world at all, whilst Pearl felt drawn to the Richardson family, whose lives seemed so ordered and predictable compared to her own. Don’t we always long for the very thing we can’t have? Ng’s characterisations are spot-on, and all her characters literally leap off the page because they seem so real! I found her use of names interesting: Mia was always mentioned by her first name, whilst Elena Richardson was always “Mrs Richardson”, which cleverly created a distance between her character and the reader and reflected her somewhat stand-offish nature.

In Little Fires Everywhere, Ng raises several moral and ethical dilemmas which still haunted me long after finishing the book . For example: is motherhood determined by biology, or by the love and security one can give a child? Should motherhood be determined by wealth, and the ability to provide? Won’t that mean that parenthood becomes a luxury of the rich? I felt myself torn with empathy for each and every character, knowing there would be no solution that would ever suit all involved. Most of all though, I loved and felt for Izzy, and my heart broke for her many times over. I just wanted to hug this child and tell her how great she was!

So whilst Little Fires Everywhere explored several different topics through the eyes of these very different characters, the main theme that stood out for me was motherhood in all its varied forms and guises. Elena Richardson, who is so stunned and confused about her youngest daughter, who just doesn’t fit the mould. Mia, who is much more liberal in her views but has still imposed an exile of sorts on her only child. And Linda McCullough, who wants a baby so badly that she would not hesitate to take it from its own mother.

Ng’s writing is beautiful, her characters multi-dimensional and realistically drawn. The book drew me into its world like only few novels can, and left a ripple of unease and questions in my mind that cannot be easily answered. One of my most memorable reads of the year, and one I cannot recommend strongly enough!

I would have expected to enjoy Little Fires Everywhere more than I actually did. It's well written, the characters are realistically drawn and there's a decent story here, but something just didn’t quite chime with me as it should.

The story itself is a little complex, but this is a book about unaware privilege assuming that its vision of a good life is the only correct one and trying to mould and control everything in the world to conform to that vision, and also about mother-daughter relationships. In brief, an impoverished, artistic, nomadic single mother, Mia, and her daughter Pearl arrive in a comfortable, privileged suburb of Cleveland in 1998 and their lives become entangled with the Richardsons, a long-established, wealthy family there. The friendships and conflicts which ensue throw light on class in the USA and on what a fulfilled life may mean.

Celeste Ng writes very well. Her prose is elegant and very readable, and her characters, especially Mia and Mrs. Richardson, are well drawn and convincing, but I found the book as a whole a little unsatisfactory. I can't quite put my finger on exactly why, but I think it is a combination of small factors: the ground Ng covers is pretty well trodden and I'm not sure that I found any major new insights here, there are some long, rather plodding backstories which dragged somewhat, there is at least one colossal coincidence too many for me, I think Ng tries to do rather too much and to present too many points of view for the story to retain sufficient focus, aspects of the ending didn't ring true to me…and so on. There were quite a lot of things like this "…their beautiful ordered city, where everyone followed the rules and everything had to be beautiful and perfect on the outside, no matter what mess lay within," which were a pleasure to read, but made points which were very, very familiar.

That said, I found it easy to read, and there are some very nice character insights and one or two quite touching moments. This, and the quality of the prose means that I've rounded 3.5-stars up to 4, but although others have found this brilliant, I can only give it a qualified recommendation.

(I received an ARC via NetGalley.)

I didn't read Celeste Ng's Everything I Never Told You, but obviously heard great things about it. (And must read it at some point.) I've had a bit of a lull in the arrival of new books of late however, so when I saw this in an online catalogue, jumped at the chance to read it.

I'm a little worried however, exactly how I'll describe the transfixing allure of this book and if I'll do justice to it. But I shall try....

I think the most interesting and the very clever thing about this book is that it starts with a moment that is - essentially - the end. Sort of. It occurs to me circular plots used to be more of a thing, however more recently we're offered prologues reflecting some past event and then move forward from there. Or we jump back and forth to see how our characters move from the past to the present.

Ng opens this book with the Richardsons' house on fire. No one - at least none of her family - doubt it was Isabelle (Izzy) the youngest of four children. Only her brother Moody (second youngest of the siblings) suggests they offer her the benefit of the doubt.

And then we head back in time.

I made a note halfway through the book that we were STILL embroiled in the backstory, waiting to jump forth to learn more about Izzy's fate. I didn't realise at the time the entire book is an explanation of how 'we' (well, Izzy her family, Mia and Pearl) got to that point and place in time.

Although Ng writes well, it's more the plot itself that draws we readers into this mesmerising tale. She develops complex characters - not at all black / white - although they may appear that way on first glance. Ng delves into their shiny and smooth exteriors to give us a glimpse into what lies beneath. Mirroring that of the Shaker Heights community in many ways.

Pearl's journey (#sorrynotsorry) was probably one of the more interesting. (And I think - though it's bizarrely hard to recall even though I only read it last night* - that most of the book is told from her point of view, with snippets via Mrs Richardson now and then.)

Because of the way the book opens, I assumed the focus would be Izzy, but - although we spend more time with her later - the central character of this book is really Pearl. And she is a delight. She's insightful, but surprises us. Often. 

"It was as if she glanced at a pile of jigsaw puzzle pieces and saw the whole picture without even consulting the box. Pearl's mind, it became clear, was an extraordinary thing, and Moody could not help but admire how fast her brain worked, how effortlessly. It was a pure pleasure, watching her click everything into place." pg 35

Pearl's used to the transient life she's been living with her mother but keen for something different and her mother promises some stability so her smart talented daughter can live a more normal life.

She didn't however, count on Pearl's submersion into the Richardson family. it worries her mother, but before she knows it Mrs Richardson (always looking for a philanthropic project) draws Mia into the family circle as well, though she (surprisingly) bonds with the usually surly and much-maligned Izzy more than her siblings.

Interestingly it's not the obvious wealth of the Richardson children that Pearl initially envies. It's the stability, or sense of presence she's never had. Something (I suspect) that comes from finding your place in the world and knowing you belong there.

"They were so artlessly beautiful, even right out of bed. Where did this ease come from? How could be so at home, so sure of themselves, even in their pajamas?" p 39

Things obviously fall to pieces, which culminates in Izzy's ultimate act of rebellion and it's interesting to follow the myriad of threads (or small fires I guess) which get us there.

Much of the 'backstory' includes more backstory. We revisit Elena Richardson's younger years and better understand her feelings towards Izzy - though it's bloody frustrating and incredibly unfair.

"... the feeling coalesced in all of them: Izzy pushing, her mother restraining, and after a time no one could remember how the dynamic started, only that it had existed always." p 102

We also meet a younger Mia and discover how she came to be living in the Richardsons' rental property.

We eventually get back to the house fire at the beginning and though there's some sense of closure and some answers, I was happily left hanging in many respects. It's not the sort of novel in which we expect everyone and everything to end 'happily ever after'.

It's deeper and more complex in many ways and reminds us that people aren't always who they appear to be; and that Atticus Finch remains correct in his assertion that we can't understand others' actions until we've walked in their shoes... and perhaps even then we can't ever recreate their circumstances and state of mind.

I very much enjoyed this book by Ng which touches on a number of social issues as well as the parent / child dynamic, and wraps them up in a complex, mesmerising and (just slightly) heartbreaking story.

As an aside, the only slightly weird thing for me is that the book is obviously set in the past but it felt like it took a while to work out when. There was mention of an early mobile phone, before context added by reference to the (then) President Clinton.

* I suspect this is because the book 'feels' as if we get into the heads of the Richardson siblings, which gets us even more invested in the plot and their lives.

I really love Celeste Ng's writing and after enjoying her first novel 'Everything I never told you' I had high expectations of this one - I wasn't disappointed. Mia and her daughter Pearl live nomadic lives, travelling from place to place living a hand to mouth existence with Mia taking on just enough work to make ends meet and devoting the rest of her time to her art. But when they arrive in the planned community of Shaker Heights and become tenants of the wealthy, suburban Richardson family Mia tells Pearl that this is the end of their itinerant ways and Pearl begins to make firm friends with all of the Richardson children. Things are not quite as they seem however, and as the lives of the Shaker Heights inhabitants become more entwined, secrets of the past unfurl with wide-reaching effects. Celeste Ng writes beautifully evoking a wonderful sense of time and place and allows the plot to develop at a perfect pace. Thoroughly recommended.

4 stars!

“The earth is all scorched and black and everything green is gone. But after the burning the soil is richer, and new things can grow. People are like that too, you know. They start over. They find a way.”

Little Fires Everywhere is my first book by Celeste Ng and I didn't even think I'd get approved by NetGalley since the book was already published when I requested but here we are. Fun fact: I requested two editions of this book, the US and UK one because the US one was already published and I never thought I'd get either but somehow, I did. This is a slow burn book, it demands time to read it and you can't do so in one sitting, I think it took me almost two weeks to finish it but not in a bad way, more like, I needed to take my time with this one and read it in small pieces. Ng's writing from the first pages hooks you in and in just the first chapters, this world comes to life and these people become like a real life scene you can't look away from.

The book takes place in Shaker Heights, which I didn't know was a real place and pretty much everything that happens in the book - as far as the inner city politics go - is true, which was amazing to read about and a lot of things made me want to actually google stuff and read up on it, so fascinating. Little Fires Everywhere starts with two families, polar opposites, that have one thing in common, their teenage kids are friends. Mia and Pearl are the newcomers that move to Shaker Heights and rent a house from the Richardsons. The story takes its sweet time, told from a third POV, it travels from character to character whether it's the main two families or the students and teachers, tells bits and pieces of their past, present and sometimes future, it creates the perfect narration and it brings this odd city to life with the details and the amazing writing.

Mia and Pearl is a duo that has traveled all around the country, as Mia uses each place as inspiration for her art and they live paycheck to paycheck. Half way into the book and after the mother/daughter pair have settled in and they are now making friends and living a normal life with a steady home, an event shakes things up even more when another family close to the Richardsons adopts a Chinese baby. By that time the book has already introduced the main characters and as a reader I was in the process of figuring them out when, half way in, the adoption happens.

Elena Richardson and Mia are on opposite sides of the custody battle and that gives Elena the excuse to search Mia's unknown past. The book asks really hard questions about parenthood and what really makes a parent, is it biology or the ability to take care of a child better than the biological mother? So perfectly titled, Mia and Pearl's arrival sets little fires in this quiet city set a few decades ago - I didn't appreciate the Lewinsky references, can we let that woman be already?! - that makes this story all the more appealing with the lack of technology that would have changed it a lot.

Despite the fact that it took me time to read it, it wasn't because it was boring or I wasn't interesting. The story is intense and just a few chapters can cover more narration and storyline than I'm used to reading but it made me want to keep coming back to it after I'd put the book down. If you're in the mood for a slow read with lots of city politics and different characters then this is the book for you, personally I will be adding more books by the author on my TBR list.

Can't stop thinking about this one - I absolutely love Celeste Ng's writing. Really absorbing, rounded and believable characters. Great story - I raced through it. Loved the complexity and the contrasts of the two mothers.

Little Fires Everywhere is an intricate and observant novel that shines a light on false perfection and the intricate way in which everyday things are interlinked. Shaker Heights is a carefully planned suburb of Cleveland, where everything has order and they pride themselves on being progressive. Elena Richardson embodies much of Shaker’s ideals, but when the Richardson house is found burnt down, the recent past must be unravelled to see how the arrival of the Richardson’s tenants, the artist Mia and her teenage daughter Pearl, affected the four Richardson children, their parents, and the whole community, showing how underneath things aren’t always quite as they seem.

The narrative structure is particularly impressive, with an omniscient narrator flashing back from the burnt house to tell the story from many perspectives in a way that foreshadows and hints at past events in a satisfying way. Key moments and details that will clearly cause a ‘little fire’ later on, be misunderstood or reinterpreted by other characters, are apparent to the reader, but also not overly signposted by the writing. Through this, the book has a great sense of connection and coincidence as the present and past come together in the relationship between the Richardsons and their new tenants and in the battle over the custody of a Chinese-American baby that grips Shaker Heights and puts Elena and Mia on different sides.

Little Fires Everywhere is a novel somehow both charming and tense, with the drama between the characters built upon tiny moments and the overall narrative one that doesn’t reveal surprises so much as fill in the gaps to show how interpretations can be different. The teenage characters are a highlight and this is the kind of adult novel that can also be enjoyed by older teenagers. This tangle of characters and detail is an impressive book with a very satisfying linking of structure and themes and a very apt title in multiple ways. The ‘little fires’ are what makes the novel blaze.

Unpopular opinion, but I really didn't enjoy this book. I wanted to. I really wanted to, and after seeing nothing but great reviews for it I was sure this would be in one of my top books I've read this year, but sadly it isn't.

Truth be told, I found it extremely boring and long winded. The descriptions dragged and I didn't particularly care for any of the characters. The main plot point that initially drew me into the story wasn't properly explored until about 45% through and even then it was resolved fairly quickly.

Celeste Ng can write, there's no doubt about that. However, this just wasn't for me and I'm deeply disappointed.

You should go into this book expecting what it is: a slow-moving character portrait filled with complex family dynamics and small-town politics. If you know what this is, like with Ng's Everything I Never Told You, and don't go into it expecting fast-pacing and high-octane drama, you will probably find this quiet read to be extremely engrossing and emotional.

I have to be in the mood for this kind of read, but when I am, it packs a powerful punch. These characters are so vivid, so real, so caught up in the little fires of everyday life in Shaker Heights. There's several stories going on in here, but the book begins with literal fires lighting up the Richardson household and the knowledge that the youngest daughter, Izzy, the wild card, has disappeared. Presumably because she is guilty of the arson.

Then we move back from there. We start to get a portrait of the events leading up to this dramatic fire. We see the poor artist, Mia, and her daughter, Pearl, move into town and the effect they have on all members of the Richardson family. Further back, we get the past stories of almost every character who comes into this book. It is such a rich work in which the personal stories and experiences of secondary characters play a huge part in influencing how events unfold.

And, behind it all, is a court case that will affect all the characters lives. A custody battle over a Chinese baby who could be given every toy, every desire, every opportunity by her rich and white adoptive parents - but is that all? Is that enough when her poor birth mother is ready and willing to care for her? Things become very tense. The town becomes divided. And I felt an emotional wreck by the end of it, too.
Mrs. Richardson, however, could not let Izzy be, and the feeling coalesced in all of them: Izzy pushing, her mother restraining, and after a time no one could remember how the dynamic had started, only that it had existed always.

The Richardson family, along with Mia and Pearl, Bebe, and the McCulloughs, all pulled me into their lives. I despised a character at one point, only to find pity for them a couple of chapters later. The relationship between Izzy and her mother was a real point of interest for me. How Mrs. Richardson's fears about Izzy affected her behaviour toward her, which in turn affected how Izzy behaved. All leading to the ultimate question: was Izzy always what Mrs. Richardson feared she was? Or did Mrs. Richardson create what she most feared through her treatment of Izzy?

Little Fires Everywhere is a great example of how small character dynamics can create a powerful and fascinating story. I love the empathy the author shows for all the people in this book - even the manipulative, morally corrupt and undeserving. No one is merely good or bad. And that is what makes the book so effective. Whose side am I on? I'll let you know if I ever figure it out.

This book is simply wonderful. It tells the story of the Richardson family, well-to-do and living in the affluent town of Shaker Heights. When new tenants Mia, the artist and her daughter, Pearl move into the neighbourhood, they impact on all of the Richardsons in startling ways. What I really enjoyed about this book was the foreshadowing. We know from the outset what will happen and the book then goes about the delicious process of telling us how we get there. The characters are incredibly well drawn and totally believable. They are all flawed in their own unique ways and all skirt the border between right and wrong. The narrative flows with a fluidity that makes it one of those books that you just keep on reading without realising. There are some great debates here about what makes a good mother, whether cultural difference should be embraced or ignored and what place art has in the world. All of the issues, some quite painful and 'hot button', are viewed with objectivity and the book stays away from drawing any conclusions - that is left up to the reader. I think this would make a great book club read and I really look forward to reading Celeste Ng in the future - she is an author of consummate skill.